The encyclical Humanae vitae was published for the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Paul VI in 1967 - 40 years ago. It was a catastrophic mistake: rather than simply reiterating the beautiful Christian truth about the gift of love and the gift of life, the beauty of virginity when freely chosen for love of God, the ideal of chastity outside of marriage in imitation of Christ, and the "less than ideal" practice of systematically sharing the gift of love without sharing the gift of life, the encyclical was used to reassert papal authority on matters of faith and morals.
The encyclical thus became an authoritarian, moralistic pontification about when to use (and when not to use) the "pill" and other methods of artificial birth control. It invaded the sacred space of personal conscience for single and married people alike. Forty years later the results are well known, and confirm that young people today are more open to welcome the challenge of high morals than threats of eternal damnation. It would have been so much better to just reiterate the plain and simple truth: "follow your conscience, you can abstain with God's grace, don't follow the easy path of irresponsible pleasure, follow Christ in chastity, cherish the gift of life."
The repercussions are impossible to calculate. There were the zealots who insisted that the encyclical was normative under pain of mortal sin. Those were the ones who did most damage, either by seeding scruples in the minds of good people or by alienating many more from the church. Outside the Roman Catholic Church nobody paid any attention, since this was an edict for Roman Catholics and not a biblically based ideal for the exercise of human sexuality. For many, the gift of love and the gift of life became the curse of love and the curse of life, and this in many different forms: lack of cross-gender solidarity, irresponsible sex within and outside marriage, unwanted pregnancies, abortion .... for violence begets violence, and religious violence begets extreme forms of religious violence.
The encyclical Humanae vitae was an expression of religious violence, albeit probably not intentionally so. It was the first signal of retrenchment following the Second Vatican Council (1961-1964). The massive rejection of the encyclical as moral guidance - outside as well as inside the Roman Catholic Church - should have been a signal for the Vatican to receive the "sense of the faithful" lovingly and pray for understanding. Instead, The Vatican proceeded to publish documents (such as "Inter Insegnores," 1976) and impose oaths of loyalty (starting in 1989) to effectively silence any complaints about their next planned exercise in abusing religious authority: the sudden, unilateral termination of the process of discernment pursuant to the ordination of women ("Ordinatio Sacerdotalis," 1994).
It is a saddening sequence of events, and one that certainly obscures both the gift of love and the gift of life. But God keeps calling us to share these gifts, sometimes in the most unexpected ways -- see below, "Art & Artist of the Month."
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM 2007
From January 25th to 27th, 2007, in Nairobi, Kenya. Agenda:
1. Building a world of peace, justice, ethics and respect for diverse spiritualities;
2. Liberating the world from the domination of multinational and financial capital;
3. Ensuring universal and sustainable access to the common goods of humanity and nature;
4. Democratization of knowledge and information;
5. Ensuring dignity, defending diversity, guaranteeing gender equality and eliminating all forms of discrimination;
6. Guaranteeing economic, social, human and cultural rights especially the right to food, healthcare, education, housing, employment and decent work;
7. Building a world order based on sovereignty, self-determination and rights of peoples;
8. Constructing a people-centered and sustainable economy;
9. Building real democratic political structures and institutions with full people’s participation on decisions and control of public affairs and resources.
NON-VIOLENT ATONEMENT CONFERENCE
January 22-23, 2007, 9 am - 9 pm, Mennonite Central Committee's Welcoming Place, Akron, PA. From the conference flyer: "How shall we understand the death of Jesus? Is it necessary to speak of the wrath of God when discussing atonement? These questions have been asked and answered many times throughout the history of the church. In today's world with our growing awareness of the dangers of violence, sacrifice, and militant religion, the death of Jesus need no longer be construed with divine violence. For more information contact Michael Hardin.
WORLD FUTURE 2007
The World Future Society will hold its annual conference, "World Future 2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century" in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Hilton Minneapolis, July 29-31, 2007. This 2-1/2-day conference will focus on ideas, insights, and strategies for coping with, adapting to, and taking advantage of the tremendous changes occurring on our planet. The deadline for papers is February 28, 2007. If additional information is needed, please let me know: Timothy C. Mack.
