Unit 3: Religion

1. Unit 3: Religion History of Religion Mr. Young Sociology

2. I CAN: • Define the word religion • Explain how religion is used for good purposes in the world • Analyze why people twist religion and use it in bad ways

4. Where to Begin? • Religion can encompass a vast and broad spectrum that is hard to define • Comes from Latin word religare(re:back and ligare: to bind), or being bound • This can be by choice, or sometimes by being forced

5. Why Study Religion • Religion has always been with us • It answers some of life’s most important questions • It helps a person to define those things that are sacred in their lives • It helps people explain those things in life that are unexplainable

7. Religion and the Social • Religion is the tie that binds a community together through various forms of beliefs and practice. It is an institution that contributes important ideas to society at large; it also connects with specific aspects of non-religious social life, like economics and politics • http://www.studyreligion.org/what/index.html

8. Misconceptions of Religion • You have to be religious to study religion • Studying religion is impractical • Religion is a good way to study the culture of a past society • It also helps to gain great insight and knowledge into that culture • Religion can teach good values and morals, even if you are not religious

10. In the Name of Religion • Abortion Clinic Bombings • Holy Wars (Crusades) • Terrorism and Suicide • Mass Suicides • Adulteries and Affairs • Power, Money, Fame

11. Abortion Clinic Bombings • Some of these are done in the name of religion • Army of God- anti-abortion group that promotes the use of violence against abortion clinics • Key members- Eric Rudolph • Pled guilty to bombing at least 4 places, killing of at least two people • On FBI’s Top Ten Most wanted list

12. Army of God Manual • "Beginning officially with the passage of the Freedom of Choice Act - we, the remnant of God-fearing men and women of the United States of Amerika (sic), do officially declare war on the entire child killing industry. After praying, fasting, and making continual supplication to God for your pagan, heathen, infidel souls, we then peacefully, passively presented our bodies in front of your death camps, begging you to stop the mass murdering of infants. Yet you hardened your already blackened, jaded hearts. We quietly accepted the resulting imprisonment and suffering of our passive resistance. Yet you mocked God and continued the Holocaust. No longer! All of the options have expired. Our Most Dread Sovereign Lord God requires that whosoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. Not out of hatred of you, but out of love for the persons you exterminate, we are forced to take arms against you. Our life for yours - a simple equation. Dreadful. Sad. Reality, nonetheless. You shall not be tortured at our hands. Vengeance belongs to God only. However, execution is rarely gentile."

13. Army of God

14. Army of God Videos • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcFjrSelcKY

15. Crusade Videos • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8n0qAH7nzI&feature=related

16. Holy Wars (Crusades) • Started around 1090 and lasted till around 1300 • Crusade literally means, “Going to the Cross” • Idea was to free Jerusalem and the other holy places from the Muslims • Only two successful crusades and also had two children’s crusades (useless) • 3rd crusade between Saladin and Richard the Lion-heart

17. Crusades

18. Terrorism and Suicide • This can be found in today’s society with the Radical/Extreme religious groups • Feel that killing themselves and other infidels are the only certain way of getting to heaven • Usually brainwashed since a very early age • Will be in the name of a religion, but most religions do not teach about killing one another

19. Terrorism

20. Religious Terrorists • The individual believes that they are under attack • Evil is going to destroy their world and they must act

21. Cont. 2. Convinced that God wants the evil destroyed

22. Cont. 3. Violence is the only way to resolve the situation, and it is good in this case

23. Cont. 4. Become convinced that God has chosen them for this task • Don’t necessarily want to kill or die, but it is better to die doing what is right than live as a coward • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsU1yyGZENs&feature=fvst • Monty Python Part 3 (5:23)

24. Cont. • These perspectives are nurtured by a community • The community supports them and people are more willing to do things in a community than by themselves

25. Omar Hammami Video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHVuvD4RsC0 • Documentary (45 minutes) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG5f2eZXy64&feature=related • Commentary on Doc above (5 min)

26. Omar Hammami

27. Mass Suicides • Will sometimes occur in radical religious groups or in cult settings • Feel that by doing this they can escape the present world and enter into a realm/afterlife that is better • Usually has a charismatic group leader with charismatic beliefs

28. Jim Jones and Jonestown • Jim Jones and Jonestown- 918 members were killed by drinking red cool-aid or cyanide, largest mass suicide in history • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuJpTO9YU4M

29. Heaven’s Gate/Hale-Bopp • Heaven’s Gate mass suicide- believed an alien space ship behind Comet Hale-Bopp and if they died they would be on it, 39 in all • In 1996 bought $10,000 worth of alien abduction insurance • http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Heavens-Gate-Mass-suicide-in-Rancho-Santa-Fe-California-120001572

30. Heaven’s Gate Video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh35j2S68DQ • http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-26-1997-heavens-gate-cult-suicide-9702192 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzWpfq103q4 • CNN Remembers: (5 min)