Transcript Religion Vs. Spirituality

DO NOW: TRY YOUR BEST
TO DEFINE:
RELIGION
PHILOSOPHY
SPIRITUALITY
RELIGION VS. SPIRITUALITY
What’s It All Mean?
RELIGION
• A religion is a belief in divine being(s) and
the practices and moral code that result
from that belief. Beliefs give religion its
mind, rituals give religion its shape, and
ethics give religion heart.
PHILOSOPHY
• Many philosophies take up the questions
of what is good and how people should
act. In providing guidelines on living,
philosophies have ethics just as religions
do.
SPIRITUALITY
• Spirituality does not require membership
within an organized religion, nor does it have
the authority structure that religions do.
Spirituality is the willingness to follow rituals,
ethics, and beliefs of different religions that
are personally appealing, and not just the
rituals, ethics, and beliefs of one single
religion. Spirituality is deeply personal and not
systematic, while religion has all its ideas
clearly set out and organized.
PHILOSOPHY VS.
RELIGION
• Only religion has rituals
• Philosophies use reason to figure out what is
true, and religions use both reason and
revelation.
• Religions teach that miracles, which appear to
supersede commonly held beliefs about
Nature, are actually true
BACK IN THE DAY
• Although most current philosophies don’t include a
belief in God, history hasn’t always been this way.
Aristotle and Plato, two great Greek philosophers,
believed that the existence of God could be
proven. Thus, using reason and believing in God are
not incompatible. You can do both at the same
time. The main point to remember is that being
religious doesn’t mean that you’re committed to
being irrational, and being a philosopher doesn’t
mean that you’re committed to being an atheist.
TO START WE WILL BE LEARNING
ABOUT PLATO AND DISCUSSING
SOMETHING WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH: EDUCATION
WHO WAS PLATO?
• Plato was born about 429 BC, close to the time when
Pericles died, and he died in 347 BC, just after the birth of
Alexander the Great. Plato was born in Athens, to a very
rich and powerful family. Many of his relatives were involved
with Athenian politics, though Plato himself was not. Athens
was in the middle of fighting the Peloponnesian War, and
Plato fought for several years as a soldier.
WHO WAS PLATO?
• When Plato was a young man, during and after the war, he
went to listen to Socrates, and learned a lot from Socrates
about how to think, and what sort of questions to think
about. When Socrates was killed in 399 BC, Plato was very
upset (He was 30 years old when Socrates died) . Plato
began to write down some of the conversations he had
heard Socrates have. Practically everything we know about
Socrates comes from what Plato wrote down.
WHO WAS PLATO?
• After a while, though, Plato began to write down his own
ideas about philosophy instead of just writing down
Socrates' ideas. One of his earlier works is the Republic,
which describes what Plato thought would be a better form
of government than the government of Athens. Plato
thought that most people were pretty stupid, and so they
should not be voting about what to do. Instead, the best
people should be chosen to be the Guardians of the rest.
(Remember Plato was from a rich aristocratic family so he
probably considered himself among the best people!).
WHO WAS PLATO?
• Plato also thought a lot about the natural world and how it
works. He thought that everything had a sort of ideal form,
like the idea of a chair, and then an actual chair was a sort
of poor imitation of the ideal chair that exists only in your
mind. One of the ways Plato tried to explain his ideas was
with the famous metaphor of the cave. He said, Suppose
there is a cave, and inside the cave there are some men
chained up to a wall, so that they can only see the back
wall of the cave and nothing else. These men can't see
anything outside of the cave, or even see each other
clearly, but they can see shadows of what is going on
outside the cave. Wouldn't these prisoners come to think
that the shadows were real, and that was what things really
looked like?
WHO WAS PLATO?
• Suppose now that one of the men escaped, and got out of
the cave, and saw what real people looked like, and real
trees and grass. If he went back to the cave and told the
other men what he had seen, would they believe him, or
would they think he was crazy?
WHO WAS PLATO?
• Plato says that we are like those men sitting in the cave: we
think we understand the real world, but because we are
trapped in our bodies we can see only the shadows on the
wall. One of his goals is to help us understand the real world
better, by finding ways to predict or understand the real
world even without being able to see it.
• It's possible that Plato's ideas about the difference between
reality and the illusion we perceive are related to Hindu and
