[Vision2020] Church and State
Ted Moffett
ted_moffett@hotmail.com
Thu, 24 Jul 2003 22:53:16 +0000
Joshua et. al.
I skipped the rant with the comment about kids left out on the highway being
safer than the public schools.
You strike me as an obscurantist of the highest order if you object to the
World Religions Class the syllabus for which I have posted below.
Joshua wrote:
>It seems to me that the definition of "appropriate" -as in "pray if they
>wish when appropriate" is rather >up in the air, and much more restrictive
>than might be understood from Mr. Moffett's view.
A student can be excused from class during the pledge of allegiance, if they
wish, and pray in the hall, or they can pray silently during the pledge,
which touches on one of the arguments used to refute the idea that the words
"under God" in the pledge are school sponsored prayer. Reciting the pledge
of allegiance is voluntary, in theory, and praying during school on school
grounds is also voluntary. It can be done whenever it will not interfere
with school functions: in breaks between class, silently during class, at
lunch in the lunch room (I recall doing this myself in public schools), etc.
Obviously, praying out loud during a class lecture would disrupt the
class. This is one example of how the word "appropriate" can be defined in
this context. Of course peer pressure and other social pressures that are
present in public schools may create a climate either where a student feels
compelled to pray or not to pray, or recite the pledge of allegiance though
they do not want to.
>
>Allow me also to take Mr. Moffett's statement about religion as an integral
>part of some classes and >point out that it is impossible for any class or
>"subject" (though the idea of "subjects" is a bad one >anyhow. It's not how
>the mind works, in my opinion) to be taught with direct foundation in God's
> >Holy Word.
>
>Mr. Moffett, your ecumenism of having every religion in a class taught
>about seems merely a grand >utopia. Can you think of any schools that have
>successfully implemented such a plan anywhere in the >world, without strive
>and division, or an undue emphasis of one religion over another?
>
Here is the class you were wondering about, though it does not teach EVERY
religion: OK, you got me there, that probably would be impossible with the
hundreds of religions in the world.
http://icg.harvard.edu/~rel11/syllabus/
Below read the syllabus from a World Religions Class. This is what I have
in mind.
World Religions: Diversity and Dialogue
Religion 11/Divinity 3220
Fall Term 2002: M, W, F at 10:00
Instructor: Diana L. Eck
Office: The Study of Religion, Barker Center, 3rd Floor
Phone: 495-5781
Email: dianaeck@fas.harvard.edu
Class Website: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~rel11/
Teaching Fellows: Elijah Ary, Benjamin Dunning, Amod Lele, Alan Wagner
This course is an introduction to five of the world's religious traditions
-- the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions. We will
focus on the writings of twentieth century adherents of each tradition,
asking the following questions: How do people in each tradition articulate
the central symbols, tenets, and practices of their faith in the context of
the questions and challenges of the modern world? How do people in each
tradition think about their own faith in the light of the diversity of other
religious traditions? Is religious diversity and difference a problem? What
is the spectrum of religious perspectives within each tradition? In addition
to providing an introduction to the challenges of religious diversity today,
the course will investigate some of the critical problems of interpretation
in the academic study of religion.
SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS
Note: In addition to these class meetings, there will be section meetings
for discussion once a week on Thursday or Friday.
I. INTRODUCTION
Sept. 18 W Introduction to the Course
Sept. 20 F What is "Religion?" And how does one study it ?
Sept. 23 M Religious Diversity, Religious Pluralism, and Religious
Truth
Sept. 25 W The American Scene in 2002
Sept. 27 F Film: "Faith and Doubt At Ground Zero" by Helen Whitney
First Section Discussions: Bring to your section a three page essay
describing the most significant encounter you have had with someone of
another faith tradition; if you are not religious, the most significant
encounter you have had with someone who is. What was significant for you
about this encounter? What did you learn from it?
Readings:
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Patterns of Faith Around the World, part I, pages
7-107.
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 7, 8.
Diana L. Eck, "Dialogue and Method: Reconstructing the Study of Religion,"
in Kimberley Patton, ed. A Magic Still Dwells. (xerox to be handed out).
