digital world
digital world
In our modern, digital world, the way we understand and talk about religious issues has changed. Though religion is still defined by belief systems and social expectations, the way these beliefs should play in life looks different today than it did in decades past. Communication between individuals from vastly different cultures now happens instantaneously. We can share ideas related to science, politics, and religion with an immediacy that can present interesting challenges to our individual worldview.
watch the three TED Talks from prominent figures Each video presents a specific religious topic in a way that reflects contemporary considerations.
Submit a 1-page Reflection paper in which you identify the main religious idea from one of the videos and then discuss how that idea is shaped by a consideration that is not religious. As you write, consider the following:
- In what way does the globalization of communication affect the way we understand religion as a culture?
- How do the ideas in each of the videos relate to your own religious identity?
- How have actions and/or events in your own life challenged “traditional” ways of thinking about religion?
Christian Universities Online. (2015). Top 10 TED Talks on religion. Retrieved from http://www.christianuniversitiesonline.org/top-10-ted-talks-on-religion/ From this website, review A Life of Purpose (2006) by Rick Warren. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 21 minutes. From this website, review Let’s Teach Religion—All Religion—in Schools (2006) by Dan Dennett. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 25 minutes. From this website, review Science Can Answer Moral Questions (2010) by Sam Harris. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 23 minutes.
