Clarence Darrow – Defense lawyer and evolutionist
William Jennings Bryan – Prosecuting lawyer and fundamentalist
"The Court" – Judge
Policeman
The courtyard (laughter and applause)

Day 7

Darrow-You have given considerable study to the Bible, haven’t you, Mr. Bryan?

Bryan-Yes, sir, I have tried to…

Q-The Bible says Joshua commanded the sun to stand still for the purpose of lengthening the day, doesn’t it, and you believe it.

A-I do.

Q-Do you believe at that time the entire sun went around the earth?

A-No, I believe that the earth goes around the sun.

Q-Do you believe that the men who wrote it thought that the day could be lengthened or that the sun could be stopped?

A-I don’t know what they thought.

Q-You don’t know?

A-I think they wrote the fact without expressing their own thoughts…

Mr. Darrow- Can you answer my question directly? If the day was lengthened by stopping either the earth or the sun, it must have been the earth?

A-Well, I should say so.

Q- Now, Mr. Bryan, have you ever pondered what would have happened to the earth if it had stood still?

A-No.

Q-You have not?

A- No; the God I believe in could have taken care of that, Mr. Darrow.

Q- I see. Have you ever pondered what would naturally happen to the earth if it stood still suddenly?

A- No.

Q-Don’t you know it would have been converted into molten mass of matter?

A-You testify to that when you get on the stand, I will give you a chance.

Q-Don’t you believe it?

A-I would want to hear expert testimony on that.

Q-You have never investigated that subject?

A-I don’t think I have ever had the question asked.

Q-Or ever thought of it?

A-I have been too busy on thinks that I thought were of more importance than that.

Q-You believe the story of the flood to be a literal interpretation?

A-Yes, sir.

Q-When was that Flood?

A-I would not attempt to fix the date. The date is fixed, as suggested this morning.

Q-About 4004 B.C.?…

A-I do not think about things I don’t think about.

Q-Do you think about things you do think about?

A-Well, sometimes.

(Laughter in the courtyard.)

Policeman-Let us have order….

Bryan-These gentlemen have not had much chance-they did not come here to try this case. They came here to try revealed religion. I am here to defend it and they can ask me any question they please.

The Court-All right…

(Applause from the court yard.)

Darrow- Do you know anything about how many people there were in Egypt 3,500 years ago, or how many people there were in China 5,000 years ago?

Bryan-No.

Q-Have you ever tried to find out?

A-No, sir. You are the first man I ever heard of who has been in interested in it. (Laughter.)

Q-Mr. Bryan, am I the first man you ever heard of who has been interested in the age of human societies and primitive man?

A-You are the first man I ever heard speak of the number of people at those different periods.

Q-Where have you lived all your life?

A-Not near you. (Laughter and applause.)

Q-Nor near anybody of learning?

A-Oh, don’t assume you know it all.

Q-Do you know there are thousands of books in our libraries on all those subjects I have been asking you about?

A-I couldn’t say, but I will take your word for it….

Q-Have you any idea how old the earth is?

A-No.

Q-The Book you have introduced in evidence tells you, doesn’t it?

A-I don’t think it does, Mr. Darrow.

Q-Let’s see whether it does; is this the one?

A-That is the one, I think.

Q-It says B.C. 4004?

A-That is Bishop Usher’s calculation.

Q-That is printed in the Bible you introduced?

A-Yes, sir….

Q-Would you say that the earth was only 4,000 years old?

A-Oh, no; I think it is much older than that.

Q-How much?

A-I couldn’t say.

Q-Do you say whether the Bible itself says it is older than that?

A-I don’t think it is older or not.

Q-Do you think the earth was made in six days?

A-Not six days of twenty-four hours.

Q-Doesn’t it say so?

The Court-Are you about through, Mr. Darrow?

Darrow-I want to ask a few more questions about the creation.

The Court-I know. We are going to adjourn when Mr. Bryan comes off the stand for the day. Be very brief, Mr. Darrow.

