World Religions
We choose programs from national resources as well as homegrown ideas that best fit our goals and engage our children. Our classes are offered simultaneous to the adult service starting at 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Our age groups are:
Nursery
The T.Berry Brazelton Infant Cuddle Room has rocking chairs and infant toys, and is connected to the sanctuary with a pulpit speaker and window. Parents and infants/ toddlers may stay together and hear the sermon
Preschool
For ages 2-5 years. “Chalice Children” — Learning about being in a UU community through fingerplays, sharing circle games, and songs.
K-2nd
“Picture Book World Religions” – Katie, our DRE, has written a curriculum for the K-2nd grade called “Picture Book World Religions.” The class will be focused around beautiful picture books that introduce the primary age children to simple concepts in Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. The picture books used will include “Savriti,” (Hinduism) by Aaron Shephard, “Zen Shorts” (Buddhism) by Jon Muth, and “The Hundredth Name” (Islam).
3rd-5th
“Holidays and Holy Days” – Each Sunday, the class will hold a celebration from a different tradition. It might be a Passover Haggadah, St. Patrick’s Day, Huichol Indian Day, Ash Wednesday, Susan B. Anthony Day or No Ruz. Each celebration has something for us to learn from and give us insights into ourselves as well as those who celebrate these days.
Our goal for the World Religions Semester:
To help our children
Understand that all peoples everywhere
have wondered about the big questions of
life and tried to find meaning.
To help our children be informed decision
makers and know about the variety of
religious experiences and customs so that
they may find their own path to
spirituality.
The Universal Rule:
From Confucianism
Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.
From Islam
None of you is a believer until you love for your neighbor what you love for yourself.
From Buddhism
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
From Hinduism
This is the sum of all duty: do nothing to others that, if it were done to you, would cause you pain.
From Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to others.
From Christianity
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
From Taoism
Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.
From Unitarian Universalism
Treat each person with kindness and compassion.