The document discusses the historical role of Christianity in promoting education and sharing of knowledge. It notes that Christianity helped democratize knowledge by translating the Bible and other texts into local languages and establishing schools. This opened up education beyond the elite. However, over time Christian schools lost their focus on values and came to mirror mainstream exclusionary practices. The RTE Act is seen as another opportunity to continue Christianity's pioneering role in promoting inclusion and universal access to education.
This document provides an introduction to a book titled "Interrogating Islam: Questions and Answers on Islam". It discusses the importance of guiding people to worship God alone according to Islamic teachings. It notes that religious scholars carry on the work of prophets by spreading Islamic teachings, with each using methods suited to their abilities and missions. Some newcomers to Saudi Arabia had questions about Islam after being influenced by their prior cultural and religious backgrounds. This book aims to provide satisfactory answers to doubts and clear up misconceptions through scholarly efforts and dialogue. It identifies two issues - cultural background and views of freedom - that often lead to problematic questions, and argues they must be examined based on truth and evidence rather than preconceived notions.
Historical development of education and pedagogySebastianPrez17
Naturally, one of the humans’ principal needs is the knowledge requirement, then from the beginning of the ages the human has looked for the way to know, therefore, in every society throughout history, however primitive it is, There has always been present the education.
Right from the beginning, education was assigned the status of an art – the art of teaching, of leading children to knowledge. The profession of educator first emerged in Ancient Greece. Back then, the role of educator was performed by slaves.
At the end of the 19th century, the development of such scientific fields as sociology and psychology is accompanied by the emergence of pedagogy as an applied science. Nowadays, pedagogy is treated as a science with the understanding that its ultimate objective, as in the other cases, is not so much to describe or explain but instead to guide the process of teaching and learning. It is as a discipline geared towards the practical application of acquired knowledge.
Thus, the history of pedagogy is the history of pedagogues, as Jean Houssaye put it, Jean Piaget, John Locke, practitioners and theorists of the instructional process, whose practical skills employed in the educational process are more important than theoretical concepts, and vice versa.
This document discusses the history and development of education from ancient civilizations to modern times. It covers major educational philosophies and movements including formal, non-formal, and informal education. Key figures and their contributions are mentioned, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pestalozzi, Dewey, and Montessori. Major milestones in Philippine education are also outlined, like the Education Act of 1982, Magna Carta for Teachers, and establishment of public libraries. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of educational thought and systems over time.
The document discusses how Jesus Christ has had the greatest impact and influence of any person in history. It summarizes that Jesus transformed humanity by establishing the calendar, inspiring acts of charity and humanitarianism, abolishing practices like slavery and human sacrifice, and pioneering modern education, science, and healthcare. The entire development of Western civilization traces its roots to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The golden age of patristic literature occurred during the 4th and 5th centuries. This period produced many talented writers who addressed heresies such as Arianism and developed Christian doctrine. The establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire created a peaceful environment for scholarly works. Major figures from this era include St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzenus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine. They wrote on many theological topics in a classical style and sought to integrate philosophy with Christian faith.
Education involves facilitating learning and acquiring knowledge, skills, and habits through both formal and informal means. Formal education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and college/university. A right to education has been recognized in many places. Education aims to teach both practical skills and social values from one generation to the next.
This document provides an overview of the religious and social conditions in the 6th century Middle East prior to the prophethood of Muhammad. It describes how the major world religions had become distorted from their original teachings, with Christianity embracing idolatry, Judaism reduced to rituals, Zoroastrianism following dualistic beliefs, and Buddhism and Hinduism immersed in idol worship. Socially, the Byzantine and Persian Empires oppressed their populations through excessive taxes and unjust treatment. Religious conflict was also widespread.
The document discusses the history and growth of Christianity in Africa, South America, Asia, and other parts of the world. It notes that Christianity was initially spread through western missionaries establishing schools and hospitals and empowering local leaders. Over time, indigenous churches formed and experienced rapid growth as leadership transitioned fully to local people. The sequence often involved an initial planting of seeds, a period of local training and education, a crisis that forced transition to local control, and then tremendous expansion under indigenous leadership. Key factors in various regions included engagement with local cultures, education/healthcare, empowering local people, and addressing the needs of both the poor and elite.
This document provides an introduction to a book titled "Interrogating Islam: Questions and Answers on Islam". It discusses the importance of guiding people to worship God alone according to Islamic teachings. It notes that religious scholars carry on the work of prophets by spreading Islamic teachings, with each using methods suited to their abilities and missions. Some newcomers to Saudi Arabia had questions about Islam after being influenced by their prior cultural and religious backgrounds. This book aims to provide satisfactory answers to doubts and clear up misconceptions through scholarly efforts and dialogue. It identifies two issues - cultural background and views of freedom - that often lead to problematic questions, and argues they must be examined based on truth and evidence rather than preconceived notions.
Historical development of education and pedagogySebastianPrez17
Naturally, one of the humans’ principal needs is the knowledge requirement, then from the beginning of the ages the human has looked for the way to know, therefore, in every society throughout history, however primitive it is, There has always been present the education.
Right from the beginning, education was assigned the status of an art – the art of teaching, of leading children to knowledge. The profession of educator first emerged in Ancient Greece. Back then, the role of educator was performed by slaves.
At the end of the 19th century, the development of such scientific fields as sociology and psychology is accompanied by the emergence of pedagogy as an applied science. Nowadays, pedagogy is treated as a science with the understanding that its ultimate objective, as in the other cases, is not so much to describe or explain but instead to guide the process of teaching and learning. It is as a discipline geared towards the practical application of acquired knowledge.
Thus, the history of pedagogy is the history of pedagogues, as Jean Houssaye put it, Jean Piaget, John Locke, practitioners and theorists of the instructional process, whose practical skills employed in the educational process are more important than theoretical concepts, and vice versa.
This document discusses the history and development of education from ancient civilizations to modern times. It covers major educational philosophies and movements including formal, non-formal, and informal education. Key figures and their contributions are mentioned, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pestalozzi, Dewey, and Montessori. Major milestones in Philippine education are also outlined, like the Education Act of 1982, Magna Carta for Teachers, and establishment of public libraries. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of educational thought and systems over time.
