Introduction

The human quest for meaning, for understanding the nature of our existence, of the world around us, and our desire to understand the fundamental questions that all people have asked about death, suffering, goodness, and freedom, are all a central part of what defines religion.Teaching about religious ideas or world views is best engaged through the vehicle of narrative. Our experience as teachers tells us that. A poem, a play, an epic, a novel, a biography or a dialogue evokes richer and more thoughtful responses and interactions with ideas than do textbooks. These narratives allow students to enter thoughtfully and sympathetically into imaginative worlds that may be far from their present in both time and world view, and yet, they speak directly to the central and multiple concerns of being human. The Project in Religious Texts and Classics is committed to helping teachers and students collaboratively create a useful resource for the study of religion, whether instruction takes place through an English, history, ethics, or religious studies course.

There are several historical problems that we are attempting to solve. Religious Studies as an academic discipline did not begin to be widely offered as a major until around 1970. It took many years for the discipline to become truly global in scope. Therefore, many of us who did pursue undergraduate degrees in religious studies even as late as the mid 1980s did so without being exposed to significant course work in many of the world's religious traditions. Except in a very few colleges and universities, it would not have been possible to take numerous courses in traditions other than Christianity, Judaism, or Ethics. The result is that many good and thoughtful teachers have significant holes in their education. While continuous self education is essential and admirable, it does not replace the dialogue of classroom experience. Further complicating the issue is our current lack of access to summer graduate training in the field.

Our colleagues in English and history were generally taught in an environment which was both hostile to and ignorant of religion. Religion was seen as personal, private, and confessional; not part of the academic experience. Religious literacy, so necessary for an in-depth understanding of English literature was generally avoided. Unavailable too was access to a knowledge and familiarity with non European literatures.

Students of history were taught in much the same manner. Modern European history and American history after 1850 were, and often still are, presented as if religion had suddenly vanished. Many history majors left their universities and colleges without ever taking a course on Asia or the Middle East. And if they did, religion usually played a minor role in that study.

One reason for the creation of the Project in Religious Texts and Classics is to solve several of these problems. When interested in learning about a new religious tradition's texts and classics it is easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. "Where do I start?" and "What should I read?" are commonly heard questions. Teachers who know something about a tradition, but want to expand that knowledge, are often equally stymied. When we do get excited about a particular text then we are faced with the further problems of isolation in terms of teaching strategies and just having colleagues to talk to about these works. Our students often face all the same problems, primarily because of the continued marginalization of religion in the secondary curriculum, and the difficulty of access to materials. We want to help solve these problems. The goal of the project is to create a collaborative leaning environment and resource for both teachers and students. We welcome and desire your participation.

Structure of the Project

Texts

Our goal is to present to teachers and students a list of twenty to twenty-five religious texts that have been historically central to practioners of the tradition, or those works which are said to embody some portion of the core of a tradition.. Each text will have a one page description that locates it historically, highlights central themes and motifs, and discusses the place of the text within the tradition. The next section will give five bibliographic citations for editions and studies of the text. The third section will be a place for lesson plans, teaching experiences and tips related to the text. The final section will deal with student reactions, comments, and analysis.

We know that as soon as we begin to think about religious texts and their canons in the religious traditions that we run into problems. The Christian notion of a closed set of works does not apply across the traditions. Some traditions have more than one canon, or the definition of canon itself does not apply to those sacred scriptures. Each religious tradition will have a section on how scripture is organized.

We know too there may be disagreement with our choices for central texts. Our experts in this process are our university colleagues who have helped us in making the initial lists. Even then, we realize there is much room for discussion and dissension. Our hope is that as we work on this together that the selections can expand and change.

Classics

Our literary definition of classic is a large one, and the scope of selection in this section ranges from poetry, to epic, drama, biography, autobiography, novel, to treatise and tract. In our English, history, religious studies, and ethics courses we have all used literary "classics" to convey religious world views and attitudes. Although often not considered "texts" by a particular religious tradition, these works convey a richness of thought and feeling that have played a major role in the religious lives of adherents. Examples of this type of literature might include "Pilgrim's Progress," the poetry of Vaughn and Rumi, the Jataka stories, and the dramas of Kalidasa.

There is a second type of "classic" literature that we would like to include in our list. Under a separate category of "Religion and Literature" we will include works that were not explicitly written for religious purposes, but contain within them many motifs and themes central to religious thinking. Examples of these works might include, "Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children,"John Knowles' "A Separate Peace," the poetry of Wang Wei and Su Shi, or Potock's "The Chosen."

Our proposal about how to construct the section on religious classics follows the same structural format as the text's portion does. Twenty to twenty-five literary classics for each religious tradition has a one page description, a five-source bibliography, a teacher's page of lesson plans and suggestions for teaching, and a section for student papers and responses. Like our work together on the text section, we hope and expect that as time goes on this list will expand and change.

In addition to covering the texts and classics of religious traditions we plan to discuss and highlight several fields of study in religion that could be very helpful for high school teachers and students. These would include the subjects of Ethics, Religion and Ecology, Religion and Literature, Religion in America, and the Study and Teaching of Religion We desire and encourage you and your student's participation in our plans.

For further information, contact us at info@rsiss.net