What is Religion?

 Instant Karma – John Lesson Instant Karma  Listen to the song and read the lyrics.  Answer the questions: 1. What is the main message of the song? 2. How does it help us answer the question of why we should study religion? 3. What questions are asked in the song?

What is Religion?  Activity – 3 minutes  Write down in your books your own definition of Religion.

Read Textbook  Pg 304  Pg 305

Some definitions?  the service or worship of God or the supernatural - Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary  a specific system of faith and worship – Oxford English Dictionary  a set of symbolic forms and acts which relate man to the ultimate condition of his existence – Robert Bellah  Beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior, etc., constituting man’s relationship with the powers and principles of the universe – Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary  Belief in and/or worship of God or gods – World Book Dictionary

More definitions?  Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe; a personal or institutionalised system grounded in such belief and worship – YourDictionary.com  [the seeking] of divine truth, exploring who we are, why we’re here, and how we should live - Joel Beversluis, ed., Sourcebook of the world’s Religions  belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto – William James  …the seeking of transcendent meaning that gives our lives value and puts us in touch with the deeper currents of existence... Religion helps people to cultivate an appreciation of the holiness of humanity and teaches us to respect the sacredness of life and the world. - Karen Armstrong, Battle for God, pp

Defining Religion Latin word religio re: again lig: join or connect Joining the human world with the world of the sacred

TASK  Find ANY three different definitions for religion and write them down. They can be from any source (even atheistic websites)  Try to find two abstract definitions and one academic definition  Pick one definition that you think is the most accurate if you were to use it for an assignment  Justify why you believe that definition is the best one (don’t forget to look at where it came from)

Objectivity  Not all people see religion as a positive element of our society. This can cause them to be biased when providing information.

Objectivity  Some people are so involved in their faith that they become biased towards it. You need to be aware of this when looking for information.  Make sure your sources are unbiased and objective.  Perhaps is not a good place to find a definitionwww.religionsux.com

Constructing Definitions Read the top of pg 306

Constructing Definitions TASK  You are going to be put in expert groups  Group 1 – Supernatural approach  Group 2 – Dimensional approach  Group 3 – Functional approach  Learn your topic well enough so that you can teach it to other people in the class

Constructing Definitions  Once you’ve mastered your approach in your expert group, return to your original group of three, and explain it to the others.  Construct a definition or summary of each approach:  Supernatural approach  Dimensional approach  Functional approach

Constructing Definitions Supernatural approach Defines religion as having a God or a superhuman controlling power

Constructing Definitions Dimensional approach Defines religion by looking at the different dimensions that make up a religion  Rituals  Practices  Beliefs  Sacred Texts

Constructing Definitions Functional approach A definition of religion based on the role religion plays in different circumstances Shows that each religion has a function or purpose eg to answer the ultimate questions

Activity  Finalise your definition or summary of each of these approaches to defining religion.  Fill out the ‘Defining Religion’ worksheet.  Justify your answers. Ninian Smart: 7 Dimensions to Studying Religion7 Dimensions to Studying Religion

Get to know Religions of the world!!!

Using your Chart – Religion Search  Write down some facts about the 5 major world religions on your blank ‘Religions Map’ ie. Statistics –  Where and when did it originate?  Now in 5 groups, spend 10 minutes learning more about the 5 world religions in preparation for our TEAM CHALLENGE!!!  Find out about the distribution / occurrence of each 5 religion throughout the world – colour the regions of your map to indicate where each religion is.  Find statistics for each religion – what percentage of each country’s population is made up of the 5 world religion adherents?  How many Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists are there in the world in total?

GROUP CHALLENGE  Spend time (10mins) getting to know about each religion’s: a) Name of Adherents b) Sacred Text c) Place of Worship d) Symbols e) Rituals  Then play the GAME!!! Which team can place the cards in the correct box for each religion the quickest?

Why Study Religion?  Professor John Bowker proposed that there are three reasons why we should study religion

Why Study Religion? 1. Danger Religions are dangerous and many evils have been done in the name of religion (persecution, wars, mass killings). If we want peace then we must understand religion.

Why Study Religion? 2. Inspiration Religious beliefs have led to many of the greatest achievements in:  Art  Architecture  Music  Literature

Why Study Religion? 3. Meaning Religions deal with ultimate and important questions and as such, need to be studied. These questions are much more important than the average questions that we answer every day.

Task  For each of Bowker’s reasons, find one specific example and be ready to explain them to the class.  You can not use examples from the same religion  For example, if you refer to how Christianity provides meaning to adherents, then you must use other religions for ‘inspiration’ and ‘danger’.  Remember to use your classmates’ knowledge!

My SOR antennas are tingling!

How can I begin to feel the tingle?  Dateline  Australian television program  Dateline is an Australian television public affairs program broadcast on SBS One. Since its debut in 1984, it has focused largely on international events, often in developing or warring nations.  Now on Tuesday 9.30 pm (M15+)  /best-of-dateline-3-february /best-of-dateline-3-february-2015

 Four Corners  Australian television program ABC  Four Corners is Australia's longest-running investigative journalism/current affairs television program. Broadcast on ABC in Australia, it premiered in 1961 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in  Monday ABC 8.30 pm (M15+)  htm htm  PS: check down the side for information on current events

The Guardian 

Catholic online   Some really interesting articles that are not just focused on Catholicism or Christianity  Save as a favourite, I kid you not!

Australian Catholics  ca=8d065b1e-f9c4-4f76-9b90- aa9034d41615&c=b0011ef0-37d6-11e4-a299- d4ae52986b44&ch=b0053da0-37d6-11e4-a299- d4ae52986b44 ca=8d065b1e-f9c4-4f76-9b90- aa9034d41615&c=b0011ef0-37d6-11e4-a299- d4ae52986b44&ch=b0053da0-37d6-11e4-a299- d4ae52986b44  Forget about the heading “Catholics”. You need to start becoming aware of the world some how. This is an excellent start as this is the context in which your education is happening.

bbc religion   In the UK all students regardless of whether they attend a religious school or not, study religion.  This is an excellent site to help you with the basic and fundamentals of each religion.

What useful websites can you find?  Think about sources – general, popular, blogs, official university / academic pages, pdfs,  What websites are reliable for an academic subject like SOR?