Buddhist ideas about nirvana, which were forming in India
about the same time. You could also compare the parable
of the cave to the Jain story of the Blind Men and the
Elephant, which was written around the same time.
THE BLIND MEN AND THE
ELEPHANT…
• This story may have first been told by the Buddha, about 500
BC. Later Buddhists and Jains and Sufi people told this story
to show how nobody can really know the truth, or not the
whole truth. You could compare it to Plato's parable of the
cave. If the Buddha really told this story, it was about a
hundred years before Plato told his parable; the first written
version of the story dates to 29 BC, or three hundred years
after Plato.
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
• Once there was an elephant, a tame
elephant, who had been captured
when he was a baby and taught to
stand still and not worry much about
people, and so he was standing
there, tied to a stake in the ground,
minding his own business. Along came
six blind men, who were out for a walk
together. They couldn't see anything
so they bumped right into the
elephant: BUMP!
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
• “What is this thing we've bumped into?" they wondered. Each
one touched the part of the elephant nearest him to try to figure
it out. "I think this must be a rope," said one of the men, holding
on to the elephant's tail. Another man felt the elephant's leg.
"No, it's a pillar," he said. A third man groped around and got
hold of the elephant's trunk said, "No, it's a tree with many
branches," and the fourth man happened to feel the elephant's
ear, and thought this must be a fan. The fifth man, touching the
side of the elephant, thought the others were silly. "No, it's a wall,"
he insisted. But the last man disagreed with all his friends. "It's a
hard pipe," he said, holding the elephant's tusk.
FINISH YOUR READING AND
QUESTIONS! PREP FOR
DISCUSSION!
DO NOW- COMPLETE THE CHART
BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN!
Prisoner
Prison
Guards
Returners/
Liberators
Freedom
EXAMPLE:
Student
EXAMPLE:
School
(Primary and
Secondary)
EXAMPLE:
Teachers,
administration
and policy
makers
EXAMPLE:
Teachers?
Former
students?
EXAMPLE:
Learning
independently,
College?
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
• Meme due June 3rd
• Must be AP US RELATED
• Must also write a one paragraph (3-5 sentence) explanation with historical
evidence/reasoning
QUESTIONS
1. Create a drawing sequence of the allegory of the cave
2. Choose one sentence from the text that you find most thought-provoking
3. Explain why you chose that sentence.
4. Socrates refers several times to the cave as a “prison” and the cave
dwellers as “prisoners” and then compared them to humanity in general.
Why do you think he does this?
5. Is the “allegory of the cave” like the process of getting an education? Why
or why not?
6. Who (refer to the text) does Socrates believe should take on the
responsibilities of leadership in the state? Why?
7. Where do you see yourself (at this point in your life) in the “Allegory of the
Cave”?
8. What have you learned about yourself from Socrates’ description?
ASSIGNMENT
• Consider: What does Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” teach us about
getting an education?
• Assignment: Write a newspaper article in which you analyze the
allegory of the cave as an allegory for education, providing examples
to clarify your analysis.
• You have many options with how to approach this! You could be
making suggestions for teachers, administration, policy makers,
students, etc.
• You could be creating a whole new system of education,
modifying what we have currently, or explaining to people how
they should work within the system (how to adapt)
ASSIGNMENT
• Consider which quotes you think are most important to include
• Create an outline based on your notes and reading in which you state your
claim, sequence your points, and note your supporting evidence
• Write an initial draft complete with opening, development, and closing;
insert and cite textual evidence. Then identify any gaps or unanswered
questions
• Ask a classmate to read your first draft to ensure it is the best it can be!
• Revise your draft to have correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation and
grammar. Adjust formatting as needed to provide clear, appealing text!
• THEN WE WILL PRESENT OUR FINDINGS, SOAPBOX STYLE!!!!!
DO NOW
What did you miss?
Name the four Gospels. List as many as you
can.
 Matthew
 Mark
 Luke
 John
Name a sacred text of Hinduism
 Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Puranas,
Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Yoga
Sutras, Laws of Manu, Kama Sutra
What is the name of a holy book of Islam?
 Quran
Where according to the Bible was Jesus born?
 Bethlehem
What are the first five books of the Hebrew
