Religious Education (Catholic) 35 – Page 2

RS 25/35: Remember the Titans Assignment

Introduction:

Read Unequal Access: Canadian Race Relations

Canadians tend to think that racism is more prevalent in the United States, but not so much in Canada. The above report seems to say otherwise.

Questions: (answer three of the following)

What is your reaction to the above information? Did anything surprise you? If so, what? If not, why not? Do you agree with the information presented in the report? Take a position on the report (believability, reliability, etc) and provide support for your position from your experiences or research. If you do not deem these statistics convincing and valid, then what other explanation is there besides racism that might explain the information provided in the report?
Read Galatians 3:26 – 28 and Matthew 20:1-16. You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you. Explain what implications these texts have regarding racism. Explain how the statistics reported in the above article Canadian Race Relations might change if these scripture texts were taken seriously.
What can the story of the 1971 Titans teach us about our world today, especially in relation to race relations in the wake of 9/11 or even more recently the ISIS (ISIL) threat? Since the events of 2001, does our country treat Muslims according to Christians values? Read the article CBC Discrimination poll to find out how Muslims are treated in Canada.
Gerry Bertier tells Julius in the hospital after being in a car accident, “I was afraid of you, Julius. I don’t understand what I was afraid of. Now I only know I was only hating my brother.“ Does prejudice stem from fear? Explain your response providing evidence. Is racism and/or prejudice and/or bigotry a learned behavior? Explain your response providing evidence from personal experience or from research. Here is an interesting article (Children learn attitudes about race at home) about racism as a learned behaviour.
At the beginning of the film, before training camp, we hear the line; “He’s just another blessed child in God’s loving family.” At the end of the film, we are told to “Trust the soul of a man, not his look.” Both of these are good sentiments, if they are spoken with sincerity. However, in the film, the first is spoken sarcastically. Even though it is spoken using sarcasm, is this a truth according to Galatians 3:26 – 28 and Romans 8:14? You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you find out. What exactly does, “Trust the soul of a man, not his look”, mean? Explain.

The rubric titled Movie Study Assignment Rubric located on the pages at the left will be used to grade this assignment.

RS 35: Views on Death

Death is terrifying because it is so ordinary. It happens all the time —-Susan Cheever

Know one knows whether death, which people fear to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. —-Plato (BC 427-BC 347) Greek philosopher.

[One] time he was asked if he believed in an afterlife. After a oment’s hesitation he said no, that he thought there was only “some kind of velvety cool blackness,” adding then: “Of course, I admit I may be wrong. It is conceivable that I might well be reborn as a Chinese coolie. In such case I should lodge a protest.” —Sir Winston Churchill, former British PM

“The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes outof it anew it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal.” It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again. Nothing is dead; men feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals…and there they stand looking out of the window, sound and well, in some strange new disguise.” ––Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I look upon death to be as necessary to the constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.” ––Benjamin Franklin

Which of the above quotes best describes what you think about death? Clearly explain the reasons for your choice. If you strongly feel that none of the above quotes best describes what you think about death, then find a quote that you do and share it with us along with your explanations.

RS 35: What is life all about?

Be inspired with the belief that life is a great and noble calling; not a mean and groveling thing that we are to shuffle through as we can, but an elevated and lofty destiny. —William E. Gladstone

Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you. –—Wally Amos

The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work. —Oprah Winfrey

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. — Anonymous

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. —Gandhi

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. —Albert Einstein

Which of the above quotes best describes what life is all about in your view? Clearly explain the reasons for your choice. If you strongly feel that none of the above quotes best describes what you think life is all about, then find a quote that you do and share it with us along with your explanations.

RS 35: What is Love?

“To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you’re getting this down.” —– Woody Allen

If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction. —– Emma Goldman

Real love is not a feeling; love is an act of the will. Love takes over when feelings fail, when the beloved is not longer even likeable. As with any act of freedom, love includes a commitment to the other, a sacrifice of freedom. —– William J. O’Malley

Which of the above quotes best describes what love is in your view? Clearly explain the reasons for your choice. If you strongly feel that none of the above quotes best describes what you think about love, then find a quote that you do and share it with us along with your explanations.

RS 25/35 Reflection: Is Racism a Social Justice Issue in Canada?

Is racism a problem in Canada? We as Canadians like to see ourselves as a tolerant, multicultural society, but are we. Read at least three of these articles and you decide.

Racism on the Canadian Prairies

Survey on Racism (2015)

Canadians can’t be smug about racism

Hate Crimes

Views of Aboriginals Worsening

Anti-Racism Protest

Reflection Question:

Explain how racism is different from discrimination or prejudice? Based on the news articles you’ve read, is racism a problem in Canada? Support your opinion from evidence from at least one of the articles. Is racism a problem in Vermilion? Clearly explain why or why not using examples from your experiences or knowledge.

