January 2011 Archives

Day #5 - Introduction to Religion

By
Mike Vergin
on January 31, 2011 8:00 AM |
We'll use today's lesson and our other two sessions this week to wrap up our introductory look at religion. After that, we'll tackle Hinduism as our first specific faith beginning next Tuesday. 

REMINDERS: You have Blog Entry #1 due before the end of the week. Your first Independent Assignment ("Speaking of Faith" - podcasts) is due to be posted before the start of class on Thursday, February 10th.

Here are the readings for today:

  • "Our Fight is Righteous"
  • "Religion in World Affairs: Its Role in Conflict and Peace"
  • "Religion Journal: Shrines Serve the Need for Healing in Public Spaces"
  • "Adam and Eve in the Land of the Dinosaurs"
  • "Beliefs; In four pages, Al Franken ranks world religions and explains the thousand faces of God"
  • "Summer Movies; God: Still Ready for His Close-Up"

Sacred Literature: We'll do several brief exercises related to sacred literature over the next few days. After a few introductory comments, we'll look today at one example of a work of sacred scripture, the Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Ching). Next lesson, we'll consider the role of creation stories around the world.

You'll get a short assignment here with a chapter from the Dao De Ching.

Sacred Time and Place: We've touched on these issues in both our discussion of ritual and of the religion in general. Sacred Sites features the work of photographer Martin Gray, who has spent more than 25 years photographing sacred sites around the world. DO THIS: Browse through the collection, focusing on sites important to Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as anything else that interests you. Be sure to read the descriptions found beneath some of the photos. Bookmark two of the photos you find particularly meaningful or interesting. We'll share them next session.

Small-group Discussion- If time permits, I'll ask you to work in groups of three or four for this short discussion. Get together and discuss these questions to bring back to the large group. We'll take a good ten minutes, maybe fifteen for this. At least one person should serve as a "recorder" for the group. We may not get back to the "big group" until tomorrow. 

  • Is religion a less powerful force today than it has been in the past? If so, why do you think it has declined in importance? If not, why has it remained strong? Be specific.

  • On balance, is religion more a force of unity or division in today's world? Why?
  • Do you think religion will ever become obsolete? Could human society and culture exist in a world without religion? Why or why not?

HOMEWORK for Day #6 - Introduction to Religion

We'll turn our attention to issues related to the roles stereotyping and prejudice can play in looking at religion. Please read the articles assigned for Day #6 in the reading packet.

Remember that Blog Entry #1 is due before the end of this week. It's on the introduction and first chapter from Huston Smith's The World's Religions.
Your first Independent Assignment (Speaking of Faith - podcasts) is due to be posted before class begins on Thursday, February 10th.

Day #4 - Introduction to Religion

By
Mike Vergin
on January 26, 2011 2:15 PM | | Comments (0)
Here are the articles for today.  As you might guess, ritual will be our focus.

  • "The Other National Conversation"
  • "Two Worlds of Rituals Are Joined in the Operating Room"
  • "In Hispanic Ritual, a Place for Faith and Celebration"
  • "Pilgrims at Heart"
  • "Is Ritual Circumcision Religious Expression?"

Common Characteristics: Let's chat briefly about ideas you came up with here.

Rituals and Ritual Behavior in World Religions:
We'll turn our attention today to the behaviors and actions that comprise the component of "ritual" in our worlds, both religious and secular. As with "symbol," we'll attempt to derive a working definition of the concept. We'll also talk about a wide range of examples with the goal in mind of categorizing them into four groups.


We didn't get to this last time, so we'll end today with them today...

Religion Scholars: As you would probably imagine, a number of influential thinkers and scholars have studied religion over the years.  You can take entire courses in the philosophy of religion or on theories of religion.  Today, we'll take a very cursory look at the work of a handful of these scholars, both past and present.

You'll get a slip with one of seven names on it, as well as a little bit of information on them. Use that as a starting point to do a little Internet research on your figure.  2-3 of you will have each one.  We're not asking for a book report or anything here.  Instead, simply tell us who the person was and how they contributed to the study or religion.  

