Terms in this set (8) Belief Systems. Another example of a personal experience within the faith was Jeremiah's calling to be a prophet. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Some of the major, and oldest, of the world’s religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 22. 8. Learn more» Buddhism 3. CENTRAL STORIES/MYTHS: Stories that help explain the beliefs of a group; these The Big Religion Chart. Derived from the German term ‘weltanschauung,’ the term ‘worldview’ refers to the cluster of beliefs an individual holds about the most significant concepts of life such as God, the cosmos (universe), and humanity. ‘Religion’ refers to the pursuit of transformation guided by a sacred belief system. 19. See our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. We use your LinkedIn profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. “Explorers” are the people who seem to have what Mercandante refers to as a “spiritual wanderlust.”. Monism is a philosophical, cosmological, and metaphysical stand which proposes an ultimate unity of all things, and that all seeming differences, distinctions, divisions, and separations are ultimately only apparent or partial aspects of an ultimate whole. COMMUNITY: The belief system is shared, and its ideals are practiced by a group. 21. Religious texts may be utilized to “evoke a deeper connection with the divine, convey spiritual truths, promote mystical experience, foster communal identity, and to guide individual and communal spiritual practice” (“Religious Text,” n.d.). If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Many mosques” have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture … The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for ‘salat’ (prayer) as well as a center for information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement” (“Mosque,” n.d.). Especially in a sociological perspective, the emergence of polytheism has been attributed to the desire to pacify the uncontrollable forces of nature, the need for supernatural moral sanctions, and the attempt to justify specialization and class distinctions. These SBNRs embrace the “spiritual but not religious" label and are eager to find a completely new religious identity or alternative spiritual group that they can ultimately commit to. the science of Christian faith and life.” In the fifth-century, the philosopher Augustine defined theology as “rational discussion respecting the deity” (“Theology,” n.d.). A ‘synagogue’ is a Jewish house of prayer. In fact, the beliefs, values, and behaviors of a culture stem from its worldviews. It is thus not concerned with instructing one on how to live in the world. 3. World Religions The focus of this course is the major world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, although other religious traditions will be explored as time permits. Generally, mythology is considered one component or aspect of religion. Webster’s dictionary defines theology as “the science of God or of religion; the science which treats of the existence, character, and attributes of God, his laws and government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice. A world religion 2, 3. A religion is a social organism, so a successful religion will have to balance its own needs with the needs of its followers. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Flashcards. Alchemists eventually associated four triangular symbols to represent these elements. Reconnecting with our spiritual nature and manifesting that connection in our lives are the essential elements of every religion. ‘Religious rituals’ refer to the behavior performed by a religious member or a group of believers with reference to supernatural power or a deity. He or she may ignore membership in religious institutions, participation in formal rituals, and adherence to official denominational doctrines. A better way to explain the nature of religion is to identify basic characteristics common to religions. Many mosques” have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture … The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for ‘salat’ (prayer) as well as a center for information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement” (“Mosque,” n.d.). The visible objects, spaces and actions of that world thus play a pivotal role in shaping religious worldviews, which is why people often think of religion as something displayed in things and events. Many religions possess holy scriptures, narratives, or sacred accounts that aim to explain the origin and meaning of life and the universe. In other words, all life allegedly originated through intrinsically directionless series of processes as opposed to the planned and decisive creation by God. Today's lesson will be a brief exploration of Judaism, one of the world's oldest religions. 7. The external world is ephemeral, temporary, and ever changing; in fact, your body will die one day, sweeping all those worldly accoutrements away like a mere pile of dust. ‘Materialism’ is the philosophical doctrine that physical matter is the only ultimate reality. ‘Spirituality’ is one’s integrative view of life. The practicing of the belief system and valuing the same ideals as a group creates a community. 25. It involves a quest for the meaning and ultimate value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or materialistic attitude to life. 7 Elements of Buddhism. Match. The coverage of this book predominantly focuses on the major religions of the world, with a very brief synopsis of "other" religions. Religion - Buddhism Origins and Developments - The leader of Buddhism was a man who lived a sheltered life, but later stepped out of the palace and found the world was in pain … Religions can be categorized according to what or whom its followers worship. Worship, moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions are among the constituent elements of the religious life. Darwinism, the advocacy of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and evolutionism, the belief in the theory of evolution by natural selection, are fundamentally related. Test. 11. In the subject Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, the learners are expected to demonstrate understanding of belief system or worldview, Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy of Religion, Theology, the elements of religion, belief system, and spirituality.Being familiar with the following terms and concepts are very important as an introduction: Both ideologies attribute the origins of all life forms and other things not to the purposeful creation by God but to the behavior of random chemical and physical forces. Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems: they are either too narrow and exclude many belief systems which most agree are religions, or they are too vague and ambiguous, suggesting that just about anything and everything is a religion. “Seekers” are those people who are looking for a spiritual home but contemplate recovering earlier religious identities. Knowing how spirituality differs from religion ‘Belief system’ refers to a particular way of ordering the realities of one’s world. It is often interchangeable with the term ‘worldview,’ hence, the two shall be predominantly used as synonyms in this book. These beliefs, which may or may not be true, form a general picture, a broad-spectrum outlook, or a grand perspective on life and the world. Seekers” are those people who are looking for a spiritual home but contemplate recovering earlier religious identities. PLAY. The word ‘philosophy’ came from the Greek words ‘philo’ (love) and ‘sophia’ (wisdom) and is thus literally defined as “the love of wisdom”. 13. These elements help shape religions and the people who believe in them. EIGHT ELEMENTS OF RELIGIONS 1. Looks like you’ve clipped this slide to already. 1. Many religions of the world have eight elements in common. Of these, four were the physical elements—fire, air, water, and earth—of which the entire world is composed. Strict monotheism taught by Muhammad, the world's 2nd … 15. Religion is something that is derivative from a group of people’s beliefs regarding the principles of life, the supernatural and the afterlife (if any). Created by. The following 25 concepts and terms are also important in studying world religions and belief systems: 1. 7. Worldview is more than culture as it extends to perceptions of time and space, of happiness and of well-being. Theists believe that unlike opposing ethical theories, theistic moral system (which is also called ‘moral supernaturalism’) can satisfactorily explain the existence of objective ethical values and moral laws.