son interested in comparative/East Asian Religions...looking for suggestions...

Parents Forum
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<p>My son is homeschooled and will be a freshman in high school next year. he was in a gifted program in public school (through 6th grade) and is a fairly quiet, deep thinking student. He loves to read, talk and discuss (until the rest of the family just can't take it). Up until about 6 months ago, he still could not decide what he was interested in or what he wanted to do. We told him not to worry about it, but this really concerned him.</p>

<p>Within the last 6 months, his interests have really solidified (although at this age, anything is possible) and we are now looking for ideas to help him delve into his area more. He is very interested in religion...not one particular religion, but the whole philosophy of religion. he is currently studying the various sects of buddhism indepth, but previously studied roman catholicism and Hinduism. This interest is really more a study from the outside, looking in type. He thinks that he wants to become a professor in religions. </p>

<p>when I say he studies indepth, he really does. reading dozens of books...speeches and doctrine from various religious leaders, commentaries, essays, etc. </p>

<p>What I am looking for are any ideas for extracurricular activities that would enrich his studies. We are thinking of contacting a professor from a local university and seeing if they would help mentor. He was considering taking community college courses, and then university level courses (we have to show he can do the work). My only concern is that in his area of interest, religion, he is past the "intro" level courses.</p>

<p>Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated! Any special summer programs? I am at a loss.</p>

<p>He will stay balanced and is active in Scouts and Civil Air Patrol and takes many advance math and science courses, but the humanities seems to be his passion.</p>

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<p>hfmomstef, To me, it’s impossible to study the humanities and social sciences including history of art, history, literature, political science, without a firm grounding in religion. A fascination with religion has been a lifelong quest for me, one that for better of worse, my son seems to have inherited. We have been fortunate to have traveled and lived in Asia for many years so have had first hand exposure to many religions. We now live in Indonesia where the overlay of animism followed by Buddhism followed by Hinduism followed by Islam with a generous shot of charismatic Christianity makes for a religion lover’s field day. :)</p>

<p>So, the first extracurricular I would recommend would be travel. If your budget allows for a family trip to Asia, then this would be a life altering experience. If he’s ready to strike out on his own, you might consider a travel/study program designed for high school kids. If this isn’t in the cards, there are a lot of religion based sojourns that can be enjoyed closer to home, like Mexico or Salt Lake City. (I don’t actually know where you live, so these are just random examples.)</p>

<p>Many religious institutions give instruction and my guess would be that the “elders” would be delighted to talk to an interested youngster. Depending on where you live you might find a Buddhist or Taoist organization or an Islamic mosque. </p>

<p>I’d also recommend taking a course at a museum. As I said, art and religion are inextricably linked so a course in Italian Renaissance or Asian art would indirectly contain a good dose of religion.</p>

<p>I believe Scouts also does a religion badge, but most likely he has done that already?</p>

<p>There are also a lot of fiction writers whose work has been greatly influenced by religion. In English many are Catholic – Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh come to mind – but there are certainly others both in English and translation who write about their encounters with other world religions, like VS Naipaul and Pramoedya Toer. Not fiction, but two of my favorites, are Norman Lewis’ books on Viet Nam and Burma, The Dragon Apparent and Golden Earth. Another title that my son (who is also interested in science) like is Bertrand Russell's Religion and Science. There are many, many more.</p>

<p>My son is now a rising junior at Williams and though his areas of concentration will be art and art history, his interest in religion has been deeply encouraged and reinforced by the wonderful faculty there. When your son gets ready to start looking at colleges I’d highly recommend it. My son likes to joke that he was predestined to study religion since he was born at Mt. Sinai hospital and our roommates were a woman with a baby born in a taxi because her family’s religion forbade driving on the Sabbath!</p>

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<p>Why not go to various services, seeing the religion being practiced- I moved a lot growing up and was introduced to a variety of faiths...seeing it first hand will create balance for the reading</p>

