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SUMMARY:American Idol(s): The False Gods That Threaten Our Freedom
DESCRIPTION:REGISTER BELOW\nDinner Provided \nThis event is designated for current University of Chicago graduate and undergraduate students. University of Chicago faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Others interested in auditing should contact William Hurley at whurley@lumenchristi.org. \nThales\, ancient Greek philosopher of nature\, remarked that all things are “full of gods.” He spoke truer than he realized. Human beings are inclined to transform their pursuits into “ultimate concerns” that become their “be all and end all”\, their ultimate meaning. Amid the Siren songs that seek to enslave us\, how can we attain authentic freedom and ultimate fulfillment? What really can fill the “hole in the soul”? This course will consider “false gods” that menace our freedom and happiness. And it will make a rational case for acknowledging the Divine “I AM” revealed in the Bible\, Incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.   \nCopies of The Uses of Idolatry by William Cavanaugh can be picked up from Gavin House in the week leading up to the first session of the class and afterwards. \nThis class Google Folder will contain other online class materials. \nCalendar & Syllabus\n\nOct. 6\, Week 1 –  Everybody Worships: A phenomenology of the human spirit.\nOct. 13\, Week 2 –  St. Augustine’s “Two Cities’: Idolatry as Self-Worship” (Further Optional Reading: excerpt from St. Augustine’s City of God)\nOct. 20\, Week 3 – The Splendid Idolatry of Nationalism  (Further reading: excerpt from William Cavanaugh’s The Uses of Idolatry)\nOct. 27\, Week 4 – The Unsplendid Idolatries of Consumerism and Careerism  (Further reading: excerpt from William Cavanaugh’s The Uses of Idolatry)\nNov. 3\, Week 5 – AI: an Idol? (Further reading: excerpt from Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas)\nNov. 10\, Week 6 –  I AM (Further reading: excerpt from Abraham Heschel’s The Sabbath)\n\n\n\n \n\n \nAbout Non-Credit Courses\nEach quarter\, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a Tuesday evening non-credit course at Gavin House (1220 E 58th St.). Survey-style lectures are held over a shared meal\, with no advanced preparation required.  These courses offer accessible introductions to key aspects of the Catholic intellectual tradition. All UChicago students\, staff\, and faculty members are welcome to join. No religious affiliation is necessary.
URL:https://lumenchristi.org/event/american-idols-the-false-gods-that-threaten-our-freedom-2026-10-6/2026-10-06/
LOCATION:Gavin House\, 1220 E 58th St.\, Chicago\, IL\, 60637
CATEGORIES:Non-Credit Courses
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