The Protégé Effect: A Cause for Change in Religious Education

In a society where sacred religious beliefs are increasingly being contested in the public domain, more and more young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are frequently being put in circumstances where they need to communicate religious stances.  Among other things, Church leaders have turned to its long-established religious education program to better prepare the rising generation for what unavoidably lies ahead.  Traditionally, these classes are formatted similar to a typical high school or college class, with the teacher preparing a lesson and lecturing on course material.  Although many religious educators have become accustomed to lecturing, teachers need to embrace change and structure their classes in a way that allows for students to learn by teaching; this new method will be most effective in preparing youth to confidently and accurately articulate their personal convictions in the heat of religious disputes.

Annotated Working Draft of Final Project / Hotspots in Religious Education

Component Assignments:

1.  Communication and Persuasion in Seminary/Institute Teaching
 Thriving in the field of religious education requires effective communication with youth and a solid understanding of gospel doctrines and scriptural text.  It is advantageous for a teacher to employ rhetorical practices in his or her teaching. 

2.  Storytelling in Seminary Teaching 
 Using various rhetorical techniques to relate stories from the scriptures can help students have different experiences in learning gospel principles.  One can shape a rigid and factual story by exploring different strategies of expression. 

3.  History of Religious Education 
 The history of religious education began before man was placed on the earth.  The Ultimate and Perfect Teacher is God.  Other non-christian denominations have also developed systems of religious education strikingly similar to one used by the LDS church.

4.  Institutional Authority and Communication in Religious Education 
 This case study spotlights a particular and powerful committee in charge of hiring teachers to work in the Religion Department at BYU-Idaho.  Various questions are raised and answered about the specific requirements for working in this field and possible hurdles to leap before employment can be extended.

Hotspots:

Hotspot #1 (in the field): Connecting to the rising generation of youth in a changing world.  I hit that point when I empathized the importance of teachers using new technologies and media to capture the interest of young students.

Hotspot #2 (personal): In my case study I really brought out my own fears of knocking on the CES's door in pursuit of a job only to not have it opened to me because of varying requirements and specific department policies. 

Hotspot #3 (historical): Understanding that religious education is not a "field of interest" for some but in fact a life endeavor for all dating back to our Pre-mortal state caused me to tighten my grip on this much-wanted but elusive dream of teaching.

The Search for New Religious Tolerance

Navigating tensions surrounding any topic never became easier by ignoring them. It's time for the United States of America to make religious tolerance an effective part of its education. It's time for new applications of religious tolerance.  

New Tolerance: Changing the Religious Education in America

      Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post that argued for an important change to be considered within America's education of religious tolerance (if you missed the post, please see the following link: Incurable Religion: Searching For Tolerance). After sharing the post with fellow students, I decided to engage over 1,500 individuals, individuals that I lovingly refer to as "Facebook friends," in this important dialogue. Surprisingly, the responses I received were focused, positive, and provided me with a thought-provoking analysis over the past few days.

      Zack Payne, an acquaintance that resides in North Carolina, brought up a key point.