Religion A Kindergarten To Spirituality

Religion! A Kindergarten to Spirituality!! by AiR discusses how we need to go beyond religion to actually know, understand and Realize God.

This book discusses the possibility of a holistic approach to religious education, taking into account religious and cultural diversity, different aspects of secularisation and different academic disciplines that inform the subject. Issues discussed are the view of children as spiritual and religious subjects, identity formation, the concept of child theology, the relationship between faith and morality, the meaning of spirituality, the notion of wonder as an inroad to learning, religion as culture, and the meaning of holism. A point of departure is taken in a typology of attitudes to religion in public education, and the line of reason ends in a search for viable metaphors for holistic religious education. Sturla Sagberg (born 1951) is professor of religious education and ethics at Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education in Trondhem, Norway. He has a doctoral degree in theology, and has for many decades taught and done research related to teacher training as well as to church education. He has published several books in Norwegian, of which the latest translates into Religion, Values and Formation: Children and the big questions in life. Many of his articles in books and journals are written in English.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions provides a forum for prominent religious scholars to examine the state of religious knowledge and theological reflection on spiritual development in childhood and adolescence. Featuring essays from thinkers representing the world's major religious traditions, the book introduces new voices, challenges assumptions, raises new questions, and broadens the base of knowledge and investment in this important domain of life. Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality will set the stage for new waves of scholarship and dialogue within and across traditions, disciplines, and cultures that will enrich understanding and strengthen how the world's religious traditions, and others, understand and cultivate the spiritual lives of children and adolescents around the globe.

This book is a unique collection of interdisciplinary articles that argue for religious education to be directed primarily towards the spiritual insofar as it is part of a flourishing human life. The articles address this issue from the perspectives of theory, different religious traditions and innovative teaching and learning practices.

If you are new to The Rule of Saint Benedict, then this abridged version of is a good place to begin. The Rule of Saint Benedict, as expressed by Benedict, is not a graduate-level course for spiritual geniuses. The Rule is more like Spiritual Kindergarten. It is not for those who have progressed and graduated from a long process of spiritual development and maturity. It is for those who are looking for a place to start. It is an entry level spirituality. It is the simple spiritual arithmetic of adding and subtracting that makes the more advanced spiritual Trigonometry and Calculus of religious maturity possible. Many people have found wisdom in the pages of Saint Benedict's Rule. Many have found a sense of order - personal, spiritual, and social - amidst the seemingly increasing disorder around them. Some may dismiss the Rule as a simple set of dos and don'ts that they have no interest in following. Others have come to view the Rule as a simple expression of helpful suggestions that foster stability and peace. If only all that monastic stuff were removed, then perhaps what remained would be of value to the rest of us. If the remaining chapters were pared down in places, and the language were more common, then, perhaps it would become more applicable to everyday life. If words like "monastery," "abbot," and even "monk" were removed, and replaced with words like "community," "religious leader," and "religious people," then maybe we could see how to utilize it in our homes, with our families, at our places of employment, and in our churches. There are no more "If onlys" about it. That is what this book set out to do. Always we begin again: day by day, month by month, year by year, second by second, breath by breath, and with The Rule of Saint Benedict, page by page, chapter by chapter. The end takes us back to the beginning, and the beginning guides us once more to the ending. The Rule is a beginning, but we are never finished. We simply begin again, who and where we are at that moment.

This new book has taken many years of spiritual exploration to create. It explores spirituality within various religions, and finds spiritual gems within each religion while discarding what is contrary to universal human spirituality. The book tries to tear out of religion whatever is tearing humanity apart. It extracts ideas and teachings from our various religions that give us the ability to practice the trimmings of simple spirituality free from the trappings of religious dogma. It reviews various approaches to meditation, and finds a simple letting-go meditation practice which opens up our innate spirituality. This method works for everybody, and is free of religious exclusivity. The meditation practice is based on the teachings of the Tao, Zen, and the Hindu Upanishads, and is consistent with Islamic and Christian spirituality. Finally, it teaches and guides us in bringing the spirituality acquired from prayer and meditation into our everyday lives. This insightful and inspiring book is a call to set spirituality free from the dead-weight of religious dogma. It fearlessly exposes the madness of religious fundamentalism and offers instead the loving kindness of genuine spiritual awakening. Bigoted religion is a source of most of the conflicts bedeviling our world today. In this book Raja Bhat offers an exciting alternative: spirituality transcending religion. Timothy Freke, author and co-author of numerous books on religion and spirituality, such as Encyclopedia of Spirituality; The Jesus Mysteries; Jesus And The Lost Goddess; Spiritual Traditions: Essential Teachings To Transform Your Life; The Complete Guide To World Mysticism and many others.