More on the Texas BOE Curricula Rulings

"While the impact on the actual writing of textbooks may not be that dire the Texas Board of Education is clearly rewriting history to fit a conservative agenda and a Christian dominant worldview." (Religion Dispatches, 4/27/10)

For those who are following this story about the Texas BOE rulings on reconfiguring curricula that cater to a conservative-evangelical Christian perspective, there is a new article written by Lauri Lebo of Religion Dispatches that comments on the issues at stake here. The Texas BOE has went through with major rewriting and editing of critieria for Texas educational textbooks without even a hint of understanding of the 1st Amendment and the fact of prominent religious plurality and diversity in the U.S.

Check out Lebo's essay here.

1st Amendment Rights and Texas SBOE

As many know by now, this month the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has voted on a variety of amendments to the state social studies educational curriculum. These amendments will severely mitigate the information Texas students will receive concerning the 1st Amendment rights and and the boundary between religion and government in the U.S.

Furthermore, since Texas is the one of the largest consumers of textbooks in the country, most publishers tend to shape the content in textbooks based on the curriculum standards set by Texas government. Thus, this misguided change in curriculum could potentially affect our children across the nation, not just in Texas. Urgent action is very much needed on this front.

Among the proposed changes to be made in the Texas curriculum, the SBOE voted to: 1) Remove Thomas Jefferson from the world history curriculum of Enlightenment thinkers and replace him with Christian thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin; 2) Require that students explore the right to bear arms as part of the 1st Amendment rights of free expression (but which is already covered in the 2nd Amendment); and 3) Eliminate an amendment that would require students to "examine the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring government from promoting or disfavoring any particulary religion over all others. The amendment didn't pass because many on the SBOE thought it "historically inaccurate." (Source: Interfaith Alliance)

If you are concerned about 1st Amendment rights for the freedom of religion and the separation of religion and government, please take action by sending a letter to 3 major textbook publishers urging them to reject the Texas SBOE's curriculum changes. Let's act to make sure our children's educational curricula are based on historically backed evidence and not on any ideology.

`Good Samaritan’ Series Hopes to Kick-start Christian Action

A new DVD and curriculum series uses interviews to inspire social action. "Start Becoming a Good Samaritan" will be a six-part video curriculum, workbook and website designed to help everyday Christians find ways to combat poverty, pandemic diseases, and other social ills.

Though it will be published by the rather conservative Zondervan, it promises to be a practical means of addressing social crises by appealing to spiritual principles. I'm really glad to see Zondervan is investing in issues of social action concerning humanitarian problems.

Charles Honey of the RNS has written a summary of the upcoming series.

Faith and Mental Illness: A National Summit

This September 29 - October 1 there will be a conference about faith and mental illness. "Companions on the Road to Recovery from Mental Illness - Pathways for the 21st Century" is a national summit organized to help congregations and clergy prepare for effective ministry with individuals and families facing serious mental health issues in their lives.

Religious groups are invited to organize and send a team of laity and clergy to help equip congregations as centers of education, encouragement, service, advocacy, and general well-being. The Conference's general sessions will have an overview of community mental health care resources from across the country, give a basic framework and practices for mental health ministry, and offer a vision of continuing training and collaboration. Workshops and breakout sessions will be focused on exemplar ministries, specific resources for assistance, and special issues such as the needs of elders, returning veterans, rural mental health, addictions, and mental illness among those who are homeless or in prison.

This is an absolutely magnificent and greatly needed activity for educating religious leaders of mental health issues and preparing religious communities to become important centers that address mental health issues from a spiritual perspective. As more pastors, priests, ministers, and chaplains from all faith traditions become increasingly informed about mental illnesses and the effects of mental illness on individuals, families, and communities, the more healthy and happy those with mental health problems and their loved ones will be. It will also bring about a better understanding of the issues throughout the U.S. as to how our society can be most compassionate and helpful for those affected by mental illness.

Anyone who is interested in participating, visit http://www.pathways2promise.org/. This conference is co-sponsored by and will be held at The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows (located in Belleville, IL, just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, MO).

Read more about the conference at the RNS.


(Above photo from Pathways2Promise webpage.)

Scholars Plan First Islamic College in U.S.

