                          
|
Below are selected previous messages:
 Personal Growth of Each Student
Twelve Lessons
Tomato Plants
On the Basketball Court
Why We Should Teach Students about World
Religions
Why We Should Teach Students About World Religions
Andrew Kutt,
Director
We live in a society that, in spite of the best efforts of our
governmental leaders, remains socially fragmented, racially and
economically polarized, and morally conflicted. Socially, many stresses
such as crime, drugs, and breakdown of families, tear the fabric of our communities. Racially, we as a culture have
not dealt honestly and openly with issues that go back to our very
foundation as a country, and as a result, many of us feel that
generations-old wounds remain unhealed. Economically, we are still a long
way from providing equal opportunity to individuals in all segments of our
society; we have not yet figured out how to truly empower every citizen to
be successful. Morally, we struggle to maintain a balance between freedom
and responsibility, and therefore it seems to others in the world that we
are a society of selfish and self-centered individuals that live in
contradiction to our founding principles.
These serious social maladies, I believe, have a common source, which is
the materialistic worldview that pervades the world we live in. The
underlying message of the marketing that our multinational corporations
barrage us with on a daily basis is that the main goal of life is merely
to provide for one's physical comfort and wellbeing. This powerful
message implies that if we acquire enough of the right things, then
happiness will be ours. Yet deep inside us we know that true happiness can
only come from a more profound source. In order to aspire toward this
happiness we must address what my Professor Thomas Puchalsky used to call
"the big questions. These are the metaphysical questions of life, such as,
"Who am I?" "Where have I come from?" "What is the meaning of my life on
earth?" etc.
Another way of describing the problem is that if we spend all of our time
only with material concerns of life, then we are in effect defining
ourselves as primarily material and not spiritual beings. If we define
ourselves purely in physical and not metaphysical terms, we not only
savagely reduce the scope of our human experience, but we cut ourselves
off from the underlying mysteries of life and the universe. And it is the
contemplation of these very mysteries - which has provided hope, spiritual
sustenance, and inspiration to human beings for millennia.
This does not mean that in our society we do not have devout individuals
who fervently practice and live by their particular faith. But as a whole,
our society does not place a high value on spiritual pursuits. We are much
more likely, for instance, to encourage our children to put their "nose to
the grindstone". We want them to get into the best college so they can get
the best job and can make the most money. This way they can live the most
comfortable lives and they can provide their children with an even greater
opportunity to achieve all of the above.
There is nothing evil or wrong with these goals in themselves. But what is
missing from this message? Our society is more likely to mold children in
this way than we are to encourage them to find spiritual meaning in their
lives, or to help them understand that outer success and inner fulfillment
are two very different things. Perhaps it is because we are not fully
conscious of the need for spiritual meaning ourselves, or perhaps we
recognize the need but do not know the means by which to help our
children.
In
my view, this spiritual vacuum in our society has two main causes. The
first is the fact that many young adults do not truly find meaning in the
traditional religions as easily as their ancestors did. This does not
necessarily mean that they deny the possibility of a Supreme Being. In
many cases, they might still outwardly practice the religion they were
brought up with as a child. But, for whatever reason, many young adults
are still searching to find deeper spiritual meaning themselves. And
sometimes the traditional religions do not move them at the deeper core of
their being; do not truly inspire them; do not provide the spiritual
nourishment that those religions may have provided for their parents and
grandparents.
The second cause is the result of the history of the laws surrounding the
separation of church and state in the United States. In our country we
cannot teach religion in school, and there are obvious and very good
reasons for this, many of which constitute the foundation of the American
Revolution itself. But let's examine how this law has been interpreted and
implemented. For example, as we all know, students are not allowed to pray
or meditate in public schools. There is rarely any discussion of religion
or belief systems. Until the recent character education movement, there
were very few programs teaching values. The underlying message we
unwittingly send to our students is that the mysteries of the universe
cannot be addressed or accessed at school. I believe this creates a
disconnect between life and school. At the same time, it cuts out the
foundation of a meaningful education. It implies that one cannot or
should not ponder the deeper mysteries when we are out in the world or
conducting our daily lives.
