Guest Post: John Soboslai, Assistant Professor of Religion, Montclair State University This article is the third in a three-part series on using virtual reality (VR) to promote religious literacy and enhance civil discourse. My first post outlined the general idea of using virtual reality (VR) as a way to remotely step into various religious rituals. […]
Benjamin Franklin’s Contribution to Jewish Practice
Guest Post: Shai Afsai Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers, was born on this date, January 17, in 1706. In addition to being a well-known statesman, he was a successful newspaper editor and inventor. He was also one of the founders of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, a predecessor of the University of […]
Teaching Religious Literacy with Films
Guest Post: Jennifer Fischer, Co-Founder, Think Ten Media Group Learning about different religions can feel challenging, even overwhelming. Fortunately, the world of film offers opportunities to improve religious literacy while also increasing empathy and understanding. Films are powerful learning tools, and most of us have at least one potent memory associated with a particular movie. […]
Ritual Selections: Deciding to See What Takes Place
Guest Post: John Soboslai, Assistant Professor of Religion, Montclair State University In my first post I outlined the goals and hopes that brought an interdisciplinary group of scholars and media creators together in June of 2022. Seeking to lay the foundation for a series of immersive, interactive, virtual reality experiences of religious rituals around the […]
Countering Islamophobia Through Film: Recommendations & Resources
Guest Post: Jennifer Fischer, Co-Founder, Think Ten Media Group Given how prevalent media is in our daily lives, challenging Islamophobia through film is an important and urgent matter. But doing so requires careful curation of the media that we consume. Nuanced, complex and authentic media representations do exist, but deliberate efforts are needed if we […]