This curriculum is based on a shift to a new social pattern, or “paradigm,” of religious, cultural and spiritual inquiry.
Paradigms are very powerful. They often set the limits for what we will do and will not do.
We filter our experiences through these paradigms, using them to explain the meaning of our activities. When people are committed to living by a certain paradigm, they often cannot even see the evidence that supports the need for a new paradigm. If people live by an old paradigm, they will often resist a new one because they will not or can not consider the evidence that supports the shift to a new pattern.
OLD PARADIGM |
NEW PARADIGM |
| there is one truth | there are many truths that form a whole |
| we must adhere to conventions | we must find our own paths |
| it is better to judge based on past experience or preconceptions | it is better to seek new insights based on open-ended exploration and non judgmental observation |
| religious life and practice are dictated | we are responsible for creating our own religious lives |
| there is one absolute authority | there are many sources of authority |
| God decrees one truth | a dynamic dialogue exists between humans and the divine |
| there is one God who is transcendent | there are many manifestations of sacred principles; the divine is immanent in all beings |
| truth is only achievable through reason and logic | intuition plays a key role in the discovery of truth |
| life is a linear pattern of cause and effect | life is a series of spirals and natural cycles of becoming |
| a pyramid structure from top to bottom — God, man, woman, child, animal, plant — determines worth and the right to exist | a web structure supports diversity — in human communities and in the biological world |
| the earth should be conquered, controlled and exploited | the earth should be honored, respected and cherished |
| cultures are separate | cultures are interconnected |
| one culture is superior to another; others should be ignored | exposure to a variety of cultures provides important experiences |
| we need to only be exposed to Jewish and Christian religious concepts and practices | there is value in experiencing a wide variety of global concepts and practices that expand our own possibilities |