VULNERABILITY AND TOLERANCE
Blaise Pascal Instituut, Amsterdam Vrije Universiteit July, 4-8, 2007. This is the annual meeting of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion, an scholarly society focused on the exploration, criticism, and development of René Girard's Mimetic Theory. See the conference website for subthemes, deadlines for abstracts, etc. For more information, contact Thérèse Onderdenwijngaard.
20TH WORLD ENERGY CONGRESS
11 Nov 2007 - 15 Nov 2007, Rome, Italy. The World Energy Congress is the most authoritative international energy meeting held by the World Energy Council (WEC) every three years. Papers and posters are accepted in either of the WEC official languages: English or French. Deadlines: Submission of papers and posters: from 1st June 2006 to 31st December 2006. Notification of acceptance: by 31st May 2007. Contact: Organising Secretariat
WEB-BASED COMMUNITIES 2007
IADIS International Conference, Salamanca, Spain, 18-20 February 2007. The mission of this conference is to publish and integrate scientific results and act catalytically to the fast developing culture of web communities. The conference invites original papers, review papers, technical reports and case studies on the web, in particular the emerging role of so-called Web-Based Communities. Conference contact: wbc-sec@iadis.org.
POLITICS OF POPULATIONS
Call for papers for an edited volume on The Politics of Populations. Abstracts due January 15th, 2007. Prospective chapters should be no more than 25-30 pages. Submit abstracts of 300 words or less with contact information to: David Karjanen .
VIOLENCE AND RELIGION IN POPULAR CULTURE
2nd-4th February 2007, The Centre for Religion and Popular Culture, University of Chester, St Deiniol’s Library in Hawarden, North Wales. For details, or to propose a paper, please email a title and brief abstract (no more than 150 words) to Eric Christianson, Senior Lecturer, Biblical Studies Co-Director, Centre for Religion and Popular Culture Dept of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Chester.
INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
Conference of the National Council for Science and the Environment, February 1-2, 2007, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, DC. The conference will address the many essential roles the environment plays on our well-being today, as well as the multi-dimensional relationships between human health and environmental components, which may have far-reaching consequences for society. For more info: NCSE2007.
HUMAN DESIRES AND ENVIRONMENTAL REALITIES
February 28–March 3, 2007, Baton Rouge, LA. This conference is sponsored by the American Society for Environmental History. To submit a poster proposal, please use the proposal submission form. For more info, please contact ASEH Program Committee.
MOBILIZING PARTNERSHIPS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
April 11 - 14, 2007 in Toronto ON Canada. Call for proposals due October 6. Convened by the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH). For information about being a conference cosponsor, exhibitor, advertiser or supporter, contact Shelly Tolo, CCPH Conference Manager by phone: (206) 962-0012 or e-mail: toloevents@aol.com.
FAITH, SPIRITUALITY, AND
SOCIAL CHANGE
Conference on Faith, Spirituality and Social Change, University of Winchester, UK, 14 April 2007. A conference bringing together people whose action for social change is informed by their faith, organisations working with faith communities for social change, and academics exploring faith-based social change issues. Proposals - in the form of a title, a short abstract (300 words max) and a brief biographical statement (100 words plus affiliation) should be sent by 1 Dec 2006 to Dr. Christina Welch or Adrian Harris at fssc@winchester.ac.uk. For any additional information contact Christina or Adrian or please visit the conference website.
WEB-BASED EDUCATION CONFERENCE
March 14–16, 2007, Le Majestic Centre De Congres, Chamonix, France. The International Association of Science and Technology for Development (IASTED), is a non-profit organization founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1977. The purpose of IASTED is to promote economic development through science and technology. For more information: calgary@iasted.org.
