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ON COMMON GROUND Guide for Teachers and Students
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Christians and Jews changing as they encounter new neighbors of other faiths and learn to work together in school boards and interfaith councils?
For Teachers and Students: Questions and Projects
The Religions section of ON COMMON GROUND may be used in many ways. It provides a format in which to explore the world's religious traditions, looking especially at their presence in the United States. It also provides an opportunity to get a more complex picture of America, by examining America's many religious traditions and taking into account, for example, its Buddhist, Sikh, or Muslim history. This section can also be used for more focused class use: a study unit on Islam, an exploration of Jewish or Hindu holidays, an investigation of women and religion. This section also raises the question of what a "religion” is. In fact, this section contains so much that here, above all, the teaching use of this CD-ROM should be driven by the interests of the students and the curricular needs of the class or study group.
1. Group Symposium: What Is Religion?
Read the introductory pages of “Rivers of Faith” and watch the movie The Search for Meaning, all the while keeping in mind the question "What is religion?"
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In The Search for Meaning, how do people express their faith? What do they say about the role of religion in their lives? Think about the question “What is religion?" for yourself, and try to define religion in a way that takes into account the many ways in which people are religious. Keep your definition in mind as you explore this section. How do you have to revise it as you learn more about each tradition? “Rivers of Faith" suggests that religious traditions, unlike these red buttons, do not have entirely separate histories and practices. Rather, traditions interact with one another, influence one another, and interpret one another. As you explore this section, can you find ways in which this is so? “Rivers of Faith" suggests that religious traditions are not monolithic but, instead, are internally complex. As you go through this section, think about this internal complexity. What are some of the different streams in these "rivers of faith”? Use the Bookmark to identify screens that express this internal diversity. “Rivers of Faith” shows that religions traditions are dynamic, always changing. As you read this section, think about some of the changes under way in the religions you are studying. Why are they changing?
After everyone in your group has had a chance to go through America's Many Religions, organize a symposium to discuss your "definitions” in light of what you have learned.
2. Exploring a Religious Tradition
Which religious tradition do you know the least about? The most about? What do you know about this religious tradition, and how do you know it? Which tradition would you like to know
