{"id":1336,"date":"2015-04-28T13:45:31","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T18:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/?page_id=1336"},"modified":"2017-04-21T19:58:32","modified_gmt":"2017-04-22T00:58:32","slug":"study-guide-8-interfaith-dialogue-a-golden-conversation-january-2005-edition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.scarboromissions.ca\/mission-education\/study-guides\/study-guide-8-interfaith-dialogue-a-golden-conversation-january-2005-edition","title":{"rendered":"Study Guide 8: “Interfaith dialogue: A golden conversation”, January 2005 edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scarboro Missions magazine, January-February 2005<\/h3>\n

Developed by Sharon Willan, program assistant for Scarboro Missions’ Lay Mission Office and former curriculum writer in the York Catholic District School Board, Toronto, Canada. This Guide was developed for Catholic educators. However, it can be adapted for other Christian users and adult educators.<\/i><\/p>\n

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If all the religious traditions worked together to combat the brokenness in our world, there would be a tremendous outpouring of goodness and love, compassion and mercy, of forgiveness and reconciliation, and of justice, respect and dignity for all. The result would be universal peace.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Scarboro missioner Fr. Ray O’Toole<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

This study guide may be used in the Grades 7 to 12 classroom. The January-February 2005 edition of Scarboro Missions<\/i> magazine is an excellent resource for present day understanding of the major faith traditions in our world.<\/p>\n

This guide may be used in one unit as an overview or applied as educators present each of the faith traditions.<\/p>\n

“The Golden Rule… a path to peace”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ask students to read the 13 Sacred Texts listed below. If you have a Golden Rule poster, display it in a prominent position. (The Golden Rule poster can be ordered from Broughtons Religious Books and Gifts<\/a>)<\/li>\n
  2. Have students make two columns in their notebook. Label column 1: “Similarities”, and column 2: “Differences”. Make a list of the similarities and differences among the 13 readings.<\/li>\n
  3. Ask students to write one Golden Rule encompassing all the concepts. Discuss the rule students have written and create one class Golden Rule.<\/li>\n
  4. What are my rights if this rule is practiced?\n
      \n
    1. What are my responsibilities?<\/li>\n
    2. Discuss the rights and responsibilities.<\/li>\n
    3. How does an understanding of the 13 texts provide a framework for interfaith dialogue?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      13 SACRED TEXTS OF THE GOLDEN RULE<\/b><\/p>\n

      Native Spirituality<\/b>
      \nWe are as much alive as we keep the Earth alive. Chief Dan George<\/i><\/p>\n

      Baha’i<\/b>
      \nLay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself. Baha’u’llah, Gleanings<\/i><\/p>\n

      Buddhism<\/b>
      \nTreat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. The Buddha<\/i>, Udana Varga 5:18<\/b><\/p>\n

      Christianity<\/b>
      \nIn everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Jesus<\/i>,Matthew 7:12<\/b><\/p>\n

      Confucianism<\/b>
      \nOne word which sums up the basis of all good conduct…loving-kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to you. Confucius<\/i>, Analects, 15.23<\/b><\/p>\n

      Hinduism<\/b>
      \nThis is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. Mahabharata 5:1517<\/b><\/p>\n

      Islam<\/b>
      \nNot one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. The Prophet Muhammad<\/i>,13th of the 40 Hadiths of Nawawi<\/b><\/p>\n

      Jainism<\/b>
      \nOne should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated. Mahavira<\/i>, Sutrakritanga<\/b><\/p>\n

      Judaism<\/b>
      \nWhat is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Hillel<\/i>,Talmud, Shabbat 31a<\/b><\/p>\n

      Sikhism<\/b>
      \nI am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all. Guru Granth Sahib, page 1299<\/b><\/p>\n

      Taoism<\/b>
      \nRegard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss. Lao Tzu<\/i>, T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien, 213-218<\/b><\/p>\n

      Unitarianism<\/b>
      \nWe affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Unitarian principle<\/b><\/p>\n

      Zoroastrianism<\/b>
      \nDo not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself. Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29<\/b><\/p>\n

      A meditation on the Golden Rule<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Divide students into five groups and have each group write a brief paragraph about what the world would be like if the Golden Rule was practiced by people of all faith traditions. These paragraphs will become part of the meditation in the section called “Reflection on the Golden Rule”.<\/li>\n
      2. Read the following Scripture passages before the prayer begins so that students remember the stories:\n
          \n
        1. Matthew 15:21-28<\/li>\n
        2. Matthew 8:10ff<\/li>\n
        3. Luke 10:29-37<\/li>\n
        4. John 4<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
        5. Display the Golden Rule poster in a prominent position. If you do not have a poster, display the 13 sacred texts (listed above). Choose 13 students to read the sacred texts. Ask one student to read the class version of the Golden Rule created from the Sacred Texts.(The Golden Rule poster can be ordered from Broughtons Religious Books and Gifts<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Meditation<\/b><\/p>\n

          Sit silently and play quiet instrumental music.<\/p>\n

          Call to Prayer:<\/b><\/p>\n

          In the presence of the One God who created the cosmos…
          \nAll: We stand in awe.<\/b><\/p>\n

