Global Philosophy of Religion in the Local Des Moines Community
On Thursday, October 23, we celebrate the birth of the founder of the Baháʼí faith, Baháʼu’lláh. This event, a “19 Day Feast” consisting of Devotional, Administrative, and Social components, will occur from 5:00–5:50 pm, just prior to the lecture at 6:00 by Herbert Moyo, at the Harkin Institute.
We are honored to host a lecture on October 1, 2025 by Zilka Spahić Šiljak entitled “Two Idealized Cosmologies of Gender Relation in Islam.” The lecture will occur at 6:00 pm in Sussman Theater on the lower level of the Olmsted Center on Drake’s campus (2875 University Ave).
“Two Idealized Cosmologies of Gender Relation in Islam” explores two contrasting cosmologies of gender relations within Islam: the patriarchal paradigm, which has historically dominated Islamic thought and practice, and the egalitarian paradigm, which continues to struggle for recognition and authority. Through a critical examination of the works of three male and one female progressive Muslim scholars, the lecture interrogates the foundations of gender equality in Islamic discourse. It highlights how textual fundamentalism reinforces the illusion that normative guidance is solely derived from sacred texts, while overlooking the interpretive agency of the believing community. In contrast, progressive scholars advocate for a performative and dynamic relationship with the text, one that emphasizes contextual reading, ethical responsibility, and communal engagement. This approach challenges hegemonic interpretations and opens space for more inclusive and egalitarian readings of Islamic tradition.
Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak, Associate Professor at the University of Sarajevo, is a scholar and activist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She holds a Ph.D. in gender studies, MA in human rights and BA in religious studies. She was lecturer and research fellow at Harvard University, Stanford University, Arizona State University, Pittsburgh University and several universities in Europe. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on the intersection of religion, gender, politics, and peacebuilding, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary and interreligious feminist thought. In 2021 she launched FER (Feminism and Religion) online school at University of Sarajevo. She is director of the TPO Foundation and founder of the University Gender Resource Center (UNIGeRC) in Sarajevo. She is the author and editor of numerous books and articles on gender justice, religion, and gender-based violence and leadership.
On Thursday, September 25, at 6:00 pm in the Harkin Institute (2800 University Ave), Dr. Devan Stahl, Associate Professor of Bioethics and Religion at Baylor University, will lecture on “The Protestant Work Ethics, Eugenics, and Quality of Life Measures.”
For those wishing to attend the lecture virtually, please sign on here at least five minutes in advance: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/81656501933.
Modern medicine is committed to maintaining and enhancing patients’ quality of life, but what exactly is meant by the term “quality of life” can be ambiguous and can sometimes work to the detriment of people with disabilities. What constitutes a high or low quality of life, who determines the quality of life, and how such judgments should be used in medicine are all contested questions. How clinicians understand quality of life has profound implications for all people who use health care; however, it is of particular importance to people with disabilities who are often assumed, against evidence to the contrary, to have a low quality of life and therefore to be less deserving of access to scarce medical resources.
This presentation will explore the conceptual roots of quality of life judgments in medicine with a particular focus on the influence of religion, particularly American Protestantism, in shaping our views of what makes a life valuable and worth living. Drawing upon her research in her book Disability’s Challenge to Theology: Genes, Eugenics, and the Metaphysics of Modern Medicine, Dr. Devan Stahl will explore how the Protestant approaches to Scripture and nature helped to produce not only the Scientific Revolution, but also the American eugenics movement. In the early 20th century, many liberal Protestants were eager to bring about the Kingdom of God by aligning themselves with medical scientists who wished to rid society of people who were determined to be “unfit” based upon their ideas of what made for a good and upright citizen. Although eugenics was condemned in the mid-twentieth century after the atrocities of Nazi Germany were exposed, notions of what it means to be “fit” remain and have implications for the practices of contemporary medicine.
Devan Stahl is an Associate Professor of Bioethics and Religion at Baylor University and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology at the Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Health Care Ethics from St. Louis University and her M.Div. from Vanderbilt University. She specializes in theological bioethics, disability ethics, and the visual arts within medicine. Dr. Stahl also volunteers as a clinical ethicist consultant for the Supportive and Palliative Care Team at Baylor, Scott, and White Hillcrest and has trained as a hospital chaplain. Dr. Stahl is the cohost of the popular podcast Bioethics for the People, now in its sixth season. She is the author and editor of several book including, Imaging and Imagining Illness: Becoming Whole in a Broken Body (Cascade Books), Disability’s Challenge to Theology: Genes, Eugenics, and the Metaphysics of Modern Medicine (Notre Dame Press), and Bioenhancement Technology and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement.
Below please find a recording of Prof. Stahl’s presentation
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, we celebrate the grand opening of the Es-Selam mosque in Granger (at 17630 Bosniak Lane). More information when available!