Regarding the first cause, the ambivalence of many adults in our culture
regarding their own spiritual beliefs and values makes them feel
ill-equipped to be spiritual guides to their children in the traditional
sense. If the adults are still on the journey of their own spiritual
quest, then they feel they cannot provide the definite answers regarding
matters of religion that their parents and grandparents did for them. Yet
what if we were to review our role as adults and change the paradigm.
Instead of feeling insecure about our inability to provide all the
answers, what's wrong with being honest with our children and telling them
that we ourselves are still searching for those answers?
By
establishing a dialogue with our children and our students about these
matters, we can only deepen our relationship with them, and at the same
time, encourage them on their own journeys of spiritual fulfillment.
On
the other hand, regarding the second cause, I believe we have strayed far
from what the founding fathers and mothers intended regarding education.
Unquestionably, the protections inherent in the separation of church and
state are invaluable to the health of our free society. However, what if
we were to consider other ways of honoring this separation of church and
state that is so fundamental to our social underpinnings? What if students
were allowed to practice / share / experience silence for a short time
each day? They could be encouraged to use this time in any way they saw
fit - to silently pray, meditate, contemplate questions or problems they
have, or simply relax and daydream. Regardless of which religion they
believed in and even if they were agnostics or atheists, they could find
something meaningful to do during this short period of silence. So as not
to infringe upon the constitution, guidelines could be issued to teachers
regarding this period of the school day, much as guidelines are issued for
so many other aspects of public school life.
In
addition, what if, instead of forbidding any talk of religion in school, a
world religions unit was taught to all classes each year. It could be
mandatory at certain grade levels, just as there are testing and other
curriculum requirements at certain levels. We would not be teaching
religion, but rather teaching the study of religions. Students
would then learn at a young age that people worship in many different
ways. They would understand some of the different ideas of God (including
systems that do not believe in a personal god), the various explanations
of the universe, the rituals that people practice, the holidays they
honor, and the places and objects they hold sacred.
If
students were fortified with such knowledge and understanding, they would
be much less likely to be poisoned by the bigotry and intolerance which is
so pervasive in our world. They would grow up to be open, accepting, and
understanding young adults. They would be less inclined to need to create
in-groups and out-groups; to separate people into categories by their
preferences, affiliations, dress, customs or habits. Based upon news
reports, it is precisely this syndrome of in-groups and out-groups that
led in part to the Littleton, Colorado shootings.
The next step in this world religions curriculum would be simple: Drawing
upon our lessons on world religions, students would then be introduced to
spiritual principles, values and virtues, which are common to all
religions - principles such as kindness, compassion, respect for life,
forgiveness, generosity, honesty, diligence, humility etc.
Each week or each month, one virtue would be chosen by the school or the
class to be taught and modeled by the teachers, then practiced by all
members of the school community, including the parents. Next, students
would be acknowledged and positively reinforced when they put these
principles into practice in their daily lives. Then these virtues could be
discussed and acknowledged at class meetings, assemblies, PTA's etc. so
that all members of the school community are on the same page vis-a-vis
the goals of teaching virtues in connection with the
study of world religions. Following the above plan, students would develop
character according to a deeper understanding of themselves and their
place in the world. They would develop an understanding that our lives as
human beings only have true and lasting meaning in relationship to other
people and in relationship to those deeper mysteries which link us all
together.
Finally, what if, instead of making individuals wait till they take a high
school or college philosophy course, young students were encouraged to
inquire about the things they are naturally so interested in: How old is
the world? Where did human beings come from? Does the universe have an
end? What happens when living things die? While religion provides specific
answers to these questions, the program I am proposing would simply honor
the questions. To honor the questions does not mean we have to provide
answers. As author Aline Wolf suggests, to honor these questions might be
as simple as saying to the child, "You know what, that's a very good
question, and people have been asking that question for hundreds and
thousand of years!". If we are afraid of welcoming these questions in our
children and students, what does that say about us? We must not be so
insecure about our own beliefs and values that we cannot honor and
validate these very human questions voiced by our young people.
