¨ Introduction to World Religions HRT 3M ¨ Markville History

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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
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Why are people drawn to
religion?
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 3 religions have
the greatest % of
followers in the world?
What is the fastest
growing religion in the
world?
Tracing the history of
“God”
In the
beginning
A Question of
Sex
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Creating gods is
something humans
have always done
—  artifacts dating
from Paleolithic
times
(35 000 – 10 000
BCE)
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 ?
— 
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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
— 
— 
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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.
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
Mini Survey: Clicker Quiz
—  Class
Results
—  Canadian
Poll Results
How tolerant are Canadians?
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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.
Which religion has the
‘bloodiest’ hands?
Swastika: A Tainted Symbol?
•  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)
• 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.
On a positive note…
ž 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.
ž Macleans “What Canadian’s Think”.
August 28, 2009
Interesting Links:
ž http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/popculture.html
ž http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ulk3hDwxnmg Religion & Politics