Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 22

T E ACHING A BO UT RE LIGIO NS AS D I V ER S I T Y ED UC AT I O N
Continued from page 5
and Mormons; in the mid-twentieth centu-
ry mobs attacked Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Catholics. Countless other examples could
be identified, and yet religious intolerance
is evidently growing in scope and influence.
World religions courses may be one of the
best ways that independent schools can
perform their moral mandates to resist big-
otry, discrimination, prejudice, and violence
in our society.
“
World religions courses
may be one of the best
ways that independent
schools can perform
their moral mandates to
resist bigotry, discrimi-
nation, prejudice, and
violence in our society.
”
Learning Tools for Mindfulness
Another reason schools might choose to
teach about world religions is to help stu-
dents stay grounded and spiritually cen-
tered in a chaotic world. More than any
other aspect of my teaching, students ex-
press appreciation for learning about mind-
fulness practices from Buddhism. The pres-
Page 20 Winter 2018

sures placed on young people today is like
nothing we have ever seen before. High
school courses are more complicated and
challenging, the college acceptance pro-
cess is more demanding, and our young
people are confronted with daily choices
about how much they consume and con-
tribute to social media. Simple practices
like conscious breathing, sitting meditation,
and mindful walking help students build a
capacity for serenity in the midst of their
busy lives. I believe that one of the most im-
portant responsibilities I have as a religious
studies teacher is to give my students tools,
or what I call ‘technologies,’ from religious
traditions that help them gain awareness of
their thoughts and emotions as well as con-
jure a sense of peace when they are feeling
anxious, angry, or depressed.
I initially pursued the study of religion be-
cause I was curious about what religion was,
why people were drawn to it, and how reli-
gion has shaped American culture and poli-
tics. It began as an intellectual enterprise,
a journey of the mind. I quickly discovered
that learning about religion also required
that I exercise my capacities for awareness
and empathy. Studying about religions
forces me to interrogate my assumptions
and enlarge my respect and understanding
of people that are different from me. This is
what lies at the core of diversity education.
Learning about other religions leads me to
see value in things, places, and ideas that I
had not considered before. It is my choice
whether or not I personally adopt the val-
CSEE Connections