英美国家概况(美国部分)Unit-15-Dominant-Values-and-Religious-Beliefs[精]课件.ppt--（课件中不含音视频）

1、The United States of America Unit 15Dominant Values and Religious Beliefs The United States The United States of Americaof AmericaUniversity of International Business and Economics PressThink about these questions before we Think about these questions before we start:start:v1.What is culture?Please

2、try to define this term.v2.What cultural values and religious beliefs are prevalent in America?v3.How do cultural values and religious beliefs influence the American society?Warming-up Activities Warming-up Activities University of International Business and Economics PressContentsContents Religion

3、in America Dominant American ValueUniversity of International Business and Economics PressvWhat is culture?Dominant American Values Dominant American ValuesCulture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.A culture is a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors,b

4、eliefs,values,and symbols that they accept,generally without thinking about them,and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.Uni

5、versity of International Business and Economics PressUniversity of International Business and Economics PressUniversity of International Business and Economics Press1 Individualism vDefinition:vBelief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal indepe

6、ndence.vIts influence on the American society?University of International Business and Economics Press2 Competitive Spirit v Downside of competition for the U.S.society:v The pressure to win can be overwhelming in America,where only winners are cheered and remembered and the winner takes all,includi

7、ng multimillion-dollar advertising contracts.The overemphasis on competition also contributes to a hostile workplace.Employees constantly compete against their peers and lose sleep over who gets credit for a new sales plan or for having the best ideas;this discourages teamwork and strains human rela

8、tions.At school,cheating has become a serious concern when even the top students do it regularly.University of International Business and Economics Press3 Equality vWe hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable

9、Rights,that among these are Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-the Declaration of Independence,1776 University of International Business and Economics Press3 EqualityvEquality,though an ideal of American Democracy,is not a reality in the American society,and the government has complete contr

10、ol over it.Many Americans treat people differently on the basis of their race,clothing styles,and the amount of money that they have.vI have a dream that one day my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their charac

11、ter.I have a dream today.-Martin Luther King Jr.University of International Business and Economics Press3 Equalityv What is distinctive about the American outlook on the matter of equality are the underlying assumptions:v(1)no matter what a persons initial station in life,he or she has the opportuni

12、ty to achieve high standing;v(2)everyone,no matter how unfortunate,deserves some basic level of respectful treatment.University of International Business and Economics PressII Religion in AmericaUniversity of International Business and Economics PressII Religion in AmericavNearly 90 percent of Ameri

13、cans are connected to some form of Christianity.Judaism and Islam,each with about 2 percent of the population,are the next largest in membership,and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States.vLike many aspects of American culture,Americans feelings about public displays of religion

14、are in conflict.vAmericans are free to convert to different religions almost at will.University of International Business and Economics Press Religion in America 2.1 2.2 2.32.42.6Religious DiversityFreedom of Religion Gay rightsAbortionReligion and Popular CultureThe Social Role of Churches2.5Univer

15、sity of International Business and Economics Press2.1 Religious DiversityvThe variety of religious beliefs in the United States surpasses the nations multitude of ethnicities,nationalities,and races,making religion another source of diversity rather than a unifying force.University of International

16、Business and Economics Press2.1 Religious Diversityv The largest number of Christians in the United States belong to one of the many Protestant denominations.v Roman Catholics,the next largest religious group in the United States,are far more unified than Protestants.v Judaism is the next largest re

17、ligion in the United States,with about 2 percent of the population in 2001.v Islam is among the fastest-growing religious groupsv Other religions practiced in America include Buddhism,Hinduism,and Islam.University of International Business and Economics Press2.2 Freedom of Religion vFreedom of Relig

18、ion refers to the right of a person to form personal religious beliefs according to his or her own conscience and to give public expression to these beliefs in worship and teaching,restricted only by the requirements of public order.vThe United States was the first,and for some time the only,nation

19、to include the principle of religious liberty in its basic laws.University of International Business and Economics Press2.2 Freedom of ReligionvLaws protecting the freedom of religion:v The charter of Rhode Island,granted in 1663,is notable for being the first to include a declaration of the right t

20、o religious liberty.v Article VI in the U.S.Constitution,forbids the establishment of any religious test as a qualification for federal office,and in the 1st Amendment forbids the passage of laws“respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”University of Interna

21、tional Business and Economics Press2.3 Gay rightsvsexualityHeterosexuality:heterosexual/straightHomosexuality:gay/lesbianbisexualityDiscrimination against homosexuality/homophobiaGay rightsUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.3 Gay rightsvGay rights rights for gay and lesbian pe

