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|BBC - Religions |

|A good place to start to explore diverse religions is the BBC: |

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|Christianity |

|Early Christian Churches |

|The earliest Christian churches were established where there were existing Jewish communities or where there were Jews |

|trading. Students could explore some of the oldest Christian communities. Some of the religious art of these churches is very |

|attractive and contrasts with European Christian art. |

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|Byzantine Orthodox Christians |

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|Ethiopian Christians |

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|Egypt - Coptic Church |

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|Syrian Christians |

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|The Spread of Christianity in Europe |

|Many students may consider Christianity as a European or even English religion. It was once considered as a heretical or |

|un-orthodox offshoot of Judaism. It was a Middle Eastern religion transformed as it was introduced into Europe. Students will |

|benefit from some awareness of pre-Christian beliefs in the UK and reactions to early Christian missionaries. |

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|Christianity and Hinduism |

|There are also examples of Hinduism incorporating Jesus and saints into the pantheon of Hindu deities. Some Christians |

|practice their faith in a form that outwardly resembles Hinduism. The Shantivanam community in India is an example of this |

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|There are many forms of Christianity that students could explore. |

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|Islam |

|Islam is a very diverse religion in its expression. There are two main branches of Islam, the Sunnis and the Shi’ites |

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|Islam in Europe |

|Islam has a long presence in Europe from at least the time of the Muslim invasions of Spain. The caliphates in Spain had a |

|periods of tolerance with universities where Christian, Muslims and Jews studied together. |

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|BBC - Brief History of Islamic Spain |

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|Non orthodox forms of Islam |

|There are forms of Islam considered as not orthodox. Students could explore these; Nation of Islam in the US; Ismailism and |

|their leader the Aga Khan; Alawis, Druze, Ahmadiyya are among other un-orthodox forms of Islam. |

|Ismailism |

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|Druze |

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|Alawis |

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|Sufism – there are Sufis throughout the Muslim world, in Egypt, Senegal, Turkey. |

|In the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent Sufism is widespread. Sufism is described as a mystic branch of Islam |

|focusing on the love of god. In Pakistan there are many places where Sufi saints are honoured. |

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|Rumi, a Persian Sufi poet born in an area that is now in Tajikistan, he lived most of his life in Turkey. He is considered one|

|of the greatest poets of the Persian language. His poems are allegorical often about the lover and the beloved, they appear to|

|be love poems but are said to describe the relationship between a person and god. His poetry is translated into many languages|

|and is frequently quoted, even appearing on Facebook. Students could study a poem and write a brief biography. |

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|Sikism |

|The Sikh faith developed in India at the time of the Tudor period in England, it has grown into a world faith. Students should|

|develop an understanding of the Sikhism. There were British converts to Sikhism during the colonial period. |

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|Max Arthur Macauliffe |

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|Sikhs have contributed in many areas of life in Britain and world wide. Students could research Sikh contributions in our era:|

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|Lesser know religions |

|There are other lesser known religions students could explore Jainism, Yezidi/Yazidi, Zoroaster, Some are ancient and others |

|more modern. In the Americas enslaved Africans brought religions that the plantation owners tried to repress. In order to |

|continue practicing their religions the enslaved Africans often used Christian religious figures to represent their deities |

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|* Some sites may be blocked by school’s IT services as there is some confusion regarding the status of these as religions, |

|they are sometimes misrepresented as occult practices. |

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|Candomblé in Brazil |

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|Santeria in Cuba |

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|Voodoo or Vodun in Haiti and other parts of the Americas |

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|These lesser know religions are worthy of study as they represent diverse ways of viewing the world and exert an influence on |

|may people. Their beliefs, deities and mythologies can be enriching. |

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