Seminar about religion slated for October

An upcoming public seminar will address religious issues often ignored by conscientious, Bible-believing, Midwestern church men and women, said pastor Jerry Ray Galbreath, of University Place Christian Church.

“So often, we point the finger at extremist Islamic terrorists or Jewish Zionists fighting for ‘their land’ and fail to see the standpoints in Christian denominations and congregations that mirror the same evil and violent pronouncements and behavior,” Galbreath said.

The four Sunday afternoons in October will bring together four instructors in religion with international experience for three hours each afternoon of presentations and discussions.

Focus will be around the 2008 book “When Religion Becomes Evil” by Middle East scholar Charles Kimball, who will be the primary presenter. Assisting will be Harold Hatt, retired Phillips University and seminary professor of religion and philosophy; Robert Simpson, retired Phillips University professor of New Testament; and Galbreath, instructor in philosophy and world religions at Northern Oklahoma College Enid. The cost of $30 will include a copy of the book and presentations 2-5 p.m. Oct. 4, 11, 18, and 25.

Especially following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, attention has been given to the “evil aspects” of fundamentalist, extremist religious practice, Galbreath said. Most Christians are aware of the evil perpetuated by the Crusades in the Middle Ages, and may associate the practices of David Koresh and the Waco Davidians, Jim Jones and the disaster in Guyana and the Mormon Warren Jeffs episode but may not see their own and others’ practice and pronouncements as having “evil tendencies,” as Kimball points out in the “Five Warning Signs” in his book.

Galbreath and pastor J. F. Wickey, of co-sponsor Cross Walk United Church of Christ, as well as Kimball, point toward a compassionate and enlightened global perspective that is consistent with one’s religious tradition. The public is invited to participate and may enroll, receive the book and address other questions to Galbreath at 234-5221.

Workshop on eating disorders set Oct. 20

The University of Oklahoma Outreach is offering an eating disorders workshop, “Culture Calamities: Increasing Eating Disorders in a Technological World,” on Oct. 20 at Norman Regional Education Center. The workshop is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $89, if received before Oct. 15. The cost after then goes up to $105. For information, go to www.cafe .ou.edu/education.