BRIDGING THE ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Call for papers. AAG Conference, San Francisco, April 17-21, 2007. The goal of this session is to (1) identify existing social science and ecological theories that offer the strongest potential, if joined, to deepen and broaden our understanding of linked social-ecological systems, and (2) evaluate the potential and challenges of such theoretical bridging. Points of contact: Rinku Roy Chowdhury or Eric Keys
DEVELOPMENTAL SOCIAL
COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
The Jean Piaget Society invites program submissions for the 37th Annual Meeting to take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, May 31-June 2, 2007. Organizers: Phil Zelazo, Michael Chandler, and Eveline Crone. Please use the Proposal Submission Forms. Submission deadline is November 15, 2006. Point of contact: Chris Lalonde.
SOCIETY AND
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
June 17-21, 2007, Park City, Utah. This is the 13th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. The theme for the 2007 symposium is "Landscape Continuity and Change - Social Science Perspectives and Interdisciplinary Conversations." Abstracts for posters and papers due January 31, 2007. For more information about the symposium, contact Dr. Douglas Jackson-Smith.
NWSA 2007
The National Women’s Studies Association, 28th Annual Conference, Pheasant Run, St. Charles, Illinois. June 28-July 1, 2007. Theme: PAST DEBATES, PRESENT POSSIBILITIES, FUTURE FEMINISMS. Featured Conference Speaker: SANDRA CISNEROS. For more info: nwsaoffice@nwsa.org.
World Future 2007
The World Future Society will hold its annual conference, "World Future 2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century" in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Hilton Minneapolis, July 29-31, 2007. This 2-1/2-day conference will focus on ideas, insights, and strategies for coping with, adapting to, and taking advantage of the tremendous changes occurring on our planet. The deadline for papers is February 28, 2007. If additional information is needed, please let me know: Timothy C. Mack.
TECHNOLOGY AND GLOBALIZATION
Conference of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, July 8-11, 2007. The 2007 conference will be focused on the ways that technology shapes and is shaped by the multidimensional phenomenon of globalization. Proposals should be made electronically to Joseph Pitt, Program Committee Chair. The deadline for submissions is January 1, 2007.
CONFERENCE ON
SOCIO-RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Havana, Cuba, in 9-12 July 2007. The theme is: "The religious movements in the face of the conflicts and challenges of a world in crisis." Sponsored by the Department of Socio-religious Studies of the Center for Psychological and Sociological Research (CIPS) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment of Cuba. Abstracts due 20 April 2007. The head of the promotion committee is Sonia Jiménez. Phone: (537) 831-3610 and 833-5366. Fax: (537) 833-4327. Email: quintoencuentro@cips.cu.
INTERDISCIPLINARY
SOCIAL SCIENCES
University of Granada, Spain, 10-13 July 2007. The conference will examine the nature of disciplinary and interdisciplinary practices across the social sciences, as well as the relation of the social to the natural sciences, applied sciences and the professions. The focus of papers will range from the finely grained and empirical (research practices and results exemplifying one or more disciplines), to wide-ranging multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary practices, to perspectives on knowledge and method.
The deadline for the next round in the call for papers (a title and short abstract) is 22 October 2006. See the conference website for other details.
HUMAN ECOLOGY:
LOCAL POPULATIONS AND DIVERSITY IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
The XV International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 4-7, 2007. Some preliminary proposals for sessions include themes such as: Biodiversity, Coastal Management, Cultural Diversity, Education, Philosophy, and Traditional Populations, among others. This is an invitation to submit proposals for sessions, symposia, and roundtables that we can incorporate into the early stages of meeting planning even before we issue the formal call for papers. If you have ideas, please contact Alpina Begossi, President, Society for Human Ecology, alpinab@uol.com.br or humanecology@coa.edu.
SUMMIT ON THE FUTURE OF THE CORPORATION
Planned for November 2007. This event will be a major milestone in bringing corporate redesign to the public agenda, profiling Corporation 20/20 design concepts and charting a pathway forward. For more info: info@Corporation2020.org.