"If we take the world's enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race" ~Huston Smith
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
In a time when tensions around the world are mounting, nationalist movements are growing in resistance to human migration, and as our own nation becomes more polarized, we must find a way to instill tolerance and respect among our children. Identification with religion can be a root cause of conflict and misunderstanding among people, but as Huston Smith suggests, we are more similar than we are different if we examine the basic elements of each belief system.
As a person who grew up in a progressive, new age Christian church, I like to believe that I am very open-minded to all religions. But when I honestly examine my assumptions and stereotypes of different beliefs and practices, I can see I have a lot to learn in order to avoid generalizing and setting groups of people apart. This requires an effort not only to identify what the symbols and traditions are, but to understand the true wisdom behind each religion. If we are to move into a more tolerant and united civilization, I think we have an obligation to expose our children to the best aspects of all religions and cultures, helping them see how much we have in common with people all around the world.
This Sunday we will begin an inquiry into world religions. The kids will have an opportunity to share what religion means to them and their prior knowledge of different religions. We'll discuss some of the very basic beliefs and traditions of well-known religions, and do a project called "Pieces of the Pie", which shows visually how all these different religions make up a whole. The differences are seen in the outer edge of the pie, with symbols, traditions, foods, dress, etc. The similarities are found in the middle, which is where the underlying wisdom resides. If we have time, we'll read God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Sunday School students are invited to perform a song with Dan Sheridan on March 10th at the Sunday service. He will be joining us toward the end of our session tomorrow to practice the song, "To Love, Serve, and Remember" by John Astin, which can be pulled up on YouTube. It would be great if kids could practice this over the next week. I look forward to seeing you and your children tomorrow!
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email me
at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
In a time when tensions around the world are mounting, nationalist movements are growing in resistance to human migration, and as our own nation becomes more polarized, we must find a way to instill tolerance and respect among our children. Identification with religion can be a root cause of conflict and misunderstanding among people, but as Huston Smith suggests, we are more similar than we are different if we examine the basic elements of each belief system.
As a person who grew up in a progressive, new age Christian church, I like to believe that I am very open-minded to all religions. But when I honestly examine my assumptions and stereotypes of different beliefs and practices, I can see I have a lot to learn in order to avoid generalizing and setting groups of people apart. This requires an effort not only to identify what the symbols and traditions are, but to understand the true wisdom behind each religion. If we are to move into a more tolerant and united civilization, I think we have an obligation to expose our children to the best aspects of all religions and cultures, helping them see how much we have in common with people all around the world.
This Sunday we will begin an inquiry into world religions. The kids will have an opportunity to share what religion means to them and their prior knowledge of different religions. We'll discuss some of the very basic beliefs and traditions of well-known religions, and do a project called "Pieces of the Pie", which shows visually how all these different religions make up a whole. The differences are seen in the outer edge of the pie, with symbols, traditions, foods, dress, etc. The similarities are found in the middle, which is where the underlying wisdom resides. If we have time, we'll read God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Sunday School students are invited to perform a song with Dan Sheridan on March 10th at the Sunday service. He will be joining us toward the end of our session tomorrow to practice the song, "To Love, Serve, and Remember" by John Astin, which can be pulled up on YouTube. It would be great if kids could practice this over the next week. I look forward to seeing you and your children tomorrow!
If you ever have any questions
regarding our services or your
children's needs, please email me
at michelle@aspenchapel.org
In Peace and Blessings,
Michelle Skagen
Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator
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