The document discusses how Jesus Christ has had the greatest impact and influence of any person in history. It summarizes that Jesus transformed humanity by establishing the calendar, inspiring acts of charity and humanitarianism, abolishing practices like slavery and human sacrifice, and pioneering modern education, science, and healthcare. The entire development of Western civilization traces its roots to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The golden age of patristic literature occurred during the 4th and 5th centuries. This period produced many talented writers who addressed heresies such as Arianism and developed Christian doctrine. The establishment of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire created a peaceful environment for scholarly works. Major figures from this era include St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzenus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine. They wrote on many theological topics in a classical style and sought to integrate philosophy with Christian faith.
Education involves facilitating learning and acquiring knowledge, skills, and habits through both formal and informal means. Formal education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and college/university. A right to education has been recognized in many places. Education aims to teach both practical skills and social values from one generation to the next.
This document provides an overview of the religious and social conditions in the 6th century Middle East prior to the prophethood of Muhammad. It describes how the major world religions had become distorted from their original teachings, with Christianity embracing idolatry, Judaism reduced to rituals, Zoroastrianism following dualistic beliefs, and Buddhism and Hinduism immersed in idol worship. Socially, the Byzantine and Persian Empires oppressed their populations through excessive taxes and unjust treatment. Religious conflict was also widespread.
The document discusses the history and growth of Christianity in Africa, South America, Asia, and other parts of the world. It notes that Christianity was initially spread through western missionaries establishing schools and hospitals and empowering local leaders. Over time, indigenous churches formed and experienced rapid growth as leadership transitioned fully to local people. The sequence often involved an initial planting of seeds, a period of local training and education, a crisis that forced transition to local control, and then tremendous expansion under indigenous leadership. Key factors in various regions included engagement with local cultures, education/healthcare, empowering local people, and addressing the needs of both the poor and elite.
PhD Students in Educational Leadership at Prairie View A&M University/Member of the Texas A&M University System
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Professor & Faculty Mentor,
PVAMU - The Texas A&M University System
Scott holds that a remarkable correspondence exists between the procedure established by those institutions and the methods of the present day. They had their collegiate courses, their prizes for proficiency in scholarship, their oratorical and poetical contests, their commencements and their degrees. In the department of medicine, a severe and prolonged examination, conducted by the most eminent physicians of the capital, was exacted of all candidates desirous of practicing their profession, and such as were unable to stand the test were formally pronounced incompetent.citation needed.
The document discusses different ways that religion is communicated, including evangelism, music, literature, and websites. It also covers the portrayal of religion in media, noting that coverage depends on a country's press freedom policies and can show religious practices or cultural traditions, though bias may occur in how events are portrayed between religious groups.
Medieval Christianity had a profound influence on everyday life. The Church organized people's lives from birth through death, requiring rituals like baptism, Christian marriage, and funeral. It also regulated working hours and holidays. As a result, the Church had immense social power. Christians had religious duties to obtain salvation, such as weekly confession and communion. Politically, bishops advised kings while the Pope governed the Papal States. The Church also wielded significant economic power through tithes and ownership of lands worked by peasants. Overall, Christianity dominated medieval European society.
The document provides an overview of the Church in Asia, highlighting several key points:
1) Christianity has a long history in Asia dating back to the 1st century, but Asian churches still struggle with perceptions of being foreign imports from the West.
2) Asian Catholics represent a small minority, about 2.4% of the population, living within multi-religious societies.
3) Dependencies remain on Western "mother churches" for funding and direction, posing obstacles for inculturation and relations with other faiths.
4) Inculturation of theology, liturgy, and formation is important for Asian Christianity to take root, though must be guided by gospel compatibility.
This document provides information about a semester assignment, term test, recurring assignment problems, and themes related to missions and the humanitarian movement in the Cape Colony. It can be summarized as follows:
1) Students are required to complete a 4000-word semester assignment on assigned topics related to themes in Cape Colony history. They must sign up for a topic in the next term and submit the assignment by May.
2) A term test will be held on March 12 covering all material from weeks 1-5, consisting of 3 questions with 2 to be answered in 90 minutes.
3) Common problems with assignments include plagiarism, referencing issues, poor argument structure, lack of historical specificity and chronology
The document summarizes the religions of ancient Rome, including the original Roman religion, foreign mystery religions, Judaism, early Christianity, and the roles of key figures like Jesus and St. Paul. The original Roman religion was based on Greek deities but became less popular as mystery religions and new belief systems emerged. Mystery religions like Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, and Cybele offered salvation and community to the masses. While Judaism and early Christianity faced persecution for refusing to worship emperors as gods, mystery religions were tolerated if they added to Roman society.
Jesus lived in Palestine during the Roman occupation. Politically, he advocated for justice and equality, though did not directly involve himself in politics. He challenged the Jewish religious leaders and their interpretation of scripture. The main religious groups at the time were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. The Roman Empire controlled the region and their occupation led to unrest and rebellions that resulted in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.
First published on 2nd August 2005 in Buzzle
Excerpt:
With the Exodus dated at the times of Merenptah, Akhenaton antedates Moses by approximately 120 years; we can safely claim that the great grandfather of Moses lived at the times of Akhenaton. There is an ostensible continuation of ideas, ideological and philosophical, theological and literary approaches, with plenty of social - historical events ensuing from one another. The 'white terror' of the restored Amun Theban polytheism, as practiced by rulers imposed/controlled by or expressing the Theban priesthood, namely Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, Seti I and Ramses II, was detrimental for the early monotheistic party of Egypt and their adepts and followers, during the entire period between the collapse of Akhenaton's Amarna Monotheism and the Exodus. Under Moses, many Egyptians left their country along with the Hebrews. So, we can safely claim that without Akhenaton there would be no Moses – either this pleases Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians or not.
