Students learn to:



Identify the following expressions of the religious dimension in human history: Animism, Polytheism and Monotheism.

Animism

Complete the following summary points using the words in the box below.

|respect , communities, today , wandering, inhabits , rituals , origins , world , soul, natural, govern, intervenes , creation, physical, shamans, |

|feature, Australian, scholars |

• Animism, in its simplest form is the idea that all living things have a _________.

• Animism is the term coined by Edward Tylor as a proposed theory of the ____________ of religion

• Animism is the belief that all _________________objects are endowed with a spirit or soul, known as "animae"

• This soul is understood to exist independently of the natural object it _______________

• These spirits were believed to _______________the day-to-day activities of the natural world

• Since all natural objects had souls, every part of ___________________had to treat every other part of creation with __________________

• In some animistic societies, it is believed that the soul can survive ________________ death

• After physical death, some ______________________________believed that the soul became a wandering ghost that actively ________________________in the day-to-day lives of people who are still alive

• Other communities believed that the soul moved onto a more fertile_________________, where vegetation and game were plentiful

• Animistic cultures had priests, known as ____________________who performed _______________________ to appease these _______________________________souls

• Animism is still a key ___________________ of some communities today

• For example, animistic thought still features in the ______________________Aboriginal, the Melanesian, Polynesian, the Micronesian and the Native American Indian cultures of _________________

• Tylor's theory, though it was influential during the nineteenth century, has been largely rejected by __________________today

Polytheism

Complete the following summary points using the words in the box below.

|Aztec , Multiple, Hindu, personal , position, embody , developed, deities, immortal , omnipotent, powers, ancient, entities |

• Polytheism is the belief in and worship of _______________________gods or deities

• Examples of polytheistic religious practice can be found in the Greco-Roman cultures, as well as in the_____________, Norse, ________________, Egyptian and Sumerian traditions

• Though this theory has been disputed, it is generally believed, that polytheism __________________________ from animism

• One typical characteristic of polytheistic religious systems is that its _______________________ resemble human beings in the sense that they have their own personalities, hold grudges against other gods, and have a _________________history

• Another common feature of polytheistic religious systems is that polytheistic divinities are rarely omniscient, ______________________and omnipresent

• Polytheistic deities are usually assigned jurisdictional____________________, which are directly linked with their particular skill or talent

• Gods of the polytheistic religious system are generally___________________, and hence are often referred to as the " Immortals"

• Polytheistic religious systems are usually highly stratified, which each god being given their own _____________________within this hierarchy

• Most ___________________ religions were polytheistic, and even today some tribal cultures and religions have remained polytheistic

• Hard polytheists conceive of their gods as being distinct and separate ______________

• Soft polytheism is the belief that all the different gods ___________________ a particular facet of a unitary, singular god or reality

Monotheism

Complete the following summary points using the words in the box below.

|One, cultures ,Christianity, Deism , works, traditions, pantheism , developed, moral , disputed, omnipotent, intervenes , creation, rejects, equates, |

|intrinsically |

• Monotheism is the belief that there is only ________ god

• The term monotheism is best used to describe the religious system adopted by the three major monotheistic traditions, _________________, Islam and Judaism

• Traces of monotheistic thought can also be found in the ____________of Greek antiquity, in _______________ such as ancient Egypt and in _____________________ such as Zoroastrianism

• It is generally believed that monotheism _______________________from polytheism, though this theory has been ____________________

• The god of monotheistic religious systems is usually depicted as an____________________ , omniscient and omnipresent being

• Generally, this divine being is credited with the _____________________of the universe, and is responsible for giving humankind its ______________code

• _____________and ____________________ are two varying forms of monotheism

• Deism affirms the notion that there is only one god , but _________________the idea that god actively ______________________in human history

• Pantheism _______________god with the universe

• Therefore, pantheists believe that every part of creation is _________________________ a result of god's activities on earth

Answer the following short answer response and submit for marking:

Using examples, explain the meaning of the terms animism, polytheism and monotheism. (5 marks) - 150 words



Sample Responses

Using examples, explain the meaning of the terms animism, polytheism and monotheism. (5 marks) - 150 words

Animism is the doctrine that all natural things have souls. For example, many prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities believed that all natural objects from animals to hailstorms, to rivers and mountains had a soul. This soul was believed to control the activities of both animate and inanimate objects. These spirits or souls were revered because of their control over the natural world.