Bryan-The reason I am answering is not for the benefit of the superior court. It is to keep these gentlemen from saying I was afraid to meet them and let them question me, and I want the Christian world to know that any atheist, agnostic, unbeliever, can question me anytime as to my belief in God, and I will answer him.

Darrow-I want to take an exception to this conduct of this witness. He may be very popular down here in the hills….

Bryan-Your honor, they have not asked a question legally and the only reason they have asked any question is for the purpose, as the question about Jonah was asked, for a chance to give this agnostic an opportunity to criticize a believer in the world of God; and I answered the question in order to shut his mouth so that he cannot go out and tell his atheistic friends that I would not answer his questions. That is the only reason, no more reason in the world.

Mr. Darrow:

Q-Mr. Bryan, do you believe that the first woman was Eve?

A-Yes.

Q-Do you believe she was literally made out of Adams’s rib?

A-I do.

Q-Did you ever discover where Cain got his wife?

A-No, sir; I leave the agnostics to hunt for her.

Q-You have never found out?

A-I have never tried to find

Q-You have never tried to find?

A-No.

Q-The Bible says he got one, doesn’t it? Were there other people on the earth at that time?

A-I cannot say.

Q-You cannot say. Did that ever enter your consideration?

A-Never bothered me.

Q-There were no others recorded, but Cain got a wife.

A-That is what the Bible says…

Q-I will read it to you from the Bible: "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Do you think that is why the serpent is compelled to crawl upon its belly?

A-I believe that.

Q-Have you any idea how the snake went before that time?

A-No, sir.

Q-Do you know whether he walked on his tail or not?

A-No, sir. I have no way to know. (Laughter in audience).

Q–Now, you refer to the cloud that was put in heaven after the flood, the rainbow. Do you believe in that?

A-Read it.

Q-AII right, Mr. Bryan, I will read it for you.

Bryan-Your Honor, I think I can shorten this testimony. The only purpose Mr. Darrow has is to slur at the Bible, but I will answer his question. I will answer it all at once, and I have no objection in the world, I want the world to know that this man, who does not believe in a God, is trying to use a court in Tennessee–

Darrow-I object to that.

Bryan-(Continuing) to slur at it, and while it will require time, I am willing to take it.

Darrow–I object to your statement. I am exempting you on your fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes.

The Court-Court is adjourned until 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.

Charles! What have you brought home THIS timer 18-year-old Caroline asked. Charles, who was ten, showed her a cocoon, two pebbles, a piece of fern, and a dead beetle. He was a great collector. He loved to be out In woods and fields. His sharp eyes found butterflies, plants, stones, and other things.

When Charles was nine, he was sent to Dr.Butler’s boarding school. But the school was only about a mile away, so he ran home and back easily.At school, he was taught Latin, Creek, and mathematics, none of which he liked. He worked hard at school, but he didn’t get good marks and often disappointed his father. Dr. Darwin thought Charles needed to know Latin and Creek and mathematics to be successful. He didn’t think Charles’s interest in nature would amount to anything.

When Charles was 16, his father decided that he should go to Edinburgh to study medicine. But after two years the sight of blood made Charles sick, so Dr. Darwin sent him to Cambridge University to become a minister. Charles didn’t much want to be a minister either, but he did want to please his father, so off he went.

Charles didn’t study very hard, though he passed his exams. Instead he became a very enthusiastic beetle collector and was always looking for rare and new kinds. Once when he tore off some old bark from a tree, he found two very special beetles which he instantly grabbed, one in each hand. Then much to his excitement, he saw a third. How to catch it too? He popped the beetle from his right hand in his mouth, and then had to quickly spit it out, for it ejected some really awful tasting liquid which burned his tongue. He lost it, and the other one disappeared.

At that time, the British government was sending Captain Robert Fitzroy around the world to make some new maps of coastlines. A naturalist was needed on the Beagle to gather specimens of plants and animals. Charles Darwin was recommended and was very excited, but his father thought it would be a waste of time. He said, "If you can find any man of common sense who advises you to go, I will give my consent." Josiah Wedgwood II, Charles’s uncle, thought it a splendid opportunity and convinced Dr. Darwin.