Bible?
 Genesis
 Exodus
 Leviticus
 Numbers
 Deuteronomy
What is the Golden Rule?
 Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
 Life is suffering
 Suffering has an origin
 Suffering can be overcome (nirvana)
 The path to overcoming suffering is the Noble
Eightfold Path
What is Ramadan? In what religion is it
celebrated?
 Muslim holiday characterized by a month of fasting
What religion includes a sect of monks who do
not wear clothing?
 Jainism
Who is Buddha? What did he do?
 Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama who was born in the
sixth century B.C.
 The wisdom Buddha achieved was so vast and so
deep that in a way he has transcended all boundaries
and lives completely in the truth.
When does the Jewish Sabbath begin?
 Begins on Friday evening (ends on Saturday evening)
Which religion aims at nirvana, the state of
being free from suffering?
 Buddhism
In which religion are Vishnu and Shiva central
figures?
 Hinduism
What is an atheist?
 Someone who does not believe a god exists.
What is an agnostic?
 Someone who does not believe that it can be proven a
god exists.
Insight into Religious Tradition
Studying religion can help us understand
values, relationships, personalities, and
human creativity.
Insight into what Religions Share
My favorite….We can see how religions are
more similar than they are different!
Insight into People
Understanding people’s religion may help us to
understand their attitudes and values.
Tolerance and Appreciation of Differences
Variety is a fact of nature.
A person who can enjoy variety- in
religion and elsewhere- is a person
who will never be tired of life.
Intellectual Questioning
Religions make claims about truth, yet some of their
views are not easy to reconcile.
For example reincarnation/atman versus
heaven/personal soul.
Studying religion can help us examine important
intellectual questions more closely.
Insight into Everyday Life
From arguments over war, abortion, politics, the
calendar, etc. religion rules our everyday life. By
studying religion we can begin to comprehend the
reasons behind it all.
Appreciation for the Arts
Many of the greatest works of art, the great
artists, and patrons of art were inspired/led
by religious beliefs.
Enriched Experience of
Travel
By studying religion we can understand the
locations and traditions of the world!
Insight into Family Tradition
Our views of education, individual
rights, gender roles, sex, time,
money, food and leisure are almost
all influenced by religion.
Help in One’s Own Religious Quest
For anyone involved in a spiritual quest
it is important to study a variety of
religions. Stories of others
experience may give us insight into
our own!
World
Religions
Jainism
• Jainism is an ancient religion from India that
teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to
live lives of harmlessness and renunciation.
• The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare
of every being in the universe and for the health
of the universe itself.
• Jains believe in reincarnation.
• Jainism is a religion of self help.
• Most Jains live in India, and according to the
2001 Census of India there are around 4.2
million living there.
Buddhism
• Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on
personal spiritual development and the
attainment of a deep insight into the true nature
of life.
• There are 376 million followers worldwide.
• Buddhists follow the path of the Buddha,
Siddhartha Gautama, who went on a quest for
Enlightenment around the sixth century BC.
• There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhists
believe that nothing is fixed or permanent and
that change is always possible. The path to
Enlightenment is through the practice and
development of morality, meditation and
wisdom.
Christianity
• Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah
promised in the Old Testament.
• Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to
save humanity from the consequences of its sins.
• One of the most important concepts in Christianity is
that of Jesus giving his life on the Cross
(the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead on the third
day (the Resurrection).
• Christians believe that there is only one God, but that
there are three elements to this one God: Father, Son,
Holy Spirit.
• Christianity is the most popular religion in the world
with over 2 billion adherents
Islam
• The word Islam means 'submission to the will of God'.
• Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1
billion followers.
• Muslims believe that there is only One God.
• According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to
mankind to teach them how to live according to His law.
Judaism
• Judaism is the original of the three
Abrahamic faiths, which also
includes Christianity and Islam.
• There were around 13.1 million Jewish