Polytheism is the belief and worship of multiple divinities. For example, the texts of classical antiquity such as the Iliad and the Odyssey is a record of the power struggles which took place, the hierarchical nature of the Greek cosmic world, and the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the Greek gods. Unlike the God of the Judaic-Christian tradition, the polytheistic gods of the Norse, Egyptian, Graeco-Roman and Chinese cultures were rarely all powerful and all knowing. Rather they had their own particular skills and talents, and their own genealogy and personalities.

Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one god, and one god only. Hence, Islam, Judaism and Christianity can be described as monotheistic religions. This singular god is usually depicted as being omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. This high god is usually credited with creating the world, and for giving humankind a moral code to follow.



Evaluate the place of the religious dimension in human history to provide:

Meaning and purpose for the individual

• Human experience is characterised by a search for answers to the big questions of life, which are known as the key religious questions

• The most significant of these questions relate to the origin (where did we come from?), purpose (why are we here?) and destiny (what happens to us when we die?) of humankind

• The answers provided through religion understanding give meaning and coherence to life

• One significant role of religion is to provide life with meaning, and hence a sense of overall consistency and direction in a world that is constantly changing

• During times of crises for example, religion is particularly uplifting because it provides life with a sense of purpose , and a framework upon which to understand life

• The ritualistic dimension of religion provides individuals with one of the most basic needs of humankind, a sense of belonging within a community

• Religion can also serve to reinforce the cultural identity of a group, which is particularly important when the group consists of small ethnic minorities or people who have been socially marginalised by mainstream society

Social cohesion

• Religion has an important role in affirming traditional beliefs and practices

• Religion provides communities with a sense of continuity as it serves to link the rapidly changing, complex modern society with a more traditional and stable past

• The downside of religion as a force of social cohesion is that religion can also used to reinforce and legitimise values and institutions, which may be unjust eg. Slavery

Social transformation

• Paradoxically, whilst religion is a force of social cohesion it can also serve as a force of social transformation

• Religion can be used as a tool for criticising the structures, customs and beliefs of its own societies

• The importance of working towards a just and peaceful society is integral to the message of all major religious traditions

• Historically, religious groups have played a significant role in advocating and campaigning for social justice and equality

• Today religious groups can be seen at the forefront of campaigns, which seek to address issues such as poverty, environmental degradation, global conflict, economic inequality, indigenous rights and unemployment

Using examples, discuss how the religious dimension in human history has contributed to social transformation. (5 marks) - 150 words

History is evidence of the fact that religion can be used as a vehicle for social transformation. In the past, religious groups have been active on issues such as ecological sustainability, indigenous rights, gender equality and economic inequality. The religious dimension of human history has had a long history of counter-cultural criticism of the inequalities created by the status quo. For example, traditionally religious groups have advocated the reform of the economic structures of society, in order to decrease the rates of poverty in society. It should be remembered however, that whilst religion is a vehicle of social transformation, religion is also often used as to reaffirm and legitimize the very structures that it also criticises. Thus, the paradox is, that the transformative role of religion in society is to some extents, tempered by the fact that it also reinforces the traditional institutions of society such as slavery and racial inequality.



Investigate statistical data of the current global distribution of the 5 major religious traditions

Buddhism

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in approximately 500 BCE

• Buddhism began as an offshoot of its mother religion, Hinduism

• Buddhism began in the Ganges Plain

• King Asoka sent out missionaries to spread the word of the Buddha in the 5 th century BCE which resulted in the spread of Buddhism to Central Asia, Burma and Sri Lanka

• From the 3 rd to the 5 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism became firmly rooted in China

• In the 4 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism spread to Korea

• In the 5 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism spread to Japan

• In the 8 th century CE Buddhism spread to Tibet

• By 1500 CE Buddhism had spread to Mongolia

• Today Mahayana Buddhism is mainly located in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam and in some parts of India and Russia

• Today Theravada Buddhism is mainly located in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand

• Buddhism is steadily growing from a small base in Western countries

• The 10 largest national populations of Buddhism are: (in descending order) China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, South Korea and Taiwan

Christianity

• During the life of Jesus of Nazareth, (founder of Christianity) and in the immediate aftermath of his death the Jesus movement was largely restricted to the Roman province of Palestine and to the immediate surrounding areas

