Hi Substack Community,
In 2017 I was awarded a $215,000 grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) to produce an online course on world religions based on Sir John Templeton’s book Wisdom from World Religions: Pathways Toward Heaven on Earth (Templeton Foundation Press, 2002). Beginning today, I am posting the videos and study guides here on my Substack.
I originally offered the course in eighteen modules over six weeks. Each module contained three or four videos and study material. That was a brisk pace, so now I will post the approximately seventy videos over a longer period of time. Study guides and discussion questions will be available with each video.
Enjoy!
Audio versions of the course are available for purchase at
The Design of the Course
I originally offered the course in eighteen modules over six weeks. Each module contained three or four videos and study material. That was a brisk pace, but now I will spread the videos out out over a longer period of time. To guide reflection on the videos, I will be posting discussion questions and the study guides. Use this comments button to share your thoughts or questions.
The course syllabus and the weekly study guide are at the bottom of these posts, but I will bring in relevant selections from them as we go along—starting with what follows:
The Purpose and Structure of the Course
Course Description
Until recently, the wisdom of the world’s many religions existed in separate silos blocked from other traditions by barriers of language, distance, and slow communications. Now, more than any time in history, this collective wisdom is easily available to anyone with an internet connection. But without a guide to this enormous wealth of information and practice, we can quickly lose our way. In this course, comparative religionist Kenneth Rose, PhD, will be your guide in learning about and practicing the religious and spiritual wisdom that can change your life and the life of your community. Taking his start from the spiritual principles and practices outlined by noted financier and spiritual teacher Sir John Templeton in his book Wisdom from World Religions: Pathways Toward Heaven on Earth, Prof. Rose will trace these teachings to their sources in the world’s major religions and show you how you can put them into practice.
Learning Objectives
Questions That Guide this Course
This course provides clear and inspiring answers to many of life’s big questions:
Does life have an ultimate meaning?
Is science the ultimate guide to the deepest truths of life?
Does God, or a divine reality, exist?
What practices can bring God, or a divine reality, into your own experience?
Is death the end of life?
What You'll Learn
After taking this course, participants will be able to:
Identify the basic teachings of the world’s major religious traditions.
Distinguish these religions from each other.
Compare these religions in search of what they have in common and how they differ.
Evaluate Sir John Templeton’s contributions to the study of spirituality.
Apply some of the spiritual practices suggested by Sir John Templeton
Assess claims about spiritual realities made by the various religions.
How You’ll Learn
Each post contains a link to a short YouTube video (approximately ten minutes in length). These videos are the core of the course, so watching them attentively is essential to profiting from the spent with them.
In videos containing “Video 1” and “Video 2” in the titles, I trace central themes in the religions of the world and in the spiritual thought of Sir John Thompson.
In videos containing “Video 3” in the titles, I introduce a spiritual practice adapted from Sir John Templeton’s writings. You are invited to participate in this spiritual practice—or not, as you choose.
Suggested Book
The lectures in the videos are based on selected readings from Sir John Templeton’s Wisdom from World Religions: Pathways Toward Heaven on Earth (Philadelphia and London: Templeton Foundation Press, 2002). Look for relevant page numbers in the study guide for each video (see below). Templeton’s book is available in print, audio, and e-book formats at these sites:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1890151912/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wisdom-from-world-religions-john-templeton/1114314497
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=vicTZS8PvgYC
Discussion Groups
In the online course, participants divided themselves into three groups based on where they saw themselves in relation to religion and the spiritual life. As you will see, I have divided up the discussion questions to fit each group. Here are the descriptions of each group. You can choose the group that suits you—or switch between them as you like.
Seeker: These questions are ideal for learners who are new to the study and practice of religion and spirituality.
Proficient: These questions are for learners with extensive knowledge and practice of at least one religious tradition
Adept: These questions are for learners with broad experience in the practice and study of multiple religious traditions.
Day 1 Video 1 Study Guide
“Sir John Templeton’s Wisdom from World Religions”
Topic: The Tapestry of World Religions
A Spiritual Law from Sir John Templeton: “The rich variety of world religions creates a tapestry of amazing beauty—a testimony to the spiritual nature of our human visit on earth” (Wisdom from World Religions, page 56).
Video 1 Learning Objectives:
1. To get acquainted with Sir John Templeton’s spiritual vision.
2. To apply spiritual laws in order to become what Sir John Templeton calls “a constructive participant in building ‘heaven on earth’” (Wisdom from World Religions, page xix).
3. To use the resources of the world’s religions in a personal quest for wisdom.
Suggested Reading in Wisdom from World Religions
pages xix-xxv
Discussion questions
Seekers
How many significant living religions of the world can you name?
What methods would you use to study the religions of the world?
Proficients
Can you group different religions into two or three or more families of religions?
What critical and theoretical perspectives do you use when thinking about religions and spirituality?
Adepts
Do you think that spiritual practices and the study of religion belong together?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Sir John Templeton’s blending of religious ideas and practices from different traditions?