Emile Durkheim
Sigmund Freud
Rudolf Otto 
Mircea Eliade
Wilfred Cantwell Smith
Karen Armstrong
Diana Eck

Homework for Day #5 - Introduction to Religion 

Please read the articles from the packet that are assigned for Day #5.  Our focus will be on the roles stereotyping and prejudice play in the way people look at world religions. We'll also continue to ponder the role of sacred literature as we move into creation stories.

I've posted a separate blog entry for the initial chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. You are asked to post an answer to one of the three questions listed before the end of next week.

Blog Entry #1 - The World's Religions - "Point of Departure"

By
Mike Vergin
on January 25, 2011 8:30 AM | | Comments (17)

We can use the blog to hold "conversations" about reading in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. We'll certainly talk about some of the readings in class, but this gives you another chance to share your ideas.

Here's how we'll do this. Periodically, I'll post several questions by the time a given chapter or section is "due" to have been read. Each of you will be expected to post a comment before the beginning of the class on the day listed. You may respond to one or more of the questions, and you can also react to comments posted by others. I'll expect a comment of one good paragraph or more. (To me, that means 5-6 sentences at a minimum.) You do not need to worry about perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but they should be understandable. Remember that this is a public site, and you are responsible for the content of your postings.

Assume that each comment is worth 5 points. (5 points for solid or better comments, 4 for comments somewhat short of expectations, 3 or fewer for last-minute, little to no effort postings, and no points for those who have not posted.)

So, let's get started... By the end of this first unit, you are supposed to have read the Foreward, Preface and Chapter 1, "Point of Departure." You should post a response of at least one good paragraph to one or more of these questions. (You can also react to other posts.) ALL POSTS SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE CLASS STARTS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4th.  (Of course, you are welcome to do it earlier...)


1. You get a number of clues regarding Smith's personal approach toward religion in these pages. (This is in contrast to his academic approach to the topic.) What do you think of his own outlook and the ways that he has incorporated religion into his own life?

2. Beginning on page 2, Smith describes four things that he says this book "is not." Do you agree or disagree with the author's decision to consciously avoid doing these things? Why or why not?

3. Beginning on page 3, Smith describes three things that he says this book "is." Which of the three do you think is/will be most important to you as a reader of the book over the semester? Why?

Day #3 - Introduction to Religion

By
Mike Vergin
on January 25, 2011 8:00 AM |
Our main focus today will be on the use of symbols and symbolism in religion. I've got a bunch of examples and a couple of corny activities for us.

The articles for today:

  • "Form, Function and Controversy"
  • "Dark Meat"
  • "Use of Wiccan Symbol on Veteran's Headstones is Approved"
  • "Muslim's Seek Nike's Apology"
  • "Dispute Over Creche Pulls Down Tree and Menorah, Too"

Symbols and Symbolism in World Religions:
In addition to deriving a working definition of "symbol," we'll take a look at a number of examples and see what we can discern about the role of symbols in religion. I did invite you to think about/ create a symbol that represents "you." If anyone did that and is willing to share, that would be great.


We didn't get to this activity last time, so we'll wrap up today with it...

Religion Scholars: As you would probably imagine, a number of influential thinkers and scholars have studied religion over the years.  You can take entire courses in the philosophy of religion or on theories of religion.  Today, we'll take a very cursory look at the work of a handful of these scholars, both past and present.

You'll get a slip with one of seven names on it, as well as a little bit of information on them. Use that as a starting point to do a little Internet research on your figure. 2-3 of you will have each one. We're not asking for a book report or anything here. Instead, simply tell us who the person was and how they contributed to the study or religion.

Emile Durkheim
Sigmund Freud
Rudolf Otto
Mircea Eliade
Wilfred Cantwell Smith
Karen Armstrong
Diana Eck

Homework for Day #4 - Introduction to Religion

Please read the articles from the packet that are assigned for Day #4.  Our focus will be on the roles ritual and ritual behavior play in our lives and in religion in particular.

I've posted a blog entry for the initial chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. They'll always be on separate blog postings, and the specific due date will be listed there.

Day #2 - Introduction to Religion

By
Mike Vergin
on January 21, 2011 8:00 AM |
Welcome back. We'll continue our look at the broad field of "religion" today, and we'll turn our attention to symbols on Tuesday.

