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EDFD 645 Updated Spring, 2009 Page 1
“The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful.” Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Gallup Poll on Public’s View of Religion
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113533/Americans-Believe-Religion-Losing-Clout.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/108115/Americans-Evenly-Divided-Morality- Homosexuality.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/109108/Belief-God-Far-Lower-Western-US.aspx
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1123/p11s02-legn.html
http://www.valpo.edu/geomet/geo/courses/geo200/religion.html
http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/findings.htm
Wood’s Diversity: Invention of a Concept
- Nullifies religious exclusivity to ultimate truth
- Creates a relativistic religious tolerance
- Requires a non-judgmental stance
- Except for Christian fundamentalism
- Christian fundamentalism is not diverse and is viewed as the “enemy” of Diversity
- What about Islamic fundamentalism?
- A dilemma – Islam is “different” enough to qualify for Diversity
- Jeffersonian tolerance
- Sees all religions as lacking and erroneous and views them with equal condescension - Based on Deism, agnosticism, atheism
- Grounded in the faiths themselves
- Most faiths have teachings that address “outsiders” and the tolerance toward them - Example: Christians’ view that non-Christians are in need of salvation and worth saving
- Conception of religion
- All faiths are automatically credited with a similar degree of validity (moral equivalency)
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- Faith communities are amorphous, changing entities rather than grounded, stable communities
- Moves the focus from value of religion’s teaching to needs of those who are in search of spiritual fulfillment
- Sees religion as susceptible to and explanatory for race-class-gender issues in the United States
- Wicca is essentially a mystified version of Diversity conjoined to a vague form of nature worship.
- Neo-Paganism is a rebellious movement.
- Defines itself against Western civilization and its creedal religious traditions which it sees as intolerant and oppressive.
- Neo-Paganism sees itself as profoundly tolerant, benign, open-minded, non- exclusivist, and liberating.
- Religious affiliation has weakened
- Diversity has
- Homogenized churches
- Little distinctive theological flavor – they all look alike
- Flattened religious sensibility
- Consumers rather than pilgrims thirsting for religion
Predictors of Religious Affiliation
- Family
- Community
- Personal Choice
Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture
Christ against Culture Christ of Culture Christ above Culture Christ and Culture in Paradox Christ the Transformer of Culture
Staub’s The Culturally Savvy Christian
- Cocoon
- Combat
- Conform
- Transform it by first understanding it
A Christian by Any Other Name
- Christian
- Mainline denominational identity
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The singular sin :
Generated from callousness or ignorance. Wh Who defines the “sin”?
Viewing Other Religious Groups
- Exclusivism
- Extreme Particularism:
- One's own faith group possesses all of the truth, as revealed to their religion, alone, by God. Other faith groups and religions worship demons and are led by Satan
- Agnostic Particularism:
- Salvation is attained through belief in Christ alone as Lord and Savior. However, it may be possible for those who have not heard of Christianity, the Gospel or Jesus Christ to be saved and attain Heaven after death.
- Traditional Particularism:
- Salvation is attained only through an explicit knowledge and faith in Christ. The vast majority of humans -- even those who have never heard of Jesus -- will spend eternity being tortured in Hell
- Inclusivism:
- One's own group possesses the truth; other religious groups contain parts of the truth. The latter's believers are less likely to be saved.
- Pluralism:
- All group's beliefs and practices are equally valid, when interpreted within their own culture. Salvation is for all.
Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_plur.htm
World Views in Conflict
Conflict: Science & theology deal with many of the same issues but offer competing, incompatible views. Complementarity: Science & theology deal with different areas. Bible: ultimate cause. Science: physical processes. Concordist: Science & theology both describe the origin of the world and other events and these can be reconciled.
From The Archeological Study Bible , p. 111.
Battles in the Courtroom
Proscriptive Scopes v. State , 289 S.W. 363 (Tenn. 1927) – state statute
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Epperson v. Arkansas , 393 U.S. 97 (1968) – state statute Prescriptive McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education , 529 F. Supp. 1255 (1982) – state statute Edwards v. Aguillard , 482 U.S. 578 (1987) – state statute Freiler v. Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education, 185 F.3d 337 (5th Cir. 1999) Cert. denied (2000) – school board disclaimer Selman v. Cobb County School District , 449 F.3d 1320 (11th Cir. 2006) – school board disclaimer stickers Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, 400 F. Supp. 2d 707 (M.D. Pa. 2005) – school board disclaimer Academic Freedom Webster v. New Lenox School District #122 , 917 F.2d, 1004 (7th Cir. 1990) Peloza v. Capistrano School District , 37 F.3d. 519 (9th Cir. 1994) LeVake v. Independent School District, 625 N.W.2d., 505 Free Exercise Seagraves v. State of California (1981) Sacramento Superior Court #
Religious Liberty by Stephen Prothero
“High school and college graduates who have not taken a single course about religion cannot be said to be truly educated.” Prothero, p. 17
Religious Literacy : Ability to understand and use the religious terms, symbols, images, beliefs, practices, scriptures, heroes, themes, and stories that employed in American public life.
“Religion is now emerging alongside race, gender, and ethnicity as one of the key identity markers of the twenty-first century.” Prothero, p. 5
“Religious illiteracy makes it difficult for Americans to make sense of a world in which people kill and make peace in the name of Christ or Allah.” -- Prothero, p.
