World Religions Unit

[Rachel Pickett]

Hey!  Anyone use any highly engaging, philosophical essential questions when you teach a unit on religions?  Anyone have cool, thoughtful texts you use when you teach religions?  I'd love to know how you teach this topic :)  Thanks!

[Ericka Pitman]

I tend to use texts from the religion, such as parables for Christianity, etc.  I have the students analyze the meaning of the text.  Then I have each group represent one religion and make a presentation of some kind on what it means to be of that faith.

[HeyMrsTE4chr]

I remind them that this isn't a course on Religions, but a course that looks at the development of a religion in a time frame and its long term impact.  I always have some naysayer who wants to argue that they aren't in school to be preached to and I always have to tell them that there is a reason these ideologies developed when they did and how they did and it's our job to figure out the connection between the ideology and the culture.  

[Eileen Orzoff-Baranyk]

I frequently pose the question "What questions does this philosophy/religion try to answer?"  Mostly we look at the similarities and connections between religions.

We also spend time discussing a chart very much like this one.