Truth and Meaning

			Truth and Meaning

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Authors: Jeff Liebmann

Publisher: Jeff Liebmann (with a portion of proceeds going to the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh)

Publisher's Address: 2316 Forest Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235

Date: 1998

Theme: Western Religions

Description: Many of our youth suffer frustration when discussing religion with friends. They are often the only Unitarian Universalist in their class, or even in their school. They sometimes have trouble getting their friends to understand the nature of a religion with no creed and no dogma. Truth and Meaning helps youth resolve these frustrations and understand better what they have in common with their friends and the reasons why they do not agree. Truth and Meaning session topics are arranged into the following major units: Introduction to Major Western Religions and Their Primary Resource Documents (the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an);Religious Practices and Underlying Theological Concepts (the soul, sin and evil,and the sacraments of baptism, prayer, communion, and confession); Religious "Extremes"(cults, the "Religious Right," paganism, and creationism); Life and After life(Hell, salvation, and the millennium); The Roots of Religious Prejudice(holy war and prejudice based on sexual preference, gender, and race); and Dogma and Creeds (creedal beliefs, the Vatican, the purpose of a church).

Age Range: High School (9th to 12th grades)

Ideal Size of Group: >5

Number of Sessions: 25

Length of Sessions: 60-75 minutes

UU Values Included: Truth and Meaning acts upon the Unitarian Universalist principles calling for a covenant to affirm and promote encouragement to spiritual growth and a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Each session works toward this purpose by:-- posing questions about the major Western religions (Judaism,Christianity, and Islam) commonly asked by our youth in a manner that will help them find meaningful answers;-- relating these truths about these religions to our own Unitarian Universalist history and modern practice; and-- helping youth apply this knowledge and relevance to their own beliefs and,thereby, continue to grow spiritually.

Email Address: jdl1@vms.cis.pitt.edu Phone Number of Copyright Holder: (412) 624-4226 (day); (412) 371-3232(night) URL: http://www.pitt.edu/~jdl1/UUcurric.htm