World Religions

Document

Interview Chart for Religious Beliefs

This chart allows students to see the comparison between the beliefs of five major religions and those of the Catholic Church.

Document

Religious Identity Descriptions

This handout provides the religious identities for five major world religions.

Document

Empathizing (Religion in the Modern World)

This article provides several suggestions of ways to help students reflect on their experiences with people from different forms of religion in the modern world.

Document

Empathizing (Islam)

This handout provides several suggestions to help students draw connections between Islam and Christianity.

Document

Empathizing (Christianity)

This handout provides several suggestions to help students draw connections between the various denominations of Christianity.

Document

Empathizing (Judaism)

This handout provides several suggestions to help students draw connections between Christianity and Judaism.

Document

Empathizing (The Ancestors of the West)

This handout provides several suggestions to help students draw connections between Christianity and polytheistic religions of the West.

Document

Empathizing (Shinto)

This article provides several possible ideas of ways to help students see, experience, and better understand the Shinto religion.

Document

Empathizing (Zen Buddhism)

This short article provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Zen Buddhism.

Document

Empathizing (Taoism)

This short article provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Taoism.

Document

Empathizing (Confucianism)

This short handout provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Confucianism.

Document

Empathizing (Sikhism)

This short handout provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Sikhism.

Document

Empathizing (Jainism)

This short handout provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Jainism.

Document

Empathizing (Buddhism)

This short handout provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Buddhism.

Document

Empathizing (Hinduism)

This short handout provides questions, reflections, and suggestions to help students empathize with Hinduism.

Document

Empathizing (Indigenous Religious Traditions)

This short handout provides questions and reflections to help students empathize with indigenous religions.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Religion in the Modern World with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and religion in the modern world.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Islam with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Islam and Christianity

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Forms of Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in different forms of Christianity.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Judaism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Judaism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting the Ancestors of the West with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and the Ancestors of the West.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Shinto with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Shinto.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Zen Buddhism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Zen Buddhism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Taoism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Taoism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Confucianism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Confucianism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Sikhism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Sikhism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Jainism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Jainism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Buddhism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts several key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Buddhism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Hinduism with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts the key ideas and beliefs in Christianity and Hinduism.

Document

Comparing and Contrasting Indigenous Religions Traditions with Christianity

This short handout compares and contrasts the ideas of god, an ultimate reality, and history between indigenous religious traditions and Christianity.

Document

Worldviews: Religions and Their Relatives

This article explores two examples of modern worldviews and how they different from traditional religions.

Document

The Comparative Study of Religions

An introduction to the comparative study of religions.

Document

Teacher Evaluation An Interreligious Interview

A teacher evaluation for interviewing someone of a different religion.

Document

An Interreligious Interview

This handout offers guidelines for setting up an interview with a person from a different religion.

Document

The Ninety-Nine Names of God

This handout lists the ninety-nine Islamic names for God and poses several questions regarding the list.

Document

"In the Beginning Was the Word"

After presenting John 1:1-18 from the Christian Bible, this handout challenges to students to identify key parts that describe the doctrine of the incarnation.

Document

Images of Jesus

This handout provides many different images and descriptions of Jesus for students to examine and relate to.

Document

Miriam's Shabbat

A Sabbath Blessing.

Document

Rings of Interpretation

This handout lists six excerpts taken from the Tanakh.

Document

Greek and Roman Gods Today

This handout challenges students to identify the associations they have with Greek and Roman gods.

Document

A Zoroastrian Symbol

This handout presents a Zoroastrian Symbol of faith and explains its elements. Students are then challenged to create their own symbol to represent their personal understanding of faith and human nature.

Document

"The Canticle of Brother Sun"

A Canticle prayer by Saint Francis of Assisi

Document

The Haiku of Basho

A compilation of Haiku by Matsuo Basho.

Document

Koans: Food for Intuition

This worksheet presents Zen koans to be interpreted or explained.

Document

The Riddler

This worksheet presents 12 riddles to be solved individually or in a small group

Document

Who Is the Sage?

This worksheet provides the opportunity to choose life situations that exemplify practices of the Taoist sage.

Document

The Sikh Khalsa

The information on this handout provides further insight into the nature of the Sikh Khalsa

Document

The Ten Gurus of Sikhism

This list of the ten Gurus of Sikhism briefly summarizes the key contributions of each Guru.

Document

The Biographies of the Tirthankaras

A list of patterns and themes found in the biographies of the Tirthankaras

Document

Kuan-Yin

A guided reflection of the Buddhist image of Kuan-Yin

Document

Monks

This handout is to be used as students rotate to various stations. At this station, students examine a picture depicting monks in Thailand.

Document

Objects Used in Tibetan Rituals

This handout is to be used as students rotate to various stations. At this station, students examine objects used in Tibetan rituals.

Document

The Fasting Siddhartha

This handout is meant to be used as part of a station activity in which students observe different pieces of artwork from various religions.

Document

Right Speech

This handout provides a reflection on students’ use of words and speech. Students identify ways to improve their use of words to speak truth and kind things.

Document

Right Meditation

This handout provides a space for students to write impressions, observations, or questions that arise as they meditate on a statue of Buddha.

Document

Buddhist and Judeo-Christian Understandings of God

This article compares and contrasts the Buddhist and Judeo-Christian understanding of God.

