Religions in America

The 3 R's of Religion in the U.S. Public Schools





1) Rights- Everyone has the right to practice the religion of their choice.





2) Responsibility- Everyone has the responsibility to protect the rights for all.





3) Respect- We should respect others religious choices even if we don't like or agree with it.





















James Madison (1787)



U.S. Constitution: First Amendment- "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of..."


U.S. Public Schools


Horace Mann (early 19th Century):

Public schools do not follow any particular religion but are primarily Bible-based with Protestant moral teachings



Immigrants:

->Italians/Irish-Catholics

->Buddhist: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and other Asians



U.S. Supreme Court:

*The First Amendment applies to states and public schools.

*Today America has over 3000 different religions.

*Public schools are not Bible-based.

*Public schools cannot teach one particular region but can teach ABOUT religion












E/C

Today there are over 3000 different religions practiced in the United States.

1868-The 14th Amendment required that the First Amendment apply to the states as well as congress


Public schools and state court houses can no longer promote any particular religion.

They can teach ABOUT different religions












Judaism


Beliefs and Practices:

The Jewish people believe in one God, and in leading ethical lives by following the Ten Commandments and other laws given to Moses in 1200-1300 B.C.


Jewish people believe that God spoke through many prophets who taught them to follow their religion.


Jews worship through prayer and once a week on the holy day, or Sabbath, in a house of worship called a synagogue.



Jewish Holidays include:

Rosh Hashanah-New Year


Yom Kippur-Forgiveness of sin


Passover- Liberation from slavery in Egypt


Hanukkah-Festival of light and restoration of the Jewish Temple.












Jewish Persecution


Jesus-

was born into a Jewish family and followed the Jewish religion all his life.


Jesus' disciples-

Were all male Jews. After Jesus' death-there was a split.


Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah


Jews who were not followers of Jesus.



66-135 CE-Jews rebel against Roman rule and are forced to leave Jerusalem. This is called the Diaspora. Jews move to countries all over Europe and the Middle East. When Europe becomes Christian, Jews are persecuted for their religion.


1100-1300 CE-During the Crusades, Christians destroyed Jewish villages and massacred Jews. Jews were banished from England in 1396 and from Spain in 1493.


1648 Polish and Lithuanian Cossacks carried out pogroms-raided Jewish villages and massacred Jews.

Jews were often denied equal rights and forced to live in ghettos.


1930-1945-the Nazi Holocaust kills 6 million Jews.

1800-1900- Many Jews immigrate to America.

1948- Jews are given their own country, Israel, and return to their homeland.












Christianity


Beliefs


-Believe in one God.

-Believe that Jesus is the son of God.

-Jesus came into the world and died to save humanity from sin.

-Christians believe that Jesus was/is the Christ-the "Messiah"- the "Savior"

-Christians believe they will attain salvation by following the teachings of Jesus and by faith in Jesus Christ.



Sects

Eastern Orthodox-primarily found in Eastern Europe and Russia

Catholic-Head of the church is the Pope in Rome

Protestant-started by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation



Worship

Catholics

-Communion- worshippers eat bread and drink wine which they believe is the real body and blood of Christ


Protestants

-Protestants-singing, prayer, and reading from the bible, Sermon/preaching.


Baptism

-in all Christian churches












Teachings of Jesus

*"You have heard the Commandment 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But what I say to you is offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other." -Matthew 5:38, 39


*"...love your enemies, pray for your persecutors"- Matthew 5:44

*"This is my commandment:love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."- John 15:12, 13


*If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."-Matthew 19:21











Islam


Five Pillars

*Faith-statement of faith "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

*Prayer-Muslims pray 5 times a day bowing all the way to the ground

*Alms-Muslims mist give donations to the poor

*Fasting-Muslims eat no food during daylight hours for the holy month of Ramadan.

*Pilgrimage-All Muslims who can afford must make a hajj or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.

*Islam was founded by Muhammad who lived from 570-632 A.D.

*The two major sects of Islam are the Sunni and the Shi'a sects.

*The holy book of Islam is the Qur'an

*They also believe God's word was spoken through Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. They were also prophets.












Hinduism

Central Beliefs:

Hindus believe that each person has a soul or Atman.

Each person seeks to unite his/her soul with God or Brahman-the universal soul.


*One can unite with Brahman only by freeing oneself from selfish, earthly desires. When one is completely free and united with Brahman one has achieved moksha or enlightenment.


*Hindu's believe in Karma-whatever good deeds or bad deeds you do will come back and cause good or bad in your life, or in the next life.


*Hindus believe in reincarnation-that each person is reborn over and over- if one has been good, then one will be reborn into a good life, if one has been bad then one will be reborn into a miserable life-until one is completely free of desires and achieves moksha.



Practices:

Hindus practice meditation, prayer, and yoga (or spiritual exercises) to purify themselves and united with God/Brahman


Scriptures
...The sacred writings of the Hindus include the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita-...


Gods: Hindus believe that all are united in one God, but Hindus believe in and worship many different Gods.

The three main Gods of Hinduism are Brahma-the creator; Vishnu-the preserver of the universe; Shiva-the destroyer
Gurus-are holy people or spiritual teachers who guide people to unite with Brahman.


Rituals and Celebrations

-include Diwali, a festival of light at the beginning of New Year;

-purification in the Ganges River in India.


There are many different Hindu sects and ways of practicing Hinduism.












Hinduism in America

1960s

The Beatles: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi develops a simple form of meditation practice that becomes very popular in America and around the world.

Transcendental Meditation


Yoga: Healthy meditation exercise.

Practiced by millions.


Relaxation Response

Dr. from the Harvard,;

Medical School develops a simple form of meditation that is scientifically proven to relieve stress verified method,


Dr. Dean Ornish,

Uses meditation, yoga, and a vegetarian diet to develop a medically verified method to cure heart disease












Buddhism


Beliefs: Buddhists honor their founder Siddharta Gautama, who is known as the Buddha.

Buddha means "enlightened one" Buddhists believe that the Buddha attained enlightenment, a state of freedom from selfish desires and oneness with all the universe-this is called Nirvana. Buddhists follow Buddha's teachings which include the Four Noble Truths.


Practices:

Buddhists practice to free themselves from desires and attain enlightenment through meditation, chanting, and offering incense.

Monks and Nuns- those who dedicate their lives to meditation and study of the Buddh's teaching. They lead and teach others.



Sects of Buddhism:

Theravada-traditional Buddhism

Mahayana-Belief that all may become Buddhas-Bodhisattva-will not go to nirvana or paradise but stays to help everyone become enlightened.



Beliefs:

The Four Noble Truths

*Life is suffering- suffering can not be avoided by anyone in this life.

*There is a cause of suffering: Desire to have and control things.

*There is a way to end suffering: By becoming free from your desires.

*One becomes free from desires by following a practice.


This practice is also called the:

Eightfold Path

*Right understanding
*Right thinking
*Right speech
*Right conduct:
-Do not kill
-Do not steal
-Do not lie
-Do not misuse sex
-Do not consume alcohol or mind-altering drugs
*Right livelihood
*Right effort
*Right mindfulness
*Right concentration