INTRODUCTION TO WORLD

RELIGIONS

Ajarn Calzolari Fabio

 SOCIOLOGICAL DEFINITIONS

A religion is an unified system of beliefs and practices related

to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden
beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral
community (Emile Durkheim, 1921)
Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a
heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the
opium of the people (Karl Marx, 1843)
 KALEVI TAMMINEM

According to Finnish theologian Kalevi Tamminen (1991),

religiousness involves a conscious dependency on a
deity or God.
In a study on religious development in children and young
people (Religious Experiences in Childhood and Adolescence,
1980), the author noted that religious commitment is
reflected by: individual experiences, personality and
moral behavior
 EMILE DURKHEIM

Durkheim asserted that religion are not focused only on

believes, but also on shared rituals and ceremonies.
Inferred here, it is a condition of group solidarity.
Rituals were considered fundamental to group people
together while permitting them to escape the mundane
and limited aspects of life.
Henceforth (sacred) ceremonies mark important
communal occasions such as births, marriages, times of
crisis, and deaths.
 KARL MARX

In A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right

(1844), Karl Marx highlighted that men make/create
religions, refuting the existence of any abstract beings. His
criticism is a struggle against a forma mentis that was
thought to subjugate rationality.
Marx zeroed in on religions as deceptive and illusive
practices to be won and superseded by critical thinking.
 WAYS OF ANALYZING
RELIGIONS

Comparative Religion Studies. Comparative religion

studies are scholarly researches on the occurring
similarities and differences between religions.

Psychology of Religion. It consists on the application of

a psychological/cognitional perspective towards ritualistic
behavior

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you
commit atrocities (Voltaire,1778)
 WAYS OF ANALYZING
RELIGIONS

Theology. Theology involves a comprehensive study of faith,

the nature of God and spiritual doctrines.
Apologetics. Apologetics is committed to safeguard (the
word means reasoned defense) religious faith against criticism.

But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared

to give an answer [apologia] to everyone who asks you for the
reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and
respect, keeping a clear conscience (Peter 3:15-16)
 WAYS OF ANALYZING
RELIGIONS

History of Religion. It is an in-depth historical approach ( and

academic pursuit) to the sociological evolution of religions

Philosophy of Religion. The investigation concerns philosophical

issues arising from religious beliefs

I do not pretend to be able to prove that there is no God. I equally

cannot prove that Satan is a fiction. The Christian god may exist; so may
the gods of Olympus, or of ancient Egypt, or of Babylon. But no one of
these hypotheses is more probable than any other: they lie outside
the region of even probable knowledge, and therefore there is no
reason to consider any of them (Bertrand Russell, 1993, p. 138.)
 MAJOR RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Christianity: 1.9 billion people

Islam: 1.1 billion
Hinduism: 800 million
Buddhism: 325 million
Judaism: 13 million
WORLDWIDE PERCENTAGE
 FORMA MENTIS

Religion, which can be defined as we have seen as a belief

in the supernatural has deeply influenced throughout
history, world societies The span of this influence includes
politics, law, education, festivals, customs, and behavioral
norms. Inasmuch, the arch traced by religions is pervasive
and can be seen everywhere.
Religions can be divided into organized or unorganized
An organized religion (such as Christianity) is built upon an
official corpus of laws, embracing theoretically only a single
system of belief. This legal or political setting is not present
in unorganized religions
 FORMA MENTIS

Six major organized religions can be identified. Some are

monotheistic (asserting the existence of a single
deity), while others are polytheistic (multiple deities).
Christianity and Islam are by far the largest (over a billion
followers each), followed by Hinduism and Buddhism
(hundreds of millions each).
 ANIMISM, POLYTESIM AND
MONOTHEISM

THE SIX MAJOR ORGANIZED RELIGIONS

monotheistic polytheistic

Judaism,
Abrahamic
Christianity, Islam

Hinduism,
Indian Sikhism
Buddhism
 ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS

Christianity, Islam and Judaism emphasize a

common ancestor, the tribal patriarch Abraham
In the Jewish Torah, Abraham is interpreted as the ancestor
of the Israelites through his son Isaac (Gen. 17:16)
In the Christian Bible, especially in the the Old Testament
(deriving from the Jewish sacred text), Abraham is given a
position of respect
It is the Islamic tradition, Arabs descend from Abraham's
son Ishmael. Interestingly, also Jewish tradition equates the
descendants of Ishmael, with Arab people.
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
 JUDAISM

Judaism is the oldest Mediterranean monotheistic religion

The basic laws and tenets of Judaism are derived from the
Torah, the first five books of the Bible. The most important
teaching and tenet of Judaism is that there is one God,
incorporeal and eternal, who wants all people to do what is
just and merciful.
All people are created in the image of God and deserve to be
treated with dignity and respect.
Unlike some religions, Judaism does not believe that other
peoples must adopt its own religious beliefs and practices in
order to be redeemed.
 CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is the religion based on the teaching of Jesus

(Hebrew /Yeshua), son of Joseph from Nazareth (John 1:45)
The Bible (ancient Greek / the sacred
papers) is the main book of Christianity
It was originated in Palestine in the 1st century AD
Christianity originally developed as a part of Judaism
Almost all modern scholars agree upon the existence of Jesus,
considering the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to
be the best sources for investigating his historical persona
 ISLAM

The Religion of Islam, like Christianity and Judaism has

monotheistic and Abrahamic roots.
Its founder, Muhammed (570-632 A.D.), claimed to have
received revelations from a god he called Allah which were
later recorded and became the sacred text of Islam known
as the Quran
 HINDUISM

Hinduism ( or Sanatana Dharma/the eternal or ancient

dharma) is the religion of the majority of people in India
and Nepal.
It is the world third largest religion
Unlike monotheistic religions, it does not have a single
founder, a holy text nor specific morality/ethos.
Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic: the main deity
is often presented as followed by numerous (minor) gods
and goddess.
 BUDDHISM

Buddhism is a religion and life philosophy originated from

the doctrine of the Buddha (Sanskrit: Awakened One),
a sage man (originally he was a prince) who lived in
northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries
Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China,
Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played a central role
in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of Asia, and
during the 20th century it spread to the West.
 EQUILIBRIUM

Buddha taught a path of moderation and acceptance,

known as the middle way, between the erroneity of
indulgence and self-mortification
The middle way is understood as a path that brings the
disciple to investigate and penetrate the core of life and all
things with an upright, unbiased attitude
Buddhist monks discipline themselves, in order to obtain
mental and physical balance
There is no theistic thought in Buddhism.
THE MIDDLE WAY
 USEFUL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marx, K. (1844) A Contribution to the Critique of Hegels

Philosophy of Right. Deutsch-Franzsische Jahrbcher
Tamminem, K. (1994) Religious Experiences in Childhood and
Adolescence: A viewpoint of Religious Development Between the
Ages of 7 and 20. International Journal for the Psychology of
Religion
Durkheim, E. (2008) The Elementary Forms of the Religious
Life. Oxford University Press
 IMAGES

Foundation of Buddhism
http://www.slideshare.net/RicoLaVina/foundation-of-buddhism-chart
Giorgio Agamben
http://www.versobooks.com/blogs/1612-thought-is-the-courage-of-
hopelessness-an-interview-with-philosopher-giorgio-agamben
Monotheistic faiths
http://slideplayer.com/slide/6232011/
Worldwide percentage of Adherents by Religion
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Worldwide_percentage_of_A
dherents_by_Religion.png