1. WORLD STUDIES The Basics of Religion

2. What is religion? Religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people. Religion is human beings' relation to the things that they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine. Humans often get their sense of purpose and moral values from religion. Religious beliefs are found in virtually every society throughout human history.society Some governments fuse their laws with religious beliefs.

3. What questions does religion answer? Origins (where did we come from?) Ex. God made the world in 7 days Purpose/meaning (why are we here?) Destiny (where are we going? what happens when we die?) Heaven vs. hell/ purgatory/ reincarnation/ nothing? Who are we? (the nature of human nature) Who/what is god? Physical/ spirit/ animal/ nature?

4. Sacred to Hindus

5. Sacred to Jews

6. Sacred to Muslims

7. Sacred to Buddhists

8. What is sacred to You?

9. Mono and Polytheism Monotheism- Any religion that is centered on the belief in one god (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). Polytheism- A religion based around two or more gods (Hinduism, Animism, Ancient Greek or Roman).

10. Monotheism

11. Polytheism

12. Ethnic and Universal Religion Ethnic religion: the religion of a particular people or culture (e.g., Judaism, Shinto, and Hinduism) (tend to be localized and do not actively seek converts) Universal religion: a religion which sees its message as true for all people (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) (have spread throughout the world and tend to be very large in population, have actively sought converts from many cultures)

13. World Religions

14. The Evolution of Religion Primal: prehistoric (more than 10,000 years ago) and "living" oral/tribal traditions Archaic: religions of ancient civilizations no longer in existence (6000 - 2000 years ago) Classic: the great "living" religions originating between 2500 and 500 years ago Modern: contemporary variations of classic religions (developed since the 16 th century) as well as truly new, independent religions

15. Religions of the World

16. Questions For You What is the difference between monotheism and polytheism? What questions does religion answer? Which is the most practiced religion in the world?