Transcript Intro to Religion - Magnolia High School

Which faith tradition do you think
each verse came from?
 Buddhism (the Dhammapada)
 Christianity (the New Testament)
 Hinduism (the Baghavad Gita)
 Islam (the Qur’an)
 Judaism (the Torah)
Question 1
 How can I have a son,” she said, “when no man has touched me,
nor am I sinful?” He said: “Thus will it be. Your Lord said: “It is
easy for Me,” and that: “We shall make him a sign for men and a
blessing from Us.” This is a thing already decreed.”
 Qur’an: 19:20-21
Question 2
 I am the Way and the Master who watches in silence.
Thy friend and thy shelter and thy abode of peace.
 Bagavad Gita 9:18
Question 3

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him,
“Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take
your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on
one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Torah: Genesis 22:1-2
Question 4

For hatred can never put an end to hatred. Love
alone can. This is an unalterable law.

Dhammapada 1:5
Question 5
 It was also said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
written notice of divorce. But now I tell you; if a man divorces
his wife for any other cause other than her unfaithfulness, then
he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again
and the man who marries her commits adultery also.
 New Testament: Matthew 5:31
Question 6
 On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly
and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the
trumpets. As an aroma pleasing to the Lord, prepare a burnt
offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year
old, all without defect.
 Torah: Numbers 29:1-2
Question 7
 Go ye forth for the good of the many, the welfare of the
many, in compassion for the world. Proclaim the
doctrine, glorious in the beginning, glorious in the
middle, glorious in the end. Preach ye a life of
holiness, perfect and pure
 Dhammapada
Question 8
 And any woman who prays or proclaims God’s message in public
worship with nothing on her head disgraces her husband; there
is no difference between her and a woman whose head has been
shaved. If the woman does not cover her head, she might as well
cut her hair. And since it is a shameful thing for a woman to
shave her head or cut her hair, she should cover her head.
 New Testament: 1 Corinthians 11:5
Question 9

And We said to Adam: “Both you and your spouse
live in the Garden, eat freely to your fill wherever
you like, but approach not this tree or you will
become transgressors.”

Qur’an: 2: 35-36
Question 10
 Making a fair provision for women who are divorced is
the duty of those who are God-fearing and pious.
 Qur’an 2:241
Question 11

If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife –
with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer
and the adulteress must be put to death.

Torah: Leviticus 20:10
Question 12
 You tell them: “In all the commands revealed to me I
find nothing which men have been forbidden to eat
except carrion and running blood and flesh of the
swine for it is unclean.”
 Qur’an: 6:145
What is religion?
 Religions change and evolve over time
 Religions are spread through interaction
Cultural Landscape
 The cultural landscape reflects religious preferences,
by houses of worship, cemeteries, shrines, and statues
 It is reflected in the sale of alcohol, dress, and personal
habits
 Ex: Pakistan requires judges to wear a beard
Religion
 A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order
life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities
 It determines how people “should” behave
 In some societies, religion determines behaviors during
waking hours, and even in sleep (some sleeping
positions can be sinful)
 Most religions have prayers and rituals
Rituals
 Rituals mark important events in people’s lives
 Births
 Death
 Coming of age
 Marriage
 Celebration of holidays
 Prayer
Secularism
 Some societies are predominantly secular, or non-
religious
 Even then, religion seeps into art, history, customs,
beliefs, and even the calendar
 Whether secular or not, it is important to have a basic
understanding of religion
 Religion is one of the most complex and controversial
aspects of culture
Early Religions
 Most religions can be classified into one of three broad
groups:
 Monotheistic: belief in a single deity
 Polytheistic: belief in more than one deity
 Animistic: belief that inanimate objects have spirits
History
of
Religion
 Up until 3500 years ago, most religions were
polytheistic or animistic
 Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion and
laid the foundation for Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam
 Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the
belief that there is a single all-powerful good god
(Zoroastro), and there is also an evil being trying to
destroy good
Diffusion
of
Monotheism
 Judaism was the second (or first) great monotheistic
religion
 However, it was not until Christianity and Islam
emerged that monotheism spread
 By 500 BCE, there were four hearths of religion:
 Greece (Greek Philosophy)
 India (Hinduism)
 Israel (Judaism)
 China (Chinese philosophies)
Religions Today
 Christianity and Islam have the highest number of
adherents (followers)
 Christianity has the largest number of adherents, but
Islam is the fastest growing religion
 They are both influenced by Greek philosophy and
Judaism
World Distribution of Religions
Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.