Title: Family and Religion

1. Title: Family and Religion • Do Now • Today is “Home Run Day” in honor of baseball great Hank Aaron hitting his first home run in 1954. If someone was to create a day to honor a first for you, what would that day be called and what event of yours would it honor?

2. Agenda • Do Now • Ancient China Family and Religion Lesson • Compare and Contrast • Chinese dragon

3. Objective • Students will compare and contrast their family structure and roles with those of the Ancient Chinese

4. Vocabulary • Value: an ideal thought to be worthwhile by a person or group • Generation: a group of family members born and living at about the same time • Extended family: several generations living together • Ancestor worship: the practice of honoring the spirits of the dead

5. Family Unit • Families are important in most cultures • They help to ensure children are protected • In China, loyalty to one’s family was more important than almost any other value

6. Family Unit • The traditional family in China included many generations. • It usually consisted of children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. • Often a family occupied rooms or houses around a courtyard and lived with their extended family

7. Family Relationships • A person’s position was based mainly on age and gender • The older you were the more power they had and men were considered more important than women • A father had all the power in the household and his wife and children were expected to obey him in all things

8. Family Relationships • Marriages were arranged by parents to strengthen the family • Many couples did not meet until their wedding day • Some did fall in love even though they knew their parents would disapprove

9. Family Relationships I beg of you, Chung Tzu, DO not climb into our homestead, Do not break the willows we have planted. Not that I mind about the willows But I am afraid of my father and mother. Chung Tzu dearly love. But of what my father and mother say Indeed I am afraid.” -Shijing (Book of poetry)

10. Women • Chinese women had and still have little power in the traditional family • Their job is to serve other family members • Chinese tradition and Chinese religious beliefs supported this view.

11. Women • A woman’s duty is not to control or to take charge…When she is young, she must submit to her parents. After her marriage, she must submit to her husband. When she is widowed, she must submit to her son. These are the rules of correct behavior” -Liu Hsiang

12. Traditional Religious Beliefs • The ancient Chinese viewed Earth as a flat disk • At the center lay the middle kingdom • Above earth stretched the sky (Heaven) • Heaven gave Chinese rulers the right to rule but it was far away • They were more concerned with the spirits than Heaven they believed surrounded them every day.

13. Spirits • The Chinese believed the world was alive with spirits • Heaven was home to the sprits of the sun, moon, stars and storms. • On Earth, spirits lived in hills, rivers, rocks and seas and ruled the daily lives of people

14. Spirits According to legend, the Chinese dragon was created from the characteristics of several animals. China’s emperors later adopted the dragon as a symbol of their authority…Why might an emperor want to be compared to a dragon? • Some spirits were good (made rain fall/crops grow) • The Chinese dragon was a symbol of these kindly forces of nature • They believed the dragon could bring rain and help sailors travel safely on the ocean

15. Spirits • Not all sprits were good • Demons and devils haunted dark and lonely places and hid in homes • During festivals, the people used bonfires, loud sounds, and paper dragons to frighten evil spirits away.

16. Spirits of Ancestors • The most important spirits were ancestor spirits • They believed the family members lived on after death in the spirit world • The spirits of ancestors were viewed as part of the family as well

17. Spirits of Ancestors Older family members often performed the ceremonies for honoring ancestors…why do you think they did this? • The living and dead were tied by powerful bonds. • The dead looked to the living to keep their memory alive • They were honored with prayers and gifts • Living members did this because they believed that the more honor they paid to their ancestors the more likely the dead would become good spirits

18. Spirits of Ancestors • The living looked to the dead for help in ongoing affairs because their spirits were more powerful than the living • The spirits of ancestors protected and guided family members

19. Ancestor Worship • The Chinese found many ways to honor their ancestors. • Every home had a shrine known as a “red table” • It held tablets with the names of family ancestors • This was the place they would practice ancestor worship

20. Ancestor Worship • In early times, only powerful noble families may have honored the dead • Over time, ancestor worship became deeply rooted in Chinese culture

21. Compare and Contrast You have the next 20 minutes to write a compare and contrast essay to show the differences in China’s structure and your own. You can choose to either do it point-by-point or chunking the information • First, draw this on the left side of your notebook Spend the next 10 minutes filling out this chart. Include specifics of family structure and life of ancient China and your family

22. Compare and Contrast • Open your books to pate 311 • We are going to read how Confucius and Wilma Mankiller are similar and different • When we are finished, you will write me a compare and contrast paragraph to show the similarities and differences.

23. Chinese Dragon • I will give you a handout. You need to listen closely and follow directions so your Chinese dragon looks as it is supposed to.