SHU Prof Explores the Sacred Through Sci Fi

FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University theology and religious studies professor Richard Grigg of Shelton recently published his ninth book, Science Fiction and the Imitation of the Sacred

The book argues that, in an age when many traditional sources of the sacred seem no longer available to people, science fiction explores, if only in an imitative fashion, elements of the sacred from the experience of ultimate transformation to apocalypse.

“Having taught a course for several years at SHU on religious issues in science fiction, I wanted to push further into some of the themes that we explore there,” Grigg said. “Specifically, I became interested in the fact that, while it is difficult for some people to find any trace of the sacred in the contemporary world, science fiction, through its penchant for imagining worlds beyond the ordinary, can apparently imitate the experience of the sacred.”

The book was about three years in the making. Grigg said he hopes that “people who read the book will be stimulated to think about the various forms the sacred can take, as well as the entirely new ways in which the sacred may show itself in the future.”

To purchase the book, visit, https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=dnJZDwAAQBAJ

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About Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University, the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its main campus in Fairfield, Conn., located less than 60 miles from Manhattan and approximately 150 miles from Boston. With its five miles of shoreline, marinas, parks, open space and plenty of shopping and fine dining, Fairfield is consistently recognized as a top community in the Northeast in which to live. In 2018 the town earned an A+ in a ‘report card’ by Niche on “Best Places to Live” in Connecticut. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. It comprises more than 300 acres of land, including an 18-hole golf course and the former global headquarters of General Electric.  Rooted in the 2000-year-old Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, Sacred Heart embraces a vision for social justice and educates students in mind, body and spirit to prepare them personally and professionally to make a difference in the global community.  More than 8,500 students attend the University’s six colleges: Arts & Sciences; Health Professions; Nursing; the Jack Welch College of Business; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; and St. Vincent’s College. Consistently recognized for excellence, The Princeton Review includes SHU in its guides, Best 382 Colleges–2018 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 267 Business Schools–2018 Edition. It also placed SHU on its lists for “Best College Theater” and “Most Engaged in Community Service,” each of which comprises only 20 U.S. schools. U.S.News & World Report ranks SHU in its Best Colleges 2018 guidebook and calls SHU the fourth “Most Innovative School” in the North. The Chronicle of Higher Education also names SHU one of the fastest-growing Roman Catholic universities in its 2016 almanac. Sacred Heart has a Division I athletics program. www.sacredheart.edu

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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