Gaylynne Hawkins

InTASC Standard Nine: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice

The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to
continually evaluate his/her practice particularly the effects of his/her choices
and actions on others !learners fa"ilies other professionals and the
co""unity# and adapts practice to "eet the needs of each learner$
Na"e of Artifact: Practicing Religions
%ate: 4/20/14
Course: EDUC 255: Introduction to Multicultural Teaching
&rief %escription: !ter conducting research o! the religious "o"ulations in #$ area% I
choose a s"eci!ic religious deno#ination to &eco#e #ore !a#iliar 'ith( The )eho*ah+s
,itness(
'ationale: In researching the religious organi-ations in #$ area o! .a/e Count$%
Indiana% I ca#e across so#e in!or#ation that created a host o! 0uestions( .et #e &egin
&$ "resenting the !indings(
(art I
stud$ ta/en !ro# htt"://'''(cit$1data(co#/count$/religion/.a/e1Count$1I2(ht#l
re*ealed that throughout a section o! .a/e Count$ Indiana that included% 3ar$%
4a##ond% East Chicago% Merrill*ille and 4o&art( 556 o! its "o"ulation is Catholic% 226
is o! E*angelical deno#ination% 126 are Mainline Protestants and 7

6 is uns"eci!ied(
The !irst 0uestion that ca#e to #ind 'as% 8,here are all the Christians9: I !igured there
had to &e #ore to this so I /e"t searching( ;urther research indicated that% Catholics%
Protestants and E*angelicalis#% are all !or#s o! Christianit$( ,ell no' I+# reall$
con!used &ecause is this is true% it 'ould #ean that nearl$ e*er$one 'ithin this area% are
Christians( I thought to #$sel!% 8This can+t &e accurate:( 4o'e*er% !urther research
re*ealed that according to '''('orld"o"ulationstatistics(co#% a&out 446 o! the state o!
Indiana "o"ulation identi!ies as religious% co#"ared to the national a*erage o! 456( <ut
o! the 446% a&out 126 identi!$ as #e#&ers o! the Catholic Church% #a/ing it the
largest deno#ination in the state o! Indiana( ll the other Christian deno#inations #a/e
u" a&out =1(26 o! the "o"ulation( Those 'ho identi!$ as )e'ish% Isla#ic% or Eastern
religions onl$ #a/e u" 0(>6 o! the "o"ulation(
?ased on this in!or#ation% I !eel co#!orta&le in concluding that in #$ area% o! Merrill*ille
and its surrounding to'ns and cities religious "o"ulation is *astl$ Christian(
(art II
1
<ut o! the #ultitude o! Christian &ased religions I ha*e al'a$s &een #ost curious a&out
the "ractices o! )eho*ah+s ,itnesses% so I decide to learn #ore a&out the#( M$
curiosit$ deri*ed !ro# not understanding 'h$ )eho*ah+s ,itnesses restrict the#sel*es
!ro# so #an$ rights and traditions% such as *oting% The Pledge o! llegiance% &irthda$s
and #ore i#"ortantl$ as a !uture educator I cannot understand 'h$ )eho*ah+s
,itnesses don+t &elie*e in higher education@ Ao I in*estigated(
)eho*ahBs ,itnesses are #e#&ers o! a Christian1&ased religious #o*e#ent( The
deno#ination 'as !ounded in the UA at the end o! the 15th centur$% &$ Charles Ta-e
Russell( )eho*ahBs ,itness are "ro&a&l$ &est /no'n !or their door1to1door e*angelical
'or/C 'itnessing !ro# house to house% o!!ering ?i&le literature and recruiting and
con*erting "eo"le to the truth( lthough Christian1&ased% )eho*ahBs ,itness &elie*e that
the traditional Christian Churches ha*e de*iated !ro# the true teachings o! the ?i&le%
and do not 'or/ in !ull har#on$ 'ith 3od( )eho*ahBs ,itness do not &elie*e in the
