prayer

From:
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 10:24 AM
To: Faculty; Admin
Subject: prayer

Dear colleagues,

The different exchanges about “prayer” that we heard yesterday in the faculty meeting clearly indicate patterns of strong opinion and emotion. I think that this issue should not have been resolved by means of a vote. In addition to questioning whether this is a business & academic matter, and whether this has anything to do with “tradition” and “common spiritual goals” , I also question the validity of the procedure used given the restricted amount of time given to debate and necessary reflection after the discussion.

The result of yesterday’s decision is that a substantial number of faculty have openly imposed their will over a large number of their colleagues, not on an academic issue but on a spiritual one. Thus, until yesterday what was for me (raised in another cultural tradition) a meaningless gesture has now become a conscious imposition upon those who think that prayer (regardless of the exact language used) should remain solely within the realm of individual faith and expression. Having heard the word “community” in the faculty meetings often enough for the past year, the action taken yesterday seems to be both a contradiction and an impediment to building such community.

Best,