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Introduction to World Religions HRT 3M Markville History Department: Ms. Chong
•“God has no religion” ~ Gandhi
•“Religion is 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?
What does religion offer that science and technology do not?
How does religion provide answers to life?
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 religions have the greatest % of followers
in the world?
Tracing the history of “God”
In the beginning
Creating gods is something humans have always done
artifacts dating from Paleolithic times (35 000 – 10 000 BCE)
A Question of Sex
Which came first, god or goddess?
Venuses Shift towards
patrilineal influence (male deities) by semi-nomadic 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.
Drawing the Line (Activity)
"God Breeds Violence and Intolerance.”
"God and Politics Shouldn’t Mix.
"God Is for the Poor and Ignorant."
"God Is Bad for Women."
"God Is the Enemy of Science."
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
Swastika: A Tainted Symbol?
•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.
• 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)
How tolerant are Canadians?
72% OF CANADIANS HOLD A POSITIVE VIEW OF CHRISTIANITY.
ONLY 30% THINK THE SAME OF SIKHISM.
45% BELIEVE THAT MAINSTREAM ISLAM ENCOURAGES
VIOLENCE.
10% THINK THE SAME OF MAINSTREAM CHRISTIANITY.
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulk3hD
wxnmg Religion & Politics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSXJzy
bEeJM&feature=related Biblical Quotes
On a positive note…
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.
Macleans “What Canadian’s Think”. August 28, 2009
Interesting Links:http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/pop-
culture.html
