Transcript What is Religion? - University of Mount Union

What is Religion?
That is the question
How do you define it?
• There are many ways to define it
– Normative
• Describes what religious adherents ought to do.
(love)
– Functional
• Describes how religion operates in society or human
lives. (totem)
– Descriptive
• Describes how religious adherents behave.
A Working Definition
• Religion is a human phenomenon in which
humans seek to understand the nature of the
“Ultimate Reality”, act on this
understanding and develop the potential for
human transformation through this
understanding.
Ingredients
•
•
•
•
Background
The Absolute
The World
Humans
– Problems for
Humans
– Solution for Humans
• Basic Tenets/Major
Features
• Major Figures
• Rituals and Symbols
– Holidays
– Aesthetic (art, music,
architecture)
The Absolute
• What is the religion’s
idea of the Absolute.
Is the Absolute a deity
or an idea/concept?
The World
• What is the worldview
of the religion? How
do they view life?
Humans
• What are the problems
for humanity?
• What are the solutions
for humanity?
Basic Tenets/Major Features
• What are the basic
tenets or major
features of the
religion?
Major Figures
• Who are some of the
important figures in
the religion?
• What impact did they
have on the world?
Rituals, Symbols & Holidays
• What is the art of
the religion like?
• What are some of
the
festivals/holidays?
Sources
• Slides 5, 6 & 7 – 250,000 Designer Clip Art, Global Star Software
• Slide 7 – http://www.model
furniture.com/products/wallart/sandpaintings/images/as9001.jpg
http://subway.com/applications/spotlite/docs/nov03/pics/Taboo%20pi
x.jpg
Slide 8 – http://www.healing-touch.co.uk/manjushr.gif
http://persweb.direct.ca/gknight/images/shiva.jpg
Slide 9 –
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/images/laotzu.jpg
http://www.therealpresence.org/images/teresa2.jpg
http://www.buddhismus.at/bilder/dalai_lama_gross4.jpg
Sources
Slide 10 –
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.islamicarchitectu
re.org/ia/images/islamicart.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.islamicarchitecture.org/ia/art/&h=245&
w=385&sz=30&tbnid=HNsKzDoPFngJ:&tbnh=75&tbnw=117&start=
10&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dislamic%2Bart%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%
26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kamat.com/kalra
nga/art/ephemeral/11585.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kamat.com/kalran
ga/art/ephemeral/11585.htm&h=524&w=300&sz=40&tbnid=Ib76OS6
asawJ:&tbnh=127&tbnw=73&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dindia
%2Bart%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DG
http://estabrook.lexingtonma.org/Library/Dec/Kwanzaa.jpeg