ToK - Religion “There is only one religion, though there are a thousand different names for it” George Bernard Shaw “Truth is my God. Nonviolence is my way of realizing Him.” Mahatma Gandhi “I respect faith, but doubt is what gives you an education.” Wilson Mizner

“Acceptance without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western religion; Rejection without proof is the fundamental characteristic of Western science.” Gary Zukav ToK - Religion

It is hard to be indifferent to an Area of Knowledge which claims to explain the nature of right and wrong; the purpose of life; and what happens to us after death. ToK - Religion

We are not going to be looking at arguments for and against the existence of God(s) What knowledge is possible through religion and religious belief? Religion as an Area of Knowledge Faith as a Way of Knowing ToK - Religion

Religion: a definition A Religion is a set of doctrines and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature and often arranged as prayer, ritual or religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. ToK - Religion

All cultures in all times have organized their societies around their religious beliefs. Religious beliefs can give certainty, meaning and purpose to our lives. (Atheism is also a belief system which can give certainty, meaning and purpose to our lives.) ToK - Religion

Mythology The science of its time – inasmuch as it sought to explain and predict. “A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.” James Feibleman ToK - Religion

Faith: a definition “Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.” “…the belief and the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, based on his or her authority and truthfulness.” Wikipedia Faith, by definition, demands belief without a need for supporting evidence. ToK - Religion

Allegory of Faith L.S. Carmona Veil symbolizes the impossibility of directly knowing the evidence.

God: ”I know God exists and I have no doubts about it” Afterlife: ”I definitely believe in life after death” Bible: ”The Bible is the actual word of God and it is to be taken literally, word for word.” Devil: ”I definitely believe in the Devil” Hell: ”I definitely believe in Hell” Heaven: ”I definitely believe in Heaven” Miracle: ”I definitely believe in religious miracles” CountryGodAfterlifeBibleDevilHellHeavenMiracles United States Philippines Norway Russia ToK - Religion From a 1991 study By National Opinion Research Center at University of Chicago

ToK - Religion From a 2003 survey conducted by Harris Poll Religious belief in the USA

In which of the following cases does it make sense to say, “I have faith that…….” ? Give reasons = 4 There is life after death My friends will be there when I need them I will pass the IB I will fail the IB The universe is orderly God exists Brazil will win the World Cup Life is meaningful She hates me ToK - Religion

Karl Marx ToK - Religion Charles DarwinSigmund Freud Three men whose work had a profound impact on religion

ToK - Religion Snakehandlers in a church in the southern United States George Went Hensley and the Dolley Pond Church of God

Gordon Allport Extrinsic Religiosity (Outer; not a basic part) Religious Belief Conventional Knowledge Intrinsic Religiosity (Inner; belonging to a thing by its very nature) Religious Practice Unconventional Knowledge ToK - Religion

An analogy: the eye Conventional knowledge  Central vision  Precise; one-thing-at-a-time  Reason  Looks at….  The world of facts and events  Classification and measurement ToK - Religion spotlight

An analogy: the eye Unconventional knowledge  Peripheral vision  Vague; everything-all-at-once  Intuition  Aware of….  Direct experience ToK - Religion floodlight

Unconventional knowledge “Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into the realm beyond words …. it is like that small round mirror in fairy tales – you glance in it, and what you see is not yourself; for an instant you glimpse the inaccessible, where no horse or magic carpet can take you. And the soul cries out for it.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn ToK - Religion

Some questions: Are moral values based on religion? What arguments are there for the existence of God? What role does emotion play in religious belief? Does history have some kind of plan or purpose? Do science and religion contradict one another? Does religious experience lie beyond language? ToK - Religion