Symposium honors professor

The Religious Studies Department will hold a symposium at 4 p.m. today in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union in honor of the late J. Samuel Preus. The symposium will challenge, confirm and question religious beliefs of audience members, said Stephen Stein, professor of Religious Studies.\nClassical historian, intellectual in the field of religion and Ruth N. Halls professor Emeritus, Preus taught in the department from 1973 until he retired in 1998. \nPreus was someone who spent a great deal of time reflecting on what religion really is and how religious studies should be viewed, Stein said. \nWhile the department does have a major celebration of a professor during the professors' last year of teaching, this will be the first time it has had a symposium in honor of a deceased professor.\nStein was a good friend of Preus and said the symposium will be a celebration of Preus' life.\n"What we did was try to find a contemporary scholar that reflected the same interest as a featured speaker," Stein said.\nThey found that in scholar Wayne Proudfoot, professor of philosophy of religion at Columbia University. He be deliver a keynote address entitled "Should Religious Studies Adopt a Posture of Neutrality with Regard to Religious Claims?"\nThe second program will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the State Room West of the IMU. The program will include a panel discussion including Proudfoot; Michael Morgan, IU professor of philosophy, Jewish studies and religious studies; Raymond Williams, professor at the Wabash College Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion; and Terrence Martin Jr., professor of religious studies at St. Mary's College at Notre Dame. \nAll faculty and students are welcome, and the events are free. Stein said those expected to attend include Preus' family, friends, former students and the general public.