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OfflineDeviate
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Registered: 04/20/03
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: lessismore]
    #18871253 - 09/21/13 08:54 AM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

mio said:
Happiness doesn't get less by being shared (giving is better than receiving)

peace ;-)

I think you will make a great teacher

My religion teacher taught me Christianity as though it was the only true religion, and just read aloud from the book, he didn't say much himself that I can remember (only from the book)

Edit: that was actually not the reason.. it was because I was busy studing, didn't want to decide  , and didn't have the money for taxes , but I had lost faith temporarily and my soul for some years.. I never declared myself atheist iirc , but don't remember too well (I think I wanted to keep all options open, so atheist didn't fit me iirc)


I still have faith in god.. but I'm not 100% christian, I believe buddhism teaches it well too and many other religions

Love is what sets us free, and is what should be taught, love/respect for all living creatures
the miracle of nature, the miracle of creation (god gave us his spirit, and a body), god gave a soul to all living creatures too




Buddhism is wonderful. The reason I am Christian and not Buddhist is because I decided it might be a good idea to try just do one religion at a time instead of mixing them altogether, which was my prior inclination.

There are important reasons for this, for example Buddhist practices are very different from Christian ones. If you are practicing devotion to God and it's working for you, then there is no reason to confuse yourself and waste time trying to do some Buddhist meditation. That is all time wasted that could have been spent worshiping the living God.

Similarly, if you are Buddhist, and you are deep in meditation, it would be silly to interrupt that in order to read the Bible or pray a rosary. Do you see what I am saying?

One must progress like this: desire for happiness ---> learning about the path to happiness ---> building faith in the path ----> building love and devotion to God and righteousness, or in Buddhist terms meditation and right action ---> communing with God in prayer and sacraments and surrending to Him or in Buddhism, deep meditation --->  contemplation of God. This is when the two paths begin to converge. The Christian's mind becomes absorbed so absorbed in his worship of God that it becoems absorbed in God and intense bliss results. This is known as contemplation and contemplation alone reveals the truth. Hindus call this Samadhi. Im not sure exactly what Buddhists call it. ---> the final stage is theoses, or total surrender to God resulting in union with him. In buddhism this is called nirvana and it is the realization the individual self does not exist, there is only nirvana.


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InvisiblePocketLady
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Deviate]
    #18871688 - 09/21/13 11:25 AM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Deviate said:

So when I receive nothing but negativity what am I to assume? That you folks A) think happiness comes from success, sensual pleasure, comfort or other worldly delights? Or B) you accept that happiness is a spiritual treasure, but deny that Christianity can take one toward it?




Ok, as I've said before I actually agree with 90% of Christian values.  But yes, I deny that the Catholic Church in particular, the most wealthy and powerful organisation on the planet, can take anyone towards true spirituality.  It reminds me of that scene in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, where he is trying to determine which of the cups is really the holy grail.  The "bad guys" assume that Jesus would have had a grand cup because he was the Son of God, when Indiana Jones correctly assumes it is actually the simplest cup, made out of nothing but wood.

Only the ego wants wealth and power.



--------------------
Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity.
The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death.
Tomorrow, when resurrection comes,
The heart that is not in love will fail the test.

~ Rumi



The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny.
~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir


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OfflineMarkostheGnostic
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Yogi1]
    #18872680 - 09/21/13 03:28 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Yogi1 said:
Quote:

MarkostheGnostic said:
Quote:

Grapefruit said:
Why can't you have an an open discussion with kids about atheism and all religions? Teaching them what those from both sides claim?




For the same reason that kids have to take passive permission forms home (parents only sign and return them IF they object to content) every year for their human growth and development curriculum. Religion is every where as sensitive a topic as sex is.




Do you think people are actually not understanding the premise of religious schools? Not asking sarcastically, you are responding informatively and I find it hard to think people are missing that part of the op.




Not at all. I live in Miami, populated with a lot of Hispanic peoples and Haitians, most of whom are Catholic, many of whom send their children to Catholic schools (I've seen 3 of them in my location). Of course there are Santeria elements present even with non-Santeria practicing Cubans, and Haitians have a love-fear relationship with Vodoun. People who are so identified with their ethnicity, their culture, that they cannot bear to step outside of it an look at it objectively are going to continue their non-questioning existence. This echelon of people are very determined by psychodynamics that include not alienating themselves from their parents, grandparents, and extended families. This all contributes to the continuation of the status quo.


