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| Dialogue between religion and cultures Context It is difficult to imagine press reports or news coverage with no mention of terrorism, attacks on people's lives and acts of violence of inconceivable atrocity. The events of 11 September 2001 were but the tip of a huge iceberg, since many other terrorist acts have also been a focus of attention. Pupils pointed out that all the commentaries were nonetheless concerned not only with political or factual arguments but also with religious attitudes, which were a considerable subject of debate. This multicultural group of pupils studying practical philosophy at the Stiftisches Humanistisches Gymnasium in Mönchengladbach took this as an opportunity for joint discussion of the question whether, at a time when public opinion and the press were focusing on cultural differences, there was any real chance of together building a bridge to the future in a multicultural, multireligious society. The pupils in year 9 belong to a variety of religions and religious communities and also include some who have not been baptised or who describe themselves as atheists. Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Christians (Protestants and Catholics) are represented, and one boy is a Jehovah's Witness. Learning Objectives The pupils:
Teaching strategies
Themes addressed:
Target group/size of group: The series of lessons was dispensed to pupils in year 9 - the size of the group should not exceed 25 pupils Partners: Local representatives of various religions
Time needed for preparation: Good planning is essential. Planning should begin three months before the start of the activity. About two weeks to prepare the educational visits (to the Minster, the synagogue, the mosque and the Buddhist temple): making of appointments, as near as possible to the date of the visit; joint agreement of a date and time for the panel discussion; reconciling appointments with the school time-table. Each educational visit entails at least three hours' teaching time. After each trip at least three hours of lessons must be devoted to the follow-up treatment and the preparation of the next visit. Time needed for implementation: Since the lessons are dispensed as part of the practical philosophy course, which consists of only two one-hour lessons per week, a period of at least 8 to 9 weeks must be allowed for implementation of the teaching project. Instructions (unfolding of the activity): Stages in the thought process followed by the pupils were as follows: Stage 1. Diversity or commonality?
Stage 2. Common values Pupils wanted to find more concrete evidence for the assertion, made in Kofi Annan's publication, that there are fundamental values common to all religions - not least because, since they came from a variety of religious backgrounds, they considered that they could individually be regarded as experts in their own religion. Here too the book "Crossing the divide: dialogue among civilizations" provided them with guidance and assistance, a direction in which to pursue their debate. [M4] The text served as a basis for developing concepts. Which problems could be solved if, for instance, responsible behaviour vis-à-vis others and the community were to become a general rule of conduct? Recent media reports were examined to see to what extent common principles and mutual responsibilities constituted a central focus of the news coverage. The young people were very disappointed to have to note that such reporting was in the minority. Doubts were expressed about the theory of the existence of common fundamental values. The pupils accordingly wished to ascertain themselves, by consulting the original sources, whether such values existed and could serve as a basis for dialogue between cultures and religions. Stage 3. The search for a possible consensus between religions and cultures As a first step, excerpts from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran were interpreted as such and situated in their historical context. Live encounters with representatives of the major religions (visits to the Minster, the mosque, the synagogue and the Buddhist temple) provided the pupils with additional guidance. It was then asked whether the different systems of values included a common fundamental idea. When analysing the texts the doubts experienced by the young people in the earlier stages of the teaching project were taken seriously. The working papers on the basic scriptures were structured in such a way that the pupils had room to express their own thoughts with regard to each commandment, each law. This took the following form: Commandment / rule - My own thoughts on it As a second step, the pupils noted down their first impressions, their thoughts on the differences, and also ideas for further pursuit of a possible consensus. Humanity was identified as a value common to all religions and philosophies. It was then a matter of tracing fresh examples of this value in the messages of the world religions and philosophies. Building block M6 confirmed the assertion made in Kofi Annan's publication. Stage 4. Practical dialogue - are the theories workable in practice? Identifying a consensus in the basic religious and philosophical writings [M5] is the first step, initiating a dialogue in order to transform the theoretical knowledge into a practical form of co-operation (and not just co-existence) is the necessary second step. Once it had been formalised, this knowledge preyed on pupils' minds. If common basic convictions can be identified, why do people not deal with each other according to those fundamental principles? As the next stage, the young people wished to verify whether the common principles they had uncovered were workable in practice. Representatives of various religions - Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists - were invited to the school to participate in a panel debate on the theme: "Is there a common foundation - a bridge to the future, which people of all cultures and religions can take?" The panel discussion confirmed the results of the young people's learning experience. They then identified the central question to be addressed in the subsequent lessons: Can the basic consensus not be applied not just in minor but also in major matters, and accordingly in a political context? Stage 5. Summary During a brief appraisal session at the end of the series of lessons the pupils agreed that joint discussion of the different religions' fundamental values could form a basis for peaceful co-existence in a multicultural society. A small exhibition was mounted to present the project's results to the other pupils in the school. The young people did not take a negative view of the fact that in the course of the lessons many questions remained unanswered and the approaches to numerous problems had to be restricted in order to keep within the boundaries of the chosen theme. They rather expressed the wish to take the unanswered questions as a starting point for an in-depth debate on the theme of human rights during their coming lessons. Pedagogical material and equipment used See the building blocks at end of example Appraisal Suggestions for transfer: Since this series of lessons requires a lot of organisation, it could be dispensed every two years as part of a project spanning school years 9 and 10. Contact details: Since contacts are established with representatives of local religious communities, no general list of contacts can be given. Example
came via Material building blocks
Commentary 1. A very good example, though with a complex set of texts and methodology 2. Can be replicated in other areas by use of different texts relevant to those areas |
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