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Windows into the World's Religions, Faiths, and Commonalities
Teachers are caught between conflicting needs. On one side is the Constitutional limitations of separation of church and state reflected in the recent Supreme
Court decision on school prayer and on the other an increasing awareness of the need for tolerance and understanding of others' beliefs and practices to prevent an increase in the violence and disruption in our schools.
Numerous questions arise when trying to resolve this conflict. How can teachers, who plan for a curriculum that prepares students to live in a world of increasing diversity, approach teaching about religious tolerance,
faith, and values? What sources can be used to supplement teachers' resources and aid students' learning? Are their ways for students to see themselves and their own religious culture while they become aware
and develop tolerance for the religious culture and beliefs of others?
Literature is an effective way to gain access into another culture. Engagement with a culture's literature deepens understanding and awareness of that
culture. However, the view depends upon the author's knowledge and perceptions of the culture. Literature allows you to share the author's view as if you were looking over his or her shoulder into a window he has
opened. If it is the author's own culture, what you are able to see is different from the view you would have if he or she were presenting a researched culture. The authentic perspective from a member inside the culture,
as well as, access to a researched perspective are two of the advantages literature provides for students. A third advantage is the ability to draw comparisons between the cultures and find their commonalities and
acknowledge their differences. This provides a multiple perspective for the study of religious tolerance, faith, and values and aids in the understanding and accepting of others.
In literature for early and middle childhood education, I found a need for more books and activities to aid teachers in this process. One possible reason
for the limited number identified by Howard Miller (December, 1999 / January 2000) is that the schools themselves are wary of controversy and legal entanglements. They have kept religion at arm's length with the
prohibition on school-sanctioned prayer and Bible reading creating an all-out ban on anything at all to do with religious connections and the curriculum. Ralph D. Mawdsley (November, 1999) presents the legal issues involved for
teachers when engaging in religious activities in public schools citing limiting connections to school curriculum in relation to the nature of the forum and the relationship to the school's curriculum. However, Horace Mann,
father of the American common school, emphasized the necessity of spiritual character as the foundation of education.
How can teachers promote religious tolerance and further the values of respect for self, others and the law?
When teaching about religious tolerance, faith, and beliefs in public schools, one approach is to present a focus from multiple perspectives. I found
information books provided examples of colorful, authentic and student centered ways to gain a multiple perspective. Anita Ganeri's current trade books present commonalities between religions and illustrate the practices,
yet do not engage in advocacy of those beliefs. In New Beginnings: celebrating birth ; Growing Up: From Child to Adult; Wedding Days: Celebration of Marriage and Journey's End: Death and Mourning, (Peter Bedrich Books,
1998) Ganeri presents artifacts of the religious culture and color photographs of children engaged in the practices of their beliefs. She provides information to explain what is happening for the reader. Each book
focuses on one time frame in a person's life. By examining a religious practice on one page, the student can easily compare it with another of the major world religions on the next page showing children engaging in a
similar ceremony. Classroom activities for students could be to chart when, where and how these are the same between cultures. They could investigate if all children engage in the practice or only a few and why? Then check with
their families to see how these compare with their own religious practices. Creating a Venn diagram, one of the requirements for proficiency in composition of nonfiction in Ohio, could be a way to chart the entire class.
Teachers can extend the study by selecting fiction from an insiders view to gain an authentic perspective. One example is Angela Johnson's The Wedding
(Orchard Books, 1999) that describes a Christian wedding with the participation of an African American girl. Another is Isabaell Monk's Hope (Carolrhoda Books, Inc. / Lerner, 1999) where a biracial child
celebrates her faith at a family wedding. In An Amish Wedding (Atheneum, 1999), Richard Ammon incorporates wonderful illustrations again showing a Christian wedding.
Rites of Passage: Peoples Customs of the World by Jacqueline Dineen (Chelsea House Publishers, 1999) identifies in one book the connections of birth,
initiations, marriage, and death. The short explanations of what is happening in the pictures clarifies the mysteries of "Tying the knot" and "What to wear" for middle childhood students. Identifying life cycle
events can provide connections to understanding others.
