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Monday, January 16, 2006
TEACHING RELIGION IN CHINA   I love being a teacher. I have always thought I was born to this profession--not in talent but, in desire to become a good one. And it is the challenges of this profession that will keep me spry or, alternately, send me to an early grave. My contract as a teacher in China is not unlike one in America in that it prohibits me from espousing religious views from the classroom. I agree completely. The reasons for the sanctions in each country may differ but, the premise is sound. It is not a teacher's job to dictate to or shape young minds as much as to give them the tools and information required to sharpen their intellect and empower them to make informed personal decisions. I have wondered since coming here how to educate students about the cultural aspects of the many flavors of divine choice in the world and their concomitant ramifications for social and business interactions. Then, last week I was queried about whether or not I would be willing to teach a "brief" seminar in World Religions. I am excited and intimidated at once about the possibility. I then polled my students: would this be interesting or helpful to the school? The myriad reactions to my question left me more puzzled than ever before. Some felt that, because they were atheist, there was no reason to explore spirituality. Others grasped immediately the need to be attuned to the cultural anomalies that often accompany theology. One faction, citing the fact that most wars and hostilities in the world today seemed to involve religion felt it was important to know why and how a belief in a benevolent creative force could cause so much hatred. And a fourth group just wanted to know because they have never been taught about any of theworld's religions. I still remember asking them a few months ago how they thought the Pope's death would affect world affairs. I will never forget the bank stares returned to me from 99 of 100 students who did not know who or what a Pope was or what he represented. Here is the real challenge: explaining to these beautiful tabla rosa's why people are so fervent about their faiths and to do it without the the student having much of foundation upon which to build. Try, without judgement and with sincerity, to give a blank slate of a mind an overview of various practices: Explain why many Japanese still believe the emperor is the direct descendant of the sun goddess. Now, begin to explain how most westerners think Native Americans and some Japanese will miss out on heaven because they worship the sun, moon and wind as opposed to believing that we descended from two naked people in a garden with a snake that talked. In the midst of this, explain why some Muslims will go to heaven for dying in a "just" or "holy" war and some Hindus will reap heavenly retribution for merely killing a fly. This is a new frontier: Chinese education is re-developing and reinventing itself regularly. We foreign teachers must take care to honor their heritage and upbringing. One of their everyday proverbs is: "The hands respond to the heart". The truth is in the doing. Truth, intuition and spirituality cannot be taught but, openness to new ideas and rich experiences can be facilitated by example. There is a reason why teaching turns you gray while keeping your heart, soul and mind so wonderfully young. China politics ReligionTeaching in China ESL asia cartoons humor World eligion Muslims Hindus Chinese Proverbs The Pope Cartoons, copyright Cagle.com Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by Lonnie at 5:21 AM |
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