Unfortunately, I think the reason this doesn't exist in most schools is that parents don't want it.
In particular, the vast majority of the most religious people that I know would rather stop at the philosophic stage. They think that their denomination has the right answers to just about everything, and the main reason to learn about other religious perspectives is to be able to show why they're wrong.
After emerging from my own dark night of the soul several years ago with my faith mostly intact, I find this disappointing. But I don't see how to implement something like this without being condemned for corrupting children's minds. (Something like that happened to Socrates, for example...)
Non-snarky question: How do you resolve the tension between the rationalistic bent of Eganism and the non-rationalistic stance of most religions? Seems like the attentive student will ask "But (charitably) it's all just allegory, right?".
Is the truthful answer something like "We study this for pragmatic reasons, because it's deeply ingrained in culture."? And doesn't that (implicitly) lead to the punchline "But we know better."?
I think you can study religions for their cultural relevance and also as way to discover the wisdom they embody. There are great truths at the core of all religions that can impact believers and non-believers alike. If you approach from the common human angle, hopefully students won't be left asking the mundane questions- "but who is right?"
Can you elaborate on this? I was raised Catholic, and the core of Catholic belief is the death and resurrection of Jesus. There's no obvious wisdom for a secular world there.
I think you could look at how, for example, Catholics revere Jesus or the saints and the qualities of goodness that they embody and extrapolate lots of lessons about what it means to live a moral life.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto could be treated as a foundation of ethics. You can also look at how real people within the Christian tradition approach real-world problems.
You could also find similar guiding principles for philosophy, ethics and problem-solving in other religions, too. Each religion and culture has strong viewpoints about how to live a good and meaningful life. Even if you don't agree, it can help you clarify your own beliefs and understand people with other viewpoints.
Unfortunately, I think the reason this doesn't exist in most schools is that parents don't want it.
In particular, the vast majority of the most religious people that I know would rather stop at the philosophic stage. They think that their denomination has the right answers to just about everything, and the main reason to learn about other religious perspectives is to be able to show why they're wrong.
After emerging from my own dark night of the soul several years ago with my faith mostly intact, I find this disappointing. But I don't see how to implement something like this without being condemned for corrupting children's minds. (Something like that happened to Socrates, for example...)
Non-snarky question: How do you resolve the tension between the rationalistic bent of Eganism and the non-rationalistic stance of most religions? Seems like the attentive student will ask "But (charitably) it's all just allegory, right?".
Is the truthful answer something like "We study this for pragmatic reasons, because it's deeply ingrained in culture."? And doesn't that (implicitly) lead to the punchline "But we know better."?
I think you can study religions for their cultural relevance and also as way to discover the wisdom they embody. There are great truths at the core of all religions that can impact believers and non-believers alike. If you approach from the common human angle, hopefully students won't be left asking the mundane questions- "but who is right?"
Can you elaborate on this? I was raised Catholic, and the core of Catholic belief is the death and resurrection of Jesus. There's no obvious wisdom for a secular world there.
I think you could look at how, for example, Catholics revere Jesus or the saints and the qualities of goodness that they embody and extrapolate lots of lessons about what it means to live a moral life.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto could be treated as a foundation of ethics. You can also look at how real people within the Christian tradition approach real-world problems.
You could also find similar guiding principles for philosophy, ethics and problem-solving in other religions, too. Each religion and culture has strong viewpoints about how to live a good and meaningful life. Even if you don't agree, it can help you clarify your own beliefs and understand people with other viewpoints.
Glad you made it through the Dark Night of the Body. Thanks for taking my suggestion!
The dark night of the soul is one of the best tools for the possibility of personal growth that I can think of.