The document discusses several key events and developments in the early Christian church between the 1st and 5th centuries CE. It notes that Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 legalizing Christianity. The Council of Nicaea in 325 established the Nicene Creed rejecting Arian beliefs. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 defined that Jesus had two natures, divine and human. Heresies like Arianism, Gnosticism and others threatened the church, but early church fathers and theologians like Athanasius defended orthodox Christianity. Monasticism also grew as some Christians sought ascetic lifestyles in response to the church's growing worldliness.
Christianity originated in the Roman Empire and gradually became the dominant religion. It began spreading rapidly in the 1st century AD and was eventually adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 395 AD. As the Roman Empire fell, the Christian church took on many of its roles and became the central institution of Western civilization for the next 1,000 years.
A Christian (Adventist) Attempt to Integrate Faith and Historyniwres
The document discusses strategies for integrating faith and history in teaching and scholarship. It proposes developing a Christian worldview, confronting assumptions in the history discipline, studying revealed actions of God in history, allowing a Christian worldview to suggest topics and guide fact selection, applying Christian understandings of human nature and moral standards, and focusing on spiritual factors like the role of the Christian church. The goal is to examine history through insights from the Christian faith.
This document provides an overview of the history of Christian missions from the time of Constantine to the Middle Ages. It discusses several key missionaries who helped spread Christianity in Europe, including Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England in the 6th century which led to the conversion of King Ethelbert and many others. It also covers the work of missionaries like Columban in France, Willibrord in the Netherlands, and Boniface in Germany during the time of Charlemagne's empire. The document then discusses the spread of Christianity to Scandinavian countries through the efforts of missionaries like Anskar to Denmark and Sweden. By 1000 AD, Christianity had become the dominant religion in most of Europe.
Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean: Course DescriptionKate Findley
This is a course description I wrote for Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World, a course offered by The Great Courses. This course uses ancient texts and archaeological evidence to explore the religious cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the earliest indications of human religious practices during prehistoric times to the conversion of the Roman Empire.
This document provides an overview of the INT-460 Christianity & Culture course being taught by Dr. Stan Meyer. The course examines how Christianity has influenced and been influenced by culture over the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly in North America. It explores topics like premodernism, modernism, postmodernism, contextualizing the gospel message for different cultures, and how the church can engage culture. Students will analyze various "cultural texts" and learn to understand culture and interpret cultural trends from a Christian worldview. The class involves readings, writing assignments, and presentations but no tests or finals. The goal is to equip students to faithfully minister across cultural differences.
The Celts are a family of tribes which occupied large swathes of Europe
between 2000BC. and the second century who migrated and expanded as far
East as Asia even to China from archeological evidence, central Turkey and
as far West as Britain and Ireland their ‘empire’ taking in Spain, Germany,
Belguim, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungary, and Romania.
Much of our domestic, social, artistic, literary, and cultural rites, rituals, and
festivals can be traced right back to the ancient Celts. Many of our origins,
have been lost in the mists of time. Now the Lord is beginning to expose our
pagan roots and the way that they affect us.
Saints Cyril and Methodius, Co Patrons of EuropeMartin M Flynn
Cyril and Methodius were 9th century Byzantine brothers who were missionaries to the Slavic people. They are considered co-patrons of Europe for their work translating liturgical texts and the Bible into Old Church Slavonic, allowing the Slavs to worship in their own language. They faced opposition from German clergy for using Slavonic instead of Latin. After their deaths, their disciples continued their missionary work among Slavic people. Cyril and Methodius worked to bring the Slavic people into communion with Rome while preserving their culture and language.
The document discusses the key changes in religion, literature, art, and culture during the Renaissance period from the 15th to 16th centuries in Italy. Specifically, it summarizes that humanism emerged which focused on human beings and their ability to change their own lives through studying history, philosophy, anatomy and the literature and art of antiquity in Greek and Latin. Additionally, humanists were curious, multi-disciplinary scholars like Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas More who defended seeking truth through reason and experience rather than solely relying on religion. The printing press also helped spread humanist ideas to more people by making books cheaper and more widely available.
Judaism in the time of Jesus was complex with different groups holding varying beliefs and practices. The basic beliefs shared among groups included belief in one God, the covenant God made with Israel, and the Torah as the foundational law. The main groups were the Pharisees who emphasized strict observance of the purity code and oral tradition, the Sadducees who were more focused on the Temple practices, and the Essenes who lived separately and anticipated the Messiah. Overall, Judaism was still developing different interpretations on how to properly worship God and live as God's people.
This document provides an overview of cultural property and collections management. It discusses key topics like what cultural property is, the issues in managing it, and why professional collections management is important. It also outlines the main components of a collections management system, including cataloguing objects, associated information, and managing challenges like limited resources and digitization.
This document provides an overview of symbols in religion and culture and their impact on shaping mindsets and justifying oppression. It discusses how symbols are potent tools that can lift humanity or celebrate subjugation. While interest in religion and spirituality can be positive, dogma and oppression should not be justified by appeals to the past. Different scholars can interpret religious texts in vastly different ways to support different ideological positions. A responsible use of symbols is needed to promote inclusion and liberation rather than division. Going beyond limiting constructs of language and religion can help create a more just, dignified and equitable society.
PhD Students in Educational Leadership at Prairie View A&M University/Member of the Texas A&M University System
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Professor & Faculty Mentor,
PVAMU - The Texas A&M University System
Scott holds that a remarkable correspondence exists between the procedure established by those institutions and the methods of the present day. They had their collegiate courses, their prizes for proficiency in scholarship, their oratorical and poetical contests, their commencements and their degrees. In the department of medicine, a severe and prolonged examination, conducted by the most eminent physicians of the capital, was exacted of all candidates desirous of practicing their profession, and such as were unable to stand the test were formally pronounced incompetent.citation needed.
The document discusses different ways that religion is communicated, including evangelism, music, literature, and websites. It also covers the portrayal of religion in media, noting that coverage depends on a country's press freedom policies and can show religious practices or cultural traditions, though bias may occur in how events are portrayed between religious groups.
