Keywords

Interfaith, Leadership, Ethics, Design, Religious Education

Description

This course will enable Religious Education to embrace the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University more fully. This course serves as a foundational introduction for students to discover the nature of interfaith work. Students who fully embrace Brigham Young University’s expansive motto “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve” are vocationally responsible to bring good into reach for themselves, their families, their communities, their Church, and above all and undergirding all, the world. In this endeavor, students must and will engage with individuals who hold deep convictions of religious faith and affiliation, agnosticism, atheism, and much more. Students who leave this university will be well served, regardless of major or profession, by a core set of principles and practices that can be employed to better engage in the world around them. This course is established to instill within students ready means that answer the demand for application of principles in Religious Education courses. Students who participate in this course will develop skills that can be applied now and in the future.

The imperative for skills of negotiation, cooperation, and a generosity of spirit that are noticeably absent from much of society today can be addressed by introducing students to interfaith practices and methods. Students who engage in positive relationships with those of other faiths as undergraduates experience a profound shift in attitude toward other religions and the communities that comprise them. Students who have positive experiences with dialogue, rather than debate, develop more favorable views of the good that other religions offer society. As part of this process, they also see methods and examples of civic cooperation, religious devotion, and faith-filled service that simply is not experienced in other settings.