10 Higby Rd
Utica, NY 13501
Brent’s talk will offer insights into the words “religious” and “spiritual,” and help us think about why and how we use them. Sometimes we distinguish between the two. Sometimes we use them as synonyms for each other. Sometimes we prioritize one over the other. Brent suggests that both terms are important as we think about our own faith, and the faith of others.
Born in the year of the Fire Horse, S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate has traveled the world seeking ways that people practice and/or fight against religious traditions. Convinced that religion has less to do with beliefs than with bodies, Brent investigates the ways people connect with physical objects through sense perception: the things we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch are what give us our spiritual dimension. They are a Professor, by special appointment, of Religious Studies / cinema & media studies at Hamilton College. Brent has published 16 books, including “A History of Religion in 5 1/2 Objects: Bringing the Spiritual to its Senses”. http://www.sbrentplate.net/