Recently in Introduction to Religion Category

This will be the final day of our introductory unit. We'll start with Hinduism tomorrow. Hopefully you have picked up a copy of Huston Smith's The World's Religions. I will be updating last year's Reading Schedule that you will want to start following. Get started on the Hinduism chapter if you can.

I'll again link Belief-O-Matic's quiz, "What's your faith?" since I didn't mention it yesterday. No, it's not intended to convert, but rather to match your answers to 20 questions against the "typical" answers from different religions. You might find it interesting and/or entertaining to try at some point.

These were the articles for today:

• "Books on Atheism Are Raising Hackles in Unlikely Places"
• "A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion"
• "When Atheists Have Their Say"
• "Taking the Debate About God Online, and Battling It Out With Videos"
• "Brawl Over Islam on Facebook"

HOMEWORK for Day #1 - Hinduism

We'll turn our attention to the religion of Hinduism for the next six sessions. You'll be expected to read in Huston Smith's The World Religions according to the schedule that will be updated on the Reading Schedule - The World's Religions page. You'll also be expected to make a blog entry for this chapter after that is posted.More specific information is available on the "pages" listed to the right on the blog itself.

REMINDER: We'll be in the library today helping manage the Lower School voting for the MPA Mock Presidential Election.

We'll use our time today and tomorrow to wrap up our introductory look at religion. Today, our focus will be on sacred literature. Tomorrow, we'll turn our attention to "alternatives to religion." After that, we'll tackle Hinduism as our first specific faith.

REMINDERS: Your Blog Entry #1 is technically due before the start of class tomorrow. (Given that some of you still need the reading, I won't evaluate those until the weekend.) Your first Independent Assignment is due before the start of class on Tuesday, November 13th. (You can access that over to the right under the "Speaking of Faith" link under "Independent Assignments.)

Here are the readings for today:

• "Holy Missteps"
• "The Muslim Stereotype"
• "University Installs Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone is Pleased"
• "It's a Simple Scarf, but Its Meaning is Much More Than Faith"
• "6 Imams Removed From Flight for Behavior Deemed Suspicious"
• "The Separation of Church and Job"

Sacred Time and Place: Many of you might find this site interesting. Please bookmark two of the photos you find particularly meaningful or interesting from Sacred Sites, which features the work of photographer Martin Gray. Let's see what you've found tomorrow.

Creation Stories:

You will next look at some examples of creation stories for various religions. One of the purposes of sacred literature is to explain notions of "origin" and creation. Take a packet and work in a group of two or three students. Each group should select four stories and the Judeo-Christian story found in Genesis 1 and 2. Read the selections and jot down answers to the following questions. Your group should be prepared to show evidence of this work tomorrow.

• According to each passage, how did creation happen?
  
  
• Based on these accounts, what general conclusions can be drawn about each religion's view on the role and meaning of human life?
  
  
• How are the views of creation in the passages similar? How are they different? Do they imply different views of the purpose and role of humans in the universe?

If you have time remaining today, take a look at World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Pick a couple issues and see what various works of sacred literature have to say on the subjects.

Others of you might be more interested in this. It is a site comprised of texts from various faiths.

If you are interested in comparing various "editions" of a work of sacred literature, in this case the Christian Bible, try this site.

Fun Site for the Day: BeliefNet has a lot of resources related to religion. It's not the most academic site in the world, but it has some fun stuff. Here's Belief-O-Matic's quiz, "What's your faith?" No, it's not intended to convert, but rather to match your answers to 20 questions against the "typical" answers from different religions. Take it if you'd like, but take it with a grain of salt...


HOMEWORK for Day #7 - Introduction to Religion

We'll turn our attention to issues related to the "alternatives to religion" and the rise of what many are calling "new atheism." Please read the articles assigned for Day #7 in the reading packet.

We'll use today's lesson and the next two sessions this week to wrap up our introductory look at religion. After that, we'll tackle Hinduism as our first specific faith beginning Thursday. 

REMINDERS: You have Blog Entry #1 due on Wednesday. Your first Independent Assignment ("Speaking of Faith" - podcasts) will be due to be posted before the start of class on Tuesday, November 13th.

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"

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Religion: We'll start with a quiz here...

Stereotypes:

• What is a stereotype? What are the various types of stereotypes?
• Why do we stereotype?
• Is stereotyping always a bad thing?
• How do we best manage our tendency to stereotype?

Prejudice:

• What is prejudice?
• Why does prejudice exist? Is it inevitable?
• What are the five levels of prejudice?

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 on Wednesday. It's on the introduction and first chapter from Huston Smith's The World's Religions.

Here are the articles for today.  As you might guess, ritual will be our focus.

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 Wednesday.

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 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th.  (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?

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.

Welcome back. We'll continue our look at the broad field of "religion" today, and we'll turn our attention to symbols tomorrow.

Welcome to the class. This is certainly one of my favorite classes to teach. 21 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.

We'll use today and Friday to wrap up our introductory look at religion. Today, our foci will be on stereotypes/prejudice and sacred literature. Next, we'll turn our attention to "alternatives to religion." After that, we'll tackle Hinduism as our first specific faith.