Charles sailed from England on December 26,1831, on a five-year adventure that changed his ideas and those of many people In the world.

When Charles set sail, almost everyone in the Christian world believed, as it says in the Bible, that everything looked as it had in the very beginning . . . dogs, cats, worms, butterflies, people, everything. Charles thought so too, but what he saw in the places where the Beagle landed gradually changed his mind.

In Argentina, he found the fossil bones of giant prehistoric beasts that looked like animals he knew, only much larger. One was a giant ground sloth that looked very much like the sloths he saw hanging head down from the branches of trees. Had the giant sloths all died out, or could they be the ancestors of the smaller ones he was seeing?

He spent five weeks on the Galapagos Islands and could hardly believe what he saw: lizards looked like dragons; tortoises required six men to lift them; plants, insects, and birds were like none he’d ever seen. Darwin studied everything. He noticed that the tortoises were different on each island. He saw that the beaks of the finches, which were not the same on each island, seemed to depend on what they found to eat. Those that ate berries had different beaks from those that caught insects. He thought a lot about this. Why was it so, when they were all finches? Was it possible that living things changed in some way when their surroundings changed?

Charles Darwin thought about this through-out his journey. He collected plants and animals and sent them to England. When he returned home, he studied them, performed experiments,and wrote and rewrote what: he discovered. After many years, he published a book, The Origin of the Species. He said living things — like flowers, dogs, butterflies, and all other kinds — have been on earth for thousands and thousands of years, and that they have gradually changed through the generations to be able to live in different kinds of places. The clergy disagreed because what he said didn’t agree with the Bible; some called him the most dangerous man in England! Some scientists disagreed with him, because they believed that whatever they discovered had to fit with the Bible.A few clergy and scientists thought he had made important discoveries, though, and they persuaded others. Later, Charles Darwin was given the Copley medal of the Royal Society of London, the most important science award in England.

Seven years after he was given the medal, Darwin’s book about the origin and evolution of people was published. It was called The Descent of Man People were outraged; "Mr. Darwin suggests we’ve descended from monkeys!" they said. But Charles didn’t say that. He said that thousands and thousands of years ago, there was another creature. Both people and monkeys evolved from that animal, like two different branches growing from the same tree.

Charles Darwin was a very kind and loving man. He and his wife Emma had ten children with whom Charles spent a lot of time playing and talking. In one way this was easy because Charles had inherited money and didn’t have to go to work to earn a living. But it was also hard, for he was often ill.

The Darwins lived in the country in a big house with lots of rooms, a garden, and a greenhouse. Two hours a day were "holy time" when Charles worked on his experiments and writings; no one interrupted him. The rest of his time he shared with his family and friends if he was well enough.

Charles was a collector all of his life and the house was full of all kinds of specimens. On the Beagle, he had begun to collect and study barnacles and he kept this up for many years. Once when one of his children was visiting a friend, he asked, "Where does your father keep his barnacles?" He thought all fathers collected them.

There was a Unitarian Church in Shrewsbury that Charles sometimes attended with his Uncle Erasmus. Not all Unitarians agreed with Charles’s ideas about evolution when the books were published, for most of them, too, thought the Bible was literally true. But the search for truth has always been important to Unitarians and Universalists,and new scientific discoveries changed people’s minds. Darwin’s theories were accepted. Some of his theories have been changed over the years, but that would have been all right with him, for he was always willing to change his opinions if he were proven wrong. He sought the truth, and believed it could be found only with love. He said that prejudice and hate "hinder and blind [people] to truth. A scientist must only love."

This is a story about a boy named Hal. Hal is a prince. His parents, the King and the Queen, wanted him to be handsome, very, very smart, and very, very special. They were disappointed though, because he was just like other boys and girls. He wanted to play with the other children who lived outside the castle, but his parents wouldn’t let him.

