...The role and importance that religion plays when it comes to education is a controversial topic that continues to spark debate in the world today. In Walter Feinberg's peer review of Warren A. Nord's Does God Make a Difference!, the idea that religion be made compulsory in public schools is brought to discussion. In the review, Feinberg speaks about the reasons as to why religion courses taken at school may be favourable, on what ground those religious courses be taught on should they be incorporated into the school system, and the invalidity of Nord's argument in favour of religion in public school. Where Nord believes that the reason religion should be studied in schools is to provide balance with the large amount of secular courses taken, Feinberg disagrees, stating that this is not reason enough to evoke the mandation of religion courses. Rather, Feinberg feels that since students are exposed to an environment instilled with religion, providing them different perspectives of their current understandings may envoke self-reflection and self-criticism towards their own beliefs. Moreover, he states that this type of learning will promotoe critical thinking due to the exposition of alternative worldviews because it introduces them to a different way that they see the world. Feinberg goes on further to say that a way of going about this would be to allow students to interpret sacred texts, but having them understand it the way they choose to. As a result, this aim brings forth...
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...Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings of a man called Siddhartha Gauthama. He lived for about 25 centuries. Siddhartha Gauthama came to be called Buddha. In his life Buddha traveled and taught, he did not teach people what he had realized when he became enlightened. He taught people how to be come enlightened themselves. He taught them that awakening comes through your own direct experience, not through their beliefs. Buddhism spread throughout Asia to become one of the dominant religions in the continent. It is over 350 million people who practice Buddhism, which would make Buddhism the fourth largest of the world’s religions. Buddhism is different from other religions and some people question if it is really a religion. For most religions the focus is on God. For Buddhism, they are taught that believing in gods was not useful for people who were seeking enlightenment. In most religions, they are defined by their beliefs. Buddha said that we should not accept doctrines just because we read them in scripture or are taught them by priests. Buddha taught people how to realize truth for ourselves. The focus is on practice rather than belief. The foundation of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths, which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, the truth of the path that frees us from suffering. The fourth of Buddha’s Noble Truths is The Noble Eightfold Path, it consists of eight factors, which are right view, right...
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...April 24th, 2014 Why Creationism Should be Taught in Schools Evolution is believed to have been scientifically proven, but really it’s not. It is only a theory. If Evolution is only a theory, why is it the only theory being taught in our schools today? Creationism is another theory about how the world was created. It is just as valid as an idea as evolution, so why is only one theory being taught in our classrooms? Creationism should be taught alongside Evolution because students should be able to think on their own and decide what theory to believe. Both theories cannot be proven, so why not teach different perspectives? Evolution is not a fact, just theory and hypothesis. It is a belief. Some may even say, a faith. It might seem that people claim that creationism is religious doctrine, and it is, but evolution is just as religious as creationism. Both cannot be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Both take faith to believe them to be true. So creationism is just as valid as Evolution. Creationism came from religious views, but not everyone believes in the same religions. Evolution is a worldwide concept that many people have come to believe but they may not been exposed to these religions. “Dr. Bergman then went on to add, ‘If schools are to be a place where students can debate important questions, it would seem that eliminating religious questions would shelter students from an important area of debate which is crucial for living a well-rounded life.’” (Edwords...
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...Intelligent Design is religion disguised as science, and as such, should not be taught in our public schools. Introduction The town of Dover, PA looks like any other small towns in central Pennsylvania, but in October 2004 when the local school board proposed a slight alteration to the high school biology curriculum a fault line erupted between those who think of intelligent design as science and something that should be taught alongside evolution, and those who think of it as religion disguised as science. As a science teacher myself, I was very interested in this subject, and how school districts nationwide are pushing initiatives recently to put intelligent design in their biology classes. These school districts are struggling with the dilemma of whether or not to teach creationism as an alternative view to evolution theory. If, as many scientific creationists believe, God's message is important in defining the content, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then creationism does belong in the classroom. However, those who propose that creationism is not science, and that "creation science" is a misnomer, are opposed to the intervention of religion into the public educational program; after all, public educational programs should be separate from concerns of the church. The Scientific...
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...many people see the values and teachings of Confucius as being religious, it is not a religion at all, but rather a spiritual tradition. One of the main reasons people see Confucianism as being a form of religions, is because all the core values are very similar to values in religion. Although it is not a religion, it can still be viewed as being spiritual. Confucius was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the spring and autumn period of Chinese history. Confucianism was important in Chinese history because it taught justice, sincerity, and that family units were important. It also taught that the government should be based on morals. Confucius believed that the human brain was not capable of understanding religion,...
