Producers: Governors State University

Probes how believers use doctrines (i.e. beliefs about the sacredness of reality) to create a religious lifestyle designed to keep the secular world at bay. Amish and Mormon believers provide a means of comparison as to how their differing patterns of doctrine-inspired behavior control life in their respective communities.

Focuses on the study of Islam and considers the “second dimensional triangle” formed by doctrine, ethics, and society. Students see how Islamic doctrines and ethical practices work together to shape Islamic society. Key Islamic concepts covered in discussion include “The Five Pillars of Islam” (a.k.a. The Five Articles of the Islamic Faith), shirk, shari’a, jihad, the holy Qu’ran, and the meaning behind the prayer ritual.

Offers insights into the Nation of Islam and highlights some of its key figures. Imam W. Deen Muhammad, one of the most influential religious leaders in African American Islam today, explains openly and candidly how his father, Elijah Muhammad, took traditional Islamic doctrines and reinterpreted them to empower and raise self-esteem in African Americans living in a racist society. Also explored is the power struggle between leading figures within the Nation of Islam.

Probes the ethical dimension in an effort to understand what motivates believers to behave according to their beliefs. Tangible results of belief practices are observed in the building of religious monuments such as pyramids and cathedrals, the observation of prayer rituals, and the committing of terrorist acts, to name a few. The lesson compares religious ethics (proper patterns of action) and rules of ethics in society (law, custom, morals). It also attempts to discern how obligation, responsibility, and punishment are present in religious ethical systems.

Explores ethical conflicts inspired by a volatile mixture of religion and politics in Middle Eastern societies. Examples of this conflict are offered from two different countries – Israel, with its mix of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and Egypt, where Christian believers clash with Muslim believers. Students also learn how ideas taken for granted in the U.S. – such as freedom of religion, property rights, and sovereignty – tend to fuel ethical conflicts in the Middle East.

Explores the relationship between the ethical and social dimensions as demonstrated by East Asian religions. Included in this study are the religions of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Japanese Shintoism, and a mixture of ancient folk religious practices that dates back to prehistoric times. This class investigates the six dimensions of Chinese religion, the ethical and social dimensions of Confucianism, the “radical” quest for balance and ethical harmony in Taoism, and the difference between Eastern and Western religious/spiritual perspectives.

Focuses on issues that emerge from religious diversity. Students hone the worldview analysis skills introduced at the beginning of the course by applying them to the “religious ecology” of the United States – the most religiously diverse country in the world. Factors contributing to religious diversity are outlined in opening lesson segments. Investigative interviews with religious leaders reveal the sociological factors that often result in dilemmas behind the institutionalization of religion.

Applies sociological methodology to establish a neutral ground for understanding sect and cult formation. The lesson further investigates emerging religious institutions such as the Ramtha School of Enlightenment and Diana’s Grove. Topics of discussion include the “cultic impulse”, and outlines the many profiles of religious organizations, including church, denomination, sect, and cult. Students explore the impact of secularization of established religious institutions.

Concludes the study of religion by looking toward the future. The lesson examines the role of religion and religious leaders in a world where society is becoming increasingly religiously pluralistic, and raises the question of how adherents of different worldviews might respond in an expanding religious landscape.

In this follow-up review class, we revisit the six dimensions of religion and consider different ways of exploring the relationship between those dimensions. A second dimensional triangle has been added in order to more accurately present the relationship between the doctrinal, ethical, and social dimensions. We review key class themes such as boundary questions and rites of passage and discuss how real religion is common in all human experience, across temporal and cultural lines.