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The Basics of Religion. World Studies. What is religion?. Religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people . Religion is human beings' relation to the things that they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine .
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The Basics of Religion World Studies
What is religion? Religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people. Religion is human beings' relation to the things that they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine. Humans often get their sense of purpose and moral values from religion. Religious beliefs are found in virtually every society throughout human history. Some governments fuse their laws with religious beliefs.
What questions does religion answer? • Origins (where did we come from?) Ex. God made the world in 7 days • Purpose/meaning (why are we here?) • Destiny (where are we going? what happens when we die?) Heaven vs. hell/ purgatory/ reincarnation/ nothing? • Who are we? (the nature of human nature) • Who/what is god? Physical/ spirit/ animal/ nature?
Mono and Polytheism Monotheism- Any religion that is centered on the belief in one god (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). Polytheism- A religion based around two or more gods (Hinduism, Animism, Ancient Greek or Roman).
Ethnic and Universal Religion Ethnic religion: the religion of a particular people or culture (e.g., Judaism, Shinto, and Hinduism) (tend to be localized and do not actively seek converts) Universal religion: a religion which sees its message as true for all people (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) (have spread throughout the world and tend to be very large in population, have actively sought converts from many cultures)
The Evolution of Religion Primal: prehistoric (more than 10,000 years ago) and "living" oral/tribal traditions Archaic: religions of ancient civilizations no longer in existence (6000 - 2000 years ago) Classic: the great "living" religions originating between 2500 and 500 years ago Modern: contemporary variations of classic religions (developed since the 16th century) as well as truly new, independent religions
Questions For You What is the difference between monotheism and polytheism? What questions does religion answer? Which is the most practiced religion in the world?