Sacred Texts

I know my blog has been lacking posts, but I have to admit that my life hasn't been that exciting recently. Basically all I do is work, class, work, grade, gym (once in a while), and occasionally see my friends. This semester has kicked my butt, and the last thing I want to do when I get home from teaching is sit and talk about teaching.

One thing that has been pretty exciting, though, is that I have been teaching a unit on Sacred Texts (aka, the five major religions of the world). Those major religions are: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. While I am highly familiar with Christianity, I know NOTHING about the other religions, so I have been learning a ton right alongside my students. It has been highly interesting. We are learning about the different beliefs of each religion, as well as reading a section of texts from each of their scriptures.

Christianity: Old and New Testament
Judaism: Old Testament
Islam: Quran
Hinduism: Rig Veda
Buddhism: Tripitaka

If you're interested in learning about any of these religions, please ask. I'd love to share what I have learned.

On the first day of these discussions, I gave a warning. This warning included: We each believe our own thing, so this classroom is a safe place where you should not be ashamed of your beliefs. We are not here to make fun of anyone or any religion, and we are not here to convert you to believe in one certain religion. I am not standing up here to preach to you, but rather, we are reading these texts to gain a worldly knowledge of what is going on around us. I want you to feel comfortable sharing your faith/knowledge with your classmates.

Having established that "safe haven," my teenagers have brought up so many great discussions. I sometimes just sit back and let them talk and ask questions. There have been times when I have begun to answer a question, only to have another student interrupt to ask if they could answer. By all means, please share your faith. They have asked questions to which I cannot answer. They have answered questions to which I could not answer. They have thought beyond a textbook, and it has been an interesting two weeks in my classroom.

Personally, I have had some interesting conversations with students on a one-on-one basis. I chatted with one student last week who said, "Ms. Nichols, I've really enjoyed this unit on religions. My parents are believers, and I was raised to believe in Jesus Christ, but this past year I've really been questioning my faith and trying to figure out what I really believe. This unit has really shown me some interesting things, and I feel like I'm making headway into figuring out my own personal beliefs." That led into our own discussion, and I am convinced that A is on the right path to choosing her own beliefs (rather than her parents).

It has also opened my eyes to my own personal beliefs. As I was reading some scripture from the Bible in preparation for the day, I was moved to tears as I read some of the words of Jesus. I was reading the parable of the Prodigal Son, and I was reminded again of how we are all sinners and yet Christ opens up his arms and accepts us into his "house."

Anyway, it's been an interesting journey, and it's been pretty exciting for me to talk about God/Jesus/Allah/Buddha with my students.