LAR - Universalizing Religions Lesson

Universalizing Religions

  • Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that help us understand our place in the world and the divine
  • Religions can be broken down into large categories:
    • Monotheistic - one God
    • Polytheistic - many Gods
    • Universalizing or Ethnic
      • 60% of people belong to a universalizing religion - which appeal to people worldwide
      • 25% belong to an ethnic religion - which appeal to just one group in one place
      • 15% have no religious affiliation
        • This might include:
          • Secularists - people who want a separation of religion and other areas of society
          • Agnostics - people who believe that the divine is unknowable to humans
          • Atheists - people who do not believe in a God(s)
  • In any faith a person or group can be categorized as fundamental , meaning strict adherence to principles and guidelines (there are instances where this can lead to extremist actions)
  • Some countries are so involved in religion that the government is run by religious rulers. This is called a theocracy

Universalizing Religion

  • Also known as global religions or proselytic (convert others)
  • Have precise origins and have diffused from those hearths
  • Holy sites tend to be associated with the specific founders
  • These religions tend to have a similar creation story (cosmogony)
  • Calendars and holidays tend to be based on the life of the founder
  • These faiths are usually connected to central leadership
    • Exceptions can be seen in Protestant Christians and Muslims, who tend to have autonomous religions and self-governing congregations
  • There are three major universalizing religions
    • Christianity, Islam and Buddhism
      • Sikhism and Baha'i are smaller examples
  • These religions are divided into sections:
    • Branches - large fundamental difference within a religion
    • Denominations - division of a branch that unites groups
    • Sects - Small group that has broken away from a different denomination

Major Religions

Don't forget to read the assigned chapter in your e-text. Be sure to check with your instructor if you are uncertain of your specific reading assignment.

Learning about Major Religions - Activity

Match with the religions and their major beliefs. Select 'check' to see if you are correct. Select 'show solution' to see the correct answer.

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