One day Hal waved out the window to a girl he saw playing, and she waved back. Later she found her way into the castle past the guards, and she brought a book with her. It was an old book, but Hal was happy to trade one of his new books for it. It was a book about the old days and about monsters. The monsters once lived in the kingdom now ruled by Hal’s parents. In the old days, the man who was king drove the monster people out of their homes. The monsters had to run away to save their lives, and they escaped to live inside of Black Rock Mountain. When the monsters escaped, the King was so angry that he ordered the people never to talk about the monster people or write stories about them. In time few people in the land remembered the monsters who lived inside the mountain.

Hal was very sad and lonely inside the castle because he had no one to play with. So he read the book about the monsters over and over. He gave names to the monsters who were pictured in the book, and he felt that they were his friends. They were strange looking, but they seemed more sad than ugly.

One day Hal’s mother, the Queen, came to his room and found the book about monsters. She was very angry. She threw the book into the fireplace Hal tried to save it from the flames, but it caught fire and burned. That night and for many nights afterwards, Hal dreamed of monsters and fire. He always woke up feeling sad. Time went by, and Hal began to grow thin and pale. The Queen told the King that Hal was not well, and a doctor was called. The doctor said Hal was very unhappy, that he should go somewhere else to live for a while. Hal said he wanted to go live with his Aunt Ivy, and his parents agreed. Ivy lived near the mountains. In fact, she lived near Black Rock Mountain, where the book said the monster people lived.

One cleat spring day, Prince Hal went to the mountains. He rode In a coach drawn by six horses, with six guards riding other horses all around the coach. They rode all day and toward evening came to a white house among the trees. Aunt Ivy came out to meet Hal. She showed him through the house and took him to see what would be his room. Hal asked if Cousin Archer, Aunt Ivy’s son, would play with him. Aunt Ivy replied, "Cousin Archer is a grown man, not a boy, and he has no time to play."

Hal looked out the window of his room and saw something rising up behind the trees. It was Black Rock Mountain. He told his Aunt Ivy about something he had read in the book: that there was a black square on the mountain wall where a door used to be. "It was made by magic," Hal said. "It was the door used by the monsters to get into the mountain.

Aunt Ivy said that she had once heard a song about strange people who lived underground, but that she didn’t know anything else about it. However, she remembered, once she had heard a man say he had caught a little monster.

The next day Cousin Archer came home from hunting. He was a big, rough-looking man. He had two big dogs and carried a bag in which there was a bird he had captured. He ignored Hal and said nothing even when Hal said, "Good day, Cousin Archer." When Hal followed Archer outside, they came to many cages placed along the garden path, cages full of pigeons and peacocks, monkeys and rabbits, and many other forest animals. Cousin Archer banged some of the animals on the nose to make them shriek. "Stop!" Hal cried when Archer hit the first animal. "You’re hurting it." But Archer just laughed and kept at it. He said that he liked to hear them scream.

Hal felt very badly. "These animals are not happy," he told Cousin Archer. "You should set them free." But Cousin Archer said he could do whatever he wanted to. Then he became very angry at Hal and chased him from the garden with a stick. "Get out of here," Archer screamed at Hal. "Get out, and don’t come back!"

Hal was excited and a little afraid. He ran along the road up the hill and down and then into the woods. He decided to head for Black Rock Mountain to see if he could find the magic door.

After a while Hal felt strange being all alone in the dark woods. He stopped for a drink of water at a stream. As he finished drinking, he discovered some clothes under a bush: a pair of boots, pants, a coat, and a hat with two holes in it, one on each side. The clothes were made of a strange material.He wondered whose they were. He looked at them very carefully but left them under the bush.

He hadn’t gone far when he heard steps behind him. Hal turned. A boy was running after him, wearing the clothes Hal had found in the bush. The boy was a monster! He had great round eyes and a flat nose. His teeth were tusks. His hair was like a lion’s mane. His skin was green. A pair of pink horns stretched through the holes in his cap.

"Give it back!" the boy shouted at Hal.

"Give what back?" Hal replied.

"The twig, the twig. You took my twig, and now I can’t go home," the monster boy answered and started to cry.

Hal said, "I didn’t take your twig, and I wish you’d stop crying. And why can’t you go home?"

