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ON COMMON GROUND Guide for Teachers and Students
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Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California (Los Angeles) The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago Glide Memorial Church (San Francisco) Oregon Buddhist Church (Portland) Stockton Gurdwara (Central Valley, California) Jain Center of Metropolitan Chicago Teen How Temple (Houston) Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Temple Aaron (Minneapolis) Washington Baha'i Center (Washington, D.C.) Cambridge Zen Center (Boston)
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4. Neighbors and Zoning
Some religious centers encounter zoning difficulties when they try to settle in a new neighborhood, difficulties that may be compounded by fears and misunderstandings. Begin with the essay on Chua Lien Hoa, a Vietnamese temple in Garden Grove, California (Los Angeles area). Then, using Connections, read the section entitled "Not in This Neighborhood!" and open the accompanying case study, Garden Grove Buddhist Temple. You might also want to read about other Vietnamese Buddhist temples, using the Index or the Buddhist Centers button on the Buddhism router page.
Summarize the story of Chua Lien Hoa. Pass out copies of the essay "Garden Grove Buddhist Temple" for group discussion. What were the concerns of the city of Garden Grove? What were the concerns of the Vietnamese Buddhist community? Look at other instances of zoning problems, using the Index. What concerns, fears, and misunderstandings seem to fuel conflicts over zoning?
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5. Your State? Your Hometown?
What is the religious history of your state? Your city? Your hometown? What tribes of Native Americans lived in your area? What kinds of religious communities did the first settlers have? How has this area become more complex religiously? Use the resources of your local library, city hall, or historical society to find out as much as you can about the people of your community.
Use the Directory to print out a list of the religious centers of the six traditions in your state. Use the Yellow Pages to get a sense of the range of Christian churches and Jewish communities in your area. Access the Native American Info and Bibliography to find the locations of Native peoples in your area today. If you can't find much in our Directory, help us by doing your own research and let us know what you find.
Organize a group project to map the religious landscape of your hometown or region. Schedule an interview with leaders or laypeople in your town's religious traditions. After reading about and preparing for them, take field trips to representative places of worship. Divide into teams to visit a wider range of religious centers, and report back to the group.