<p>As well, there are many ecumenical groups around that unite many religions for a common goal- peace. Its interesting to watch various faiths get together for a common good.</p>

<p>TichNatHan (sp?) is a monk who writes brilliantly on Buddhism and Christianity. Great reading.</p>

<p>As well, I am reading a book on the reformation that your son might find interesting. Written with balance.</p>

<p>Read the Bible. As history. Its a tough read, but if you read it as a book that has shaped the world in a variety of ways, and approach it with a non-faith based approach, you will learn much of Judism and Christianity and understand to a degree the different sects and practices today.</p>

<p>As well, many new books have been written about Abraham (the connection of three religions), new gospils, Mary Magdelan.</p>

<p>Learning about Islam, and its creative force in the world is eye opening.</p>

<p>I congratulate your son. When I was young, our family sat around reading the bible for its history and connecting it to the present. Current conflicts. Current interpretations. Its a place to start</p>

<p>As well, do not forget Greek and Roman myths. And the religions of early Europe, the Celts for example.</p>

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<p>Depends where you are located, of course. The best way to study religion is from the inside. Is there a Zen or other Buddhist Center in your town? A Hindu temple? A mosque? Our kids (also homeschooled) visited all, struck up relationships with folks at each. And the three of us also played south Indian music, which meant we got to go to Hindu music festivals. (On the west coast, and in some other major cities, they are common, and open to all.) Also, in the northwest, it is possible with some effort to link up with local Indian (native) Shaker churches, and traditional practices.</p>

<p>And I agree about travel. What one sees here is very pale compared to the practices of the various religions in the lands in which they are dominant.</p>

<p>(I just came home from an event my younger d. - 14 - helped organize. A visit from the family living in Gaza whose home was bulldozed by the Israelis with one of our local youth killed in the process. An interreligious event, with participation from the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities (and organized mostly by we Quakers, which is pretty standard practice in our town. D. is neither Muslim nor Jewish nor an adult, but has sat in on an adult Muslim-Jewish dialogue group here.)</p>

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<p>so far...that is pretty much what we have been either doing or thinking. </p>

<p>As far as reading, wow...he does alot of that!! He is out of town right now, but I will pass on the suggestions for reading and I am sure he will appreciated them.</p>

<p>For Travel, he really wants to travel, but our funds are very tight...so a family trip is not in the cards. He is planning on doing a rotary club exchange, possibly more than once. He is also looking for any other types of trips that he could do as a student. He would be looking for ones focused on religion and history and hopefully we can find something.</p>

<p>We are moving to Colorado Springs in the next couple of weeks and I understand that the buddhist population there is well established. He plans on studying at several of the buddhist centers there. I am not sure about Hinduism, but I know that Islam is well represented in Denver, so we can go there if nothing is available in Colorado Springs. He is also going to contact a local Rabbi. </p>

<p>He wanted to study here with local religious leaders, but with us moving so soon, we put that on the back burner...so now he will be doing that.</p>

<p>Studying art and architecture is a good idea. I love art history (just for fun), but i hadn't thought to encourage him in that because of the connection. I am thinking that history (all ages and cultures) along with other humanities (sociology, archeology, geography, etc) would be a good accompaniment to the study of religion.</p>

<p>We will look into what is available in our area when we get moved. I am hoping there is some type of interfaith council he could become involved with. I am also encouraging him to write essays on the topics that interest him along with study with religious leaders.</p>

<p>Thanks for the ideas, if you have any others...let me know.</p>

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<p>Huston Smith - the Religions of Man - fabulous entre into the study of comparitive religions.</p>

<p>He taught in the philosophy department at MIT, then held a named chair at Syracuse University in the Religion department. Retired and moved back to Berkeley, has since written two books and done a TV show on comparative religion. In the Religions of Man, he makes a distinction between the exoteric tradition in each religion - specific tenets and dogma, grounded in the culture of the traditions's founding, versus the esoteric tradition - "truth is one, sages call it various names." A key concept and an excellent book. Marvelous man, I was fortunate to be able to study with him for two years. </p>