The monster boy explained that the twig was part of the magic that opened the mountain to let him in. It was gone, and he couldn’t go home.

"I’ll help you find it," Hal offered.

"No, you won’t help me, " the boy said. "You’re a Small Eyes. Small Eyes are our enemy."

"I’m not your enemy," said Hal.

"Yes, you are. You hate us," the boy said.

"No, I don’t hate you," Hal said, "and I’ll help you look for your twig." They went back to the bush by the stream and looked for the twig, but they couldn’t find it. Then Hal had a good idea. "Must it be just the twig you lost?" he asked.

"It must be a twig from a black fir tree," the monster boy explained.

"I have a black fir at home," said Hal. "You wait here, and I’ll go home and get you a new twig. By the way, what is your name?"

"My name is Humbert," the monster said.

"And my name is Hal," said Hal.

Hal hurried back to Aunt Ivy’s house. He sneaked behind the house and broke a twig from the black fit tree. He was about to run off to the woods when he heard a commotion on the other side of the house. When he walked around and peeked into the garden, he saw that Cousin Archer had Humbert locked in a cage. Archer had found Humbert waiting in the woods. He had captured Humbert and brought him back to the house."What a fine monster I have caught," Archer was boasting. And a crowd of people from the village had gathered around the cage to stare at the monster boy.

Hal ran to the edge of the crowd unseen by his cousin and then wormed his way to the front ."Humbert," Hal whispered.

The boy in the cage was startled. "Hal," he said.

"I have the twig," Hal told him softly. "Be ready."

While Cousin Archer was driving the villagers out of the garden, Hal climbed a tree and hid in the thick branches. He waited there for hours until it was night. Then he climbed down from the tree and quickly went from cage to cage, opening each one as he passed by. A monkey jumped from its cage and began to shriek. Soon the other monkeys had joined in, as did all of the other animals. The monkeys screamed and chattered. The birds squawked. The dogs barked. As the guards came running, Hal opened Humbert’s cage, and the two boys raced away from the garden.

Humbert and Hal ran through the woods all the way to Black Rock Mountain. When they reached the mountain, Humbert took the twig and said the magic words. There was a deep rumble, and a door opened in the side of the mountain. They ran through, and the door closed after them. Now they were safe.

First they walked through a place called The Land of In-Between where thousands of glow worms gave them light. Then they walked under a waterfall and came to the land where Humbert and his people lived. It was a land where the people kept coal fires burning all of the time so they could have light and heat.

The boys came to Humbert’s house, but only Humbert went in at first. "I have to ask my mother about your staying," Humbert explained.

Hal couldn’t see anyone in the house, but he heard Humbert’s mother talking. "He is a Small Eyes. Why have you brought him here? He can’t stay here. He is our enemy," she said.

"He is not our enemy," Humbert replied. "He is my friend." Hal couldn’t hear what was said after that, but soon Humbert returned and brought Hal into his house. Despite what she had said, Humbert’s mother was very kind to Hal. She gave the boys dinner and a bath, and then she put them to sleep.

In the morning Hal was awoken by the sound of voices. Humbert and his mother were talking in the next room. "You are only a monster to this Small Eyes," Humbert’s mother said. "Do you think he would ever say of you, ‘This is my friend, the monster?"

Humbert replied, "No matter what you say, he is my friend."

Though Hal stayed in Humbert’s house another day, both Hal and Humbert knew that Hal had to leave. Humbert’s mother was uneasy. And the boys couldn’t even go out and play, because the other monster people would see Hal as the enemy and put him in a cage, or worse. Very early the next morning, Hal and Humbert raced away from the house and on into The Land of In-Between. There Humbert gave Hal the twig and taught him the magic words for the door. The boys said goodbye but promised to meet again.

Hal raced through The Land of In-Between, through the magic door, and on through the woods. When he came to the house, his parents were there as well as Aunt Ivy. Everyone was so happy to see him. They had heard that Cousin Archer had chased him from the garden, and the King had sent Archer away for a year as punishment for this.