Medieval Christianity had a profound influence on everyday life. The Church organized people's lives from birth through death, requiring rituals like baptism, Christian marriage, and funeral. It also regulated working hours and holidays. As a result, the Church had immense social power. Christians had religious duties to obtain salvation, such as weekly confession and communion. Politically, bishops advised kings while the Pope governed the Papal States. The Church also wielded significant economic power through tithes and ownership of lands worked by peasants. Overall, Christianity dominated medieval European society.
The document provides an overview of the Church in Asia, highlighting several key points:
1) Christianity has a long history in Asia dating back to the 1st century, but Asian churches still struggle with perceptions of being foreign imports from the West.
2) Asian Catholics represent a small minority, about 2.4% of the population, living within multi-religious societies.
3) Dependencies remain on Western "mother churches" for funding and direction, posing obstacles for inculturation and relations with other faiths.
4) Inculturation of theology, liturgy, and formation is important for Asian Christianity to take root, though must be guided by gospel compatibility.
This document provides information about a semester assignment, term test, recurring assignment problems, and themes related to missions and the humanitarian movement in the Cape Colony. It can be summarized as follows:
1) Students are required to complete a 4000-word semester assignment on assigned topics related to themes in Cape Colony history. They must sign up for a topic in the next term and submit the assignment by May.
2) A term test will be held on March 12 covering all material from weeks 1-5, consisting of 3 questions with 2 to be answered in 90 minutes.
3) Common problems with assignments include plagiarism, referencing issues, poor argument structure, lack of historical specificity and chronology
The document summarizes the religions of ancient Rome, including the original Roman religion, foreign mystery religions, Judaism, early Christianity, and the roles of key figures like Jesus and St. Paul. The original Roman religion was based on Greek deities but became less popular as mystery religions and new belief systems emerged. Mystery religions like Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, and Cybele offered salvation and community to the masses. While Judaism and early Christianity faced persecution for refusing to worship emperors as gods, mystery religions were tolerated if they added to Roman society.
Jesus lived in Palestine during the Roman occupation. Politically, he advocated for justice and equality, though did not directly involve himself in politics. He challenged the Jewish religious leaders and their interpretation of scripture. The main religious groups at the time were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. The Roman Empire controlled the region and their occupation led to unrest and rebellions that resulted in the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.
First published on 2nd August 2005 in Buzzle
Excerpt:
With the Exodus dated at the times of Merenptah, Akhenaton antedates Moses by approximately 120 years; we can safely claim that the great grandfather of Moses lived at the times of Akhenaton. There is an ostensible continuation of ideas, ideological and philosophical, theological and literary approaches, with plenty of social - historical events ensuing from one another. The 'white terror' of the restored Amun Theban polytheism, as practiced by rulers imposed/controlled by or expressing the Theban priesthood, namely Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, Seti I and Ramses II, was detrimental for the early monotheistic party of Egypt and their adepts and followers, during the entire period between the collapse of Akhenaton's Amarna Monotheism and the Exodus. Under Moses, many Egyptians left their country along with the Hebrews. So, we can safely claim that without Akhenaton there would be no Moses – either this pleases Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians or not.
The document discusses several key events and developments in the early Christian church between the 1st and 5th centuries CE. It notes that Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 legalizing Christianity. The Council of Nicaea in 325 established the Nicene Creed rejecting Arian beliefs. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 defined that Jesus had two natures, divine and human. Heresies like Arianism, Gnosticism and others threatened the church, but early church fathers and theologians like Athanasius defended orthodox Christianity. Monasticism also grew as some Christians sought ascetic lifestyles in response to the church's growing worldliness.
Christianity originated in the Roman Empire and gradually became the dominant religion. It began spreading rapidly in the 1st century AD and was eventually adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 395 AD. As the Roman Empire fell, the Christian church took on many of its roles and became the central institution of Western civilization for the next 1,000 years.
A Christian (Adventist) Attempt to Integrate Faith and Historyniwres
The document discusses strategies for integrating faith and history in teaching and scholarship. It proposes developing a Christian worldview, confronting assumptions in the history discipline, studying revealed actions of God in history, allowing a Christian worldview to suggest topics and guide fact selection, applying Christian understandings of human nature and moral standards, and focusing on spiritual factors like the role of the Christian church. The goal is to examine history through insights from the Christian faith.
This document provides an overview of the history of Christian missions from the time of Constantine to the Middle Ages. It discusses several key missionaries who helped spread Christianity in Europe, including Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England in the 6th century which led to the conversion of King Ethelbert and many others. It also covers the work of missionaries like Columban in France, Willibrord in the Netherlands, and Boniface in Germany during the time of Charlemagne's empire. The document then discusses the spread of Christianity to Scandinavian countries through the efforts of missionaries like Anskar to Denmark and Sweden. By 1000 AD, Christianity had become the dominant religion in most of Europe.
Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean: Course DescriptionKate Findley
This is a course description I wrote for Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World, a course offered by The Great Courses. This course uses ancient texts and archaeological evidence to explore the religious cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the earliest indications of human religious practices during prehistoric times to the conversion of the Roman Empire.
This document provides an overview of the INT-460 Christianity & Culture course being taught by Dr. Stan Meyer. The course examines how Christianity has influenced and been influenced by culture over the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly in North America. It explores topics like premodernism, modernism, postmodernism, contextualizing the gospel message for different cultures, and how the church can engage culture. Students will analyze various "cultural texts" and learn to understand culture and interpret cultural trends from a Christian worldview. The class involves readings, writing assignments, and presentations but no tests or finals. The goal is to equip students to faithfully minister across cultural differences.
The Celts are a family of tribes which occupied large swathes of Europe
between 2000BC. and the second century who migrated and expanded as far
East as Asia even to China from archeological evidence, central Turkey and
as far West as Britain and Ireland their ‘empire’ taking in Spain, Germany,
Belguim, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Austria, Hungary, and Romania.
Much of our domestic, social, artistic, literary, and cultural rites, rituals, and
festivals can be traced right back to the ancient Celts. Many of our origins,
have been lost in the mists of time. Now the Lord is beginning to expose our
pagan roots and the way that they affect us.