          In the presence of the One God who created us to love one another…
          \nAll: We stand in wonder.<\/b><\/p>\n

          In the presence of the One God who has given us the resources to live in justice and peace…
          \nAll: We stand in need.<\/b><\/p>\n

          Reading: “Jesus and other world religions”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a><\/p>\n

          Have six students each read one of the following six paragraphs from this article, leaving about 20 seconds between each reading.<\/p>\n

          Reader 1: “One of the themes of the Bible is that God is a God of universal salvation \u2013 God’s love and God’s covenant extends to all humanity. We find this theme in both the Hebrew Scriptures and in the teaching of Jesus.”<\/p>\n

          Reader 2: “Jesus was aware of having been sent to the Jews…But on occasion he crossed the boundaries of race, culture, and religion.”<\/p>\n

          Reader 3: “On several occasions in the New Testament, Jesus affirmed the faith of individuals who were not Jews. He even presented non-Jews as models of faith; for example the Canaanite woman whose daughter he healed (Matthew 15:21-28)<\/i>. Jesus was so amazed by the faith of the Roman centurion that he remarked, ‘Truly I tell you, nowhere in Israel have I found such faith’ (Matthew 8:10)<\/i>.”<\/p>\n

          Reader 4: “The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37)<\/i> contains a challenging interfaith message. The Samaritans were not Jews. Indeed, there was much animosity between the two groups. The Jews of New Testament times viewed the Samaritans and their religion as inferior.”<\/p>\n

          Reader 5: “But, as was his custom, Jesus used an anecdote to challenge the conventional wisdom. In the parable, it is the Samaritan \u2013 the outsider \u2013 who proves faithful, not the two religiously observant individuals who belong to Jesus’ own faith group. The moral of the story is clear: God’s love is universal \u2013 it is not restricted to any specific group, race, culture, or religion.”<\/p>\n

          Reader 6: “When Jesus sat by the Samaritan woman at the well and even spent two days in her village (John 4)<\/i> he was breaking a taboo \u2013 Jews were forbidden to have contact with the despised Samaritans.”<\/p>\n

          Prayer of Reconciliation:<\/b><\/p>\n

          Before God and the people of God, we confess our brokenness: in the ways we wound our lives, the lives of others and the life of the world.<\/p>\n

          All: May God forgive us, Christ renew us, and the Spirit enable us to grow in love<\/b><\/p>\n

          We cannot change the past nor live in the future. We live in the present, providing hope and healing. We reach beyond ourselves to share the lives of others and touch a wider world.<\/p>\n

          Litany of the Sacred Texts:<\/b>
          \nPlay instrumental music in the background. Each Sacred text is prayed slowly. The response to each is:<\/p>\n

          Let us live this Golden Rule<\/b><\/p>\n

          Reflection on the Golden Rule:<\/b>
          \nRead the paragraphs that were written by the five groups about what the world would be like if the Golden Rule was practiced by people of all faith traditions. Choose one member from each group to do the group’s reading, leaving about 20 seconds between each.<\/p>\n

          Closing prayer:<\/b><\/p>\n

          Leader:<\/b> Creator God, in whom we live and move and have our being, we remember our families and communities. May they not fail you… Nor we fail them.<\/p>\n

          All:<\/b>God of Knowledge
          \nYou know our needs
          \nYou have given us the means and knowledge to create solutions to the challenges we face
          \nWe know that you, O God, are a God of love and we have been created to love all people, indeed the whole of the Earth
          \nEach culture and religion has its version of the Golden Rule
          \nWe know that if we truly lived this rule there would be universal peace and justice
          \nWe also know what we must do
          \nHelp us exchange our selfish ways for communal goals
          \nAMEN<\/i><\/p>\n

          The Golden Rule<\/b><\/p>\n

            \n
              \n
            1. Click on the “Golden Rule Across the World’s Religions<\/a>“. This section of Scarboro Missions’ website provides views about the Golden Rule, commentaries, and how the many faith traditions view the Earth and ecology.<\/li>\n
            2. Divide the class into four groups and assign one of the following headings from the website to each group:\n
                \n
              1. Interfaith Commentaries on the Golden Rule<\/li>\n
              2. Golden Rule Poster in the News<\/li>\n
              3. What People are Saying about the Golden Rule Poster<\/li>\n
              4. Golden Rule and Ecology<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n

                Ask students to summarize the content and concepts from their section. Each group could organize a short presentation for the other groups. Or the groups could form panels. One person from each group would be on each panel. These panels could present concepts on the Golden Rule to other classes.<\/p>\n

                Guest editorial: “Interfaith dialogue… A golden conversation”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a>
                \n“Toward a Christian understanding of world religions”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0                \"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a>
                \n“Jesus and other world religions”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0                \"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Read these three articles and make a list of the questions that interfaith dialogue creates. Use these questions to further class discussion.<\/li>\n
                2. Students may wish to browse other interfaith websites.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  “The Muslim-Christian conversation”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a>
                  \n“Encounter with Islam”<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0                  \"\" html version<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\"\" pdf version<\/a><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Read these two articles.<\/li>\n
                  2. The five pillars of Islam are:\n