people in the world in 2007.
• Judaism was founded by Moses, although
Jews trace their history back to Abraham.
• Jews believe that there is only one God with
whom they have a covenant.
Hinduism
• Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and
Nepal. It has over 900 million adherents worldwide.
• In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world,
or at least elements within it stretch back many thousands of
years. Yet Hinduism resists easy definition partly because of the
vast array of practices and beliefs found within it.
• Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no
single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.
• Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key
figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous
holy books. For these reasons, writers often refer to Hinduism as
'a way of life' or 'a family of religions' rather than a single
religion.
Key Characteristics of Religions
1. Belief System
2. Community
3. Central Myths
4. Ritual
5. Characteristic Emotional
Experiences
6. Material Expression
7. Sacredness
Belief System
Several beliefs fit
together into a fairly
complete and systemic
interpretation of the
universe and the
human being’s place in
it; this is also called a
worldview.
Community
The belief system is shared, and its ideals are practiced by a
group.
Central Myths
Stories that express the religious beliefs of a
group are retold and often reenacted. Examples
of central myths include the major events in the
life of the Hindu god Krishna, the
enlightenment experience of Buddha, the
exodus of the Israelites from oppression in
Egypt, the death and resurrection of Jesus, or
Muhammad’s escape from Mecca to Medina.
Scholars call such central stories: myths (the
term myth does not mean that the stories are
historically untrue but only that the stories are
central to the religion).
Ritual
Beliefs are enacted and made real through ceremonies.
Characteristic Emotional Experiences
Among the emotional experiences typically
associated with religions are dread, guilt,
awe, mystery, devotion, conversion,
“rebirth”, liberation, ecstasy, bliss, and inner
peace.
Material Expression
Religions make use of an astonishing variety of physical
elements- statues, paintings, musical compositions, musical
instruments, ritual objects, flowers, incense, clothing,
architecture, and specific locations.
Sacredness
A distinction is made between the sacred and the ordinary;
ceremonies often emphasize this distinction through the
deliberate use of different language, clothing, and
architecture. Certain objects, actions, people, and places may
share in the sacredness or express it.
Problem Solving…
Why People Flock to Religion
For many people of faith, religion generally
offers something deeper. Some of these
things are tangible; most aren’t. For example,
one of the main beliefs of religions is hopehope that tomorrow will be better than
today; the hope that death is not the end of
us; the hope that good will win. In essence,
religion offers people a way to navigate a
broken world full of cruelty and
disappointment.
Most religions believe that one primary hurdle stops
people from realizing their potential. By being able to
overcome this hurdle, people can achieve whatever
the ultimate reward in their religion is.
The hurdle is different for different religions, as is the
goal:
-In Buddhism, the biggest problem is suffering
-For the Abrahamic faiths, sin is the problem
-For Hinduism, the problem is being repeatedly
reincarnated
Brainstorming
In your group, you will attempt to solve
one of these problems and then later
you will compare your solution to the
religions came up with.
1. Suffering
2. Sin
3. Repeated Reincarnation
Buddhism
• The biggest problem is suffering, and
Buddhism solves that problem by offering a
path to enlightenment, where suffering is no
more (The Eightfold Path- to have right views,
right thoughts, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and
right concentration).
• How did your answer compare?!
Abrahamic
• For the Abrahamic faiths, sin is the problem; and Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam offer a path to salvation from sins. The
three paths to salvation are different but the goal is the same.
• How did your answer compare?
Hinduism
• For Hinduism, the problem is being repeatedly reincarnated.
Hinduism offers a solution to the problem of rebirth by offering
a way to release, moksha, from the cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth.
• How did your answer compare?
Why Are We Here?
And
Who Created Life?
The Age Old Question!
Why are we here?
What’s the point?
What is our place in the
universe?!
What is the meaning of life?!
All Religions Agree:
We are here for
some reason!
In this way- religions enable people to become
spiritually realized human beings who can
