Introduction To Religion .

What Is Religion? Religion = an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods Includes ethics: rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad  Religion is a central part of culture… Culture = the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

Why does the sun disappear? Origins Of Religion Tens of thousands of years ago, humans lived in isolated groups They depended on their environments to live (i.e., hunting & gathering) Spiritual beliefs existed as a way to explain the natural world and its wonders… Where do we come from? Who created this? Why does the sun disappear? What happens when we die?

Before we Continue, Think “Avatar” Prehistoric people had indigenous (or native) cultures and lifestyles that were unique to their location in the world Africa, Asia, Americas, Ancient Europe Some of these cultures still exist today in remote parts of the world… The theme of the movie Avatar highlighted the indigenous way of life In the movie Avatar, the Na'vi are natives of the planet Pandora. They live in harmony with nature and worship a mother goddess called Eywa.

All over the world, early groups of humans shared some basic spiritual beliefs...

Hunting Rituals Hunting rituals expressed a reverence and respect for creatures that were killed for survival…

Animism Early people prayed to the forces of nature. They believed the world was full of spirits and forces that might reside in animals, objects, or dreams…

Early Gods & Goddesses Eventually people created gods and goddesses to represent these forces. The most important god was the Earth Mother. People were polytheistic (the belief in many gods)

Shamanism Belief centered on an individual called a shaman who acted as a spiritual leader of a community. They offered prayers for things people needed, and used magic to cure the sick, control events, etc.

Monuments People began building monuments to the deceased (dead) and for ritual purposes

Civilization & Religion Agriculture allowed large communities to develop and stay in the same location As civilization developed, religion became more complex to meet society’s needs

Egyptian Gods Norse Gods Greek Gods

Religious Tradition Begins Writing allowed people to pass down their spiritual beliefs more easily Revolutionary thinkers began to shape some of the major world religions during this time

Shifts In Religious Thinking… Religion begins to put an emphasis on explaining human existence Religion starts to express the human relationship to the divine (gods or spirits) Ritual and sacrifice become less important in religious behavior Monotheism begins (the idea of having only one god) Religions begin to teach that humans are special and are elevated above the other creatures

Characteristics Of Religion: Belief in a deity (god or divine being) or in a power beyond the individual A doctrine (accepted teaching) of salvation A code of conduct The use of sacred stories Religious rituals (acts and ceremonies)

Three Philosophical Views Of A Deity Atheists don’t believe that a deity exists Theists believe in a deity or deities Agnostics say that the existence of a deity cannot be proved or disproved

Major World Religions Today Hinduism – 800 million Followers are called “Hindu” Buddhism – 350 million Followers are called “Buddhist” Judaism – 14 Million Followers are called “Jewish” Christianity – 2 Billion Followers are called “Christian” Islam – 1 Billion Followers are called “Muslim”

Diversity Of Religions There are about 20 largely practiced religions in the world today… Each of them have different branches: sects or denominations A sect is a group of people with slightly different religious beliefs from those of a larger group to which they belong… For example: Christians can be Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. They are all branches of Christianity

A very simplified map of the major world religions and where they are in the world…