Studying world religions has other potential benefits as well. It can also
give students a frame of reference for better understanding their own
religion. Gently encouraging spiritual questioning can help students feel
more comfortable that their wonderment is natural; that their feelings of
awe and excitement are good things. Moreover, allowing students to
practice silence for a short period each day can help them to become aware
that they have an inner life which functions on a different track from
their outer day-to-day activities.
Inevitably, studying world religions will keep families reminded of their
own priorities in life, as they strive to meet the challenges of a
fast-paced and sometimes crazy world. These activities and discussions I
propose, if presented carefully and conscientiously, would not be
offensive to educators or parents – regardless of religious persuasion.
For the goals of this work are to foster tolerance, respect, greater
understanding, natural spiritual awareness, inspiration, and imagination.
All of these goals are virtues that enhance and edify our children’s
character and make them better people. Having taught world religions since
1988, I have not met one parent who felt that their family's own religious
teaching or practice was disturbed or violated by the world religions
curriculum. On the contrary, parents have been overwhelmingly supportive
over the years. They have offered to come in to teach special lessons
about their own religious festivals or rituals. They have also volunteered
to join on field tips to religious shrines, churches and temples so they
could better understand other religions themselves and have a better basis
for discussions with their children.
I
believe that addressing the spiritual part of the child as part of the
educational process is the key to beginning to solve our social ills. I
also believe that the beginning of a social transformation must be a
personal renewal. Through studies of world religions and spiritual
principles, each child can be imbued with the consciousness of the ancient
Greek ideals - the good, the true, and the beautiful. When this
consciousness is present in the students, they will automatically make
good choices. Out of this consciousness can be born the fundamental
respect for life that could be the basis of our social healing. Our
communities can be rebuilt on the foundation of spiritual principles that
are honored and practiced by all.
Meanwhile, if we learn, and our children learn, to practice forgiveness -
first of ourselves, and then of others - we can begin to come to terms
with those parts of our heritage that are difficult to acknowledge. These
include the scourge of slavery, the treatment of the native peoples of
this continent, as well as the greed, prejudice and intolerance that have
caused so much pain and suffering throughout our history. As our students
grow according to these spiritual principles and the greater awareness
they bring, they will realize that pain cannot be divided into "my pain"
and "your pain". The realities of our racial and ethnic problems have
their origin in a history that we all share and that together we can
transcend and even draw strength from.
Furthermore,
by including world religion lessons and activities in our educational
program, we can encourage students to help us make a shift to a more
spiritually grounded society. To achieve economic equity for our citizens,
we as citizens must first realign the inequities in our personal lives
between what we need and what we want. The spiritual and the material must
nurture and reinforce each other. As students experience and observe this
truth on a daily basis, they will be less able to tolerate economic
inequities in society as a whole, and, as they grow into adults, they will
work to correct them.
Finally, as students become more spiritually aware they will, perhaps more
easily than we, find a sense of balance in their own lives, especially
between freedom and responsibility, between rights and duties. By
introducing them to world religions and the spiritual principles that the
world religions share, we can help our students realize that working for
the common good is as important as striving for personal achievement; and
that success without spiritual fulfillment and inner meaning can never
bring lasting happiness.
The materialism and consumerism that have come to so dominate the
consciousness of our society will begin to be transformed when we place a
greater value on spiritual concerns. We can show our children that we
value spiritual growth by spending more time teaching, discussing, and
contemplating the world religions and great religious teachers - and the
important messages they have offered us through the ages. And we can
accomplish this in a manner that can and should be acceptable to all those
who sincerely want to practice spiritual principles in their own lives,
and who want to see the whole world as one family.
|