Saints Cyril and Methodius, Co Patrons of EuropeMartin M Flynn
Cyril and Methodius were 9th century Byzantine brothers who were missionaries to the Slavic people. They are considered co-patrons of Europe for their work translating liturgical texts and the Bible into Old Church Slavonic, allowing the Slavs to worship in their own language. They faced opposition from German clergy for using Slavonic instead of Latin. After their deaths, their disciples continued their missionary work among Slavic people. Cyril and Methodius worked to bring the Slavic people into communion with Rome while preserving their culture and language.
The document discusses the key changes in religion, literature, art, and culture during the Renaissance period from the 15th to 16th centuries in Italy. Specifically, it summarizes that humanism emerged which focused on human beings and their ability to change their own lives through studying history, philosophy, anatomy and the literature and art of antiquity in Greek and Latin. Additionally, humanists were curious, multi-disciplinary scholars like Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas More who defended seeking truth through reason and experience rather than solely relying on religion. The printing press also helped spread humanist ideas to more people by making books cheaper and more widely available.
Judaism in the time of Jesus was complex with different groups holding varying beliefs and practices. The basic beliefs shared among groups included belief in one God, the covenant God made with Israel, and the Torah as the foundational law. The main groups were the Pharisees who emphasized strict observance of the purity code and oral tradition, the Sadducees who were more focused on the Temple practices, and the Essenes who lived separately and anticipated the Messiah. Overall, Judaism was still developing different interpretations on how to properly worship God and live as God's people.
This document provides an overview of cultural property and collections management. It discusses key topics like what cultural property is, the issues in managing it, and why professional collections management is important. It also outlines the main components of a collections management system, including cataloguing objects, associated information, and managing challenges like limited resources and digitization.
This document provides an overview of symbols in religion and culture and their impact on shaping mindsets and justifying oppression. It discusses how symbols are potent tools that can lift humanity or celebrate subjugation. While interest in religion and spirituality can be positive, dogma and oppression should not be justified by appeals to the past. Different scholars can interpret religious texts in vastly different ways to support different ideological positions. A responsible use of symbols is needed to promote inclusion and liberation rather than division. Going beyond limiting constructs of language and religion can help create a more just, dignified and equitable society.
The document introduces Collections Trust and SPECTRUM, an open standard for collections management. SPECTRUM aims to connect the public with collections, develop the workforce, demonstrate value, build digital capacity, and deliver excellence. It is used by over 8,000 museums worldwide and has a community of partners, champions, users and developers who work to promote best practices. The document outlines SPECTRUM's goals and provides statistics on its adoption.
The document summarizes a conversation that the author had where a group of people expressed negative views about museums. They felt that museums are outdated and not relevant to the modern world. They saw museums as boring places that are poorly maintained with uninteresting exhibits. Some felt that museums should not receive public funding. However, the author believes that museums can address important issues in society if they focus on delivering inspiring experiences and communicating their value.
RLabs expanded its operations into 5 African countries and the UK over 5 years. During this period it launched 14 tech startups and services, provided training and support to 71 NGOs, and its Mobile Advice Support service passed 26 million sessions. The RLabs Academy saw 100% growth since 2012 and graduated 8,453 members in its 2012 class alone, with 2013 being a year of expanding course offerings and distributing 20 million rand in scholarships across its programs and services.
Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian who lived during the Renaissance. He was a leading scholar of the northern Renaissance and played a prominent role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation. As a Christian humanist, Erasmus was a proponent for reforming the Catholic Church from within. He wrote influential works that criticized the Catholic clergy and urged for more moderate views. Erasmus also established new approaches to education by emphasizing the study of classical languages and literature to cultivate well-rounded, civic-minded leaders.
The document discusses how the Dutch influenced Sri Lankan culture when they took control of the island in 1658. They introduced the common law system that is still used today and left impressive architectural structures. They also established the Burgher community, whose members have significantly contributed to Sri Lankan culture despite their small numbers. Other Dutch influences include borrowed words in the Sinhala language and certain foods. Roman-Dutch law was also established by the Dutch and later adopted by the British when they gained control of the island. This legal system had a large impact on transforming Sri Lankan society.
The document provides a summary of the history of education from preliterate societies to the 20th century. It covers several topics including education in ancient Africa/Asia, Greece, India, and during periods like the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, and 19th century. It also discusses key figures like Pestalozzi, Herbart, and educational developments like the printing press and universities/schools in ancient India and their various courses of study.
Evo Morales: "The conspiracy is not forgiven" About the expulsion of Danish N...rubèn ramos
ONG IBIS tras 30 años de manipular ideológicamente a las comunidades nativas de Bolivia y de conspirar últimamente contra el gobierno del presidente Evo Morales, fue finalmente expulsada del territorio boliviano. Siguen traficando bíblicamente en Guatemala, Nicaragua y países del África afectados por el Ébola. Entérese la historia de este tipo de ONG vinculadas al cuento de la Educación Bilingue Intercultural que gracias al aval y cooperación de UNESCO nos ha sido impuesta para acelerar la desculturización y el desarraigo social de los pueblos originarios y asegurar el colonialismo sionista imperial .
With the expulsion of USAID IBIS before and now, the Bolivian government ended the cunning interventionist action and sabotaging of American agents, and native Danes Nazi-Zionist Bible proselytizing restoration of colonialism in the land of Túpac Catari.
Renaissance to the age of naturalism of education finalGrace Cabili
The document discusses the history and development of education from the Renaissance period through the Reformation and Counter-Reformation eras, outlining the key influences, aims, content, organization, and teaching methods of humanist, Protestant, and Catholic education during this time of significant changes in Western society and the Christian church.
Islam and the West After Sept. 11: Civilizational Dialogue or Conflict?Husni Thoyyar
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1. A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin
Introduction
A prerequisite to understanding the Christian response to the constitutional Right to Education (RTE),
especially its inclusive provisions, needs a journey through history, from when Bibles were so rare that they
were secured by padlocks in churches and when the church actively forbade knowledge. In Indian history it
means understanding that for a large part of its history, Indians were not allowed to learn, and deliberately
kept unlettered on the pain of extreme forms of punishment.