REMINDERS: Your Blog Entry #1 is due by the end of this week. Your first Independent Assignment is due to be posted by the start of class on Thursday, February 10th.

Here are the readings for today:

• "Holy Missteps"
• "The Muslim Stereotype"
• "University Installs Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone is Pleased"
• "It's a Simple Scarf, but Its Meaning is Much More Than Faith"
• "6 Imams Removed From Flight for Behavior Deemed Suspicious"
• "The Separation of Church and Job"

Sacred Time and Place: At the end of our last session, you were asked to bookmark two of the photos you find particularly meaningful or interesting from Sacred Sites, which features the work of photographer Martin Gray. Let's see what you've found.

Small-group Discussion- At the end of yesterday's class you were also asked to form a small group and consider these issues. At least one person should have served as a "recorder" for the group. 

• 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?

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Religion: We'll start with a quiz here... Then, we'll try to make sense of these two concepts.

Stereotypes:

• What is a stereotype? What are the various types of stereotypes?
• Why do we stereotype?
• Is stereotyping always a bad thing?
• How do we best manage our tendency to stereotype?

Prejudice:

• What is prejudice?
• Why does prejudice exist? Is it inevitable?
• What are the five levels of prejudice?

Sacred Literature: After a few introductory comments, we'll  return to a work of sacred scripture, the Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Ching). Next, we'll consider the role of creation stories around the world.

Tao Te Ching:
The Tao Te Ching is the sacred literature of Taoism. There are different speculations about it authorship, yet it is the second most widely translated "book" in the world, following only the Bible. The Tao Te Ching is composed of 81 very short "chapters" or verses. There are a series of them. Spend perhaps ten minutes passing them around and reading/ discussing them. Try to come up with any generalizations or insights that you can regarding the work and its meaning. (NOTE: We did this part last time...)

Check this site for more information on the Tao Te Ching. Compare several of the translations and consider the issues raised by different translations.

Creation Stories:
You will next look at some examples of creation stories for various religions. One of the purposes of sacred literature is to explain notions of "origin" and creation. Take a packet and work in a group of two or three students. Each group should select four stories and the Judeo-Christian story found in Genesis 1 and 2. Read the selections and jot down answers to the following questions. Your group should be prepared to show evidence of this work next time.

* According to each passage, how did creation happen?

* Based on these accounts, what general conclusions can be drawn about each religion's view on the role and meaning of human life?

* How are the views of creation in the passages similar? How are they different? Do they imply different views of the purpose and role of humans in the universe?

If you have time remaining today, take a look at World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Pick a couple issues and see what various works of sacred literature have to say on the subjects.

Others of you might be more interested in this. It is a site comprised of texts from various faiths.

If you are interested in comparing various "editions" of a work of sacred literature, in this case the Christian Bible, try this site.

Fun Site for the Day: BeliefNet has a lot of resources related to religion. It's not the most academic site in the world, but it has some fun stuff. Here's Belief-O-Matic's quiz, "What's your faith?" No, it's not intended to convert, but rather to match your answers to 20 questions against the "typical" answers from different religions. Take it if you'd like, but take it with a grain of salt...


HOMEWORK for Day #7 - Introduction to Religion

We'll turn our attention to issues related to the "alternatives to religion" and the rise of what many are calling "new atheism." Please read the articles assigned for Day #7 in the reading packet.

This will be the final day of our introductory unit. We'll start with Hinduism tomorrow. Remember that there is a Reading Schedule that you should be following. Get started on the Hinduism chapter tonight if you can.

I'll again link Belief-O-Matic's quiz, "What's your faith?" since I didn't mention it yesterday. No, it's not intended to convert, but rather to match your answers to 20 questions against the "typical" answers from different religions. You might find it interesting and/or entertaining to try at some point.

We'll start off today talking about the final set of readings from the introductory packet.

These were the articles for today:

• "Books on Atheism Are Raising Hackles in Unlikely Places"
• "A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion"
• "When Atheists Have Their Say"
• "Taking the Debate About God Online, and Battling It Out With Videos"
• "Brawl Over Islam on Facebook"

Sacred Literature: We'll do two quick exercises here. First, we'll look at some of those excerpts from the Tao Te Ching. You were asked to take a look at some of the creation stories from the packet you were given. Let's hear what you found.

Questions to consider:

• According to each passage, how did creation happen?
• Based on these accounts, what general conclusions can be drawn about each religion's view on the role and meaning of human life?
• How are the views of creation in the passages similar? How are they different? Do they imply different views of the purpose and role of humans in the universe?
  
  

Sacred Literature links: We'll obviously do more with the sacred literature of specific faiths. Here are a couple of more general links that we didn't get to last time.

You might also want to take a look at World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Pick a couple issues and see what various works of sacred literature have to say on the subjects.

Others of you might be more interested in this. It is a site comprised of texts from various faiths.

If you are interested in comparing various "editions" of a work of sacred literature, in this case the Christian Bible, try this site.

Alternatives to Religion: Some of you may disagree, but it seems reasonable to me to look a bit at some of the alternatives to religious faith in a class about religion. You were asked to consider these two questions in preparation for today.