• Paul of Tarsus ( Saint Paul), who is typically regarded as the second founder of Christianity, assisted Christianity to move out of its Judaic-Palestinian confines by formalising the religion, and providing Christianity with an infrastructure

• Christianity grew as an underground movement that faced intermittent persecution in the Roman Empire up to the 4 th century CE

• Under the patronage of Emperor Constantine, Christianity became a state religion in the 4 th century

• As a result of this, Christianity began to thrive and grow rapidly in the Roman Empire

• The Great Schism of 1054 formalised a division between Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy

• Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe during the Middle Ages as a result of missionaries who were sent out to convert local European tribes who were seen as barbaric

• The Reformation of the 16 th century, split Western Christianity into the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches

• The age of European colonisation from the 15 th century onwards saw the spread of Christianity to Asia, Africa and North America

• Christianity is the largest religion in the world today

• The 10 largest national populations of Christianity are: (in descending order) USA, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, China, Russia, India, Nigeria, Germany and Zaire/Congo

• There is a clear trend in the recent development of Christianity which points to its steady decline in the Western world and its rapid growth in Asia, Africa and Latin America

Hinduism

• Hinduism began in the Punjab region 4000 years ago

• The vast majority of the Hindu's in the world are found in India and surrounding areas

• The 10 largest national populations of Hinduism are: (in descending order) India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, USA, South Africa and Burma (Myanmar)

• Hinduism is largely restricted to the Indian sub-continent

• Hindus are generally located in the Indian subcontinent because Hinduism is largely dependant upon the Indian cultural environment for its existence

• Another reason as to why Hinduism is largely restricted to the Indian subcontinent is that Hinduism lacks the doctrine of self propagation, unlike the other major religious traditions

• Furthermore, the diverse nature of Hinduism works against the possibility of its spreading easily with a single recognisable doctrine

Islam

• Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in 622 CE in Madinah

• Within a century or two of its establishment, Islam had spread to Palestine, Syria, Persia, Damascus, Persia, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain which it dominated until the Middle Ages

• The Crusades which occurred between the 11 th and 13 th centuries facilitated the spread of Islam into Europe

• By the 10 th century CE, Islam had moved into Western Africa, China and India

• By the 14 th century CE, Islam was firmly cemented in Indonesia and Malaysia

• During the 19 th century, as a result of the efforts of missionaries, more people were converted to Islam on the African continent

• Many Muslims were resettled to Western countries such as the US and the UK in the post World War II period

• Islam is the fastest growing religion of the five major world religions today

• Islam is the second largest religion in the world today

• Islam is remaining strong in its traditional areas such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and is also growing steadily in Western countries

• The 10 largest national populations of Muslims are: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco

Judaism

• Jewish history is marked by a series of persecutions and exiles

• From the time it began to the Middle Ages, as a result of centuries of persecution the Jewish people came to be scattered across Europe and the Middle East

• Many Jews migrated to the US in the 20 th century

• During World War II, Hitler's Nazi Party sought to destroy the Jewish population of Europe

• As a result of this attempted genocide, known as the holocaust, approximately 6 million European Jews died

• In 1948 the United Nations sponsored the reformation of the Jewish state of Israel in Palestinian territories

• It is often difficult to obtain precise figures about the numbers of Jews living in any given area

• This is because Jews fear religious persecution and hence are reluctant to divulge their religious identity



Identify and account for the location of major Jewish communities in the world today. (5 marks) - 150 words

The 3 major global regions where significant numbers of Jews are located are: the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. The US and Israel are the two largest centres of Jews in the world. Many Jews are also located in Europe , in the countries of France , Britain and Germany.

Many Jews are located in Europe as a result of the early Jewish history of persecutions by groups such as the Romans, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians who sent the Jews into exile. The 10 largest national populations of Jews in the world are: (in ascending numerical order): USA, Israel, France, Argentina, Palestine, Canada, Brazil, Britain, Russia and Germany.

There are a significant number of Jews in the US because during the 20th century the US permitted a large number of Jews to migrate there, and granted them American citizenship. The reason behind the large number of Jews in Israel is that Judaism started in the ancient land of Israel, which was known in the past, as the Promised Land of Canaan. Following the genocide of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Party in World War II the United Nations assisted to set up a Jewish homeland in this ancient land of Canaan in 1948. The establishment of a Jewish home state greatly assisted to increase the global population of Jews.



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