1. Religion

What is Religion?

Religion: A human system of norms and values based on belief in a superhuman order. In Latin, Religare = to connect, bind, tie together, unite. Some religions are THEISTIC – they believe in God or gods. Other religions are NON-THEISTIC – they do not (necessarily) believe in a God or gods.

Other Important Words Theology: Study about God. In Greek, Theos = God Ecclesiology: Study about church. In Greek, Ecclesia = Church (or Assembly)

Categories/ Types of Religion Animism Polytheism Henotheism Dualism Monotheism Deism Humanistic Religions/ Ideologies Atheism/ Agnosticism Syncretism

Animism: Belief that spirits (and demons) inhabit all things – rocks, trees, animals, sun, moon, water, mountains, etc.

Polytheism: Belief in many different gods. Most ancient civilizations were polytheistic – Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, Rome, etc. “Poly” means “many.”

Henotheism: Belief in many gods, but one chief god who is more powerful than the others. In Greece, Zeus. In Rome, Jupiter. But even more powerful than these gods (or deities) was the impersonal “god” or power of Fate.

Dualism: Belief in 2 gods – usually, one who is good and the other who is evil. Example: Zoroastrianism from Persia. Also, many religious groups in the Roman Empire at the time of the birth of Christianity, such as the Gnostics.

Monotheism: Belief in only ONE God. “Mono” means “one.”

Deism: Belief in one God, but who is absent from active participation in the world. This God got the world started, but now lets the world run itself – like a watchmaker who winds the watch, but then lets it run. Many thinkers during the Enlightenment (Age of Reason) in the 1700s were Deists – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, etc.

Humanistic Religions/Ideologies: Belief in a set of unifying and universal values/principles for all humankind. Examples: Liberalism – Belief in Freedom for all; Socialism/Communism – Belief in equality; Capitalism – belief in private ownership, law of supply and demand; Fascism – belief in the nation-state and/or race as supreme good.

Atheism: Belief that there is no God (or gods). Agnosticism: Belief that it is impossible to know with certainty if God (or gods) exist or not. Agnosticism is rooted in skepticism.

Syncreticism: Blending of different aspects of various beliefs. Examples: Christianity retains traces of polytheism in its devotion to saints. It retains traces of dualism in its belief in Satan (the Devil).

World Religions Today EASTERN RELIGIONS – because they are found mostly in the “East” – India, China and other parts of Asia. Examples: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism. WESTERN RELIGIONS – because they started in the West, in the Middle East. They are all monotheistic. Examples: Judaism, Christianity, Islam (Muslims). They trace their common roots to Judaism.

Simplified History of Religions AnimismAge of Hunter-Gatherers PolytheismAncient Egypt, Rome, Greece, Early Hinduism HenotheismEarly Judaism, Later Hinduism DualismZoroastrianism MonotheismLater Judaism, Christianity, Islam ModernDeism, Humanism, Atheism

Christianity Today: 3 Main Branches ROMAN CATHOLICS – The largest branch, led by the Pope. Worldwide, but centered in Rome. EASTERN ORTHODOX – Very similar to Roman Catholics, but led by regional bishops known as Patriarchs. Centered in the East – Greece, Russia, etc. The smallest branch. PROTESTANTS – A large variety of distinct denominations, but tracing their origin to 1517, when Martin Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. Includes Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals and thousands more.

Christianity in the United States The U.S. is mostly Protestant Christian. It was founded by the English, who were mostly Protestants. The U.S. gave birth to new denominations in the 1800s, such as the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). The U.S. today has many Catholics, mostly because of immigration in the 1800s to the present.

Christianity in the U.S. (continued) In the U.S., Protestants outnumber Catholics. However, Catholics outnumber any single denomination of Protestants, while Southern Baptists are in second place.

Are Catholics also Christian? YES! Catholics are the largest branch of Christians. A Christian is anyone who believes and follows Jesus Christ. That includes Catholics!

Fundamentalism A movement or point of view characterized by a return to fundamental principles, by rigid adherence to those principles, and often by intolerance of other views. Christian fundamentalism began within the Protestant tradition of Christianity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as a rejection of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and as an affirmation of the truthfulness and literalness of the Bible. Most religions have fundamentalists within their ranks: radical, fundamentalist Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc.

Little Green Men Imagine that Martians landed on earth and wanted to know about religion and Catholicism. What would you tell them?