I gave you that fancy packet, so we'll start by discussing the articles assigned for today. I also forgot to include one article about Huston Smith, the author of our textbook. I'll give you a copy of that one as well, either today or next time.

The articles for today:

  • "The Rites of Americans"
  • "Beliefs; The list of the world's major religions looks as it did at the dawn of the last millennium"
  • "Poll Finds a Fluid Religious Life in U.S."
  • "Knowing Not"
  • "Joining the Sacred Community"

Let's get back to those questions I mentioned last time:

What is religion? We will try and derive a working definition of religion as a group. 

What are the functions of religion? - Again, let's derive a list by brainstorming.

Why should we study religion(s)? - One more list to finish things off...

Discussion on Comparative Religions: While we are chatting, I have a couple of questions for you to ponder and react to:

  • What are some of the benefits and drawbacks (if any) of a comparative study of world religions?
  • How have your own experiences with, and orientation toward, religion influenced your approach to the comparative study of religion?
  • Would you be better off studying world religions with someone deeply religious at a personal level or someone relatively removed from religion? Why?
Clicking on the link above will download a Microsoft Excel document to your computer. It has a listing of twelve features Niels Nielsen argues are common to world religions. Pair up with someone and take a few minutes to look at the list. In each case, try to come with an example from the faith you are most familiar with as well as an example from another faith. We'll talk about what you come up with.


Religion Scholars: As you would probably imagine, a number of influential thinkers and scholars have studied religion over the years. You can take entire courses in the philosophy of religion or on theories of religion. Today, we'll take a very cursory look at the work of a handful of these scholars, both past and present.

You'll get a slip with one of seven names on it, as well as a little bit of information on them. Use that as a starting point to do a little Internet research on your figure. 3-4 of you will have each one. We're not asking for a book report or anything here. Instead, simply tell us who the person was and how they contributed to the study or religion.

Emile Durkheim
Sigmund Freud
Rudolf Otto
Mircea Eliade
Wilfred Cantwell Smith
Karen Armstrong
Diana Eck

HOMEWORK for Day #3- Introduction to Religion

Please read the articles from your packet as listed in the unit reading guide. We'll discuss them at the beginning of our each session. (You'll also be expected to read the Foreword, Preface and Chapter 1, "Point of Departure," from Smith's The World's Religions during the course of this unit.) You'll post one blog comment as well, but I probably won't get that set up until next session.

Symbols: I'm not going to collect or grade this, but I'll throw it out to you if you are interested. We'll look at symbols and the role they play in religion during our next session. I used to assign students the task of creating and/or selecting a symbol that they thought represented "them." I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with.


Day #1 - Introduction to Religion

By
Mike Vergin
on January 19, 2011 8:00 AM |

Welcome to the class. This is probably my favorite class to teach. 19 years ago, I had three sections of a course called "Religion in Human Culture" on my teaching schedule during my first year at Eagan HS. I was scared to death, mostly because I knew relatively little about Christianity, and even less about any other faith. The more I prepared, the more interested I got. Each year, I learn a lot from the students in the class, and there are always additional facets to explore. I think you'll enjoy it.

Several things on the agenda for today:

  • First, we'll do a couple introductory activities to make sure I remember all of you and to give you an overview of the course and important policies. The book we'll use in this course is Huston Smith's The World Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. We'll make pretty extensive use of it, particularly following our introductory unit.

  • Next, we'll do a couple of "pre-tests" to see where you are in your knowledge of world religions. No, they don't count. First, I have one by Stephen Prothero, an author of several influential books on religion. Second, there's an on-line version from Pew Research: Religious Knowledge Quiz.

  • Finally, we'll start doing some thinking together about the idea and meaning of religion.

What is religion? We will try and derive a working definition of religion as a group. We'll refer to that most academic of sources, People magazine, for some help here...

What are the functions of religion? - Again, let's derive a list by brainstorming.

Why should we study religion(s)? - One more list to finish things off...

HOMEWORK for Day #2 - Introduction to Religion

Please read the articles from your packet as listed in the unit reading guide. We'll discuss them at the beginning of our next session.  (You'll also be expected to read the Foreword, Preface and Chapter 1, "Point of Departure," from Smith's The World's Religions during the course of this unit.)

We'll explain the process for making blog entries and other assignments at our next meeting.

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