John Esposito, Darrell Fasching, and Todd Lewis, World Religions Today,
Ch. 1, "Introduction."
II. THE HINDU TRADITION
Sept. 30 M What is Hinduism?
Oct. 2 W Vedanta for Today: Vivekananda and Nikhilananda
Oct. 4 F Gandhi and the Unity and Diversity of Religions
Readings:
Nikhilananda, Hinduism: Its Meaning for the Liberation of the Spirit.
"Hinduism: Myriad Paths to Salvation," Ch. 5 in World Religions Today.
Oct. 7 M Gandhi and the Challenge of Communalism and Hindu Nationalism
Oct. 9 W Film: "330 million Gods," BBC, The Long Search Series
Oct. 11 F Panel: Hindu Perspectives on Today's Issues
Readings:
Selections from M.K. Gandhi, All Religions are True.
Selections from Swami Agnivesh and Valson Thampu, Harvest of Hate.
Web work on Hindu Nationalism
III. THE BUDDHIST TRADITION
Oct. 14 M No Class: Columbus Day Observed
Oct. 16 W Who is the Buddha?
Oct. 17 Th Film: "Becoming the Buddha in L.A." by Michael Camerini
Oct. 18 F The Four Noble Truths, Then and Now
Readings:
Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught.
"Buddhism:Ways to Nirvana" in World Religions Today
Oct. 21 M Diversity within the Buddhist Tradition
Oct. 23 W Buddhist Approaches to Religious Pluralism
Oct. 24 Th Buddhist Film Festival: "Peace is Every Step" and Marcel
Poulin's film "Memories from a Previous Life"
Oct. 25 F Panel: Buddhist Perspectives on Today's Issues
Reading:
Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace.
Web reading on Thich Nhat Hanh and Buddhist responses to 9/11.
IV. THE JEWISH TRADITION
Oct. 28 M The Jewish Tradition: God and Covenant
Oct. 30 W Central Symbols of Judaism: Torah
Nov. 1 F Panel: Jewish Perspectives on Today's Issues
Readings:
Emil Fackenheim, What is Judaism? Introduction, Parts I and II.
"The Many Faces of Judaism: Sacred and Secular," Ch. 3 in World Religions
Today.
Nov. 4 M Central Symbols of Judaism: Israel and Zion
Nov. 6 W Jewish Approaches to Religious Pluralism
Nov. 8 F Film: "The Jew in the Lotus" by Laurel Chiten.
Readings:
Emil Fackenheim, What is Judaism? Part III.
Irving Greenberg, "Judaism and Christianity after the Holocaust."
Abraham Joshua Heschel, "No Religion is an Island."
V. THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Nov. 11 M No Class: Veterans Day Observed
Nov. 13 W Central Symbols of Christianity: Christ and Credo
Nov. 15 F Central Symbols of Christianity: The Church
Readings:
John A.T. Robinson, Honest to God.
"Christianity and the Road to Modernity," Ch. 2 in World Religions Today
Nov. 18 M Evangelical and Ecumenical Christianity.
Nov. 20 W Christian Approaches to Religious Pluralism.
Nov. 22 F Film: "Pope John Paul II."
Readings:
Byron Sherwin & Harold Kasimow, eds, John Paul II and Interreligious
Dialogue, Ch. 1, 2, 3, & 5.
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God, Ch. 4, 5, 6.
W.C. Smith, "The Church in a Religiously Plural World" in Patterns of
Faith Around the World.
Nov. 25 M Panel: Christian Perspectives on Today's Issues
Nov. 27 W No Class: Thanksgiving Break
VI. THE MUSLIM TRADITION
Dec. 2 M Fundamentals of Islam: The Oneness of God, The Prophet
Muhammad
Dec. 4 W Fundamentals of Islam: The Qu'ran
Dec. 6 F Film: "Islam in America" by Christian Science Monitor
Readings:
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Ideals and Realities of Islam.
"Islam: The Many Faces of the Muslim Experience," Ch. 4 in World Religions
Today.