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...PRAYER AND THE 1 Prayer and the School Setting PHI 200 Instructor Lisa Linkin May 11, 2012 Prayer and the School Setting Many students throughout the world carry on their daily tasks of going to school. They come home or to their dorms from the excessive day of learning and they may say a prayer or they may not. For the ones that do say a prayer, they may feel as if the prayer would have been better said during school at the time of a “stressful situation or test”. This was not the case because prayer is being banned from school. This topic has been a very hot one from the time of the first person speaking out against having prayer in the school setting even until now showing no signs of letting up. Why is it so bothersome? It stands to reason that the reason prayer in the school setting is such a rampant subject is because those on both sides of the situation have very strong and valid arguments. Every time there seems to be a sound solution, there is something else that challenges the peace the solution seemingly creates. When it comes to the issue of prayer being appropriate for the school setting there are those that say that it is not appropriate, those that agree that it is, and those willing to look for solutions to pacify both sides. To even come close to beginning to identify whether prayer is appropriate for school or not one must understand exactly what both these...
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...The excerpt from the Hadith definitely described an ethical religion. As the definition, ethical religion appeared as a teacher who taught his students to follow the ethical principles instead of kept their faith in supernatural beings. The ethical religion set the standard for what was and what was not acceptable behavior. In the second paragraph of the Hadith excerpt, the Messenger of Allah said, “Islam is testifying that there is no god but Allah.” An ethical religion testified the appearance of a supreme being who should be emulated for people to follow. The followers also needed to show their faith and their respect by “to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.” Also in the second excerpt, the Messenger of Allah described that Ihsan was “to worship Allah as though you are seeing him” as well as mentioned Iman, which was “is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny.” He considered those definitions as the advices that the followers should have faith and believe even though they had not seen physically. The ethical religion convinced its followers to keep their faith and conduct the good deeds would help them to enter the paradise or live the eternal life as what in the fourth excerpt said, “so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it.” By using the image of the Messenger of Allah from his first stage...
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...change in our laws which have forbidden prayer in schools. These laws have been upheld because courts have asserted that they violate the separation of church and state that is assured in our Constitution. Following this call for a new religious crusade many articles and editorials appeared calling for new legislation which would allow prayer in public schools. Polls were released which indicated that a large percentage of Americans favored new legislation on this subject, and more than one half of those surveyed claimed that they would be more likely to vote for a candidate in a national election who supported prayer in public schools. One has to question the intensity of this support because Bill Clinton (not a supporter of bringing religion into public schools) defeated George Bush (a supporter of school prayer) in the 1992 presidential election. Those who voiced their support for school prayer felt that it would strengthen the moral values of young children as they went through school. Those who want a change in the system claim that prayer in schools will instill family values that have...
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...there were also some similarities based upon their religions such as governing rules. At one point, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism all played a role in the Chinese government during the Han and Yuan Dynasties. One difference was in the religion itself. While the Han Dynasty believed in Confucianism, the Yuan Dynasty believed in both Buddhism and Daoism. The Confucian principles taught that the material world is truly real. It also taught that it was the “heart” of the state government. Confucians believed that fulfillment comes from participating in the world....
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...Introduction Islam is a one of the major religions in the world. Its basis is from the prophet Mohammed who travelled to hills, deserts, and wilderness. The prophet travelled to mediate and reflect. Through this, he came up with revelations as a new man. The revelations made his followers believe Allah had transformed him. At first the Islam, was an Arab religion. Many practices and beliefs were added unto it making it popular that aided its rapid spread. During the Arabic century, many things were at stake. Mohammed teaching on Islam revolutionized everything. He brought changes in the social security, family and women were given rights. He improved the society that was under Arabic influence. He established both religious and social life for many races. Mohammed made Islam to responsible for providing basic needs for the captives . The women in the ancient societies considered women as inferior compared to men. The Islam teachings revolutionized the idea. The recent world sees women as people capable of doing anything. They are viewed as strong like men. They engage in activities that were meant for men. Women are able to make decisions, provide for the family and even work as engineers and in factories. The laws of Koran brought revolution in social relations . The Koran taught people on the importance of production. This helped in quickening trade. The Koran taught people on tolerance . This kind of faith and believe helped traders to travel distant lands, mingle with...