The constitutional RTE is only a step on the journey to make education truly universal, but the passage
of the RTE amendment and now its implementation can rightly be said to be the culmination of a process
that can be traced to the Reformation or even the dawn of Christianity itself. In changing the vocabulary
from ‘Christian values’ to human rights, a signal victory has been won for humanity as a whole, rooted in
our faith to be sure, but inclusive of all humanity with all its diversity.
It is not that others did not have the opportunity or the means. The invention of the printing press
certainly helped in the Reformation and in the spread of knowledge. But others too had the means. The
Chinese had the printing press (and gunpowder) much earlier. What made the Christian obsession with
sharing an important part of the Christian meme, something that made a sociologist to postulate that WASP
(White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) is a prerequisite for capitalism and free enterprise? What makes for the
sharing—the Bible first, but then advances in science and technology, especially medicine?
The role of Christian education has been seminal in this country since it could decisively break social
norms that prohibited free acquisition and sharing of knowledge. With this spread of knowledge came
many social reform movements that benefited Indians as a whole, including the widow remarriage, self-
respect and independence movements. Monarchies in India started public schools based on this model,
explicitly opening institutions for the hitherto excluded.
The success of this type of education has been mixed. All the leaders, including the ones heading
communal, anti-Christian formations, have gone through the portals of Christian/ Roman Catholic
educational institutions within the country or abroad. But on balance, the mass education process has been
an invention and a singular success of a Christian, but rapidly secularising, historical process.
This note looks at the historical development and the emerging opportunities of Christian education.
Some of the findings are unflattering. However, the contribution of the secularising system of education
(getting more secular with time) has been sterling. The task is to continue the pioneering role, continuing to
demonstrate that inclusion, the unthinkable, is not only possible but the routine and continues to be the true
Christian mission.
The exclusive sacred: Constructing knowledge and the architecture of language
Historically, only some knowledge has been acknowledged as knowledge itself, the modern day version
of ‘my superstition is scripture but your scriptures are myths’. This enabled those of the ‘true knowledge’
to define what is the commons and what is private, who owns what and what is legitimate. The keepers of
‘true knowledge’ can then determine access, control, privilege, and exclusion from the commons. Religion
and culture are ways of organising knowledge. They are for enclosing the commons and used as such by
the powerful. Though claiming to be ‘universal’—and therefore the ‘commons’ of at least humanity—
major religions of the world still are exclusivist not only towards others (calling them pagan, infidel, kafir,
Asura, Daeva) but also to those within its fold.
Though knowledge was shared within the community, the ‘community’ was narrowly defined. It often
meant only the male of a sub–sect of a sub–clan. Priesthood is a virtual male monopoly, with different
levels of initiation over long periods of trial being a prerequisite for greater access. Knowledge was
privatised and jealously guarded by making them ‘sacred’ and only for the ‘chosen’. In extreme cases, even
the knowledge of the ‘sacred language’ was prohibited. The poor were not even allowed to learn the
language of power—whether Sanskrit, Latin or English. ‘Scriptures’ were kept hidden from the commons,
who could not know what they said. Ideological systems such as religion, caste (varna), race, and
A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin; 28 June 2012
2. patriarchy worked in tandem to reinforce each other, slowly but inexorably, with grinding finality, fencing
off the commoner from knowledge and the ‘higher’ pursuits.
Our common heritage
The earliest known attempt to common knowledge in India was by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
(563–486BC), who taught in Pali, the language of the commons. It is no coincidence that both of India’s
ancient universities—at Nalanda and Taxila—were Buddhist with about 10,000 students and a teacher
student ratio of 1:5. For his trouble, the gatekeepers of knowledge exterminated Buddhism from the land of
its origin. A similar attempt to common knowledge had to await the advent of Mohammed in Arabia in the
seventh century—over a thousand years—who ensured that Islam was taught in the language of the
commons, Arabic. Ironically, it was the adherents of Islam who sacked both the Buddhist universities.
In Judaism, knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge, was a preserve of the hereditary priestly class.
Christianity was taught in Aramaic, and priesthood was opened to all, thus making knowledge available to
more sections of society. Though Christianity was taught in Aramaic, the language of the people, its texts
were in Hebrew, Greek and Latin—all languages of the gatekeepers. It reached such a level of exclusion
that Europe, where the Roman Catholic church held sway, fell into the ‘age of faith’ or the ‘dark ages’—a
term coined by a Roman Catholic Priest. ‘Dark’ in this context meant absence of written records. Literacy
levels were close to zero. It took the Reformation, and the insistence of the Protestant Christians on
schooling and literacy, for the Roman Catholics to turn their attention to literacy in the Counter
Reformation. The Society of Jesus, popularly called the Jesuits, were formed for the purpose.
In the millennial belief system on the return of Christ, Christendom launched an attack to ‘liberate the
holy land’ at the time of his second coming. The contact of the Europeans with the Arabs during the
crusades (1095–1291) led to the Renaissance (14th century) and the Reformation (14th to 16th centuries)—
helped in no small measure by the printing press (1440)—that helped democratise knowledge. The
Renaissance and the Reformation were the direct results.
Since the reformers were not allowed to read The Bible in their language, they translated, printed and
distributed it. One of the first books to be printed was the Bible in Latin (1456) and then in local languages
of the people, again making ‘knowledge’ accessible to the commons. John Wycliffe translated The Bible
into English in 1382 itself. The cost was heavy. Wycliffe’s bones were dug up and burnt 40 years after his
death. Hus was burnt at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s translated handwritten Bibles used as kindles for
the fire. William Tyndale was strangled and burnt in 1536. With the advent of the printing press, Bibles
could be printed faster than they—the books, the readers, or the translators—could be burnt. Martin
Luther’s German translation of The Bible was available in 1534, and the New Testament in 1522.
