STAB 2016

Today the students played the role of Roman Senators in the year 10 AD. They advised Caesar Augustus about how he should prioritize various projects that could benefit the empire, including military expeditions, aqueducts, a public library, and gladiator games at the Colosseum. Charlie M., Artie, Sarah,  and  Charlie H.  played the role of Augustus in the four classes. Each one had a unique leadership style, and each was superb . Charlie M. tried to solicit as many different perspectives and ideas as possible. He carefully processed the various ideas, and he struck a serious tone that inspired an impressive discussion (with particularly sophisticated insights from the triumvirate of Morgan, Lilly  and  Hailey ). Artie  was quiet and confident as his boisterous group of advisors disagreed strongly with one another. Eventually, Artie took over and calmly guided the group to a wise (and correct) decision. Sarah  demonstrated some of the best listening s...

Congratulations to the winners, as selected by you... YOLO is No-No #samsara (By  Sarah ,  Meredith ,  Kat ,   Sofia   and   Jack D. ) Sometimes the itsy bitsy spider is Allah you really need. #spiders_are_religious_too (By  Charlotte ,  Priya ,  Randolph ,   and   Charlie ) I'm Mary's little lamb. #Straight_outta_Bethlehem (By  Christopher ,  Leo ,  Gracie   and   Hailey ) Urrrrrrr ... my son just destroyed my workshop! #Polytheism_4_life (By  Evan , Josh ,   Sylvie   and   Tabitha )

Congratulations to Mary Holland, Jack D., Kate and Teddy for their impressive victory during yesterday's religion challenge! Spencer, Brehanu & Co. worked very well together, and they placed a close second

We started class today with a musical tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Shed a Little Light , performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial ...

How were Jesus and Muhammad similar to each other? Jack D. : Jesus and Muhammad were both gaining lots of power, so political leaders in those two periods of time wanted to plot against them and kill them. Tabitha : Jesus and Muhammad were both not welcomed to the earth, because people were afraid of their power. Tyler : They were both hunted down by government leaders because of the miracles that they/god performed. Ally : They were both sought after by people working in the government.  In Muhammad’s case, Muhammad began to have a large number of disciples, and the political leaders got frightened that he could gain too much power, resulting in more people following Muhammad than following the political leaders.  In Jesus’s case, Jews believed that Jesus was being disrespectful to God in his speech. (This is a superb answer by Jack, Tabitha, Tyler, and Ally. They are correct that both men were perceived as threats by the political leaders of their times -- even though their...

Sketches by Charlotte, Henry and Coco Leo : Do you have to be a certain age before you can take the hajj? Artie ,  Hudson , Julia  and  Nia : During the hajj, why are the pilgrims required to wear certain clothes? Sketch by Hunter Ellie : If you were to have a baby right before the season for taking the hajj, would you take the baby with you to Mecca or not? Channing : Why aren't non-Muslims allowed to visit the Ka'bah? Sketch by Hailey Tilly : Why is there a big cloth draped over the Ka'bah?  Does it have a special meaning? Randolph : What would happen if the Ka'bah had to go under construction, for repairs? Morgan : Are Muslim women who do not follow a strict version of the dress code considered "less" religious? Vaya : In Islam, why is pork thought to be an impure food?

Sketch by Gabriel Sketch by Lindsay Katherine's amaryllis has bloomed ... it is beautiful!

Christianity, Judaism and Islam were all started in dry, desert-like parts of the world. What is your theory to explain why three of the world’s major religions began near deserts? Why not near forests, or in big cities, or next to the ocean? Christopher : Christianity started in a desert because it is another way of showing how humble Jesus was. If he was born in New York City or someplace like that, he would probably be a totally different person. Also, a desert is an open place where you can really feel God's presence. There is an open-ended land mass where God can just take over.  Mia : In the desert, when the wind blows, any footprints or marks made in the sand disappear. I think the footprints represent people's sins, and the disappearing symbolizes that you can wash off your sins.  William : Maybe sand is special, and each crystal within the sand is filled with God.

Here are some of the great questions from today: Darrah : Why did Muhammad want to share the messages he received, instead of keeping them a secret? Jacob : Why did Islam spread so quickly? Why did so many people begin to follow Muhammad's message? Celia Belle : Are there any drawings or paintings of Muhammad? Mary Holland ,  Brehanu  and  Kate : What happens to a Muslim if he or she never goes on the hajj? Maxwell : Why do you think Allah protected Muhammad's cave with a spider web? Why not weapons? Or a trap? Or lions ? Bowen : Do you think the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran are similar to each other?

This week we are studying Islam.  We've learned that Muslims (people who follow the religion of Islam) believe that Muhammad was the final and most important messenger (or prophet ) from God.  Muslims refer to God as  Allah , which means "God" in Arabic. We also learned the fascinating detail that Angel Gabriel -- whom Christians believe spoke to the Virgin Mary about being the mother of Jesus -- is believed by Muslims to have visited Muhammad and delivered God's message.  In fact, Angel Gabriel is believed to have delivered Muhammad many messages, over the years. These messages are collected in the Quran (sometimes spelled Koran ) -- the sacred text of Islam. Hailey posed a great question that had us thinking deeply today: Why did all of the famous religious prophets live in ancient times? Why haven't any prophets lived more recently? Here's the link to the video that we watched during class today: https://www.truetube.co.uk/film/how-islam-began-ten-m...