Category Archives: Interfaith Children

Interfaith children can have a rich experience of religion that embraces both parents’ faith and helps them develop their own.

Why I’m Coming Out as a Religion Teacher Who Doesn’t Teach Religion

Evolutionary Spirituality, For Religious Educators, Integral Spirituality, Interfaith Children, Interfaith Education, Interfaith Inspiration, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , ,

Photograph of 8 hands in the air with thumbs up. Behind the hair, skin, gender, status, culture, class, language, fashion, and faith, who am I?

I am my message. I am the unique world-view I’m yearning to share. But — I’ve been scratching at its surface, poking around the edges, unwilling to fully embrace it. Why?  Continue reading Why I’m Coming Out as a Religion Teacher Who Doesn’t Teach Religion →

Interfaith Matters

Curriculum Design, Evolutionary Spirituality, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Children, Interfaith Education, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , ,

Lauren Zinn lecturing in Toronto about responsible religion for a global culture.

Dear Parents,

I’m energized from presenting the model of interfaith education, Teaching Responsible Religion for an Interfaith World, that I developed while teaching your children! 🙂, to a welcoming audience at NAIN (North American Interfaith Network) hosted at The University of Toronto, August 11-14, 2013.  If I had any doubts about my devotion to developing a Jewish-Interfaith program, i.e., the Hebrew Play Group through ZinnHouse, they quickly evaporated among interfaith enthusiasts! Continue reading Interfaith Matters →

The Little Mermaid

Interfaith Children, Interfaith Inspiration, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , ,

Mixed media painting by Lauren Zinn of a back of a girl sculpting sand and the sky above.My 14 year old daughter and I took two neighbors, ages 4 and 6, to see June 2nd’s 2013 performance of The Little Mermaid produced by Young People’s Theater at The University of Michigan’s Power Center. The kindergarten through high school cast delighted our little guests who knew all the songs by heart.  But even for me, a member of the older half of the audience, the story’s universal message tugged at my heart, touched a chord, and tapped open tears. What is this emotional message, and what does it have to do with Jewish and Interfaith themes? Continue reading The Little Mermaid →

“Life of Pi” ~ An Evolutionary Religion Teacher’s Dream on Screen

Curriculum Design, For Religious Educators, Interfaith Children, Interfaith Education, Interfaith Inspiration, Interspiritual, Jewish-Interfaith, Movies on Faith & Spirituality, Spiritual Growth for Kids, , , , ,

Poster for the movie, Life of Pi. How many literary characters can you name who embrace three religions? 

In Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and based on the winning novel by Yann Martel, we meet Pi, a Hindu-Christian-Muslim. Since most religions build their ideologies around stories, this film prods us to consider the ways in which faith, story, and life converge both on and off the screen.

Continue reading “Life of Pi” ~ An Evolutionary Religion Teacher’s Dream on Screen →