Description
Assignment Overview
As I mentioned in the beginning of class, studying religion is a bit different from studying other subjects because “religion” is something that we all have strong opinions about and we all have a personal set of experiences related to the word “religion”.
In your first journal, I would like for you to take a minute to reflect on your own story related to the word “religion” – it can be a religious story, a spiritual story, or a secular/atheist story – it’s YOUR story! Reflecting on your own past, family, culture, friends, community, etc. can help you to overcome your biases and learn the content of our course with a more open mind. It also helps me learn more about you and the perspective that you bring to our classroom!
Then you are going to tell me your thoughts on the first two readings (Swami Sivananda and Stephen Prothero) and whether you think the religions of the world are ultimately very similar or very different from each other.
The purpose of this assignment is to
reflect on your own relationship to religion
become more aware of your potential biases in studying the religions of the world
Outcomes and Objectives
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Distinguish between the tenets of belief and practices of the world’s major religious systems
Demonstrate this knowledge through written assignments
OBJECTIVES
Evaluate their own beliefs in light of new ideas about the divine and the place of the human being in the world.
Instructions
Part One: What is your story related to the word “religion?”
For this section, feel free to answer one or all of these questions related to your past, present and future relationship with religion, spirituality, or a secular worldview.
1. Were you raised in a religious family or household? What religious, spiritual, or secular/atheist perspectives influenced you as you were growing up? This could be from family members, extended family, friends, community members, or just general cultural perspectives.
2. Do you have any experiences surrounding religion or the idea of religion that stick out to you as having an impact on your attitude towards religion in general or a particular religion?
3. Have you or members of your family ever gone through a major change in the way they see religion? This could be a conversion from one religion to another, a conversion away from religion altogether, or a conversion to religion when it previously wasn’t a part of your life or your family’s life.
4. What do you think your relationship to religion will be like in the future?
5. What questions have you had or do you currently have about religion in general or a particular religion?
Part Two: Sivananda and Prothero Readings Response
This week you read the “Introduction” to God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero as well as “Unity of Religions” by Swami Sivananda, a Hindu yogi.
These two authors make very different claims concerning the relationship between the religions of the world. Prothero emphasizes that the major religions of the world are very different from each other, and that those differences matter. According to Prothero, therefore, we should learn about the specifics of each religious tradition so that we can be respectful of those differences.
Swami Sivananda, however, believes that when we do study the world religions in-depth, we will see that they are simply different paths to the same destination. Sivananda claims that while there are differences in the details and names they give to the ultimate reality – God, Jesus, Allah, Nirvana, etc. – the religions of the world are the same in their essentials.
Which argument do you agree with more? I know that we haven’t studied the religions in-depth yet, so you may change your mind by the end of the course! But do you think that you will find the religions of the world to be very different from each other, or do you think that they will be very similar?
Your journal should be at least 500 words long and include two direct quotations from the readings (along with the page number). There are no right or wrong answers for this assignment. You will be graded on the completeness of your journal and whether you followed the assignment instructions.
Guidelines
For this assignment, you can copy and paste your assignment directly into the text box or upload a file to submit.
Acceptable file types are: .doc, .pdf, .pgs or a Google Doc
Grading & Feedback
You will receive your grade and feedback within a week of the due date.
The criteria is outlined in the rubric below
If you have missed any points, that will be explained in written feedback
If you turn your assignment in on-time, you can re-submit it if you lose any points and want to earn them back
You can turn it in up to one week late without a late penalty
You can turn it in any time during the semester, but if it is more than one week late, it can only receive half-credit
Canvas Guides
Here are some Canvas guides you can use to help you submit your assignment.
How to submit a text box entryLinks to an external site.
How to upload a file for submissionLinks to an external site.
How to submit other online assignments
