1. Intro to BELIEF SYSTEMS

2. RELIGION or PHILOSOPHY? RELIGION: (1) How was the world / universe created? (1) How was the world / universe created? (2) What happens after we die? (2) What happens after we die? PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY: (3) How do we live life on Earth? (3) How do we live life on Earth?

3. WORLD BELIEFS Indian Religion Hinduism Hinduism Buddhism Buddhism Chinese Philosophies Confucianism Confucianism Daoism Daoism Legalism Legalism Middle East Monotheistic Religions Judaism Christianity Islam We will begin with two animistic religions…

4. ANIMISM - Animism is the belief that all things in nature have spirits. Ex: Native Americans, Amazon Indians, Australian Aborigines, Asian hill peoples, traditional Africans.

5. Most tribal Africans believe that the Creator God is remote- far away - and so they pray to lesser gods and the ancestors because they are closer to the people.. Lesser gods live in rivers, caves, rocks, trees, moun- tains. They are prayed to for health, good crops, rain, protection, and so on. Art Reflects Religious Beliefs and is used in Ceremonies. Only since Picasso (Abstract artist) has the West recognized the power of African art.

6. Griots: Repository of History and Folklore Oral History was important because in much of Africa paper documents decayed. The storyteller kept records of the history of the people, their village, their customs, lore and so on.