The King and Queen could see that Hal was well again, and they were very happy. They decided to let Hal play with other children. Often Hal would go to visit his Aunt Ivy. And each time he’d go out to Black Rock Mountain to visit his friend, Humbert. The boys usually played together in The Land of In-Between. There, Humbert was safe from the "Small Eyes" and Hal was safe from the "Monsters."Hal wanted to tell Humbert that someday he wouldbe the king. When he was, Humbert and all of his people could come out from inside the mountain, and no one would harm them. Hal would order it.Then they would all live together in peace. And that’s the end of the story.

Goal:
To understand our faith as one which encourages the use of reason and that is comfortable with changing, if our understanding changes.

Materials:
• A Bible
• “Bumper sticker” supplies (strips of paper, markers etc.)
• Story: “The Boy Who Collected Beetles”
• Exerpts from The Scopes Monkey Trial
• List of “Used-to-thinks”

Background:
The “search for truth,” one of our UU principles, often leads UUs to new and different beliefs. The emphasis on the use of reason and the willingness to change one’s beliefs based on new information are hallmarks of our liberal faith tradition.

Darwin’s theory of evolution provides a dramatic example of new information that changed the way people thought about how the world began. Although the majority of people today accept the theory of evolution, there are still voices advocating the teaching of creationism in public schools. This lesson may stimulate discussion of other “used to thinks” in your family.

Activities:
• Read the first couple chapters of Genesis in the Bible, in which the seven days are described.
• Read “The Boy Who Collected Beetles.”
• Introduce the Scopes Trial. Then, take turns reading aloud the excerpts from the Scopes Trial.
• Play Used-to-Thinks.
• Make a bumper sticker to express a belief of yours.

Discussion:
The use of reason is one of the most important beliefs in our faith. We understand that the story from the Bible is an ancient legend, over a thousand years old. Times were different then. We can accept that it’s a beautiful myth and it is poetry. But we are comfortable replacing it with a different understanding of creation, as scientific evidence suggests the theory of evolution.

Unitarian Universalists believe that change happens and is a natural consequence of searching for the truth. We know that our own experience causes us to change, and that sometimes we make mistakes and must change. If we had slogans about our beliefs they might be: “Change Happens,” or “Mystery is Beautiful.” If you were to make your own bumper sticker, what would it say?

The origins of Hinduism date back to the third millennium B.C.E., establishing this faith as one of the world’s oldest major religions. Hinduism is a complex and diverse faith that has no uniform dogma or creed. One of the main Hindu world views describes each soul (Atman) as experiencing a series of life-journeys through unending cycles of time. Through these life-journeys, which include the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, the soul seeks to gain union with the Supreme Being (Brahman).

This cycle of reincarnation is called "Samsara:’ To gain union with Brahman, the Hindu must live an exemplary life of self-control, nonviolence, reverence for all living creatures, charity toward and tolerance of other humans, and devotion to rituaI and worship. This journey of spiritual ascent through Samsara requires attention to the following processes and principles:

Dharma

Accepting one’s station in each incarnation or life, as expressed through the caste system.

The caste system (varna) is the framework on which Hindu society has been built for many centuries. Though the Indian Parliament has outlawed caste discrimination and education is eroding some of its power, custom and tradition are so thoroughly ingrained in Indian life that change moves slowly and with great difficulty. Caste is less a foctor than it once was, yet it still pervades Hindu society and is most powerfuI in the many small villages where the majority of India’s population lives.

The four main castes were originally organized by occupation. These four have evolved into three thousand subcastes. The maincastes are as follows:

Brahmin: priests, teachers, seers
Kshatriyas: originally soldiers; now corporate directors,
administrators, office workers, and managers
Vaisyas: merchants, craftspeople, technicians
Sudras: factory workers, field hands, laborers

Outside of these divisions are the "outsiders/outcastes," once known as "untouchabies," Mahatma Gandhi called these people the Harijans or "people of God," They did-and in many cases still do-the work that other caste members would not do. Restrictions were so rigid-and often still are-that an "untouchable" was not allowed to walk on the same side of the street as a Brahmin. Never could they eat with or live in the same areas as members of the main castes.

