Post on 06-Mar-2018
Religion DefinitionsA system of beliefs and practices that
attempts to order life in terms of culturally
perceived ultimate priorities.
(Stoddard and Prorak)
The belief in and worship of a superhuman
controlling power, esp. a personal God or
gods. (Google.com)
A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature,
and purpose of the universe. (Dictionary.com)
The service or worship of God or the
supernatural. (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)
Key Characteristics of Religion
• Set of doctrines or
beliefs relating to a god or
gods.
• Structure or hierarchy of
officials.
• Rituals (rite/ceremony)
for:
– Birth
– Death
– Marriage
– Prayer
– Routine services on a Fri,
Sat. or Sun.
Religions Are Divided Into…
• Branches - A large and fundamental
division within a religion– such as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox branches of
Christianity.
• Denomination - A division of a branch that
unites a number of local congregations into
a single administrative body– Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist denominations of
Protestantism
• Sect - A relatively small group that broke
away from an established denomination.
Classifications of Religions
• Monotheistic religions – worship a single deity.
• Polytheistic religions – worship more than one deity, even
thousands.
• Animistic religions – belief that inanimate objects posses
spirits and should be revered.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
• Sacred Sites:
Places or spaces people infuse with religious meaning.
• Pilgrimage:
Purposeful travel to a religious site to pay respects or
participate in a ritual at the site.
From the Hearth of South Asia
• Hinduism –– Originated in Indus River Valley over 4,000 years ago.
• Buddhism –– Originated in India as a reform movement of Hinduism.
– Founded by Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha in the 5th century B.C.E.
Hinduism
• No single founder.
• Rich in tradition.
• Worlds oldest religion that is still practiced.
• Third largest religion in the world.
What is Hinduism?
• Belief in a Supreme Being that encompasses everything in the Universe.
• Religious tradition that has been building on itself since before 3000
B.C.E.
• Varies a lot from sect to sect.
• No founder, no church establishment, no dogma.
Where do people who practice
Hinduism live?
Large concentrations live in India, Nepal,
Bangladesh and Bali.
History and Sacred Texts
• Vedas have been passed down and are
very ancient.
• Rituals, hymns, stories.
“Supreme Being”
The “Supreme Being”
manifests itself in
everything just in different
forms.
Most worshiped forms:
• Brahma
•Vishnu
• Shiva
Caste System
Varna Occupation
Brahmin Priests and
religious officials
Kshatriya Rulers and
warriors
Vaishya Farmers,
merchants,
traders and
craftsmen
Shudra Servants of the
upper castes and
peasants
Untouchables Dirty (unclean)
jobs: butchers,
garbage men, etc.
From the Hearth of South Asia
• Buddhism – Splintered from Hinduism 2500 years ago. Originated in a region from Nepal south to the Ganges River area.
***Anyone can achieve salvation and reach enlightenment***
Buddhism
• Fourth largest religion.
• There is no God in
Buddhism, Buddha was just
the “awakened one.”
• The goal in life (and rebirth)
is to break free of the cycle of
life and suffering.
• Born around 563 B.C.E.
• Left family to experience the
world, on a quest for
understanding
• Wandered for 6 years and
experienced extremes.
• The name “Buddha” was given
to him after he became
enlightened and the name means
“Awakened One.”
• He was just an enlightened
teacher, he is not a god.
Ethics
• To refrain from taking life (non-violence).
• To refrain from taking that which is not given (theft).
• To refrain from sensual misconduct.
• To refrain from lying (speaking truth always).
• To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss
of mindfulness (specifically, drugs and alcohol).
•Monks have much more specific rules.
Shintoism
• A Japanese ethnic religion based on animism and shamanism.
• Was modified by introduction of Buddhism-closely related today-many Japanese practice both.
• Reverence for nature and the land-emperor seen as divine.
• Belief in kami or spirits
• Used by militants as a nationalistic religion in 1930s to unify the country in war time.
From the Hearth of Huang He (Yellow)
River Valley
• Taoism –Originated in China more than 2500
years ago.
Chinese Religions
• Confucianism-Mainly a philosophy of life founded by K’ung Fu-tze in 6th
cent. BC
• Became a state religion of China-emphasized duty, social order and respect of others
• Daoism or Taoism “the Way” founded by Lao Zi(Lao Tsu), a reverence and harmony with nature-easily co-existed with Confucianism and Buddhism.
From the Hearth of the
Eastern Mediterranean
• Judaism –
Originated in Southwest Asia about 4000 years ago.
***First major monotheistic religion***
• Judaism is an ethnicity as well as a religion.
– One can be born a Jew but not believe in the Jewish faith.
