Spiritual Questions John Bellaimey The Breck School, Minneapolis Grade taught: 10 Overview Spiritual Questions are the Big Ones--being, meaning, and value--that occur in the context of looking at Who we are, Why we are here, Where we are going, and with whom. This is a twice-and-a-half-weekly course required of all sophomores. Course Content For 2000-2001, here is the sequence of questions: Where do I stand? How do we answer spiritual questions? How can science help us know? How do we know? What am I like? What is scripture, and how do we understand it? Does God exist? What is God like? Why all the theisms? What about atheism? What about the Big Bang? If God is.....what about suffering? Does God take on human form? If so, how? If not, why not? What happens after this life? What's wrong with us? How can the wrong be repaired? How can the wrong be prevented? What role do religion and spirituality play? What role does material wealth play? What role does service to others play? What is a good person? Materials and Activities Short readings, chosen by the teacher, especially from the New Testament stimulate discussion and debate. We supplement this with yoga, t'ai chi, and quiet reflection and journal writing. Assessment: Six short writing assignments, answering the questions. Two open-note tests. Wholehearted class participation in discussions and exercises. Final paper. email: <john.bellaimey@breckschool.org>Grade taught: 9 Return to RSiSS Syllabi