World Religions Work
Write a 4–6-page letter to a hypothetical audience on the subject of defining region, using a provided scenario. Formatting: The letter should be formatted as a traditional business letter.
Resources: Include a separate reference page with a minimum of three supporting resources. Resources and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
Length: 4–6 typed, double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Preparation
Use the Resources, the Capella University Library, and the Internet to research examples of instances of controversy surrounding the issue of inclusion of non-traditional (to the location) religious practices, rituals, accommodations, and so on in local institutions, events, policies, et cetera. You will use this information to write a letter on the subject of how to define religion and promote religious inclusiveness. In addition, read the following definitions of religion and the scenario. You will use the scenario as the basis for this assessment.
Three Definitions of Religion
These definitions are from the media presentation Understanding Religion: Awe and Reconnection, linked in the Resources.
Rudolph Otto in The Idea of the Holy: "Religion is the experience of the numinous, that is, a feeling of tremendous mystery and fascination produced by an experience of the 'wholly other.'"
Re-ligare: From the same Latin root as ligament. By extension, to "reconnect" to the world after an experience of the "wholly other."
William James in The Varieties of Religious Experience: "[Religion] consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto."
Scenario
A school in your district is asking students to prepare presentations for their annual international festival. Several students have indicated that they would like their work to focus on world religions that do not have a founder, sacred text, established institutions, and/or deities like the religions that are prominent in the district.
Some parents have objected to these inclusions by proclaiming "Those are not real religions." A decision has been made by the school board to be inclusive in their curriculum, and the school board has stated their support of allowing students to present on their religion of choice.
Imagine you are a member of the school board whose job it is to articulate the position of the board and communicate why a religion is valid when applying scholarly definitions.
Deliverable
Choose an indigenous religion that does not possess one or more of the following qualities:
A founder.
A sacred text.
Institutions.
A single deity.
Write a letter to the school community that provides a compelling narrative explaining the board's decision to allow the inclusion of the religions in question into the festival. Your letter should contain the following:
An introduction of the issue and the religion you chose to exemplify the board's rationale for its decision.
A discussion of how the religion you chose fulfills the three definitions of religion listed above.
A description of how your personal understanding of what constitutes a religion evolved when you considered scholarly definitions of religion.
A discussion of possible negative consequences when there is a failure to recognize the validity of a religion or culture (because of its rituals, mythology, or the sacred beliefs) by a country or regionally dominate group. Analyze an historical example to support your discussion.
A comparison of commonalities that exist between your chosen religion and Judaism (as it is one of the dominant religions in the district) in terms of the sacred.
A conclusion that articulates at least two reasons why religious inclusiveness is increasingly important in the age of globalization.
