1. What is religion Answer Sheet

2. Write brief reactions to the picture you see in the slide show
Write brief reactions to the picture you see in the slide show. What do you know about them? What questions do you have?

3. What is Religion? Re-lig-ion
“___________________,” “bind together” (to be bound)
(“Yoga” = to Unite)
“_________________________”
To a Higher Power
To other people, in community
To the world around us
With ourselves

4. Three Dimensions of Religion
Emotional - Emotional - Physical
Intellectual
Religion is a way of ______________about:
Origins (where did we come from?)
Purpose/meaning (why are we here?)
________________ (where are we going? what happens when we die?)
Who we are (the nature of human nature)
Who/what God is (the nature of Ultimate Reality)
The basis for our beliefs & doctrine, expressed through myth, scripture, philosophy, theology

5. Three Dimensions of Religion _______________________________
Religion is a way of feeling:
rejoicing
faith
bliss
peace
appreciation
love
awe
guilt
joy
ecstasy
fear
reverence
gratitude
hope

6. Three Dimensions of Religion Physical
Religion is a way of ___________, of living, a social system:
Spiritual practices: meditation, chanting, prayer, ritual
Physical forms: art and architecture, ritual objects, statues, icons, etc.
Communal celebrations: rites of passage, holidays

7. Religion as a way of acting (continued)
Social regulation: morals & ethics, prohibitions & _________________
Institutions/organizations/communities:
Leaders (gurus/priests/ministers) & followers (disciples, laity)
Hierarchies, obedience & discipline (monastic communities)
History

8. Reflection
Why do people practice religion? What needs does it fulfill?