Some historians claim that castes were not originally a part of the Hindu religion but were created to defend the position of the Aryan ruling class against both the indigenous population and later conquerors. Throughout recorded history, however, caste has been pervasive In the scriptures and customs of Hinduism.

Karma

Today’s actions bear on the future, or "one reaps what one sows."

Maya

This material world is really illusion. Yet it is in this world that each human being must seek to overcome his or her faults and weaknesses.

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth through attainment of union with Brahman.

Hinduism is sometimes referred to as the "religion of thirty-three million gods and goddesses." Traditional Hindu beliefs describe many gods and goddesses who live in the Himalayas of northern India. These deities are not God as is Brahman, nor are they fully human though they enact all kinds of human experience. Indian literature includes many myths and legends detailing the origins of these deities and of the rituals, celebrations, and festivals relating to them that have become an important part of Hinduism over the centuries.

Even with all of these gods and goddesses, Brahman is clearly identified as "god" as Westerners understand this concept. Brahman is the Creator and the Creation, though always described in three personifications: Brahma (Creator); Vishnu (Preserver), and Shiva (Destroyer)

For the Hindu, every aspect of daily life is an expression of religion. The separation of the secular and the sacred familiar to Westerners is unknown in Hinduism. The Hindu’s day begins in the morning with bathing according to prescribed rituals. The preparation, serving, and eating of meals are carried out in accordance with religious prescriptions. Most Hindu homes have a family shrine where the family’s chosen god or goddess is worshipped. Each day the family god/goddess must be bathed, given food, and decorated with fruits and flowers in preparation for the family worship.

Hindu religious practice includes many rituals, celebrations, and festivals, which occur regularly throughout the year. Many of these rituals focus on honoring the gods and goddesses. Hindu practice also involves rites of passage throughout childhood and adulthood that are important in Hindu life. These serve as constant reminders of the person’s duty as a devout Hindu, and they strengthen family ties and people’s sense of responsibility to one another.

Some of the better-known scriptures of Hinduism include the following: The Vedas, The Brahmanas, The Upanishods, and The Bhagavad-Gita. Passages from several of these scriptures will be used as resources during this unit.

MANTRAS

1. OmorAum

When chanting Om, draw the syllable out to the fullest extent of your breath until the "m" is a low, murmuring sound.

Om sounds like: Ooo ooo o o o mm mm m m . . .

Om or Aum is a sound that is believed to contain the energy of Brahman, the same energy that created the universe.

2. Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Om

(Phonetically: Shree rahm ji rahm ji ji rahm oo oo oo mm mm)

Accent the underlined syllables as you chant:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Om

Translation:

Sri: a title of honor
Ram: Lord
Jai: Hail!
Om: the expression of the whole of being, of the ultimate creative energy in the universe

READINGS FROM HINDU SCRIPTURES

From The Bhagavad-Gita

"On Self-Control"

If you have self-control
and move in the world
while restraining your senses,
you are free from attachment and hate,
and attain serenity of mind.

"The Yoga of Meditation"

For one who has conquered his self by the self, the Self is a friend; but for one who has not conquered the self, the Self becomes hostile like an enemy.

One who is impartial to friend, companion and foe, to those who are remote and neutral, to those who are hateful, to relatives, to good and evil men-excels.

From The Upanishads

KATHAI

Om…
May Brahman protect us,
May Brahman guide us,
May Brahman give us strength and right understanding.
May love and harmony be with us all.
Om . . . Peace. . . Peace. . . Peace.

SVETASVATARA XII

1. O Brahman Supreme!
Formless art thou, and yet
Though the reason none knows,
Thou bringest forth many forms;
Thou bringest them forth, and then
Withdrawest them to thyself.
Fill us with thought of thee!

2. Thou art the fire,
Thou art the sun,
Thou art the air,
Thou art the moon,
Thou art the starry firmament,
Thou art Brahman Supreme:
Thou art the waters-thou
The creator of all!