--------------------
γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself


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OfflineMarkostheGnostic
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Grapefruit]
    #18872688 - 09/21/13 03:30 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Grapefruit said:
Why can't you have an an open discussion with kids about atheism and all religions? Teaching them what those from both sides claim?




You can if you're their parent. You can't if you're a teacher working for either a parochial or a public school.


--------------------
γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself


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OfflineMarkostheGnostic
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: eve69]
    #18872711 - 09/21/13 03:39 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

I am a mystic and seeker who feels rank hatred

Well, you certainly disqualified yourself as a mystic with less than a whole sentence. A mystic seeks [comm]union with Ultimate Reality, and it should be obvious to you if you've learned anything, that hatred is not held in the psyche of a mystic who has experienced authentic mystical [comm]union with Reality.


--------------------
γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself


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OfflineDeviate
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: PocketLady]
    #18872722 - 09/21/13 03:42 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Well you're entitled to your opinion but your opinion doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

It doesn't matter what church you belong to. That's not what determines the fate of your soul.

I mean do you really think that I cannot get "true spirituality" as a catholic but if I converted to methodist or lutheran that would change? What exactly would change?

The fact is that regardless of whatever corruption exists in the higher levels of the catholic church, it doesn't change the fact that there are and have been many sincere, well meaning priests and faithful parishiners. And that is what makes a good church, a group of people who come together every sunday who are sincere in their desire to grow in wisdom and virtue and sincere in their desire to know God and a preist who is knowledgeable in the gospel.


What you are saying makes very little sense to me. If you agree with 90% of Christian values and you understand the catholic church teaches these values, then how can you say that these same values will some how fail a person if they are practised within the catholic faith and yet claim they would be effective if practiced as a methodist or lutheran? It's not what you call yourself, it's how you live.

Even if every single preist in the whole church was a child molester, it wouldn't change the truth or falsehood of what the church teaches.


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OfflineDeviate
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: MarkostheGnostic]
    #18872728 - 09/21/13 03:44 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

MarkostheGnostic said:
I am a mystic and seeker who feels rank hatred

Well, you certainly disqualified yourself as a mystic with less than a whole sentence. A mystic seeks [comm]union with Ultimate Reality, and it should be obvious to you if you've learned anything, that hatred is not held in the psyche of a mystic who has experienced authentic mystical [comm]union with Reality.





Thank you, Markos. I also find that the truth really is positive and abidence in it results in love, compassion and good will towards all people.


Edited by Deviate (09/21/13 03:50 PM)


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InvisiblePocketLady
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Deviate]
    #18873027 - 09/21/13 04:56 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Deviate said:
Well you're entitled to your opinion but your opinion doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

It doesn't matter what church you belong to. That's not what determines the fate of your soul.

I mean do you really think that I cannot get "true spirituality" as a catholic but if I converted to methodist or lutheran that would change? What exactly would change?

The fact is that regardless of whatever corruption exists in the higher levels of the catholic church, it doesn't change the fact that there are and have been many sincere, well meaning priests and faithful parishiners. And that is what makes a good church, a group of people who come together every sunday who are sincere in their desire to grow in wisdom and virtue and sincere in their desire to know God and a preist who is knowledgeable in the gospel.


What you are saying makes very little sense to me. If you agree with 90% of Christian values and you understand the catholic church teaches these values, then how can you say that these same values will some how fail a person if they are practised within the catholic faith and yet claim they would be effective if practiced as a methodist or lutheran? It's not what you call yourself, it's how you live.

Even if every single preist in the whole church was a child molester, it wouldn't change the truth or falsehood of what the church teaches.




I agree with the teachings of Jesus, but I personally think it is the Catholic Church that has corrupted those teachings.  They have taken them to use them for their own purpose of power and to control the masses.  That's all the church has ever been about.