With typical German efficiency, the hitherto restricted–to–the–Roman–Catholic–clergy system of
education was thrown open to anyone with an interest in studying. An illiterate child could be taught
cutting edge knowledge with industrial precision within five years. A decade of schooling was all it took to
churn out ‘bachelors’ and ‘masters’ in various specialities—something that took a lifetime before. Not only
that, they learnt the languages of others and made The Bible available in those languages too. Validating
knowledge in different languages and not only the ‘holy language’ is a natural progression. This provided
the backbone on which the entire modern system of education is built—learn in your mother tongue.
The unintended consequence of the printing press and increased literacy was that oral traditions were
wiped out, de–legitimised, or made ‘less’, especially in the legal system. Only written titles and contracts
were recognised. Five centuries on, oral traditions have not recovered from this knockout blow, despite
development in audio visual technology. With this explosion of knowledge and scientific enquiry came the
Age of Reason and the industrial revolution, on a global scale.
The imperial overreach of the crusades had a debilitating effect on most European monarchies. The
crusade–weakened kings were almost bankrupt. They could not conquer the land required to expand their
tax base to support their lifestyle. They could not raise taxes on their war weary subjects. Instead, the
subjects wrested concessions from them. The subjects could, with the permission of the monarchs given in
‘charters’ form companies to plunder non-Christian lands and share the profits among themselves
according to their investment, and pay a small part to the monarch as ‘tax’ though the monarch did not
A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin; 28 June 2012
3. invest. In the colonies, among themselves, the colonisers could move beyond the social and economic
boundaries imposed on them by their own societies and nations with some limited social mobility. They
freed themselves from the tyranny of the kings and established the rule of law.
The British East India Company Act was set up in 1600 with a monopoly of trade in India. However, in
1813, by the Charter Act of 1813, the Company’s commercial monopoly was ended. The Act expressly
asserted the monarch’s sovereignty. The Act made financial provision to encourage a revival in Indian
literature and for the promotion of science. Most importantly, it allotted Rs 100,000 to promote education
in India, and Christian missionaries were allowed to come to India.
The first wave
The schooling system established by Christian missionaries who piggybacked on the mercantile
conquest brought knowledge back to the commoners to a degree not witnessed since Buddhist days.
Though the first printed Indian work was released on 6 November 1556, by 1800 the trickle turned into a
flood that would churn out 86 dictionaries, 115 grammar books and 45 journals in 73 languages of India
(apart from the Bible). With the backing of the printing press, they could make available books, and
therefore knowledge, at an affordable price to the commoner on a scale hitherto unimaginable. Contrary to
popular misconception, the British were not in favour of the missionaries, who they felt were teaching
‘dangerous ideas of egalitarianism’ to the natives. Secularising knowledge by setting up the schooling
system—first set up to produce clerks for the colonial administration—provided for upward mobility.
Reform minded rulers set up similar schools in their territories, often employing British administrators to
help in the planning and running of these schools. Citizens from the kingdoms were sent on government
scholarships to study in the British and American institutions. Both Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule
acknowledged that the advent of the British was far from an unmitigated disaster for the depressed classes.
On the contrary, it was a qualified blessing.
The result of this mission-based schooling is the success in increased literacy among the social sections
traditionally considered outcast, leading to their social mobility. Though drawn from the lowest sections of
society, Christians have a higher literacy rate than all but two religious groups (Parsees and Jains) in the
country. Together with the fact that Christians consistently have a higher male-female sex ratio, it is safe to
assume that Christians not only get schooling but also some education. But the fact that most others—and
certainly most opinion leaders—pass through Christian institutions with no appreciable effect on their
outlook is a sad commentary on the imparting of values in the Christian institutions.
The first mover advantage saw all primary schools in the country being called convents, even in areas
where there is little Christian presence. The name for school in both Tamil and Malayalam (both with
substantial Christian populations) is Pallikudam, meaning Church Annex. However, this first mover
advantage has been squandered. There are many reasons for this, but suffice to say that we have lost our
moorings. The schooling system—which socialises knowledge and social mores—was refined over the
years so that an illiterate five year old going into the system would understand Nobel Prize winning
concepts in less than ten years.
However, the dominant soon struck back, and coopted the ‘new normal’. Even today, with ‘universal
education’ the rich (privileged) are taught to command and consume and the middle class to manage and
save. The poor, as always, are taught to obey and sacrifice. In a commons framework, we would have a
commons school system that encourages cooperation. The absence of such a system shows up in very many
different ways. The multi–tier schooling system teaches all children for 15 years that collaboration is bad
and greed is good—and then society wonders why adults are so selfish and so corrupt.
It is a telling comment on the state of Christian schooling in this country (and indeed across the world)
that there is little education imparted in these institutions. Christians are respected across the world for
making available a pedagogy that would take an illiterate of five and turn them into literates capable of
understanding Nobel prize winning concepts in ten years, and ‘masters’ of a subject in another five. That it
was done with social outcasts—the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes—considered un-teachable by
the elite for centuries, and kept away from any learning, made the effort all the more laudable. In some
cases dictionaries had to be complied and in a few cases even a script invented for the purpose.
A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin; 28 June 2012
4. But now we have followed the majoritarian exclusivist methods of sending out children from our schools
in Class 8 if we suspect that they would not get above 80% in the Class 10 public exam. We ensure that
those who make it, despite all odds (cooking, taking care of siblings, washing and cleaning the house and
school) are not admitted into the science stream in Class 11 or PUC. Instead of making our schools where
the poor are welcomed, we treat them with disrespect, arrogant in the secure knowledge of our ‘selfless
service’. Money plays a part in getting government permissions, appointments, admissions, and lately, even
promotions. Opportunities are more for those willing to pay.
When our institutions mirror the mainstream (those opposing the inclusion aspects of the Right to
Education are all—without exception—products of English medium convents), then what makes us
‘Christian’? Some institutions named after Christ have nothing Christian in them but their name boards.
A new knowledge base for the new economy
There is a global shift from an economy based on scarcity to one of surplus. The global institutions of
the state and the market are yet to even know of the shift, let alone understand it. The global systems are
tuned for appropriation and hoarding rather than distribution and sharing. The consequences are butter
mountains and milk lakes in Europe being dumped in the sea while there is famine in Africa. In India it has
resulted in large-scale rotting of food in godowns, while about half the children are malnourished.