Document

The First Sermon at Deer Park

A Buddhist sermon

Document

"The Dance of Love"

A Hindu myth

Document

Karma Marga: "The Path of Works"

An individual worksheet that examines the intentions and motivations behind one’s actions.

Document

The Master and the Untouchable

An individual worksheet the caste system in India.

Document

The Fruits of Action

An individual worksheet that challenges students to apply teachings from the Bhagavad-Gita to real-life situations.

Document

Peer Evaluation: The Game of Samsara

A peer evaluation form of student-created games.

Document

Teacher Evaluation: The Game of Samsara

This evaluation is to be used as a rubric for a game that groups of students created using Hindu concepts.

Document

What Harm Is in Our Sun Dance?

This short article provides the point of view of a Blackfoot Indian about the illegalization of the Sun Dance.

Document

Images of God, Understandings of Life

The sketches below represent the different images of God and understandings of life that were held by the Jewish wisdom sages. Beneath each sketch, list the wisdom books that correspond to that image.

Document

Sample Lesson Planning Chart

A sample lesson plan.

Document

Teacher Evaluation: An Interreligious Interview

The following ratings identify your scores on a scale from 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent).

Document

Miriam's Shabbat

Document

Greek and Roman Gods Today

Next to the name of each god or goddess in the chart below, jot down any person, place, object, time, program, or product with which you associate the name. You may also note titles of songs or TV programs or …

Document

A Zoroastrian Symbol

The illustration on this handout is the Faravahar, a symbol of Zoroastrian faith. With the example of the Faravahar in mind, create, on a separate sheet of paper, a symbol that represents your own religious faith or personal understanding of …

Document

Koans: Food for Intuition

Read the following Zen koans two or three times. Choose one and answer or explain it.

Document

Who Is the Sage?

In each pair of situations below, one of the people described resembles the ideal of the Taoist sage, the person who lives in accord with Tao and practices the virtue wu-wei. Read each pair of situations and circle the letter …

Document

Chinese Calligraphy

Calligraphy is one of the cultural arts that was pursued in the process of becoming a chun-tzu. Try your hand at reproducing the Chinese characters below, drawing your versions in the space provided to the right of the characters. The …

Document

The Sikh Khalsa

The information on this handout provides further insight into the nature of the Sikh Khalsa.

Document

The Ten Gurus of Sikhism

This list of the ten Gurus of Sikhism briefly summarizes the key contributions of each Guru.

Document

Kuan-Yin

1. Look at the statue or picture at this station. 2. This image depicts the deity Kuan-yin. Write words that describe this image.

Document

Monks

1. Look at the picture at this station. 2. Write words that describe the actions that you see in the picture. 3. Write words that describe the relationships between people that you see in the picture.

Document

Objects Used in Tibetan Rituals

1. At this station are several objects. Some may look familiar. Gently pick up each object and examine it. SOME OF THE OBJECTS ARE FRAGILE. PLEASE HANDLE THEM CAREFULLY. 2. Write the following information about each object.

Document

The Fasting Siddhartha

1. Observe the statue or picture at this station. 2. Notice that it is probably different from almost any other image of the Buddha that you have seen. 3. Look closely and write down what you observe. How does this …

Document

Right Meditation

1. Here is a Buddha statue or picture. Sit quietly and stare at it. Meditate on it. Let it be a visual focus for your medi- tation. Learn from it. 2. Write any impressions, observations, or questions you have.

Document

Correlation to Curriculum Framework

Correlation to Curriculum Framework Course IV: Jesus Christ’s Mission Continues in the Church from The Church: Christ in the World Today.

Document

Dialogue with Others

Excerpts from the address of Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at the John Paul II center in Washington D.C.

Document

Rubric for Final Performance Tasks for Unit 2

The rubric for the final performance task options for Unit 2 of Church History: Apostolic Times to Today. The options include creating a children’s picture book, or making a PowerPoint presentation for a parish community.

Document

Final Performance Task Options for Unit 2

The final performance task options for Unit 2 of Church History: Apostolic Times to Today. The options include creating a children’s picture book, or making a PowerPoint presentation for a parish community.

Document

Islam: Historical Orgins

Islam began almost two thousand years after the start of Judaism and more than six hundred years after Christianity. In fact, Islam, which goes back to the seventh century, began in support of the monotheism of these two religions, and …

Document

World Religions and the Catholic Church

An activity where students are asked to research several religious traditions, complete a comparison chart, and then reflect on their findings.

Document

The Two Pentecosts

A chart used to draw parallels between the feasts of Shavuot and Christian Pentecost.

Document

Christian Unity and Ecumenical Dialogue

This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It is about the relationship between the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, and uses Church documents and scripture to discuss this relationship.

Document

Catholicism and World Religions

This article is from the Living in Christ Series. It discusses the relationship between the Catholic Church and other world religions through various Church documents.

Document

Exploring the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate, 1965)”

This activity is part of the Living in Christ Series. It helps students and teachers pick out key ideas and themes in the Second Vatican Council document, Nostra Aetate through questions and short answers.

Document

The Story of Noah and Other Flood Narratives

This article discusses the similarities and differences between the Biblical flood story and that of other ancient Middle Eastern traditions. It also compares the Biblical account between the Yahwist and Priestly sources.