Do you know anything about Gnosticism?  I'm sure Markos can chime in on this one, but basically the Gnostics existed before Catholicism, Gnosticism meaning "knowledge".  There were different sects, but they had a lot of esoteric and mystical knowledge.  They basically taught that the kingdom of heaven lies within. Jesus was their most important spiritual leader. But they knew too much for their own good.  After Jesus' death they were all thrown out of the church, and persecuted and eventually anyone deemed to be Gnostic was put to death by the church.  Why?  Because they were a threat to a church who wanted money and power, and who wanted people to believe that if they didn't believe in the churches idea of God they would go to hell.  They wanted world domination and to control people through fear (the ultimate control mechanism).  It's all they've ever wanted.  And the people who taught that the only way to God is through yourself, that YOU have the power...all dead. 

It's all very well being a good person with love in your heart, but supporting the very monster that has controlled the world for nearly 2 millennia is not helping humanity to evolve.  It's not helping people think for themselves. It's not helping people to become truly free.


--------------------
Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity.
The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death.
Tomorrow, when resurrection comes,
The heart that is not in love will fail the test.

~ Rumi



The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny.
~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir


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OfflineDeviate
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: PocketLady]
    #18873981 - 09/21/13 09:40 PM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

PocketLady said:
Quote:

Deviate said:
Well you're entitled to your opinion but your opinion doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

It doesn't matter what church you belong to. That's not what determines the fate of your soul.

I mean do you really think that I cannot get "true spirituality" as a catholic but if I converted to methodist or lutheran that would change? What exactly would change?

The fact is that regardless of whatever corruption exists in the higher levels of the catholic church, it doesn't change the fact that there are and have been many sincere, well meaning priests and faithful parishiners. And that is what makes a good church, a group of people who come together every sunday who are sincere in their desire to grow in wisdom and virtue and sincere in their desire to know God and a preist who is knowledgeable in the gospel.


What you are saying makes very little sense to me. If you agree with 90% of Christian values and you understand the catholic church teaches these values, then how can you say that these same values will some how fail a person if they are practised within the catholic faith and yet claim they would be effective if practiced as a methodist or lutheran? It's not what you call yourself, it's how you live.

Even if every single preist in the whole church was a child molester, it wouldn't change the truth or falsehood of what the church teaches.




I agree with the teachings of Jesus, but I personally think it is the Catholic Church that has corrupted those teachings.  They have taken them to use them for their own purpose of power and to control the masses.  That's all the church has ever been about.

Do you know anything about Gnosticism?  I'm sure Markos can chime in on this one, but basically the Gnostics existed before Catholicism, Gnosticism meaning "knowledge".  There were different sects, but they had a lot of esoteric and mystical knowledge.  They basically taught that the kingdom of heaven lies within. Jesus was their most important spiritual leader. But they knew too much for their own good.  After Jesus' death they were all thrown out of the church, and persecuted and eventually anyone deemed to be Gnostic was put to death by the church.  Why?  Because they were a threat to a church who wanted money and power, and who wanted people to believe that if they didn't believe in the churches idea of God they would go to hell.  They wanted world domination and to control people through fear (the ultimate control mechanism).  It's all they've ever wanted.  And the people who taught that the only way to God is through yourself, that YOU have the power...all dead. 

It's all very well being a good person with love in your heart, but supporting the very monster that has controlled the world for nearly 2 millennia is not helping humanity to evolve.  It's not helping people think for themselves. It's not helping people to become truly free.





The way I see it, you are confusing two entirely different questions. One question is, should we support the catholic church? The second question is can the practice of catholocism lead one to God?

Do you see how those are two completely different questions? I respect your opinion on the first question. I'll be the first to admit that the catholic church has done a lot of bad things. I think the true history of the gnostic sects is a little bit more complex than the version you presented, but I will give you the fact that historically the church was responsible for a lot of persecution of competing sects. I don't think it's very fair to look at all the bad that the church has done while simply ignoring all the good but if you want to condemn the church for it's wrongs I won't argue with you.

