The Religion and Seafarers' Welfare units are meant to help one think about seafarers and seafarers' welfare in spiritual terms. Like many seafarers' welfare organizations, it has a Christian perspective, but it is not meant to be exclusive: the point is to consider the relationship among seafarers' welfare, their religion, and ours, whatever it might be.
In this second unit, How Is the Sea Sacred?, we explore religious perspectives on the sea. The sea features heavily as a special and sacred place in Scripture - as a place of creation, of destruction, and of the goodness of God. These realities are also recognized in many other religious and cultural traditions. And not only is this a recurring reality in Scripture, it is also found in texts ranging from the ancient Babylonian creation myths to the modern fiction of Herman Melville.
Thank you to all those who have contributed to this course - including Mario Biazon, Michelle DePooter, Peter Im, and Stephen McKinney.