22、ople on a range of issues,including marriage,hospital visitation,adoption,housing,employment and school bullying.University of International Business and Economics PressUniversity of International Business and Economics PressArguments for SSM Arguments against SSM vDignity&respect:v The institution

23、of marriage conveys dignity and respect towards a couple that make a lifetime commitment to support each other.Same-sex couples deserve this dignity and respect.vReligious freedom:v For most Americans,marriage is a religious sacrament or ceremony.If the definition of marriage is changed to allow SSM

24、,some religious individuals and groups feel that they will become at risk of having to violate their beliefs by being forced to marry same-sex couples.University of International Business and Economics PressFor SSM Against SSM vEqual rights:v Denying marriage to same-sex couples removes from one gro

25、up a fundamental,important human right-the right to marry the person that one loves and to whom one has made a commitment.That is unfair and unjust in a democracy.vChildren benefit:v Many religiously conservative researchers have found that children thrive best when reared in a home with a married m

26、other and father.Boys and girls have needs that are uniquely met by parents of the opposite gender.University of International Business and Economics PressvFinancial&security:v Denying one group the right to marry has many adverse emotional and financial consequences.Examples are Social Security,Med

27、icare,medical leave,and other benefits;property inheritance;the right to visit their spouse in hospital,and make medical decisions if they are incapacitated;security of the couple and of their children.vTeaching about SSM:v The role of marriage in society is a major topic taught in public schools.If

28、 SSM is legalized,schools would be required to teach that same-sex marriage is equivalent to opposite-sex marriage,starting as early as Kindergarten.That would violate the beliefs of many parents.University of International Business and Economics Press2.3 Gay rightsvStonewall riot vThe Stonewall rio

29、ts were a series of spontaneous,violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28,1969,at the Stonewall Inn,in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City.They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when people in the h

30、omosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities,and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.University of International Business and Economics Press2.3 Gay r

31、ightsvIn religious circles,Christian conservatives have tirelessly opposed gay rights.vBy the year 2000,the United Church of Christ was the only mainline Protestant denomination to allow gay and lesbian marriage.University of International Business and Economics Press2.4 AbortionvAbortion,in contemp

32、orary parlance,refers to the intentional termination of pregnancy.Abortion became one of the most divisive issues of the last quarter of the 20th century and remains an important question in contemporary political discourse in the United States.University of International Business and Economics Pres

33、sUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.4 AbortionvPro-life advocates:against womens right to have abortionUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.4 AbortionUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.4 AbortionvPro-choice advocates:for womens right

34、 to have abortionUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.4 AbortionvRoe v.WadevAll state laws limiting womens access to abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy were invalidated by Roe v.Wade Supreme Court decision.State laws limiting such access during the second trimeste

35、r were upheld only when the restrictions were for the purpose of protecting the health of the pregnant woman.Roe v.Wade legalized abortion in the United States,which was not legal at all in many states and was limited by law in others.University of International Business and Economics Press2.4 Abort

36、ionvThe alias Jane Roe was used for Norma McCorvey,on whose behalf the suit was originally filed,alleging that the abortion law in Texas violated her constitutional rights and the rights of other women.The defendant was the district attorney of Dallas County,Texas,Henry B.Wade.Who Roe and Wade were?

37、University of International Business and Economics PressAnti-abortion violence vAnti-abortion violence is violence committed against individuals and organizations that provide abortion.Incidents of violence have included destruction of property,in the form of vandalism,to crimes against people,inclu

38、ding kidnapping,stalking,assault,attempted murder,and murder,to crimes affecting both people and property,including arson and bombings.v Controversial US abortionist shot dead:reportv http:/ AbortionUniversity of International Business and Economics Press2.5 Religion and Popular CulturevReligion has

39、 assumed complex and ambivalent relations with the popular media as well as with other aspects of the culture industry.vSo far,three basic relationships have been established between religion and popular culture:vReligion appears in popular culture;vpopular culture is integrated into religion;vand r

40、eligion is sometimes in conflict with the production and consumption of popular culture.University of International Business and Economics Press2.6 The Social Role of ChurchesvChurches play a vital role in American society.They are woven into the fabric of service organizations that tend to special

41、social needs.Frequently referred to as faith-based communities,perhaps in an attempt to discharge the use of more obvious religious language that would openly test the church-state relationship,churches are very much involved in medical care through hospitals,education from the youngest age through graduate school,and the promotion of social justice through charitable activities.The United States of America