EDRE300 PRESENTATION

Laura Mathieson

Religion & Society

Aims
Understand the interplay between dimensions of faith and of society.
Reflect on the capacity of a religious tradition to make meaning of
significant life experiences both of individuals and as a collective
experience.
Analyse the importance of religion in conversations about cultural,
political, social and ethical issues

Structure
Unit 1: Religion in Society
Unit 2: Ethics and morality
Unit 3: The search for meaning
Unit 4: Challenge and response

Unit 2: Ethics and Morality

Aims
Understand the interplay between dimensions of faith and of society.
Reflect on the capacity of a religious tradition to make meaning of
significant life experiences both of individuals and as a collective
experience.
Analyse the importance of religion in conversations about cultural,
political, social and ethical issues

Structure
AOS 1: Ethical methods in pluralist society
AOS 2: Religion and morality in pluralist society
AOS 3: Contemporary ethical issues in pluralist society

Area of Study 3
Outcome 3: On completion of this unit the student should be able to
analyse and evaluate two or more debates on contemporary
ethical issues in pluralist society.

Why is the issue considered to be an ethical issue?

Who contributes to these debates?
How and why do these perspectives hold such influence?
Where are these perspectives derived from?
What are the methods involved in the ethical decision-making
process?

Teacher Background for Unit

In order to be able to successfully teach this unit teachers need:
Sound and detailed understanding of the factors that influence
ethical decision making.
Expansive understanding of the variety of approaches to ethical
decision-making, including theories that arise from these.
Have a sound grasp on ones own ethical decision-making processes
and the reasonings as to why something is seen as right versus
wrong
A detailed understanding of the opinions of two debates on
contemporary ethical issues in pluralist society.

Teacher Background for Lesson

In order to teach this lesson successfully teachers need:
A strong understanding of the ethical teachings of the Catholic Church
based on scripture readings
Knowledge of the Catholic Churchs teachings on the treatment of
refugees including scriptural evidence
Detailed insight into students cultural backgrounds to make sure lesson
content takes students wellbeing into consideration
An awareness of ones own ethical decision making practice and the
ability to create lessons that are not biased by this

Learning & Teaching Strategy

Lesson Outline:
Students are to discuss their insights into the two images
*These questions can be asked for each image to see the difference in
student perspective or they can be asked after showing students both images
Discuss these images
How are they similar?
What is this image representing?
Do both images represent the same things? Why/Why not?
Do they both display contemporary issues? Why/Why not?
Students are to complete the Refugees Scriptural passage activity.

What do you see?

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://activemindbodyandsoul.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Moses_Bible_Exodus_37880447.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.hissongevangelism.org/blog/blog/His%2520Song/6-Taking%2520Another%2520Lap%2520Around
%2520the%2520Desert/&h=1688&w=3000&tbnid=JwfSexeXpDxH1M:&docid=eoJRTLXXSrnVoM&ei=Jw4oVqK4GaK7mwXGorj4Aw&tbm=isch&ved=0CB0QMygCMAJqFQoTCOLn44_L1MgCFaLdpgodRhEOPw

What do you see?

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kxu9AOzv7NA/U-x5QzIb-FI/AAAAAAAAgiA/OVW25kl_9P8/s1600/YazidisFleeingAugust112014ReutersViaTimeMag.jpg&imgrefurl=http://impeachobamatoday.blogspot.com/2014/08/usgovernment-now-says-wont-evacuate.html&h=808&w=1200&tbnid=sJd-CR6hYlWzaM:&docid=CdjzLK6Q3D2JWM&ei=AQ4oVsb4OcXTmgXl7KeoBA&tbm=isch&ved=0CB4QMygDMANqFQoTCIb99P3K1MgCFcWppgodZfYJRQ

Refugees
Scriptural Passages Activity
Interpret the message of the passage / quote. What is it saying about the way we should treat
refugees, asylum seekers / aliens / strangers? Talk about the use of these ancient words.

Scriptural Passage
Exodus 23: 9
You must not oppress the stranger; you
know how a stranger feels, for you lived
as strangers in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19: 32-34

If a stranger lives with you in your land,
do not mistreat him. You must count
him as one of your own countrymen and
love him as yourselffor you were once
strangers yourselves in Egypt. I am
Yahweh your God.
Deuteronomy 27.19:
Cursed be anyone who deprives the
alien, the orphan, and the widow of
justice.

Jeremiah 22: 3-4

Yahweh says this: Practise honesty and
integrity; rescue the man who has been
wronged from the hands of his
oppressor; do not exploit the stranger,
the orphan, the widow; do no violence,
shed no innocent blood in this place.
Zechariah 7: 8-11
(The word of Yahweh was addressed to
Zechariah as follows:) He said: Apply
the law fairly, and practice kindness and
compassion toward each other. Do not
oppress the widow and the orphan, the
settler and the poor man, and do not
secretly plan evil against one another.
Matthew 25: 35-40
For I was hungry and you gave me
food; I was thirsty and you gave me
drink; I was a stranger and you made
me welcome; naked and you clothed
me; sick and you visited me; in prison
and you came to see me. I tell you
solemnly, in so far as you did this to one
of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did it to me.

Relevant Message regarding treatment of

Refugees or Asylum Seekers

Students are asked to

complete this worksheet in
order to grasp the
connections between the
contemporary ethical issue
of the treatment of
refugees.

Through exploring
scriptural passages
students gain an
understanding of how the
Catholic teachings express
their beliefs on this issue.
Similar worksheets could
be developed for any
religious tradition. Students
could also keep one
regarding their own views
on the issue and think of
reasoning's/evidence
throughout their lives that
have caused them to feel
this way.

Teaching Resources
This lesson can also be taught using videos to compare the story of Moses and the
stories of contemporary refugees. The following clips could be used to do this

The Lego Story of Moses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jru1APaZlKY

Teacher Resources

Amnesty International - The Truth About Refugees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wYyuMJ1a-A

Teacher Resources
Bohr, D 1999, Catholic Moral Tradition Revised, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing
Division, Indiana.
Christiansen, D. (1996). Movement, asylum, borders: Christian perspectives.
International Migration Review, 7-17.
Engebretson, K. (2014). Catholic Schools and the Future of the Church.
Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Woodward, J. M. (2009). " Welcoming the Stranger": A dialogue between
Scriptural understandings of and Catholic Church policies towards migrants and
refugees and pastoral praxis in the migrant and refugee pastoral care bodies
within the Archdiocese of Perth.