Unity of All Religions - Syllabus

Throughout history, the roots of every religion have endeavored to guide humanity toward becoming a whole human being, in harmony with the mysteries of life and the complexities of living peacefully together. This course will at look religion from the perspective that there is only one religion and that is the one of the heart. Each tradition speaks to different needs of the time and of the individual.

During the course, we’ll look at a different religion each week in chronological order of appearance in the world’s body of knowledge. Each class will include a brief introduction including the time frame it was introduced, scriptures, stories of the originators if known, and/or the social circumstances of the times. A greater portion will be experiential with simple songs in the languages used in the faiths, simple movements, walking and breathing techniques. Handouts will include suggestions for further reading and community resources if. We may include field trips.

Recommended reading:

"The Unity of Religious Ideals" by Hazrat Inayat Khan (1924),
"World Religions" by Huston Smith (1950s and republished in the 1970s)
"The Great Transformation; The Beginning of Religious Traditions" by Karen Armstrong 2006

Week One – Pre history and Indigenous
Week Two - Hinduism
Week Three – Buddhism
Week Four - Zoroastrianism
Week Five – Judaism
Week Six - Christianity
Week Seven – Islam
Week Eight - Sufism, Taoism and personal connections

Instructor Susan Slack has studied world religions in her 30 year service as internationally recognized Senior Mentor for the Dances of Universal Peace. She studies with David Less, Founder of Rising Tide International and Director of the interfaith School of Universal Worship who regularly travels the world, studying and sharing in various religious services and councils. Susan also draws from world treasures as a multicultural Teaching Artist for the Sarasota County Arts Council and as founder and Director of Reading Rhythm, working with teachers of young children to incorporate multicultural awareness into classrooms. She is the Author of , “Come Join the Circle; Singing and Dancing for Early Childhood Education”.