• Makes it hard to get a “head-count” of how many Jewish people there are.
– 14 to 16 million.
Basic Jewish Belief
Torah
(First five books of the Old Testament)
• 613 commandments laid out
in the Torah.
Less than 300 are
applicable to most Jews
today.
Torah is their holy text.
Practicing Judaism…• Many different sects of Judaism
– Orthodox: Adheres strictly to the Torah and Oral Law. Takes rituals very seriously.
– Conservative: teaches that Jewish law is absolute, but has always developed in response to changing conditions. Still participates in some rituals.
– Reform: adapts to today’s society/culture. Takes rituals out of it.
Kosher
Kosher mammals must have split hooves
and must be able to chew their cud.
KOSHER SEAFOOD
MUST HAVE SCALES
AND FINS.
For something to be considered “kosher” it should also be prepared a
certain way and approved by a rabbi.
From the Hearth of the Eastern
Mediterranean• Christianity – Originated in Southwest Asia about 2000
years ago.
• Began as a Jewish sect in modern day Israel/Palestine
• Founded around 33 C.E.
• Today there are about 2 billion followers.
• Over 34,000 different sects.
Christianity
• It has the largest number of followers and is the most widely dispersed with 1.6 billion or 40% of the population
• Roman Catholicism is the largest segment and is found in Europe, North American and Latin America.
• Protestantism dominates in Northern Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Eastern Orthodox is found in Eastern Europe, Russia and Ethiopia.
First Split in Christianity, 1054 CEWestern Roman empire = Roman Catholicism
Eastern Roman empire = Eastern Orthodox
Protestant Reformation
• Martin Luther and the Ninety-
Five Theses in 1517.
• Luther was upset about
indulgences in the Catholic
Church.
From the Hearth of the Eastern
Mediterranean
• Islam – Originated on Arabian peninsula about 1500 years ago.
Islam
• Islam is the 2nd largest
and fastest growing
religion with 1 billion
followers.
• It has 2 main sects or
divisions-Sunni, the
majority and Shiite
centered in Iran & Iraq.
• It is dominant in North
Africa, Southwest Asia
and extends into Central
and Southeast Asia
What does the word Islam mean?
• Comes from the root word Salaam
meaning “peace”
• Means “submission to god”
History of Islam…
• Founded by Muhammad in 622
C.E.• The last messenger of God, through which the
Qur’an was revealed. Muslims view Muhammad as
the restorer of the original, uncorrupted
monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus.
• The prophet and his people were persecuted against but
conquered Mecca before his death.
Muslims are followers of Islam
• Muslims believe that Islam is a complete way of life.
• Worship Allah.
• Many different sects and live all over the world.
History of Islam
• Disagreement choosing a future Caliph.
• Islam splits into two parts
– Shia (Shi’ite)
– Sunni
History of Islam
• This split continues to the present day and is a
cause for many problems still to this day.
oMajority of Muslims are Sunni.
oShia are concentrated in Iran/Iraq.
1. The Shahadah
An oath…"I testify that there is none
worthy of worship except God and I
testify that Muhammad is the Messenger
of God."
2. Salah/Salat
Prayer ritual that must be performed
five times a day.• Before dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, evening
• Face the city of Mecca when praying (East)
• Use a special mat (rug) and have set motions
• Friday prayer should be done at a Mosque
4. Sawm
Ritual involving fasting during Ramadan.
• No eating or drinking from sunrise to
sunset. Not even water!
5. The Hajj
Pilgrimage to Mecca during Dhu al-Hijjah.
• Muslims are required to do this at least
once in their lifetime.
Government Impact on Religion
The Soviet Union:
- Had an official
policy of atheism
- Discouraged
religious practice
- Drew boundaries
for political
control that
separated ethnic
groups in small
areas
The West Bankwith the proposed security
wall, parts of which the
Israeli government has
already built.
Northern IrelandIdentities are tied to
Religion, but are
deepened by:
Economic- colonial
experiences &
activity spaces
(segregation)
Boal’s studies in
Northern Ireland
demonstrate that
solving a religious
conflict is typically
not about theology; it
is about identity
The Rise of Secularism
• World wide 4-6 billion adhere to a religion
• Separation of Church and State a new concept.
• Today in the Developed World religion has declined in importance.
• Secularism is most common in urban, industrialized nations.
• Anti-religious ideologies like communism discouraged organized worship.
Religious Fundamentalism & Extremism
• Religious fundamentalism –A return to the basics
of their faith. Can be found in Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam.
• Religious extremism – Fundamentalism carried to the
point of violence. Also can be found in Christianity, Judaism,
and Islam