World Religions Mr. Book Foundations of Religion and Ch. 1 Religious Responses Textbook: Living Religions

Beginning Inquiry Questions What is religion? What is faith? What is the relationship of religion and culture? Why are there so many different beliefs out there in the world or are they really that different? How did religions arise and what were the factors that lead several of these to become “world religions?” And what are “living religions”?

Religion is… the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. YES, NO, INDIFFERENT/UNDECIDED

Faith is… A complete trust or confidence in someone or something. YES, NO, INDIFFERENT/UNDECIDED

Religions exist because… People need to feel like they are living for a specific purpose. YES, NO, INDIFFERENT/UNDECIDED

Roles/ Practitioners in Religion Shamans Medicine Men (or women) Healers Priests Prophets Mystics Sages Religious Teachers Scribes Religious Clerics: Rabbis, Pastors, Bishops, Cardinals, Popes, Imams, etc.

Religions originating in India and their Ultimate Concern Religions that originated in India: Hinduism Jainism Buddhism, and Sikhism Ultimate concern: release from the ongoing, endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth

Religions originating in China & Japan and the Ultimate Source, Monism, and Inclusivism Religions originated in China and Japan: Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto A strong tendency to hold to inclusive views of various religious expressions, thus practicing syncretism (the coming together, or uniting of different views)

Religions originating in the Middle East and the Ultimate Source, Goal, and Exclusivism Religions originated in the Middle East: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha’i Transcendent view of God who is Creator & Ultimate Source Ultimate Goal is generally Heaven/ Paradise Strong tendency to exclusive view of their religion

Defining Religion (3) Common Threads that holds the tapestry of Religion together: They all: Deal with the greater and unseen reality Have a sense of the sacred Have beliefs Have rituals with deeper meaning Have spirituality Have values Have stories that tell their sacred story, history, and story of cosmos

Nature of Religion It deals with the supernatural, God, or unseen forces throughout nature It deals with the sacred It exercises belief Genuine religious experience expressing itself thru various rituals, rites, ceremonies Prayer, meditation, chanting/singing are key practices It has fashioned & passed down myths (stories)

Religion is multifaceted Ninian Smart distinguished seven dimensions of religion 1. Ritual – Forms and orders of ceremonies (either private or public) 2. Narrative and mythic – Stories that often times try to interpret the universe and human’s place in it. 3. Experiential and emotional – dread, guilt, awe, mystery, devotion, inner peace, bliss 4. Social and institutional – belief system that is shared and practiced by a group. Often rules that identify community membership 5. Ethical and legal – Rules about human behavior 6. Doctrinal and philosophical – Systematic formulation of teachings 7. Material – Ordinary objects or places that symbolize something sacred or supernatural

Negative aspects of Organized Religions (1) 1)  Institutionalization of religion 2)  Charismatic leaders can dominate and control their followers 3)  The potential for the exaggeration of guilt 4)  Escapism 5)  When church and state are one, the dominate national religion may be used to oppress those of other beliefs within their country 6) Dangerous politicized polarizations between religions on increase today

Review Questions In what ways has the term “religion” been defined? What are some of he different perspectives available for understanding religion? Describe absolutist and liberal interpretations of religious traditions

Discussion Questions What relationship does spirituality have to institutional religion?

Animistic Theories Tylor maintained that “primitive” people developed a sense of other and soul from experience w/ death and dreams. (Lat. Anima lit. means “soul,” spirit) found not only in people but in all of nature: in stones, trees, rivers, mountains… The entire world including air seen as being alive with spirits of all kinds.

The Nature-Worship Theory Personification of the forces in nature: sky, sun, moon, etc.), and tales that eventually became mythology; the key to the origin of all religions.

The Theory of Original Monotheism Originally, “primitive” societies were monotheistic, but because the worship of one god was difficult, religion corrupted into polytheism.

The Magic Theory There also is a linear development of the human mind: First phase: Magic, peoples attempted to control the world through magic. When humanity realized that nature could not be coerced through magic, it turned to the second phase: religion.

Theories of Religion as Projections of Human Needs (1) L. Feuerbach--religions were essentially projections of the wishes and needs of humanity Karl Marx socialized Feuerbach’s theory: saw the origin & development of religion in terms of view of history as economic and social struggle between classes Sigmund Freud: religion is a result of the projection of human needs out on the comic canvas;