But the second question is a different matter entirely. This is something I have discussed with markosthegnostic actually. Let's say I were to convert to gnosticism. What exactly would I do differently from a practical point of view? Are there special prayers that a gnostic says? Some special way of approaching God that the gnostics have which catholics do not? I asked Markgos about this and he couldn't give me anything that couldn't be found in either the roman catholic or eastern orthodox churches.  Most of the esoteric and mystical knowledge you speak of, can also be found within the two churches I just mentioned. The wisdom of the desser fathers of the eastern orthodox church especially resembles certain aspects of gnosticism.  Furthermore, I like to emphasize the fact that the path taught by Christ is not some incredibly complex top secret formula. Anyone can do something that brings them closer to God, whether its prayer, charitable works, even going to church sunday. It's not that hard to understand. We are supposed to live righteously and refrain from wickedness and love God over anything he created. Of course the Kingdom of Heaven is within. As far as I know, it has never been a doctrine of the catholic church that the kingdom of heaven was somewhere else.

So what is my point here? My point is that while certain forms of Christianity may certainly be truer to Christ's original teachings than others, you don't have to be a member of a specific organization or sect to follow them. As long as you are sincere in your desire to know God and willing to persevere in prayer and good works, God will eventually have mercy on you. Hence, despite whatever flaws you percieve in it, the catholic faith DOES give people the tools they need to find God in their hearts, and that alone is true freedom.

I am catholic out of convenience more than anything else. There isn't a gnostic church in my town. I had to choose whether to either not go to church at all, or to go to one of the churches that is a reasonable distance from my home. From those churches, I selected the catholic church. At first it felt very strange and I had many misgivings just as you do. But I eventually learned to love Mass and my soul has received many graces through it and through Holy Communion. Part of Christianity is the community aspect of it, it's not just you and God but other christians as well. There wsan't a gnostic sect in my town, so if I wanted to experience that aspect of the faith, again, out of practical necessity I had to go with what was available to me. Imperfect as it may be,  there is still a great deal of love and spiritual light being imparted to people at Mass. I have had some of the most powerful spiritual experiences of my life which I would not trade for the world, at Mass. So what do you suggest I do? Stop going to church? or become a methodist or lutheran or something?


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InvisiblePocketLady
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Deviate]
    #18875448 - 09/22/13 10:49 AM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Look Deviate, I respect what you are saying.  And I respect your right to believe what you want.  I agree with Christian values, i.e  in the teachings of Jesus.  But I don't agree with the Christian idea of God and I definitely do not agree with the Catholic church.  I'm not at all convinced that the Catholic Church has had an overall positive impact on this world.  And I think children (as I did) should have the right to make up their own minds about religion and not be force-fed whatever their parents believe in.  But that is clearly asking too much of the world at this moment in time.  It's precisely because of Catholicism that children aren't allowed to make up their own minds. That is true freedom.

But you are right. There is no harm in helping kids to be a better people.


--------------------
Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity.
The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death.
Tomorrow, when resurrection comes,
The heart that is not in love will fail the test.

~ Rumi



The day we start giving Love instead of seeking Love, we will have re-written our whole destiny.
~ Swami Chinmayanada Saraswatir


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InvisibleIcelander
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: MarkostheGnostic]
    #18879719 - 09/23/13 09:17 AM (10 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

MarkostheGnostic said:
I am a mystic and seeker who feels rank hatred

Well, you certainly disqualified yourself as a mystic with less than a whole sentence. A mystic seeks [comm]union with Ultimate Reality, and it should be obvious to you if you've learned anything, that hatred is not held in the psyche of a mystic who has experienced authentic mystical [comm]union with Reality.




Do you consider yourself a mystic?  Do you ever feel anger or hatred? If you're not a realized mystic how do you know what an authentic mystic feels inside?:confused:


--------------------
"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.

" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.

With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC


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OfflineMarkostheGnostic
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Icelander]
    #18880379 - 09/23/13 12:24 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

Icelander said:
Quote:

MarkostheGnostic said:
I am a mystic and seeker who feels rank hatred

Well, you certainly disqualified yourself as a mystic with less than a whole sentence. A mystic seeks [comm]union with Ultimate Reality, and it should be obvious to you if you've learned anything, that hatred is not held in the psyche of a mystic who has experienced authentic mystical [comm]union with Reality.