One of my favorites was Trevor Barnes's The Kingfisher Book of Religions: Festivals, ceremonies, and beliefs from around the world (Kingfisher, 1999). The first
chapter addresses the question "What is religion" and the next page introduces the story of the world's religions. In a chronological perspective, Barnes presents the religions of the world through selective artifacts,
quotes, and pictures of children engaging in the religious practices. Beginning with ancient times and moving to modern-day-beliefs major denominations of religions are noted and characteristics identified.
Activities for students could include viewing the rich examples in the book from an art and historical perspective.
To further their investigations into religion, What I believe: A Young Person's guide to the religions of the world by Alan Brown and Andrew Langley (Millbrook
Press, 1999 ) shares religious beliefs in cartoon illustrations and photographs. The short explanations can engage the young reader and help them to understand basics without overwhelming them. Religions explained: A
Beginners Guide to World Faiths by Anita Ganeri, Rev Marcus Braybrooke, consultant (Henry Holt Reference Book, 1997) provides another ecclectic multiple perspective on religious beliefs and festivals. One World,
Many Religions: The Ways We Worship by Mary Pope Osborne (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1996) uses photographs of children practicing their religion to present a multiple perspective. Virginia Hamilton's In the Beginning:
Creation Stories from Around the World (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988) is an additional valuable resouce in the myth and belief investigation. For classroom activities students could interview each other and record "What
We Believe" and then publish it in a classroom edition to share with parents during parent and teacher conferences.
Are there ways for students to see themselves and their own religious culture and become aware and develop tolerance for the religious culture
and beliefs of others?
Maureen A. Taylor in Through the Eyes of your Ancestors (Houghton Mifflin Co.1999) uses family histories to describe how teachers and students can collect their
own artifacts which represent their beliefs. Her suggestions range from contemporary resources, LDS resources on CD-ROM and internet sites; checking with families religious affiliation offices; to extended
family. Ideas include showing how letters, keepsakes and stories can be gathered to make a collection of the student's own religious history.
A family theme is extended in Family Celebrations (Silver Moon Press,1993), by Diane Patrick. Teachers can provide examples of how different religions celebrate
as a family by sharing New Year by Michele Spirn (Blackbirch Press, Inc., 1999) and Coming of Age (Blackbirch Press, Inc., 1999) by Lisa Sita.
Examples of extending the family celebration with an authentic perspective permits a more human view for students. Michael J. Rosen in Thanksgiving
Wish (Blue Sky Press, 1999) and Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah And Christmas (Harcourt Brace & Co., 1992) uses fiction to show how holiday celebration can connect people from differing religions.
Patricia Polacco tells the story of an intergenerational friendship between an older Jewish woman and her young African American Christian neighbor in Mrs. Katz and Tush (Bantam Little Rooster Book, 1992). The two friends
celebrate the holidays together and share personal keepsakes and history.
Many trade books exist that focus on individual religions and the specific beliefs and practice of each, however one way for the classroom teacher to ensure
that students see how religions connect is to provide a variety or resources to demonstrate this. In Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions, by Marilyn McFarlane (Sibyl Publications, Inc., 1996) and Out of the Ark
by Anita Ganeri (Harcourt Brace & Co., 1996) collections of stories from the world's religions and faiths are shared around similar themes and events such as the creation courtship or the great flood.
Planning activities to draw connections allow students to become aware of the similarities that can lead to understanding and tolerance. Using art, music,
and history found in each of the world's religions and illustrated and explained in trade books can open the window for this understanding. Field trips to the art museums, visits to churches, mosques, synagogues and other
places of worship enable students to extend their classroom activities into the community. Inviting parents and members of the community into the classroom and ensuring an equal balance of time and attention can allow
students to ask questions about how religion influences their lives, help them to make decisions. Key to classroom activities, I believe, is to allow students to see themselves in this community. Trade books can be a
critical part of introducing the connection. The window opened through literature provides a way for students to see how others are also vital parts of the community and each enriches the other. The multiple perspective
ensures that all religions are recognized and the awareness of similarities and differences leads to tolerance and understanding. Literature can be a "window and a mirror", children looking through the window may see
others and themselves in a new and powerfully productive light. •
Marsha M. Hutchins is an Assistant Professor at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She teaches courses in Professional Development, Middle School Education, as well as Children's Literature. Her areas of research include multicultural education and character development. As a native born Ohioan, she loves to travel and vist her two college age children on the east coast.
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