Institutionalized by wayward, yet somewhat sincere followers...yes. Christ never left such orders of establishment. He spent too much time railing against the result of Institutional types. The institution was built upon what could easily be seen as it's own edited version of Christ's words. That's not the way things should work.Denny wrote:Wasn't Christianity founded after Christ?
When I read this I chuckled but wound up with a headache...
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Lorenzo
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That's what you get for going about explaining things! You're either a hero or a sh*t head. Christ did set himself up...Lorenzo wrote:Institutionalized by wayward, yet somewhat sincere followers...yes. Christ never left such orders of establishment. He spent too much time railing against the result of Institutional types. The institution was built upon what could easily be seen as it's own edited version of Christ's words. That's not the way things should work.Denny wrote:Wasn't Christianity founded after Christ?
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anniemcu
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I think it's that the sample groups keep getting reversed, so the results get skewed.Denny wrote:I'm surprised that some scientist hasn't gotten a grant to prove/disprove the hero/sh*t head pendulum theory. Maybe the findings just haven't been published yet.
anniemcu
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"You are what you do, not what you claim to believe." -Gene A. Statler
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"Olé to you, none-the-less!" - Elizabeth Gilbert
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http://www.sassafrassgrove.com
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"You are what you do, not what you claim to believe." -Gene A. Statler
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"Olé to you, none-the-less!" - Elizabeth Gilbert
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http://www.sassafrassgrove.com
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Nanohedron
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Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps. - Location: Lefse country
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spittin_in_the_wind
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As far as what UUs teach their children, I could write a thesis on that!
I've coordinated two Sunday School curricula for our church and taught in a number of other classes as well. The first class I coordinated was called "Spirit Stories/Stories about God". In this curriculum, stories from different religious traditions are told to show different ways of thinking about God and the different ways that God might manifest itself or might help one through a crisis. This was a first grade curriculum. Some of the lesson titles are below:
Lesson 1 "Hide and seek with God"
Lesson 3 "One great web of life"
Lesson 4 "God is like a mother"
Lesson 5 "God is like a father"
Lesson 9 "The Mystery of God"
Lesson 6 "Being with God in Prayer"
Lesson 2 "God has many names"
Lesson 13 "God is all beings of earth and sky"
Lesson 11 "UUs have different ideas about God"
Lesson 10 "Different points of view"
Lesson 18 Everflowing Forgiveness
Lesson 20 Mother Mawu Wants Peace
Lesson 28 Love Your Neighbor
Lesson 27 God Wants Fairness
Making Good Things Happen
Lesson 26 The Healing Power of God
Lesson 24 God is There When a Baby is Born
Lesson 25 God is There When Someone Dies
Lesson 23 Changing Woman/Changing World
Lesson 29 Spirit of God in Each of Us
Lesson 30 Our Stories About God
This year I coordinated "Superheroes" which was a class about brave and influential people from the Bible. We learned about Jesus, Moses, Esther, Solomon, Elijah, David, and so on. The emphasis was on what they did that was so great and why. Next year I'm doing "Holidays and Holy Days" which uses holidays to explore the beliefs of various religions, why they are important, and what we can learn from these holidays. I believe there is a second curriculum for older kids which focuses again on the Bible. There are also classes where older children attend services of various other religions; classes on UU values; an intense "coming of age" program which is analogous to the bar mitzvah year or the communicants/confirmation class (basically 12/13 year olds). There is also a curriculum which is taught outside Sunday school hours called "Our Whole Lives" which is a sex education course that emphasizes self-respect (I don't know a lot about that curriculum since my kids are too young). There is a curriculum suitable for Kindergarteners called "Treasure Hunters" which is about finding the value in ourselves, what makes everyone special, and instills self-respect. My son's preschool curriculum this year was "Chalice Children" which combined lessons about what church as a community does (marriage, death, caring for others, expressing our feelings, etc.) and how to be good friends. They also learn who are people they might see frequently around church (minister, teachers, etc.) and what the various parts of the building are used for, so that they feel familiar and comfortable in their surroundings.
These courses are far from vague or mumbo-jumbo. They give very clear moral messages and help clarify a young person's sense of place in the world. They give kids the realization that they can make the world a better place. They explore spirituality and the various ways of worshipping. No guilt is involved in any of this, just love and support. After all, any behaviorist will tell you that praise is far more effective at training people or animals than punishment or negative feedback. These kids are not drilled to conform to a belief that may make no sense to them. They are encouraged to learn (and they learn a lot in these classes, probably coming out with a better understanding of religion than 99% of Americans) and develop a personal theology that works in their lives. Most of these kids come out with an enormous sense of social responsibility and perform more charitable acts in their daily lives than most traditionally devout people. Anybody that says that UUs let their children drift on the vagaries of spiritual fashion are simply uninformed about a UU religious education (but I can understand how that might come across in some of the pamphlets, which are not all very well written).