Do you consider yourself a mystic?  Do you ever feel anger or hatred? If you're not a realized mystic how do you know what an authentic mystic feels inside?:confused:




Like everything else Ice, being something is not about be a 'thing.' Being a mystic, as defined by Evelyn Underhill at the turn of the 19th century is how I define it.

"[M]ysticism is the art of union with Reality...The visionary is a mystic when his vision mediates to him an actuality beyond the reach of the senses. The philosopher is a mystic when he passes beyond thought to the pure apprehension of truth. The active man is a mystic when he knows his actions to be part of a greater activity."  - Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill, P. 9

I do meet these criteria. Unfortunately, the term mystic can also be applied to an "active man" as evil as Heinrich Himmler. I have an old VHS with 'Himmler the Mystic' recorded. But as a paradigm of a man with "rank hatred," I do not consider even calling such a demonic being as Himmler a mystic. The simple reason is that the invariant feature of true mystics is their insistence on love and compassion unsullied by differences. Buddhists include non-harm to animals as well, based on the experience that Ultimate reality is a union of Compassion-Wisdom. A genocidal madman cannot be considered to be a mystic, owing to the nature of what he chooses to be in harmony with - hate. Even a petty little hater is no mystic in the correctly defined sense. There are all manner of delusions whereby one is being directed by a power beyond oneself. Psychotics are prime examples. Obsessives and Paranoids are additional examples. Paranoids goose-step in unison with thousands of other paranoids and feel part of a greater whole.

I do get cursing, bird-flipping angry, but hatred is a desire to destroy utterly, to kill individuals or groups. Jesus was said to have overturned the tables of the money-lenders at the courtyard of the temple, and thrashed them in a state of righteous anger. Anger is a form of raw energy, like fire, that can be sublimated into more useful forms. Anger is Geburah, Judgement on the Kabbalistic Tree. It is the 'wrath of God.' It is in the lion taking down the zebra. It is the sphere of influence behind the nightmarish aspect to existence.  It is what makes an animal or child abuser.  I used to get angry, sexually abused kids to stop acting out at school by redirecting their emotions away from impulsive acts of violence, to controlled articulation to me. Then, together, we would call the events into police and Child Protective Services, and sometimes get the perp arrested. This began a process of healing and it it was all about channeling the raw emotional anger into more intelligent uses. I cannot say that I hate. I have preferences, and prejudices (fundies, haters, animal/child abusers and poachers), that I avoid rather than engage because I cannot make a change in them even if I want to by argument. I'm not wasting my prana. I will ACT decisively and legally with those whom I consider to be enemies of kindness. I called the cops 5 times on my next door neighbors for the treatment of their German Shepherd, and bought treats for years to feed the lonely dog whenever he saw me coming home. Hatred just poisons my own being. Even anger MUST be sublimated or it will cause real negative changes to your very body.

A mystic is not a glassy-eyed hypnotized robot like a Moonie. My approach to life is mystical. Sometimes it operates at the level of a nature mystic (I was 'peeping' at our resident cardinal couple through the window yesterday. The male kept getting closer to the window and tilting his head. The pair usually dive-bomb their reflections on our window film from dawn til dusk). Earlier, I talked to a lizard on the pool pump. He tilted his head at my voice for a while, before he took off. Once in a while I can coax one into my hand. Sometimes, in meditation, I attain to a more formless degree of identity. The other night on mushrooms, I had visionary experience which I experienced unity with. The music and visions created a kind of symmetry of light and sound which was mystical in nature, in that reality became Light and Sound. Other experiences have brought me to what I afterwards interpreted as the Ground of Being. Metta, loving kindness, in varying degrees always colors mystical moments, and Awe enters the highest mystical moments - the Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans.


--------------------
γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself


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InvisibleIcelander
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: MarkostheGnostic]
    #18880560 - 09/23/13 01:11 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

You knew I wouldn't read that much text. :hissyfit:  Not fair.


--------------------
"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.

" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.

With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC


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OfflineMahananda


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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Deviate] * 1
    #18886603 - 09/24/13 08:31 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

My guess is that it's going to be very difficult to really get across a sense of spirituality to children that age.  If they were older my instinct would have been to suggest you go over with them the tools in the particular spiritual toolkit you'll be working with (meditation, lectio divina, contemplation, use of rosary, etc.), but they'd likely just be bored with those things, if they fully comprehended them at all.