<p>Find some texts that provide alternative points of view about the problem of evil - central axis of the philosophy of religion, right after "what is God?" - a fundamental question - "if God is Good, why is there evil?" The quest for a definitive answer may last a lifetime.</p>

<p>Kinesthetic learning - take him to Sufi dances, Vedic chants, Zen centers, etc. The "affective character" of a religion is revealed only when combining practices with philosophy and theology. He can try them on for "fit" and discover his own "live option" (William James).</p>

<p>And Carlos Casteneda, let' s not forget the Don Juan books.</p>

<p>IMO - combine the philosophy of religion, as well as metaphysics (philosophical rather than New Age meaning of the term) and ontology, with study of specific religions. Otherwise, the study of religion becomes more of an anthropological study (e.g. "thou shall not hitch an ox and and ass together to plow." - let's just accept that one as primarily cultural, and not twist ourselves into a pretzel looking into a possible deep metaphorical significance - you can waste several lifetimes trying to infer 100% internal consistency in any religious tradition.)</p>

<p>If you are open to the possibility reincarnation, the fact that your son is starting a spiritual search early in life is thought to be a sure sign of an old soul. Enjoy the ride!</p>

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<p>As an idea on the religion/art history link it's fun to take a building or a work or art inspired by a specific religion and compare it to another from another religion. For example, my son wrote a major paper in high school comparing Chartres (Catholic/Christian) with Borobudur Temple (Buddhist). He learned heaps about the individual religions by studying the architecture (design and end use), and this historical and cultural context. If you could choose two works or buildings that you're able to visit, that's even better, but not absolutely necessary.</p>

<p>Based in Colorado you would certainly have handson access to the Western Native American cultures -- a wealth of religion focused material there. I'd also encourage him to study the Church of Latter Day Saints with a visit to Salt Lake as a "field trip." This is one of the fastest growing religions in America (and surprisingly in Asia as well). Another fascinating topic is the popularity of last days apocalypse-based religions. If he's read any of the Left Behind series he may be interested in the following book. Marks Of The Beast: The Left Behind Novels And The Struggle For Evangelical Identity by Glenn W. Shuck</p>

<p>Please understand, I'm not proselytizing or criticizing any of these religions. Like your son, I just find it a very interesting topic.</p>

<p>As far as visiting Asia:
This is the website of a program in Shanghai that my son almost attended. (He was signed up, but then SARS happened.) The program administrators were quite communicative and I understand that scholarship money is also available. Because it's structured, it's especially good for high school age kids. <a href="http://www.foundationprograms.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.foundationprograms.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>China is a wonderful country for travel and study, but not the one that I would choose specifically for religion, unless your area of interest is repression thereof. I'd say that almost any other Asian country would offer more exposure to the way people worship and how their beliefs have shaped their societies. Indonesia, including Bali, as I mentioned is a goldmine for anthropology and religion. Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Viet Nam are especially good for Buddhism.</p>

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<p>since he's just beginning hs, he might want to look into studying Latin or Greek for languages. They could be very helpful in learning about ancient faith traditions.</p>

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<p>HSmomstef, it's really not too early for your son to begin to create a college list. Listening to your description of him and his interests, I suggest you have him consider Georgetown University. It has amazing resources for students interested in religion (of all faiths) and philosophy as well as history, art, and regional comparative studies. The students there are like your son, very interested in other cultures, and they approach their studies with open minds. Take a look at their web site. It might inspire a few directions for study while he finishes up his high school work as well. Best of luck.</p>

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<p>Also, studying the Reformation, the Druids, the melding of Christianty and ancient religions, as in Ireland.</p>

<p>My D goes to a Jesuit Prep School. The way Jesuits approach learning is wonderful. Very open. And the philoshophy of teaching the whole student, and opening their minds is great.</p>

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<p>citygirlsmom, I agree wholeheartedly with you. As you probably know, Georgetown is a Jesuit school. They have a great approach.</p>