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READ EVERYTHING and COMPLETE ALL STEPS!  You can't learn what you need otherwise -- INCLUDING ITEMS THAT ARE  PART OF YOUR GRADE!

Look for Step-by-Step directions on this page highlighted in Yellow!

Step 1: Read the text pp 2-10 and answer the Review and Note questions 1-7

1.  What year did the Canadian federal government pass an Act that broadens the rights that all Canadians share? What is the name of that Act? Cite an example of how this policy affects your life.

2.  What is meant when it is said that Canada is increasingly a country where religious pluralism is practiced?

3.  What is the first ground rule that we must develop for learning to live together?

4.  What is meant by the statement "There Is No Neutral Stance"?

5.  Expressing respect for the truth of other religions is the third rule stated in the text book. Give at least one example to demonstrate that you understand this concept.

6.  Give a pro and a con of having religion exist the world from the fourth point "Accept the Importance of Religion."

7.  From the end of page 9 in your text, what is the intent of studying other religions.

Step 2: Read the text pp 11-17 and answer the Review and Note questions 8-11

8.   Restate the four rules that the text gives for engaging in dialogue. (P11 blue box)

9.   Explain what Jesus meant when he gave his disciples the great commission.

10. What were the three stages of Christianity’s outreach? (Page 14-15)

11. When were the Middle Ages and what were the key points to the spread of Christianity during this period? List the main points of Christians relations with other Religions during this time.

Step 3: Read the text pp 18-27 and answer the Review and Note questions 12-14

12. Where and when was the most recent Catholic ecumenical Council held?

13. What are the four points or guidelines of the second Vatican Council concluded should be considered in dialogue with other religions?

14. In your own words, describe what types of dialogue is found on pages 26-27 of your text.

Step 4:  Read the Newspaper Article and complete the Pluralism Assignment

Last Step:  Take the Practice Test and use it for a Study Guide

Living with the Differences among Us

         1.  Preparing to Write a Journal Reflection

Read the following passages from the Bible; in your own words, suggest what they tell about how we should live with people from other religious traditions  and cultures, and of different nationalities.

Hebrews 13:1–2:  Let mutual love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Philippians  2:4:  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Galatians  5:14:  For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Luke 10:27:  He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.”

Leviticus 19:17–18:  You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.

2.  Respond to the following question in your journal: What are the benefits and challenges you have experienced in trying to live according to these biblical teachings among people of different cultures and faiths? Provide examples.

Vatican II Guidelines for Interreligious Dialogue and Their Implications

Group 1: God’s salvation is offered to all people.

Group 2: Jesus is present in other religions.

Group 3: The Holy Spirit is at work in other religions.

Group 4: Dialogue is part of the Church’s mission.

The Dialogue Decalogue or Ten Commandments of Interfaith Dialogue

First Commandment: The primary purpose of dialogue is to learn about and understand the other,  so that  we might grow in our own faith and in our loving relationship.

Second Commandment: Dialogue should take place between religious communities and within the divisions of religious communities.

Third Commandment: Participants must present themselves and their ideas with complete  honesty and sincerity.

Fourth Commandment: We must not compare our ideals with our partner’s practice but rather our ideals with our partner’s ideals, our practice with our partner’s practice.

Fifth Commandment: Each partner must define herself or himself. Conversely, the interpreted one must be able to recognize herself or himself in the interpretation.

Sixth Commandment: Each participant must come with no hard-and-fast assumptions concerning  points of disagreement.

Seventh Commandment: Dialogue can take place only between equals. Both must come to learn from each other.

Eighth Commandment: Dialogue can take place only in mutual trust.

Ninth Commandment: People engaged in this process must be self-critical to some degree both of themselves and their own religious traditions.

Tenth Commandment: Each participant eventually must attempt to experience the religion from within; a religion is not merely something of the head, but also of the spirit, heart, and whole being, individual and communal.

Definition of Religion

Just as it is difficult define “beauty” or “wisdom” it is also difficult to define “religion”

Oxford Dictionary:  belief in the existence of superhuman controlling power usually expressed in worship.

 Religion – comes from the Latin word “religio” meaning  “to bind”. 

 As religious people we bind ourselves to our God and this connection includes obligations like worshiping God and living a moral life. 

What is a Religious World View?

1. A religious worldview is a way of relating to life when the search for meaning is rooted in the sacred.

2. A central belief behind a religious worldview is that there is an absolute reality beyond our world, which we can experience. 

3. Experiencing the world and other people as Sacred.

5 Reasons to Study the World’s Religions

1. To gain a better understanding of the world.

2. To gain insight into other human beings by understanding their religious activities.

3. To gain understanding about one’s own religion.

4. To seek those things that are common among the world’s various cultures. 

5. To learn from some of the world’s great sources of wisdom.

                  e.g. Gandhi or the Dali Lama