Segment 2

Reading Comprehension

Read the article "Decoding 'Moral Values'" by Aly Colón.

Answer the following questions:


1. What issues, according to this article, do reporters associate with "moral values" voters?
   
   
2. What terms do reporters use interchangeably to describe these voters?
   
   
3. Who are the leaders commonly heard in reports on this movement?
   
   
4. What did Baptist minister Tony Campolo mean when he said "evangelical Christianity had been hijacked?"
   
   
5. What issues does Campolo think evangelicals need to emphasize?
   
   

Answer key

[^Return to top]

Critical Thinking

Answer the following questions:


1. Do you think that the author is correct about "moral issues" being a way to explain the 2004 election results? Why or why not?
   
   
2. How would relate a "moral issues" discussion to questions of the environment? Of poverty? Of war?
   
   
3. Why do you think Campolo says that it's important to "demonstrate that we are a body of individuals, each of whom can think for himself or herself?"
   
   

Answer key

[^Return to top]

Research Challenges

Answer the following questions:


1. Go to www.BeliefNet.com, www.theRevealer.org, www.GetReligion.org, or www.ReligionLink.org websites. Find articles that discuss the interplay between religion and politics.
   
   
2. Research the stories of Supreme Court cases such as Wisconsin v. Yoder, Lemon v. Kurtzman, or Oregon v. Smith, to see where religious values can collide with political and legal norms.
   
   

Answer key

[^Return to top]

Key Terms and Topics

Terms

Answer key

[^Return to top]

Click on these links to find further instructional ideas and study guides for the material on the Mirror on Morality Web site.

Segment 1: Beth Jacob congregation, Mendota Heights Listen (8:25)

Segment 3: Decoding 'Moral Values' Read