Democracy is commonly understood to be of Greek origin. While first practiced in rudimentary form in the city-state of Athens, the modern understanding of democracy has many roots. Among them are significant contributions by the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, notably the belief in a shared humanity of all people. The panel discussion will examine how each of the three religious traditions provided a significant tributary to the stream that would eventually become a modern democracy.

Held on: October 19 at 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Moderator :
Dr. Reinhard Krauss, Academy for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies

Presenters:
Dr. Scott Spitzer, Cal State Fullerton
Rev. Jonathan Chute, Rolling Hills United Methodist Church
Dr. Javad Hashmi, Muslim Public Affairs Council

Respondents:
Yael Aranoff, American Jewish University
Emilie Nordhues, UCLA
Kienan Taweil, Loyola Marymount University

Presenter Bio's:

Dr. Scott J. Spitzer -  Dr. Spitzer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, Fullerton. His research addresses presidential leadership, racial politics, the decline of New Deal Liberalism, and the rise of contemporary conservatism. His most recent work appears in Presidential Studies Quarterly and in The Sixties: A Journal of Politics, History and Culture, and he is currently revising a manuscript for publication: From Johnson’s War on Poverty to Nixon’s Silent Majority: Welfare, Race, and the Origins of Modern Conservatism.

Rev. Jonathan Chute - Rev. Chute graduated from Harvard University, majoring in the Comparative Study of Religion. He completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley in 1985. He was ordained in the California-Pacific Conference. He served as Associate Pastor at Community UMC in Pacific Palisades for the next four years. Since 1998 Rev. Chute has been serving as Senior Pastor at Rolling Hills UMC.

Dr. Javad T. Hashmi - Dr. Hashmi is a board-certified emergency physician, former Fellow of Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School, and a Ph.D. student in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. In addition to his medical training, Dr. Hashmi holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Arabic & Islamic Studies from U.C. Berkeley and Harvard, respectively.

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