Version vom 15. Januar 2013, 21:00 Uhr

Homework

Comment on this statement:

Although British Muslims make only about 5% of the population, many Britons fear the lslamization of Britain and speak of a "war" and the need for immediate self-defence.

Look at this before you write your comment!

Watch minutes 1:00 - 16.00 and 27:30-35:06 of this video!

• What strikes you as different/interesting/positive/strange about the family and life of the Amish the teenagers stay with?

Recent Homework

Describe and interprete this cartoon!

Religious freedom?

Watch the video at least two times!

• What are the children taught to do?
• What /who is "the enemy"?
• How are they convinced/taught to believe/to act as the are supposed to?

Religion and Politics and the Christian Right
Look at your homework (book, p. 80/81) and the worksheet on TV Evangelism and the Views of the Christian Right!

• How do TV evangelists and the Christian Right influence US politics?
• Who are the Christian conservative voters according to these texts?
• How many people can TV evangelists and the Christian Right mobilize?
• What aims do the Christian conservatives have? What do you think would happen in the USA and in US politics if they prevailed?

Watch the video at least two times!

Collect facts about:

• Lakewood "Megachurch"
• Joel Osteen's message
• the "Services"
• financial matters

What is your impression of Osteen and his church?

Why do you think is his church growing so fast?

Explain for three groups/people/events from our blog:

• What person/group/historical event?
• What is the link between them and Obama's Slogan "Yes we can!"

Be prepared to give a three minute talk!

Watch Obama's full speech in 2008 here + identify tricks/rhetorical devices, effective/crucial phrases/emotions ... (+ give timecode, e.g. 1:40).

Use this mindmap to find features that make this speech effective.

• For Friday: Describe+Analyse this cartoon!
• Work on 2nd part of worksheet on Presidential elections (Electoral College) using SQR Method!
• Add useful phrases (E+D) to list of vocab from Wiki (cf US Politics on this page)

Basic Skills & Information

• Information on homework and oral grades
• Reading and Marking technique - SQ3R Method A useful method to read, mark and annotate texts.
• Working with Cartoons
• A good speech/speaker ...
• Answering questions on the text
• Starting a paragraph
• Starting an Essay/Comment
• Writing an interview
• Mediation
• Characterization
• Building an Argument

US Political System

Useful Vocabulary

Religion in the USA and Britain

Vocabulary

Cartoon

• Religious freedom?
• Freedom from persecution!

.

Facts on Religion and Politics in the US

Special Religious Groups and Institutions

• (Evangelical) Mega-Churches

• church should not play the role of the state, but have clear positions
• against stem cell research
• against gay marriage
• against abortion
• some are liberal in enforcing their views
• 7,500 seats in church
• 11,000 congregants

Trends

• 72% of the Americans want their president to be clearly religious
• majority says churches should not endorse candidates
• half of the Americans think churches should express views on political matters
• 41% of the Americans want more religion in politics
• Americans are comfortable with showing their faith in public
• vote for candidates who aren't afraid to express their religious views
• only about 30% of Americans refuse gay marriage in 2003 - as compared to 41% in 1996
• about 25% are white evangelical christians and vote republican
• so many Americans believe that religion should not have any direct influence on and US politics but believe in religion being a privately exercised, individual matter
• many American Christians are not evangelicals and clearly want a more liberal, open-minded idea of Christianity and belief in God

Typical aspects/facts concerning religion in the USA

• US constitution strictly separates church and state
• US politicians - unlike their counterparts in Europe - often mention God in their speeches (God bless you, God bless America ...)

Influence of the Christian Right in the US

Cf. Book, p. 80/81

1. Majority of conservative judges at US Courts appointed by Bush - hope for Religious Right?
2. Religious Right fails at forcing schools to do school prayer and teach intelligent design.
3. Religiously motivated influence on US Foreign Policy
4. Most states forbid gay marriage while Washington refuses to include ban in Constitution
5. Christian Right successful with ban on new stem cell research
6. Supreme Court still rejects display of religious symbols in public institutions

TV Evangelism & Lakewood Megachurch

Watch the video at least two times!

Collect facts about:

• Lakewood "Megachurch"
• Joel Osteen's message
• the "Services"
• financial matters

What is your impression of Osteen and his church?

Why do you think is his church growing so fast?

Download Summary of facts about Osteen's megachurch

The Amish in the USA

different about life, family:

• transport+farming with horses, mules
• work from dawn to dusk
• hard physical work: baling hay, picking beans + tomatoes
• animals are highly valued

• 6 children
• girls' dresses è modesty ...
• day starts with reading from the bible
• homeschooling (to be with them, not to lose contact, really educate them ...)
• work-ethic of children
• family/time with children valued very highly
• modern technology is not accepted if it threatens to break up the family or community or link the Amish too closely to the world outside - but "independent" gas refrigerators or a small generator just for the washing machine are allowed in some groups.

• Look at text1 and text2! They contain good information about the Amish
• Write an interview with an Amish!

• Start with a short characterization of the person you interview (name, appearance, why/when/where interview is done).
• Structure: question and answer form. Use interesting questions, make sure the answers fit the questions.
• Language: Make sure the register/style of interviewer and interviewee are appropriate (they may be different!) Remember to use "spoken language"!

• Last step: careful proofreading

• The interview should cover the topics of

• electricity
• using cars
• the clothes they wear
• attitude to tourists and being photographed!

Creationism

• Text: Creationism - Just teach it

• Short summary of the text.

Muslims in Britain

Texts

• Problematic issues between British Muslims and the "Christian" majority
• A problem of perception: Muslims are well-integrated in Britain – but no one seems to believe it
• Reflections of a Former Islamist Extremist

Read from beginnin to "And it's a very powerful grip on one's mind. And in my case it took years to shed that influence." (third box)

• Answers to book, p. 86/87 q. 5 + 6
• Why does a young muslim turn into an extremists?

• crucial event: death of thousands of European muslims in war in Bosnia in 90s! West just watches and doesn't help the muslims there. (Parallels to wars in Iraq .... muslims are being killed and no-one cares)
• Islam is cleverly presented as way of looking at history: like in Marxism it is always a struggle, them against us, bad against good, everybody against the muslims (idea of Western/Jewish conspiracy against Islam/muslims)
• at school/in university young muslims become part of an active, organized, outspoken movement ⇒ proud to be an active muslim, feeling of power, feeling of belonging to group and of changing the world.

Cartoon ⇐Klick!

• 4 frames, three show acts of violence/hatred committed in the name of Christianity/Western Civilization
• evangelical pastor [=church] burning Korans, evangelical/conservative politician [politics] against building mosque in USA, secret service agent [=government] torturing terrorist suspect)
• irony: they all want revenge/act as unchristian/intolerantly as those they accuse of doing this to them
• irony: preacher is completely stupid: of course "them folks don't act like Christians" - they simply aren't christians!
• preacher also doesn't seem to know his Bilble: "Jesus hates Mohammed" is absolutely like anthing Jesus preaches in the Bible: Jesus preaches love, peace and forgiveness - not hatred!
• picture four shows the result: children in USA have learned, that you needn't act as you wish others to act towards you (in civilized way, mercyfully, helpfully, tolerantly ...) but can do anything you want as long as nobody stops you.
• General criticism: christian/western preachers and politicians and governments do the same things they accuse terrorists and radical islamist of ⇒ they are no better than them