RS 25/35: Remember the Titans Background Info for Assignment

For some information regarding the story of the Titans and the historical accuracy behind it, see Remember the Titans. For some information about T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Read the History section and Football and Remember the Titans section. This will help give your some insight into what was happening in the 1970s regarding integration and race relations.

The assignment is located among the pages at the left. Look for Remember the Titans Assignment

RS 35: Tuesdays With Morrie Assignment

Directions: Answer all three questions. The rubric used to grade this assignment is called Movie Study Assignment Rubric.

(Question #1) Morrie quotes from W.H. Auden more than once when he says. “We must love one another or die”. What does the poet Auden mean by this? Perhaps reading the entire poem, September 1, 1939, will help answer this. As you know, not all love is the same. For example, is love for your pet the same a true love between a husband and wife? To help you understand this, read what the Greeks say about love. Now using these two sources, explain what Auden meant by, “We must love one another or die”.

(Question #2) Morrie and Mitch have the following dialogue concerning life.

———————————————————————————————————————-

Morrie: “…It is what I call ‘the tension of opposites’. Life pulling you back and forth like a rubber band. Pull one way cause this is what you want to do, the pull another way cause you think that is what you have to do.”

Mitch: “It sounds like a wrestling match.”

Morrie: “You could describe life that way.”

Mitch: “So who wins?”

Morrie: “Love! Love always wins. You don’t believe that?”

Mitch: “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t. Have you looked at the news lately. We’re not exactly racking up the gold medals out there.”

Morrie: “Maybe the game isn’t over yet.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— (Question #2) What does Morrie mean when he says, “Love always wins”? Is this true? Justify your response. What does the first letter of Paul to the 1 Corinthians 13:4-14 say love is? Could this be what Morrie means? Why or why not? You can use Oremus Bible Browser to help you find out.

(Question #3) Morrie says, “Death ends a life, not a relationship!” What does this mean? Was Morrie suggesting he believed in an afterlife? What do Christians believe about the afterlife? Click on the article, Thirty-five FAQs About Eternity to help you answer this? Be sure to fully explain yourself.

RS 35: Tuesday With Morrie Reflection

Choose one of the following questions and answer it. The page on the right hand side called Reflection Rubric will be used to grade your reflection.

1) Morrie says to Mitch regarding his imminent death, “I’m a lucky man. I still have time to learn. I still have time to say goodbye. Time to teach my final course about living. When you know how to die, you know how to live”. What do you think Morrie means when he says, “When you know how to die, you know how to live” ? Summarize in a short paragraph what Buddhist Philosophy (which is what Morrie is referring to) what it really means. To find out, read the article called Love the little Bird on your Shoulder.

2) Mitch asks Morrie, “Do you ever wish you were young?” Morrie provides an interesting response to this question. He says, “Nah. I’ve been young. I know how miserable it can be being young. Aging isn’t decay, you know. Its growth! This culture worship’s youth.” Do you agree with Morrie that our culture worships youth? Why is this so? Read the article Why do We Idolize Youth? to find out a possible answer. Do you agree with the article ? Why or why not?

Tuesdays with Morrie is a true story. These are the real people.

Reflection Rubric

RS 35 Reflection Question: Does Religion Benefit You?

Directions: Answer ALL of questions below. The Reflection Rubric will be used to access this reflection. When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.

1) Read the following three articles. The articles are The Benefits of Church, Health Benefits of Religion, and Spirituality & prayer relieve stress. Tell me your reaction to these articles. Are we better human beings when we are partaking in religious or spiritual practices? Defend your view. Remember, your opinion has no credibility unless it is supported with concrete facts or examples from the articles and/or other sources.

2) Read the article Is the Internet Bad for Religion? Do you agree that the internet is to blame for the decline in the number of people associating with a religious or spiritual practice? Why or why not? Remember, your opinion has no credibility unless it is supported with concrete facts or examples from the article and/or other sources.

How do you Cite Resources Properly?

Here is a cool website called Citation Machine. You can use this website to cite resources correctly. It doesn’t matter whether you use a website, book, or any other resource.

Here is its mission:

Citation machine helps students and professional researchers to properly credit the information that they use. Its primary goal is to make it so easy for student researchers to cite their information sources, that there is virtually no reason not to — because…

How to Use:

To use, click on APA and then hit “submit”.
Select what type of resource you used (print or non-print).
Put in the required information, then click “submit”.
Then copy and paste the corrected cited resource.