Week 4

Assigned Materials

Read Leadership Development

**Work on CAP Projects**

Lecture Notes

Leadership Workshop #4

CAP Resources

Technology Resources

Google Slides - For PowerPoint/slide decks

Canva - A design resource that can be used to create presentations, social media posts, videos, and more.

Prezi - A platform that creates engaging, visual presentations.

Restorative Practices for Dialogue and Leadership

Listen to Communities of Practice at Penn: Restorative Practice - a conversation between Dr. Lia Howard and Pablo Cerdera

Secular Humanism

“Who are the secular humanists? Perhaps everyone who believes in the principles of free inquiry, ethics based upon reason, and a commitment to science, democracy, and freedom.” - Paul Kurtz

Secular humanism is the understanding that one can have morality, values, and fulfillment without a belief in God.

It is non-religious.
It can be classified as a philosophy, dogma, or life stance.

Instead of relying on faith, doctrine, or mysticism, secular humanists use compassion, critical thinking, and human experience to find solutions to human problems.

What is Humanism?

Humanist Chaplains Guide Nonreligious Students on Quest for Meaning

Non-religious Americans

The number of secular or non-religious Americans continues to rise. According to a 2024 report from the Pew Research Center, "about 28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics, or 'nothing in particular' when asked about their religion."

Atheism is the disbelief or lack of belief in a god or divine being(s).
Agnosticism is the belief that it is impossible to know whether or not a god or any divine beings exist.
Secular humanism is the belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God.
Interfaith describes the peaceful co-existence among people of different religions or those who are non-religious, and reinforces the idea that every human deserves respect, regardless of belief.

Hinduism

Hinduism cannot be traced back to one specific founder or event, therefore there is speculation as to the exact origin of the religion, though sacred texts do help to provide a timeline and provide insight into the early years of the faith.

Vedic Period/Religion: the formative years of the earliest forms of Hinduism, from approximately 2500-800 B.C.E. (some followers of Hinduism insist that the way of life existed before this)
- Around 1500 B.C.E., Indo-Europeans known as Aryans invaded the Indian subcontinent, and it is debated whether they influenced what is now recognized as Indian culture and Hinduism, or vice versa.
- During the Vedic years, the earliest accounts of Hinduism known as the Vedas were written; these contain ancient sources of wisdom, the oldest example being the Rig Veda, thought to be written around 1800 B.C.E.
The most common types of Hinduism are:
- Samkhya Hinduism - world is divided into two states: spirit and matter (purusha and prakriti).
- Vedanta Hinduism - there is only one single realty: the combination of Brahman (ultimate reality within) and Atman (self).
- Tantric Hinduism - uses bodily practices to experience the unity of purusha and prakriti within self.
In 1966, the Indian Supreme Court listed the following as official characteristics of Hinduism:
- Acceptance and reverence for the Vedas
- A spirit of tolerance
- Belief in vast cosmic periods of creation & destruction
- Belief in reincarnation
- Polytheism
- Philosophical flexibility (no single dogma)
Along with the Vedas, other sacred texts that have become crucial to understanding Hinduism are:
- The Upanishads (philosophical reflections on the Vedas, 600-400 B.C.E.)
- Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata (contains the Bhagavad-Gita)
Caste System: a social hierarchy system developed in the Vedic Period, which witnessed the priests holding the most power, would gradually cause oppression until its legal end in 1948, though still loosely practiced. The system was hereditary, and one could only move down in status, never up. The categories included:
- Brahmin – priestly caste.
- Kshatriyas – nobility of feudal India: kings, warriors, and vassals – expected to guard and preserve society.
- Vaishyas – the economic specialists including farmers and merchants.
- Shudras – manual laborers and the artisans.
- Untouchables – ‘outcastes’ who remove human waste, sweep streets and work with leather.
Four Purposes of Life:
- Dharma ("law," "duty," "custom") related to one's place in the family and community
- Artha (wealth, work, business) making a living within the family, community, and kingdom or state
- Kama (desire, pleasure) pursuit of legitimate erotic and aesthetic activities
- Moksha (release), practices to end samsara, or reincarnation.
Similar to the Holy Trinity in Christianity, the Hindu religion contains the Trimurti, which is the sacred trio of three different gods: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).