The Comparison Project

On Sunday, February 15, from 3:00–5:00 pm, Drake University’s The Comparison Project, in conjunction with the “Iowa Interfaith Exchange,” hosts “Roads to Religion” in the Olmsted Center (Parents Hall) on Drake’s campus. The event, which is free and open to the public, features dozens of local religious communities, collectively representing at least a dozen religious traditions. These communities will be arranged throughout the hall as if on a map of the metro area. Visitors will receive a map to guide them in their exploration of them. Refreshments will be provided by Drake’s catering service, Sodexo.

The Comparison Project engages in the practice of comparative philosophy of religion, increases understanding of local-lived religion, and cultivates interfaith literacy and leadership. It is supported by Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Drake’s Center for the Humanities, Drake’s Stringellow and Hay Lectureships, Drake’s Slay Fund for Social Justice, Drake’s Principal Cener for Global Citizenship, Humanities Iowa, and Cultivating Compassion: The Dr. Richard Deming Foundation.

The ”Iowa Interfaith Exchange” includes Drake’s The Comparison Project and three other local nonprofits: CultureALL, the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.

The ”Iowa Interfaith Exchange” includes Drake’s The Comparison Project and three other local nonprofits: CultureALL, the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.

Roads to Religion 2025 Photos – The Comparison Project

On Thursday, February 26, at 6:00 pm in the Harkin Institute (2800 University Ave), Dr. Baolin Wu, Assistant Professor of Religion at Minzu University of China, will lecture on “Reverence, Humility, and Friendship: On Confucius’s Interactive Interpretation of Disability Care.”

For those wishing to attend the lecture virtually, please sign on here at least five minutes in advance: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/83878184761.

The “interactivity” inherent in Confucius’s care for people with disabilities is first grounded in sincere human communication, which serves as the prerequisite for interaction between the disabled individual and society. For Confucius, the holistic interconnectedness of body and mind, along with self-awareness, is equally endowed to both persons with disabilities and non-disabled individuals. Concurrently, every person should conscientiously recognize their own limitations and maintain genuine humility when engaging with people with disabilities. The specific principles of Confucius’s disability care include upholding human dignity and equality, providing appropriately tailored substantive assistance premised on self-awareness and empathy, and prioritizing the well-being of the recipient to facilitate their social integration and acceptance. When caregivers perceive disability care as a responsibility in the pursuit of life’s true essence, giving care becomes a form of self-help. Behind such an attitude lies a stance rooted in metaphysical foundations: reverence for Heaven and a profound recognition of Heaven’s noble qualities. Heaven creates and sustains all things in silent stillness; by emulating this celestial virtue in human relations, Confucius naturally embodied universal compassion, respect, and empathy for others—transcending distinctions of social status. Blind musicians, too, deeply grasped the “Way of Heaven,” “alignment with celestial timing,” and the sacred wisdom of nurturing all beings, playing a unique and profound role in the institution of remonstration. Such mutual understanding enabled Confucius and the blind musicians to transcend the one-way care model. Therefore, individuals with disabilities and non-disabled individuals can serve as mutual helpers and beneficiaries, and form sincere companions in the journey of learning from Heaven.

On Saturday, February 28 from 5:45–7:00 pm, we will attend a Ramadan prayer and iftar meal” at Ezan Islamic and Cultural Center, the Bosnian Islamic mosque at 6206 Douglas Ave in Des Moines. The event includes the sunset (maghrib) prayer, the breaking of the fast, and an iftar meal.   

Please dress appropriately: women should be covered below the elbows and knees and should cover their head/hair with a scarf. Men should wear long pants.

On Sunday, March 8 from 11:00am–1:00pm (roughly), we will join the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (33916 155th Lane, Madrid) in the annual celebration of Holi. Guests will be able to tour the temple, observe the Holi fire ritual (Holika Dahan), throw colored powered at one another, and dance.

Please dress accordingly if you are going to participate in the throwing of colors.

Lunch is available for purchase from the temple.

This event is part of the “Meet My Religious Neighbor” series, which is co-programmed with CultureALL, the Des Moines Area Religious Council, and Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.