An introductory overview Religious Systems An introductory overview

Homo Sapiens and Their World To date, 98% of all life to have ever existed has died out Homo sapiens have existed for c. 100,000 years Life expectancy was 20-30 years Part of them dying at child birth Disease and infection killed many The harsh environment killed more Brutal attacks from animals were common A driving fear of death led to obvious questions Where were the earthquakes coming from? When will the lions come next? Why is all this happening?

The Advent of Religion Thousands of man-made gods have come and gone Just like 98% of life has gone extinct, so have thousands of religions The first religions were made to make sense of natural phenomena Created to give meaning to human suffering To define human progress They did this to understand what they could not Like a child in the dark, they gave meaning to their fears

Basic Forms of Religious Systems Animism The most primitive of all religions Defines the material and spiritual world through spirits Humans can interact with spirits and vice versa Animistic Paganism (or just Paganism) Spirits are developed into distinct gods Gods have personalities and personal stories Can interact with humans and vice versa Polytheism The worship of multiple deities, usually in the form of some Pantheon This can include well-defined Pagan religions Monotheism The worship of a single, all-powerful deity This can include polytheistic pantheons with a supreme deity

What Religions Do (Historically) Good Explains the world for its followers and gives them a sense of purpose Includes a set of moral codes for its followers to live by Provide a means to interact with deities Bad Divides followers between “us” and “them” Justifies the segregation of society between Those who can commune with divinity Those who must follow those divine commands

Cultural Attributes An introductory overview

Where culture comes from Culture is learned behavior Taught from birth by a particular group of people Cultural traits can be collective or individual Layers of cultural traits Culture can be difficult to see Stereotyping and cultural judgement Is prejudice(d) A simplistic, often false understanding Courtesy Personal Interpersonal National Universal Respect Cuisine Communication