A group of American Muslims, led by two prominent scholars Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheik Hamza Yusuf, is moving closer to fulfilling a vision of founding the first four-year accredited Islamic college in the United States. There is scheduled a June vote to decide whether the proposed Zaytuna College will open its doors in the fall of next year. Shakir and Yusuf of California have spent many years planning this institution, which will offer a liberal arts education and training in Islamic scholarship.

As I have quite a few Muslim friends and colleagues, I'm aware of how important the establishment of such an academic institution is. Though the study Islam in religious/cultural studies departments is done at major universities, there has yet to be a place of higher education founded and ran by Muslims grounded in Islamic principles.

Those of us who are Christian progressives ought to be supportive of these efforts of promoting and furthering Islamic scholarship and religion, which is becoming a widely prominent religion in the U.S. Helping institutions of higher education that are religiously-affiliated will serve to foster more awareness and understanding of the religious diversity in our country and learn more about each others' faith traditions. The more we engage with each other, the more we understand each other; and the more we understand each other, the less afraid we'll be of each other; and the less we're afraid of each other, the less violence and more love we'll show each other.

Read the Associated Press story at Newsmax.

Interfaith Alliance's LEADD Program

Interfaith Alliance sponsors a program called Leadership Education Advancing Democracy and Diversity (LEADD). This is an educational program for high school students developed by members of the Interfaith Alliance and a group of volunteers since 2005, and the purpose is to teach the next generation about religious freedom, democracy, and social engagement in such issues.

Students who attend either the weeklong or weekend versions of LEADD become immersed in the history of the First Amendment, which is the foundation of America's unique devotion to religious liberty. Students learn of the hope in and vision for creating a truly pluralistic American society, and current policy, legislative and legal issues regarding religious freedom.

The 2009 weekend LEADD program is coming up May 29-31 in Oklahoma City, OK on the campus of Oklahoma City University.

This kind of activity is absolutely crucial if we wish to continue advocating for and affirming religious diversity and tolerance in this country. We must pass the torch on to the next generation, and this is done largely through active education. I see LEADD as a fundamental part of the spiritual social action needed to maintain and further the values of religious pluralism and peaceful interfaith relations.

Watch a promotional video produced by LEADD.

*(Above photo from the LEADD website.)

New Studies Out on LGBT Issues and Progressive Congregations

New studies demonstrate how welcoming LGBT people makes a difference to progressive religious congregations. Two surveys were conducted by Religious Institute of Morality, Justice, and Healing and Institute for Welcoming Resources, and they found:

"Congregations that have undertaken formalized efforts to welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members are more active in social justice, more comfortable addressing sexuality issues and less concerned that LGBT advocacy will reduce membership, according to two national surveys released today." (Religion News Service)

These surveys acknowledge a few important points, but the one that most impresses me is that those congregations which advocate for LGBT issues are much more likely to become involved in other social issues like economic injustice, homelessness, racial inequality, immigration, and so on.

Unity has always advocated for LGBT equality and justice, especially within its own walls, ordaining ministers regardless of sexual orientation and maintaining a welcoming attitude and inclusive metaphysical system of belief and practice. The survey did mention that issues of sexual identity (especially in youth populations) was generally considered under addressed and that even progressive congregations would benefit from more educational resources available to members of their community.

Though Unity does have a stellar record of being open and affirming of any and every sexual orientation, I think it could certainly take heed to this study and perhaps faciliate more educational workshops, literature, etc. about LGBT issues in society, both at the national and local levels. I'm aware that many Unity communities do have discussion groups about these topics, but a more universal and Association-wide advocacy in this capacity would serve the cause well and further establish Unity's position among progressive, welcoming religious communities. Nonetheless, Unity has been most definitely in the forefront in setting a magnificent example of what inclusive congregations can be with open hearts and open minds.

The Religion News Service has a more detailed overview of the studies.

Kabbalah Centre's 'Spirituality for Kids' Class Criticized

"The program, created by a leader of the L.A.-based Kabbalah Centre International, is promoted as a way to teach children how to make wise choices. Critics say it brings religion into public schools." The leaders of the program say its guiding children in after-school programs in how to navigate their way through life and make wise choices. On the other hand, critics content that it breaches the separation of "church and state" because it's based on Jewish religious foundation and being forwarded in public after-school classrooms. Seema Mehta of the LA Times reports the story.