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...INT-244 WORLD RELIGIONS Comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Christianity When comparing and contrasting religious topic it tends to assist one understands how others believe. Although not all will agree with certain religious beliefs or groups no one individual should form an opinion but study other religions to broaden ones horizon. Buddhism along with Christianity both covers a large multitude yet they have some similarities and differences. In Buddhism there isn’t really too much talk going on about God but, in the Christianity sector God is known as their personal creator over all mankind. Also in the Buddhism sector it is believed that the world runs by natural power and in Christianity the world is run by God and there is much order unto the world or rather supposed to be. The funny thing about Buddhism is there are some who do not worship Buddha but prefer to worship other Gods. In Christianity there is only one God to be worshipped and there are to be no other God before Him for God has stated this is (Exodus 20:3) (NIV). When it comes to speaking about Heaven in Christianity it’s a known fact the only way for one to see God is through Jesus Christ who died on the cross. In Buddhism their feeling on this subject is basically for an individual to allow themselves to become free from what they may desire it other words they need or should cleanse themselves naturally. No such thing as sin against a high power is believed in Buddhism however, in Christianity...
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...I am going to explain a few aspects of two separate religions. These two religions being Christianity and Buddhism. I will give information on the characteristics of the God or follower, talk about how one should live in accordance with their practice and finally, the Life after Death. One interesting thing that I would like to point out is that thought these are very different religions, they have similar underlying patterns. Both believe that there was a savior or someone to follow in the footsteps of, being Buddha for Buddhist and Christ for Christians. Both believe, in different respects, which we are only here in temporarily. I will explain more so that it will make sense. In my opinion, as I compare and contrast these two religions, you will capture that in both religions have a strong focus upon being humbled to certain degrees in order to achieve something greater. Every religion has a story, I’ll start with Buddhism, which began before Christianity. It dates back to the 6th century BCE and Christianity was founded in about 30-33 AD. Buddhism’s founder was a Gautama Buddha named Prince Siddhartha. Who was born into a royal family in Lumbinia, now known as Nepal. At age 29, he realized that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teaching religion and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation, he finally found the middle path and was enlightened. After englightment, Buddha spent...
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...Professor Institution Course Date Introduction Islam is a one of the major religions in the world. Its basis is from the prophet Mohammed who travelled to hills, deserts, and wilderness. The prophet travelled to mediate and reflect. Through this, he came up with revelations as a new man. The revelations made his followers believe Allah had transformed him. At first the Islam, was an Arab religion. Many practices and beliefs were added unto it making it popular that aided its rapid spread. During the Arabic century, many things were at stake. Mohammed teaching on Islam revolutionized everything. He brought changes in the social security, family and women were given rights. He improved the society that was under Arabic influence. He established both religious and social life for many races. Mohammed made Islam to responsible for providing basic needs for the captives. The women in the ancient societies considered women as inferior compared to men. The Islam teachings revolutionized the idea. The recent world sees women as people capable of doing anything. They are viewed as strong like men. They engage in activities that were meant for men. Women are able to make decisions, provide for the family and even work as engineers and in factories. The laws of Koran brought revolution in social relations. The Koran taught people on the importance of production. This helped in quickening trade. The Koran taught people on tolerance. This kind of faith and believe helped traders to travel...
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...faiths. Although, there will be some teachers who share their opinions, the Bible should be taught in public high schools because it is extremely prominent in pop culture and is in fact constitutional, as long as the teachers are trained to teach, not preach. Because the Bible and its stories are commonly utilized in pop culture, the Bible should be taught in public high schools throughout America. According to Van Biema,...
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...To understand a religion’s views on death I believe you must first understand the very core of that religion. The first important core to understand a religion is to know what that religion thinks you should do in order to enter the afterlife. Another key to understand death as far as religion goes is how a person is expected to live life. When a person is dying or dead what happens to the body as far as a funeral plays a huge role in religions also. What is the afterlife? That is a question that separates many different religions and therefore people. What really is the difference between Christianity and Islam? One of the main chore thoughts in Christianity is that Jesus died on the cross to pay for human kinds sins. However if a person doesn’t repent of all their sins, and ask Jesus to come into their life or heart and change their lives then their faith is for nothing. Islam’s believe however that allah is the only God and allah tricked everyone including his servants that Jesus died on the cross. However muslims believe they can have their sins forgiven by praying at the right time, cursing Jews and Christians, or fighting for islam. From what I’ve learned from my research sin in Islam is not really a big deal. However in Christianity all sins are equal and a person must ask for forgiveness for all of their sins. Differences: living life As Christians people are expected to love God with all their heart, and to live for him completely. For a guideline...
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