Christian doctrine o! the Trinit$% DThe ;ather% The Aon% and The 4ol$ A"iritE and
there!ore the$ are not dee#ed as a #ainstrea# Christian religion( '''(&&c(co(u/
There are #an$ #isconce"tions regarding the )eho*ahBs ,itness #o*e#ent( I chose
to in*estigate the accusation that the )eho*ahBs ,itness #o*e#ent is a cult( Merria#1
,e&ster(co# de!ines a cult as 8a s#all religious grou" that is not "art o! a larger and
#ore acce"ted religion and that has &elie!s regarded &$ #an$ "eo"le as eFtre#e or
dangerous(: I &elie*e that the )eho*ahBs ,itness #o*e#ent does not !it this de!inition(
In an inter*ie' on ?elie!net(co# 'ith )oel P( Engardio% a "u&lisher 'ho raised as a
)eho*ah+s ,itness &ut choose not to "ractice as an adult( 4e gi*es insight on this
accusation( htt"://'''(&elie!net(co#/;aiths/Christianit$/2007/05/,hat1Do1)eho*ahs1
,itnesses1?elie*e(as"F
ccording to one 'e&site% 8,itnesses discourage "artici"ation in uni*ersit$ education
!or its o'n sa/e(: There!ore% 8,itnesses are less li/el$ to as"ire to higher education
than their "eers((( The$ t$"icall$ disa""ro*e o! the rat race that is ri!e in conte#"orar$
societ$% and *ie' earthl$ as"irations as &eing o! #uch less i#"ortance than s"iritual
concerns: it is !ar "re!era&le to 'or/ !or )eho*ahBs /ingdo# than !or #aterial gain(
3eorge D( Chr$ssides% EF"loring 2e' Religions% .ondon% 1555: '''(&&c(co(u/
)eho*ahBs ,itnesses #a$ also re!use #ilitar$ ser*ice% *oting in elections% and ta/ing
"art in #ost religious !esti*als and secular cele&rations li/e &irthda$s( '''(&&c(co(u/( In
the ?elie!net inter*ie' 'ith )oel P( Engardio% he states that% ,itnesses &elie*e that
*oting% su""orting the #ilitar$ or sa$ing the Pledge o! llegiance% constitutes as "utting
!aith in #an and not 3od( The$ &elie*e that no #an #ade go*ern#ent can sol*e 'orld
"eace(
The !actors o! that I !oresee a!!ecting a student that is a )eho*ahBs ,itness in #$ !uture
classroo# is going to &e the social !actors( The ac/no'ledge#ent o! holida$s%
&irthda$s% "olitical elections% and reciting the Pledge o! llegiance% #ight "ossi&l$ ha*e
an e!!ect on a student that does not recogni-e these e*ents &ased on their &elie!s( I
2
!eel that this is a social !actor &ecause o! ho' the$ are *ie'ed &$ their "eers !or not
ac/no'ledging these e*ents(
To acco##odate a )eho*ah+s ,itness student% it #a$ &e necessar$ to !irst
ac/no'ledge their "osition( Doing this lets the student /no' that their &elie!s are
res"ected( Aecondl$ it #a$ &e necessar$ to share 'ith the other students 'hat
eFclusions that there 'ill &e% and eF"lain that 'e #ust res"ect this "osition( Atudents
should understand that e*er$one has certain rights and 'e #ust res"ect each other no
#atter the di!!erences(
Educators are res"onsi&le !or continuing to learn and understand the di!!erent cultures
'ithin their classroo#s and "ro#ote res"ect !or e*er$ learner as an indi*idual( It is
i#"ortant to sta$ 'ell1in!or#ed and u" to date in order to acco##odate and encourage
di*ersit$ in the classroo#
'esources
htt"://'''('orld"o"ulationstatistics(co#/indiana1"o"ulation1201=/
htt"://'''(&elie!net(co#/;aiths/Christianit$/2007/05/,hat1Do1)eho*ahs1,itnesses1
?elie*e(as"F
htt"://'''(&&c(co(u//religion/religions/'itnesses/custo#s/custo#s(sht#l
'''(#erria#1'e&ster(co#/dictionar$/ cult
=