serve others and live a life of joy,
thankfulness, and serenity
Keep Your Eyes
on the Prize!
For all religions, the spiritual
journey that gives meaning to
our lives is a journey from a
place of need and limitation to a
place of freedom and fulfillment!
For Christians…
• Our journey and reason we are
here is to find salvation from
sin and life everlasting in
heaven.
For Muslims…
• Our journey is a way to prove our loving surrender
to the will of Allah as taught by his prophet
Muhammad, so that after being judged on the
Last Day, we may cross the bridge that leads to the
gardens of paradise.
For Hindus
• We are here to make as spiritual quest so that we
can find release from the cycle of being reborn
over and over again and in that way escape the
impermanence of human existence.
For Buddhists
• We journey away from suffering
and toward a “state of being” in
which we have realized true
wisdom and enlightenment
For Jews
• Our journey is a way to show love of
God by performing his
commandments, which will change
and save us, as well as change and
save the world.
What About Another Important
Question….
WHO CREATES
LIFE?
Religion, Science, and a
Basic Mystery
The advances in science today are so
amazing that the neat divisions between
science and religion and breaking down
again, and this time the fight is VERY
serious.
Most of the contention lies in the area of
biotechnology, which is the science of
rearranging the stuff of life.
To Clone or Not To Clone?
Genetic engineering, cloning, genetically
altered food- all this seemingly sciencefiction stuff is now very much a reality.
But, it runs right up against the religious
question, “Are we the creations of God,
or are we our own creators?”
What do you think?!
The
Sacred
People experience and explain sacred reality in
different ways…
“God”
• One familiar term for the sacred reality,
especially in the Western world, is God.
What Does This Term
Mean?
• The term God often
carries with it the notion
of a Cosmic Person- a divine being with will
and intelligence who is just and
compassionate and infinite in virtues.
• God is also called omnipotent (having total
power over the universe)
Transcendent
• This monotheistic God is transcendent
(unlimited by the world and all ordinary
reality- in case you forgot!)
Don’t forget the IMMANENT God
• In some religions, the sacred reality is not
seen as a personal being- instead it is seen like
an energy or mysterious power.
• This type of sacred is seen as immanent
(within nature).
Pantheism
• Pantheism sees the sacred as being
discoverable within the physical world and its
processes. In other words, nature itself is holy.
Polytheism
• Still other religions believe in the sacred
reality in the form of many coexisting gods
(polytheism). These gods could be separate,
work together, or be in charge of particular
aspects.
How do we make sense of it all?
Hello Symbols!
• In case you’ve forgotten…a symbol is
something fairly concrete, ordinary, and
universal that can represent something of
greater complexity.
• For example: Water can represent spiritual
cleansing
Some believe that the use of
symbols may point to some
structure that underlies all
religions…
Hinduism: Bathe in the Ganges River
Christians: Water for Baptism
Judaism: Water for Ritual Purification
Muslims and Shinto: Wash before Prayer
Universal Language?
• This may suggest that all religions speak a
universal symbolic “language”.
• Many hope that by studying this “language” of
symbols will help uncover what is universally
important in all religions.
Even with Symbolism to
attempt to simplify things…
Where’s the
proof?!
The Proof is in the Pudding
The terrible suffering of innocent children.
The Holocaust, slavery, and a million wars.
Disease, famine, and homelessness. Earthquakes,
floods, hurricanes, typhoons, lightning, forest
fires, pestilence, and elevator music. All refute the
divine…or so you would think.
The question is: Does God (or do gods and
goddesses) exist? The answer for most people is a
resounding yes. A whopping 90 percent or people
in the United States believe in the divine, for
example. The following sections explain the
evidence that, to these believers, proves God’s
existence.
When Good
Religions Go
Bad
Good Religions
As we discussed earlier this week religions all
encourage love, compassion, hope, tolerance
and healing. Many religions also even teach
“nonviolence”.
And yet…
Religions Can Go Bad!
We often see religious difference as the root of hatred, war, and
violence in the war.
Religious leader, politicians, or average citizens use religious
beliefs to justify harm instead of healing, hate instead of love.
I Agree With Macklemore On This One..
•
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In his song Same Love, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis point out this issue:
A word rooted in hate
