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Introduction To World Religions HRT 3M Markville History Department: Ms. Chong

This document provides an overview of topics to be covered in an introduction to world religions course, including brief discussions and quotes about the nature of religion. It notes that people are often drawn to religion to find spirituality and meaning, but that religion can also be a politically sensitive topic. The three largest religions by followers are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, and Islam is currently the fastest growing. Key differences between polytheistic and monotheistic religions are outlined. Dates are now often written as BCE/CE rather than BC/AD to be more inclusive of non-Christian faiths. The document explores perspectives on religion in Canada through survey results.

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Ferdinand Villanueva
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144 views38 pages

Introduction To World Religions HRT 3M Markville History Department: Ms. Chong

This document provides an overview of topics to be covered in an introduction to world religions course, including brief discussions and quotes about the nature of religion. It notes that people are often drawn to religion to find spirituality and meaning, but that religion can also be a politically sensitive topic. The three largest religions by followers are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, and Islam is currently the fastest growing. Key differences between polytheistic and monotheistic religions are outlined. Dates are now often written as BCE/CE rather than BC/AD to be more inclusive of non-Christian faiths. The document explores perspectives on religion in Canada through survey results.

Uploaded by

Ferdinand Villanueva
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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¨  Introduction to World Religions HRT 3M

¨  Markville History Department: Ms. Chong


• “God has no religion” ~ Gandhi

• “Religionis an illusion and it derives its strength


from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual
desires.“ ~ Sigmund Freud

• “There
is only one religion, though there are a
hundred versions of it.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
Video Clip: Studio 60 on the
Sunset Strip -“Faith”

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=o43DvwkX8WA
¨  Why are people drawn to
religion?

¨  Why is the search for


spirituality often
frustrated?

¨  If religion is important,


why is it often a ‘taboo’
or politically incorrect
topic?
In today’s world, is
religious faith on the
decline, or is it increasing?
What 3 religions have
the greatest % of
followers in the world?
What is the fastest
growing religion in the
world?
Tracing the history of
“God”
In the A Question of
beginning Sex
—  Creating gods is —  Which came first,
something humans god or goddess?
have always done —  Venuses
—  artifacts dating —  Shift towards
from Paleolithic patrilineal influence
times (male deities) by
(35 000 – 10 000 semi-nomadic
BCE) peoples
Sacred Nature
—  Mother Nature or Earth Mother
—  Kinship with nature

Polytheistic versus Monotheistic


—  Polytheistic= Many deities with distinct identities
and roles (Hinduism, Greek mythology)
—  Monotheistic = one God derived from patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses (Christianity,
Judaism, Islam)
—  No god = Buddha taught state of enlightenment
(nirvana) achieved through human means like
enlightenment, not by any supreme deity (s)
Controversy in the Historical Dating
System
How should dates be identified in history ?
—  BC = Before Christ
—  AD = Anno Domini (Latin “in the Year of the Lord”)
—  BCE = Before Common Era
—  CE = Common Era
—  CE and AD have the same and value: 2004 CE = AD
2004
—  BCE and CE is expected to eventually replace BC and AD
—  Some feel that AD and BC have been in use for
centuries and that this tradition should be
respected
—  Others see the switch to CE and BCE as just one
more example of secularism and non-Christian
religions being given precedence over
Christianity.
How much can be changed?
—  If we are going to switch to BCE and CE, should we not
be consistent and remove references to Pagan Gods and
astronomical bodies from the names of the day of the
week (Moon day, Tiw's day, Woden's day, Thor's day,
Frig's Day, Saturn's day, Sun day)?
—  It would also be consistent to modify the names of the
months, many of which are based on ancient Roman
Paganism:
-Janus, a two-headed Roman God
-Februa, a Roman Pagan festival
-Mars a Roman God of war and fertility
-Aprilis, the Roman Goddess of love
-Maia, the Roman Goddess of the springtime
-Juno, the Roman Great Mother Goddess
-Julius Caesar, a Roman dictator
-Augustus Caesar, a Roman emperor
-September to December are based on the Roman numbers
seven to ten.
John Lennon’s: “Imagine”
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Mini Survey: Clicker Quiz
—  Class Results

—  Canadian Poll Results


How tolerant are Canadians?

ž  72% OF CANADIANS HOLD A POSITIVE VIEW OF CHRISTIANITY.


ž  ONLY 30% THINK THE SAME OF SIKHISM.

ž  45% BELIEVE THAT MAINSTREAM ISLAM ENCOURAGES


VIOLENCE.
ž  10% THINK THE SAME OF MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY.

ž  44% WOULD NOT WANT THEIR CHILD TO MARRY A PERSON OF


THE JEWISH FAITH. EVEN FEWER WOULD BE COMFORTABLE
WITH A SIKH OR A MUSLIM.
Which religion has the
‘bloodiest’ hands?
Swastika: A Tainted Symbol?
•  the swastika is an ancient Indian symbol (Sanskrit)
that is over 3,000 years old meaning well being, life
and good luck, prosperity
•  the swastika is sacred religious symbol for Hindus,
Jains and Buddhists
• Common symbol in ancient civilizations
(Mesopotamia, India, China, Central and South
America (Maya)

• In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi


Party needed its own insignia and flag and chose
the swastika to represent the mission of the
struggle for the victory of the Aryan man
• Because of the Nazis' flag, the swastika soon
became a symbol of hate, anti-Semitism,
violence, death, and murder.
On a positive note…
ž Armstrong, Karen, John Bowker, and
David Boulton. "In the Name of God: The
Uses and Abuses of Religion." New
Internationalist Aug. 2004. Rpt. in . Vol.
370.; p: 18-27.
ž Macleans “What Canadian’s Think”.
August 28, 2009

Interesting Links:
ž http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/pop-
culture.html
ž http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ulk3hDwxnmg Religion & Politics

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