Dec. 9 M Fundamentals of Islam: The Shariah
Dec. 11 W Muslim Approaches to Religious Pluralism
Dec. 13 F Panel: Muslim Perspectives on Today's Issues
Readings:
Sherwin and Kasimow, John Paul II and Interreligious Dialogue, Part 4.
Muslim respondents.
Abdolkarim Soroush, "Intellectual Autobiography: An Interview," in Mahmoud
Sadri and Ahmad Sadri, eds. Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam:
Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush.
VII. CONCLUDING DISCUSSIONS
Dec. 16 M Responses to Diversity: Fundamentalism, Communalism,
Secularism
Dec. 18 W Religious Pluralism and the Challenge of a Global Ethic
Reading:
"Toward a Global Ethic," available on the web at
http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/stiftung-weltethos/dat_eng/st_3_e.htm
REQUIRED READING
The required reading has been chosen with particular criteria in mind. Most
of these are books about a particular religious tradition by an adherent of
that tradition. Most are not written as historical introductions to the
traditions, but as introductions to the concepts, symbols, and issues of
each tradition. One additional text for the course is World Religions Today.
In a sense, it constitutes introductory background readings for each
tradition. These chapters are not usually the primary subject of discussion
in section, but they provide a framework in which to understand the wider
context of each tradition we are studying.
The following books have been ordered for purchase. They are also on reserve
at Hilles, Lamont, and Andover Harvard Libraries:
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Patterns of Faith Around the World (1962; One
World Publications, 1998)
Diana L. Eck, Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to
Banaras (Beacon Press, 1993)
Swami Nikhilananda. Hinduism (1958; Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New
York, 1998)
M.K. Gandhi, All Religions Are True (Navajivan Press). Xerox.
Walpola Rahula,What the Buddha Taught (Grove Press, 1959)
Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace (Parallax Press, 19xx)
Emil Fackenheim, What is Judaism? (Macmillan, 1987)
Byron L. Sherwin and Harold Kasimow, eds. John Paul II and Interreligious
Dialogue (Orbis, 1999)
John A.T. Robinson, Honest to God (Westminster Press, 1962)
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Ideals and Realities of Islam (1965; Kazi Press,
2000??)
John Esposito, Darrel Fasching, Todd Lewis, World Religions Today, Oxford
2002)
These books are available for purchase at the Harvard Coop or at the Harvard
Divinity School bookstore in Divinity School Bookstore on the first floor of
14 Divinity Avenue. Additional xerox materials will be made available for
purchase in class.
The Pluralism Project website is www.pluralism.org and it has a variety of
resources for the course, including a section entitled "In the News," a
searchable record of news stories on religious traditions, controversies,
and interrelations of the United States.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Active section participation. Five short three-page response papers will be
due in section during the weeks of October 7, October 25, November 4,
November 18, and December 9 -- in each case, the second week of our study of
each tradition. These papers along with your participation in section
discussions will cumulatively constitute 1/3 of the course grade. There is
no midterm examination.
Voices on the Web. During the first week in which we study each tradition,
you should spend some time exploring the range of voices on the internet.
You should look particularly for the voices of women, the voices of those
involved in religious conflicts, the voices of those engaged in
interreligious dialogue, the collective voices of major religious
organizations, the voices of dissidents and reformers. By Tuesday of that
week, submit to your section leader a description of the website you have
found most interesting. It should be about one paragraph, and along with it
you should submit a brief one-line description to become part of the class
website. A selection of links will be made on the World Religions: Diversity
and Dialogue web page. (This is a required, but not graded, assignment)
Term Paper. This gives you a chance to explore a topic germane to the
subject matter of this course and close to your own interests. This paper
should be about 15 pages in length. An extensive term paper bibliography
will be distributed, but it is intended only as a starting place. Your own
paper topic and bibliography should be submitted to your section leader by
Monday, December 2. The paper is due Friday, January 10. (1/3 of the course
grade)
Final Exam, Saturday, January 18 (1/3 of the course grade)
_________________________________________________________________
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