Yet our genre still ignores it
“Gay” is synonymous with the lesser
It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins
It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference
Live on! And be yourself!
When I was in church they taught me something else
That Holy Water that you soak in has been poisoned
Let’s Be Clear- Don’t
Blame the Religion
It is of the upmost importance to
realize that when people hurt,
subjugate, or kill others in the name
of their God- they are perverting
(twisting), rather than representing,
the true teaching of their faith.
Can’t We All Just Get
Along?
What is Causing These
Problems?!
Unholy Alliances
One historical reason that the authentic
religious message of unity gets twisted is the
combining of religion and political power.
When religious institutions make deals with
monarchs and rulers to support their reign in
return for the ruler’s support of the religion,
they forge an alliance that can pervert the
true meaning of religion.
-Can you think of an example?
Politicizing Religion
Sometimes, the real difference between
religions are not so much religious differences
as they are political or economic, but religion
is used to justify or explain the conflicts that
result.
For example- two countries may be fighting over
a small amount of land or money, but they use
religion in their battle to secure economic
security or equality.
Abuse of Holy Power
Another way religion can divide people is when
religion takes and holds secular power for
itself and becomes distorted in the process.
For example, people may use religious power to
claim control over land, people, or money!
There is a famous example of this occurring- can
you think of what that may be?
Intertwining Culture and Faith
In many areas religion can be deeply woven into the
culture of a country to the point that unwinding
them is impossible!
In certain areas of the world this can mean that
people who are not of the majority faith have a
hard time feeling comfortable or accepted. It can
draw a line between two faiths living in the same
area. How is the US different?
Our future depends on people of different cultures
being able to walk the line between religious
discrimination and loving observance of old and
honored tradition.
Confusing Conversion with Indoctrination
Another way religion can cause conflict is the idea that any one
religion is superior to others. This is called triumphalist beliefsin which the followers of a religion may believe that their
religion is the only true faith and that ALL must be converted to
that faith if they want to be saved and allowed into heaven….
What religion was particularly guilty of this throughout history?
“Bad Beliefs”
Sometimes religions simply have “bad” beliefsthese religions may have stemmed from
outside influences or they may have been part
of the beliefs of the founder of the faith.
These “bad” beliefs are like a virus who makes
the religion morally and spiritually sick.
An example of this is the caste system in India
which stems from Hinduism, or the blame of
Jews for Christ’s death within Christianity.
Twisted Interpretation
Sometimes fanatics invent ideas the religion never taught and
teach these ideas as if they were ancient and authentic. This
type of religion is a perversion of a good faith.
Examples of this include support for racism, as well as the rise of
extremism (radicalism) which claims that it is acceptable to kill
non-believers in the name of their deity.
Cults
They may look like religions, they may act like religions BUT Cults
are not religions.
Cults are dangerous because they take away a person’s ability to
critically evaluate what is happening.
Here are some warning signs of cults to look out for!
• Cuts off its members from contact with their families.
• Engages in all-night sessions and sleep deprivation in order to teach its
lessons
• Threatens those who disagree with it.
• Demands that you transfer all (or nearly all) of your money or assets
to them.
• Uses its members to go out begging or raising money all the time.
• Hides its true identity in parts of its work
• Doesn’t tolerate internal dissent
• Funnels most of the money to leaders of the group, despite claiming
to do charitable work
• Keeps all finances secret
• Engages in “love bombing”. Cults take lonely or confused people and
surrounds them with members who don’t know them but say they
love them This friendly group seduces these lonely people into joining
them
• Is constantly being investigated by the media or government
organization
Do Now:
WHAT IS PREJUDICE?
HOW WERE THE EARLY AMERICAN’S PREJUDICE, AND WHO WERE THEY
PREJUDICED AGAINST?
WHAT CAUSES PREJUDICE?
9/11
What occurred on 9/11/2001?
What did you learn about 9/11 from talking to your
family?
In what ways is America still impacted by the
events of 9/11?
Modern Day Prejudice- Are we
Enlightened?