As far as not "imprinting" my kids with my beliefs, I have had many talks with my kids about what I believe to be true. They may or may not agree with me, or they may agree with some things and not others. My daughter right now seems to be leaning toward an animate God and heaven. My son definitely believes that there is a man in the clouds who "made everyone". I don't believe in an animate god, but have a broader definition which I can't even begin to touch on right now without boring everyone to tears! I am sure that their ideas will change and develop with maturity and with personal experience; which path they will take, I don't know. And certainly if they went down a path that I thought was immoral, dangerous, or intolerant, I would not hesitate to show my disapproval!
On that note, call me Sister Heat-Seeking Missile of Respectful Disagreement!
Robin
I've coordinated two Sunday School curricula for our church and taught in a number of other classes as well. The first class I coordinated was called "Spirit Stories/Stories about God". In this curriculum, stories from different religious traditions are told to show different ways of thinking about God and the different ways that God might manifest itself or might help one through a crisis. This was a first grade curriculum. Some of the lesson titles are below:
Lesson 1 "Hide and seek with God"
Lesson 3 "One great web of life"
Lesson 4 "God is like a mother"
Lesson 5 "God is like a father"
Lesson 9 "The Mystery of God"
Lesson 6 "Being with God in Prayer"
Lesson 2 "God has many names"
Lesson 13 "God is all beings of earth and sky"
Lesson 11 "UUs have different ideas about God"
Lesson 10 "Different points of view"
Lesson 18 Everflowing Forgiveness
Lesson 20 Mother Mawu Wants Peace
Lesson 28 Love Your Neighbor
Lesson 27 God Wants Fairness
Making Good Things Happen
Lesson 26 The Healing Power of God
Lesson 24 God is There When a Baby is Born
Lesson 25 God is There When Someone Dies
Lesson 23 Changing Woman/Changing World
Lesson 29 Spirit of God in Each of Us
Lesson 30 Our Stories About God
This year I coordinated "Superheroes" which was a class about brave and influential people from the Bible. We learned about Jesus, Moses, Esther, Solomon, Elijah, David, and so on. The emphasis was on what they did that was so great and why. Next year I'm doing "Holidays and Holy Days" which uses holidays to explore the beliefs of various religions, why they are important, and what we can learn from these holidays. I believe there is a second curriculum for older kids which focuses again on the Bible. There are also classes where older children attend services of various other religions; classes on UU values; an intense "coming of age" program which is analogous to the bar mitzvah year or the communicants/confirmation class (basically 12/13 year olds). There is also a curriculum which is taught outside Sunday school hours called "Our Whole Lives" which is a sex education course that emphasizes self-respect (I don't know a lot about that curriculum since my kids are too young). There is a curriculum suitable for Kindergarteners called "Treasure Hunters" which is about finding the value in ourselves, what makes everyone special, and instills self-respect. My son's preschool curriculum this year was "Chalice Children" which combined lessons about what church as a community does (marriage, death, caring for others, expressing our feelings, etc.) and how to be good friends. They also learn who are people they might see frequently around church (minister, teachers, etc.) and what the various parts of the building are used for, so that they feel familiar and comfortable in their surroundings.
These courses are far from vague or mumbo-jumbo. They give very clear moral messages and help clarify a young person's sense of place in the world. They give kids the realization that they can make the world a better place. They explore spirituality and the various ways of worshipping. No guilt is involved in any of this, just love and support. After all, any behaviorist will tell you that praise is far more effective at training people or animals than punishment or negative feedback. These kids are not drilled to conform to a belief that may make no sense to them. They are encouraged to learn (and they learn a lot in these classes, probably coming out with a better understanding of religion than 99% of Americans) and develop a personal theology that works in their lives. Most of these kids come out with an enormous sense of social responsibility and perform more charitable acts in their daily lives than most traditionally devout people. Anybody that says that UUs let their children drift on the vagaries of spiritual fashion are simply uninformed about a UU religious education (but I can understand how that might come across in some of the pamphlets, which are not all very well written).
As far as not "imprinting" my kids with my beliefs, I have had many talks with my kids about what I believe to be true. They may or may not agree with me, or they may agree with some things and not others. My daughter right now seems to be leaning toward an animate God and heaven. My son definitely believes that there is a man in the clouds who "made everyone". I don't believe in an animate god, but have a broader definition which I can't even begin to touch on right now without boring everyone to tears! I am sure that their ideas will change and develop with maturity and with personal experience; which path they will take, I don't know. And certainly if they went down a path that I thought was immoral, dangerous, or intolerant, I would not hesitate to show my disapproval!
On that note, call me Sister Heat-Seeking Missile of Respectful Disagreement!
Robin