Religion

Religion

Origins & cultural practice

Explaining the world

World and human origins

• Humans naturally want to know "why"
• Why are we here?
  • religions and founding myths usually intersect
• What is our purpose?
  • religions

Purpose of life

• a primary function of religion is to order daily life
• religion may guide
  • social structures
  • political structures
  • class, profession, and other hierarchies
    • note that the word "hierarchy" originally means "rank in the sacred order" (see heirarchy word origin (etymonline)

Reflect or reinforce social structures

• religious belief provides authenticity and legitimacy to political, social and cultural systems or structures
• ex.:
  • across human history, hereditary rule (especially monarchy) is the most stable political system
    • because the "first born" of the ruler is selected by God/gods
      • therefore the first born is legitimized by belief in that God/gods

Mitigating Uncertainty

Ritual

• burial
• sacrifice
  • purpose
  • types of sacrifice
    • animal sacrifice
    • human sacrifice

Superstition

• 13 and Friday the 13th superstitions
  • many ancient counting systems, especially Babylonian, were 12-base
    • therefore 13 marked a bad number
  • in Christianity, Judas was considered the 13th disciple at the Last Supper
    • since he betrayed Jesus, 13 is associated with him
    • it is likely that the prejudice against pre-existed the story of the Last Supper and Judas
• see:
  • [Friday the 13th (History.com)]

Prehistoric

• animism
• polytheism

Paleolithic

• conceptual thought
• spirituality
• examples
  • cave paintings
  • pictograms
  • figurines
    • Venus figurine
    • lion man
    • totemism

Neolithic

• examples
  • ritual burial
  • megaliths

Ancestor Worship

• Neolithic origins *

Organized Religions

• listed in approximate chronological order of development

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

• • Old Testament

Christianity

• • New Testament

Worldwide religiosity

Pew Research 2018 worldwide survey

• from Research: 3. HOW RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT VARIES BY COUNTRY AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

Worldwide rates of daily prayer rates

Worldwide importance of religion rates

Worldwide weekly religious attendance rates

Worldwide religion importance rates

Teaching religion

Curricular objectives

• non-judgmental, facts-based learning
  • i.e., "this religion"
    • exists in...
    • believes in...
    • practices...

Religion pedagogy & teaching strategies

• maintain objectivity
• promote respect
• never violate or directly challenge a student's own religious views
• Example of religious teaching: Catholic Catechism (rejoiceinmary.org)