- BLO – Ethical Reasoning
Students will engage in a reflection that will ask them to reflect deeply about their connections to interfaith. Through active participation and discussions, students will be able to draw upon their personal experiences and make broad level connections to the baccalaureate goals.
A person’s religious and non-religious identity is deeply personal and private. To truly know someone and engage across these lines of religious/non-religious difference requires navigating deep and private waters. We ask you to explore this aspect of your identity, and I encourage you to use this reflection as a safe and open medium to reflect. This exercise will not be shared with anyone but the instructor.
Directions:
Choose one of the following people to research:
Henry David Thoreau
Mahatma Gandhi
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X
Thich Nhat Hanh
Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Vincent Harding
Stanley Levinson
- Phillip Randolph
Yuri Kuchiyama
Then, answer the following questions briefly about the person you chose to research:
How this person is connected to the Civil Rights Movement
What their religious or non-religious affiliation is
How their ideas were shaped by other traditions/people or how their ideas influenced others from different traditions
Then, what is your religious or non-religious identity like atheist, agnostic, non-religious, secular, humanist, and none (“none” are the fastest growing demographic in the US for young adults between the ages of 18-25). You can choose any of these categories, multiple categories, or a category that is not listed. Now, take some time to write out aspects of that identity that are incredibly meaningful to you, for example:
Ideas
Values
Practices
Beliefs
Finally, reflect and write on these two questions.
- What kinds of feelings or thoughts did this reflection bring up for you?
- What’s different in talking about religious/non-religious identity versus other identities?
Commitment to ethical, environmental, and social responsibility