Two prominent professors lectured on the Jewish civilization and the Islamic civilization in the Whole Person Education Distinguished Lecture Series on World Civilizations at UIC on 14-15 March.
Prof. Fu Youde on the Jewish civilization
Prof. Fu Youde, currently the professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies of Shandong University, discussed about the Jewish civilization, in which Judaism not only defines a race or a clan, but also establishes a way of life for the Jewish people.
Prof. Fu, the Director of the Center for Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies of Shandong University, is at the lecture
“Unlike Christianity, Judaism opposes to worshipping God as its foundation,” said Prof. Fu. “In fact, the Jews aren’t necessarily very religious individuals.”
The Jews predominately follow the 613 mitzvot (commandments) listed in the Torah on a day to day basis, according to the professor. The commandments include details such as how to properly wash one’s hands. The mitzvot, except for the first 10 commandments, are mostly believed to be created by Moses, the hero of Jewish clan, whom Prof. Fu addressed basically “the creator of Judaism”.
Judaism, though strict with strenuous rules applied on daily lives, has survived for over 4,000 years and is practiced by over 13.4 million people today. Its vitality has much to do with the five divisions: Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, Reconstruction and Humanistic Judaism, according to Prof. Fu.
“Had Judaism not made adaptations to modern times and been divided into many streams, a lot of Jews would have given away the religion,” concluded Prof. Fu. “However, for many Jews, following the mitzvot is not an obligation, but a privilege delivered directly by God.”
Prof. Wang Yujie on the Islamic civilization
Prof. Wang Yujie from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences spoke about Islamic civilization the following day, introducing the past and future of the Islamic civilization.
Prof. Wang Yujie talks about the history, development, contributions and challenges of Islamic civilization
The symbol of Islamic civilization is the Miracles of the Qur’an (The Koran); it shows which followers can communicate with Muhammadans. The Islamic civilization contributes immensely to the development of the world’s philosophy, medicine, languages and people’s life, said Prof. Wang.
However, Islam is now facing a big challenge that the political reforms in the Islamic countries may bring about uncertain changes.
Prof. Wang said that Muslims define themselves slightly distinctly in different Islam areas, and China’s Muslims play an important role in the cultural diversity of the country.
Reporters: Chiu Wen Chin and Yuen Tak Hay
Photographers: Chen Qijie and Huang Wanli
Editor: Deen He
(from MPRO, with special thanks to the ELC)