Who are some groups who currently face prejudice in America
today? Why does this occur? How can it be stopped?

What does it mean to be “enlightened”?

America was founded in part upon the ideas of Enlightenment.

In what ways was early America “enlightened”?

In what ways was early America “un-enlightened”?

In what ways is present day America “enlightened”?

In what ways is present day America “un-enlightened”?
Become “Enlightened”

What is Sikhism?
Become “Enlightened”

Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world

With nearly 21 million followers worldwide, Sikhism counts itself as
one of the major world religions. About 500,000 Sikhs live in the
United States, and another 500,000 Sikhs live in Canada

Sikhs believe in one God

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, based on a revelation to Guru
Nanak, the first of 10 Sikh gurus, over 500 years ago. The Sikh gurus
taught that there are many different ways of achieving a connection
with God, and Sikhism is only one of these ways. The Sikh scripture is
the only major religious text that includes writings by teachers of
various other faiths.
Dastaar


This film presents the struggle of the Sikh American
community against discrimination and violence,
caused by ignorance about the Sikh turban.
While you watch
 Record
one quote that stands out to you the most
 Reflect
and record your own personal reaction
 Be
prepared to respond to the following question:
 Is
modern day American “Enlightened”- why or why not? How can
we become more “enlightened” if we are not already?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odUXxeP3EHI
Discussion
Exit Slip

Is modern day American “Enlightened”- why or
why not? How can we become more
“enlightened” if we are not already?

What is one way you as an individual can
become more enlightened particularly in the
face of prejudice?
WHAT DO PHILOSOPHER’S
SAY ABOUT RELIGION?
• Philosophers have had different opinions on what religion is,
what it means, and what its purpose it.
• You will be asked to write a research paper in which you
respond to ONE philosopher’s statement about religion..
ROUND TABLE!
• Today we will be partaking in a Round Table
Discussion about our initial responses to these
quotes. Ideally, today will help you make a decision
about which quote to focus on in your final paper.
• You will need to apply not only your own thoughts
and opinions about the quote, but will need to use
what you have learned so far this year as well!
ROUND TABLE!
• The class will chose a quote with the facilitator’s
help.
• The facilitator will then start a 3 minute timer, and
everyone IN SILENCE will write down their initial
responses in three categories: What would Mahavira
say? What would Buddha say? And, What would
you say?
• I would suggest taking out notes from the year to
reference back! The Dhammapada readings would
be especially useful!
EXAMPLE:
“There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely
human affair”
Buddha: We don’t know who or what God is, but we
know ourselves and can control ourselves. By focusing
on having a strong mind, we can control our actions
to be moral.
ROUND TABLE
• When the facilitator announces that 3 minutes is up,
they will begin to call on students to share out what
their first reactions were. While others share out, you
are required to continue filling in your chart so you
can use it later.
• The facilitator is in charge of making sure that not
only are people only speaking when called on, but
making sure that we are using our evidence more
than our emotions when responding to quotes.
IMMANUEL KANT (1775)
“The wish to talk to God is absurd. We cannot
talk to one we cannot comprehend — and we
cannot comprehend God; we can only
believe in Him. The uses of prayer are thus only
subjective.”
ARISTOTLE
“For God is thought to be among the
causes for all things and to be a kind of
principle”
ARISTOTLE
“A tyrant must put on the appearance of
uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less
apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler
whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On
the other hand, they do less easily move against
him, believing that he has the gods on his side. ”
SENECA THE YOUNGER
“Religion is regarded by the common
people as true, by the wise as false,
and by the rulers as useful.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN
“There is nothing divine about
morality; it is a purely human affair”
FRIEDERICH NIETZSCHE
“God is dead. God remains dead. And
we have killed him. How shall we comfort
ourselves, the murderers of all
murderers?”
LEO TOLSTOY
“The essence of any religion lies solely in the answer to the
question: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to the
infinite universe that surrounds me? ... It is impossible for there
to be a person with no religion (i.e. without any kind of
relationship to the world) as it is for there to be a person
without a heart. He may not know that he has a religion, just
as a person may not know that he has a heart, but it is no
more possible for a person to exist without a religion than
without a heart.”