What do Religions do?

WHAT DO RELIGIONS DO? 1.Religions can help explain the origin of life 2.They can help provide meaning to human existence

Human beings are incredibly intelligent…

…and as a result, we figured out that there could be some kind of “ other ” out there… Logically, this makes sense: a) humans as compared to nature are frail… b) human strength as compared to many animals is weak… c) an individual human as compared to the universe is tiny… and this “ other ” is powerful… THE “OTHER”

1)particular system of faith and worship 2) a pursuit or interest that a person believes is of supreme importance. …usable for both theological and secular purposes. RELIGION (n):

FAITH (n): 1) a complete trust or confidence in something or someone. 2) a strong belief in god based upon spiritual apprehensions rather than proof. …also applicable for secular and theological purposes.

MONOTHEISM vs POLYTHEISM Polytheism : (n) belief in or worship of more than one god *all early tribal religions were polytheistic *viewed the “ other ” as gods represented by individual forces (sun, moon, wind, sea, fire, war, love, etc…) *the gods were generally 1) amoral (no clear RIGHT or WRONG!) 2) indifferent toward man (humans) Amoral: unconcerned with issues of right and wrong

Monotheism : (n) doctrine of belief that there is only one god *all the forces of the world (sun, moon, wind, sea, fire, war, love, etc…) are subordinate to the ONE single deity *this god transcends everything (is higher than, above all other forms) * Judaism is an example of an early monotheistic faith …but what is Judaism all about?

9 DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION 1) Belief in supernatural beings (gods). 2) A distinction between sacred and profane objects. 3) Ritual acts focused on sacred objects. 4) A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods. 5) Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with the gods.

9 DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION 6) Prayer and other forms of communication with supernatural. 7) A world view, or a general picture of the world as a whole and the place of the individual therein. This picture contains some specification of an over-all purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into it. 8) A more or less total organization of one’s life based on the world view. 9) A social group bound together by the above.