The ‘mass’ nature of technology and business models, especially the internet and mobile telephony,
opened up a lot of space. While practices of copyright and patenting continue for some kinds of knowledge
systems, creative commons licensing and a growing free software movement are now mainstream. The
Wikipedia and its various forms show ample evidence of the benefits, wide acceptance and support for
commoning. Creative commons are an acknowledgement that knowledge creation is a social process.
Freeing the airwaves, the use of free and open source software (FOSS) and hardware are good beginnings.
The Government of India has a policy of open access for all publicly funded research. The open design
movement includes even highly technical and specialised spheres from computers to cars—from operating
systems (Linux, Android) to hardware. Open discovery in health, brings down research costs
immeasurably.
More universities—including ivy leaguers such as Princeton, Harvard and IGNOU—are putting out their
course material and research papers in open access, using the power of the internet, ‘commoning’ even
more knowledge without intermediaries or gatekeepers. Some even have free online courses—Udacity
(Stanford), edX (Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT) and Coursera (Stanford,
Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Michigan). Udacity encourages collaborative
learning among students, leading to cooperation by students in other spheres too.
The commoners have responded by the freecycle and share economy, totally bypassing the market and
measurement indices. ‘Volunteerism’ has increased tremendously over the years, contributing skills and
competencies free of cost.
RTE, another chance at redemption
The RTE is rooted in the (non-enforceable by the court) directive principles of state policy, Articles 39
and more explicitly in Article 45 of The Constitution Of India 1949:
Provision for free and compulsory education for children The State shall endeavour to provide,
within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory
education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.
This is the only article in the entire directive principles that has a timeframe. Though it says 10 years, the
government of India took 60 years to do so—a delay of half a century, and a reflection of the anti-education
bias that still exists. That the communal government argued that it did not have the resources is a woeful
reminder as to the ingrained bias. No money for primary education but sufficient for starting new ‘centres
of excellence’ such as IITs and IIMs.
The Right to Education Act 2010 which provides for free and compulsory education to all children aged
six to fourteen (recommoning knowledge, tearing down the walls of caste and economic privilege) lay a
strong foundation for a new commons-led society. These commons were fenced off for so long and so
A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin; 28 June 2012
5. effective was prohibition, that these are ‘new’ commons for the majority of women, Dalits, Adivasi and
children.
The example of the Roman Catholic Church which has gone from being an arch opponent of education
for the masses to being one of its foremost promoters and practitioners (though its critics accuse it of
indoctrination rather than unfettered pursuit of knowledge) shows that the church can reinvent itself when
necessary. It needed the Renaissance, the Reformation and a vertical split followed by the Council of Trent
for it to realise the fundamental change in science and society. (Protestant Christians, in contrast, have it
hardwired, with Martin Luther himself advocating for public education for all—so that all may read The
Bible). The present times call for such a fundamental change in orientation of the schooling provided.
The present schooling calls for education rooted in values—of ethics especially in the use of technology,
as female foeticide starkly reminds us—but not in dogma of anti-abortion, ‘creationalism’, ‘intelligent
design’ or messianic denouncement of other faiths, and even other denominations, as demonic as is often
the case. We would need to promote a more liberal-democratic, more inclusive (yes, including same sex
marriages), and more scientific, education. If the US Supreme Court can, with 9 of 12 Judges being Roman
Catholic in a nation of Roman Catholic minority, and all of them being Christians, there is no reason why it
cannot be done in India.
Instead of denying the excesses of the pre-Reformation Church, the Inquisition (Roman Catholic or
Protestant) or the brutality of the crusades, the puritans, and the internecine wars between and within
denominations, we should be able to acknowledge them, and confident in the progress made since then,
challenge the same response from others regarding the caste system and the sex ratio. It would help us
rectify the same errors within too! Instead, we have been demanding a portrayal of the Reformation, and
persecute those who expose miracle mongering by the church—with the full support of bishops who should
know better. It is to the eternal shame of the church that it endorsed a call for a separate law to try religious
leaders in India. In the mobilisation of superstitions, the church cannot be a winner. Recent history of
mobilisation based on superstitious resulted in the demolition of Babri Masjid, but its repercussions on
Christians is still ongoing. Secular practice and thought—its promotion and propagation—is the only
security that can be expected in the current milieu.
One of the easiest to do would be to get back to the root principles. For starters, Christian colleges
should admit only those who have studied in government schools and have got 60% or less in the
qualifying examinations, with a clear preference for those from the traditionally excluded sections such as
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Then these students should be trained to become
professionals and senior bureaucrats. The pre-university colleges should train them for entrance exams for
medicine and engineering. Of course, there will not be 100% pass, let alone 100% distinction. But it would
be Christian education—putting the last first, creating value from the rejects of society, teaching them that
they are valuable, precious in god’s—and our—eyes.
The Right to Education (RTE) gives another opportunity for Christian education to become relevant in
this country, and step forward to meet the challenges of today—of promoting the fundamental rights
enshrined in the Indian Constitution—all of which are the expression of the highest Christian ideals,
expressed in secular language. The secular expression of Christian values should not be a deterrent to
Christian education promoting human rights and a scientific temper.
Today we are at the threshold of another major global shift. The conditions of the previous shifts are
well in place—the imperial overreach, an information revolution, and an assertion of civil society. It is not
even a matter of if or when. The change is already underway. Building equitable, inclusive communities
ensures that all are a part of the nation, a part of humanity in this small, fragile planet. Secular education
with Christian values (human rights in secular parlance) could be a way forward. Not competing with
private commercial educational institutions. Not in dumbing down the schools or the students. Certainly not
the injured innocence and persecution of the Sanal Edamarkuruku variety that is threatening to become an
epidemic. But in creating institutions of excellence for the traditionally excluded. Where value based
education, not just schooling, is the norm. That is our mission.
—oO(end of document)Oo—
A Christian response to the right to education
Anita Cheria and Edwin; 28 June 2012