One thing that it strikes me might fill the bill, providing concrete examples in the context of real life stories often focused on selfless service to the poor, would be to liberally use the lives of the saints as examples of the virtues you want to teach.  You'd still probably have to dilute the material pretty heavily, but it might be an engaging way to head in the direction you're looking to go.

Best of luck to you.


--------------------
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of living, it doesn't matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come even if you have broken your vow a thousand times,
Come, yet again, come, come


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InvisibleWhite Beard

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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Mahananda]
    #18886625 - 09/24/13 08:37 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

What you should really do is bring in a human skull, hold it up to them and say: "You may be young now, but eventually this will be you. It will be me too. It will be all of us, and no one will remember who you were, and what you did. So, for God's sake, live your life while you're still here. If you aren't liking what you're doing, do something else! Explore, love, create, learn, but remember kiddies, the clock is ticking and this life isn't a practice run." Then place an hour glass on the table and walk out.


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InvisibleIcelander
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Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: White Beard]
    #18886643 - 09/24/13 08:39 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

White Beard said:
What you should really do is bring in a human skull, hold it up to them and say: "You may be young now, but eventually this will be you. It will be me too. It will be all of us, and no one will remember who you were, and what you did. So, for God's sake, live your life while you're still here. If you aren't liking what you're doing, do something else! Explore, love, create, learn, but remember kiddies, the clock is ticking and this life isn't a practice run." Then place an hour glass on the table and walk out.




QFT


--------------------
"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.

" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.

With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC


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OfflineMahananda


Registered: 08/18/12
Posts: 117
Last seen: 2 years, 3 months
Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Icelander]
    #18886691 - 09/24/13 08:50 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

I'm not quite sure if it's age appropriate, and I don't know about the walking out part, but otherwise that's actually great advice :-)


--------------------
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of living, it doesn't matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come even if you have broken your vow a thousand times,
Come, yet again, come, come


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InvisibleWhite Beard

Registered: 08/13/11
Posts: 6,325
Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: Mahananda]
    #18886707 - 09/24/13 08:54 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

I wish someone told me that when I was that age. :shrug:


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OfflineSpacerific
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Male

Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 4,923
Last seen: 8 years, 10 months
Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: White Beard]
    #18888806 - 09/25/13 11:15 AM (10 years, 4 months ago)

A the old skull-on-the-desk, vanitas reminder. Brilliant :lol:

Do this OP, and watch how the complaints from the parents roll in. School isn't meant to teach and talk about about real things, it's meant to teach being proper. Etiquette. Appearances. Status quo. The pledge of allegiance.

Vanitas still lifes and skulls on the desk have fallen out of fashion these days unfortunately.



--------------------
Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.



For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
- Matthew 13:16


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OfflineMarkostheGnostic
Elder
Male User Gallery


Registered: 12/09/99
Posts: 14,279
Loc: South Florida Flag
Last seen: 3 years, 27 days
Re: I volunteered to teach religious education to fifth graders [Re: White Beard]
    #18888981 - 09/25/13 12:02 PM (10 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

White Beard said:
What you should really do is bring in a human skull, hold it up to them and say: "You may be young now, but eventually this will be you. It will be me too. It will be all of us, and no one will remember who you were, and what you did. So, for God's sake, live your life while you're still here. If you aren't liking what you're doing, do something else! Explore, love, create, learn, but remember kiddies, the clock is ticking and this life isn't a practice run." Then place an hour glass on the table and walk out.




You can do things like this with undergraduates, not grade school kids. There is a very good chance that you'd be fired for this, even with honors or gifted senior high students as soon as one of those sick parents heard about it. They'd be up the principal's ass and down at the school board almost simultaneously, clamoring for your dismissal, not because their kid was freaked out, but because these kind of parents want the opportunity to express outrage and control. I say this with a certain authority having taught some undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as having just retired from 27 years in a huge public school system.


--------------------
γνῶθι σαὐτόν - Gnothi Seauton - Know Thyself


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