The lecture, one installment of the 2014 Truitt Center series entitled "World Religions: A Whirlwind Tour," has gone viral particularly in South Asia, encouraging individual explorations and multifaith discussions.
In 2013 President Emeritus Leo Lambert suggested to Senior Lecturer LD Russell that he bring the experience of his classroom, long popular among students, into an online format.
The following year, Chaplain Jan Fuller worked to launch an eight-week series entitled “World Religions: A Whirlwind Tour” that was held in the Richard McBride Gathering Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion and intended to teach participants about the origins, beliefs, and practices of various faith traditions. Russell offered installments on Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and indigenous, native cultures. The lecture series was well attended, mainly by members of the local community, and soon made available on the Elon TLT channel on YouTube.
As of Dec. 7, 2020, Russell’s lecture on Hinduism has been viewed more than one million times. Altogether the series has garnered more than 1,265,000 views and sparked conversations with thinkers and believers who have reached out in response from around the globe.
“The widespread impact of these lectures,” Russell said, “shows the importance of disseminating knowledge not only in the classroom but also beyond the walls of the university. People of every society are eager to learn more about our world and their particular place in it. Addressing that curiosity can help to build crucial bridges at a time when all too often the lack of a broader perspective serves to divide and bring strife.”