Chapter 1 The Religious Impulse

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Chapter 1The Religious Impulse
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Demographics
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Definitions

• Agnostic a person who doubts that humankind can
  know the existence of a possible god and the
  possible existence of anything beyond this life.
• Atheist One who holds that no god exists.
• Theology The study of religion, especially
  religions with a belief in God.
• Humanist an outlook or system of thought that
  views humankind, rather than spirituality or
  religion, as the source of all value and meaning.
• Multi-faith of many faiths.
• New Age a broad movement characterized by
  alternative approaches to traditional Western
  culture, particularly in relation to
  spirituality, mysticism, holism, etc.
• Evolutionary A person who believes that
  evolution explains the origin of species.
• Pagan a person holding religious beliefs that
  differ from those of any of the other main
  religions of the world. In the past it described
  non-Christian faiths.

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Definitions

• Religious Impulse the universal urge to believe
  in something beyond ourselves. It is an
  invitation to consider things that are profound
  and awe-inspiring - an invitation to pursue
  spiritual goals. It begins with asking some Big
  Questions.
• Ethics A system of morals rules for human
  conduct. Ethics encompasses the search for good
  judgment about how to act and behave. The study
  of what is right and wrong.
• Religious Pluralism A positive attitude toward
  the existence of many faiths in society.
• Secular Concerned with or belonging to the
  material world.
• Spiritual Concerned with sacred or religious
  things and related to the human spirit or soul.
• Symbol a mark, character, or object that serves
  to represent an idea, process, or function.
• Ritual A prescribed religious procedure or
  performance.

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Definitions

• Sacred connected with religion.
• Credo a philosophy or a set of beliefs.
• Soul a spiritual or immaterial part of a human
  being or animal.

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Finding Common Ground

• A belief in the supernatural and in a spiritual
  world beyond our physical material world
• A belief in the existence of a soul
• A collection of sacred writings or scriptures
• Organized institutions
• A series of rituals and festivals that represent
  and celebrate common beliefs and practices
• A set of answers about the most pressing
  questions. Eg. The meaning of suffering
• Rules of conduct designed to help followers lead
  an honourable life and to provide order and
  purpose to individual and community life

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Finding Common Ground

• A system of ethics that offers a guide to moral
  behaviour
• Significant founders or inspired leaders who
  introduced or spurred the development of the
  faith
• A search for perfection or salvation
• A life of faith and worship
• A strong sense of community
• Techniques for focusing or concentrating ones
  awareness
• An enriching impact on the lives of its adherents.

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The Religious Impulse

• The religious impulse is an invitation to pursue
  spiritual goals. It begins with asking some of
  lifes most profound questions, coming face to
  face with the incomprehensible.

Christianity 2.1 billion Islam 1.5
billion Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist
1.1 billion Hinduism 900 million Chinese
traditional religion 394 million Buddhism 376
million primal-indigenous 300 million African
Traditional Diasporic 100 million Sikhism 23
million Juche 19 million Spiritism 15
million Judaism 14 million Baha'i 7
million Jainism 4.2 million Shinto 4
million Cao Dai 4 million Zoroastrianism 2.6
million Tenrikyo 2 million Neo-Paganism 1
million Unitarian-Universalism 800
thousand Rastafarianism 600 thousand Scientolog
y 500 thousand
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Factors That Lead One to Search for the Spiritual

• Fear
• Anxiety and insecurity about death
• Emotional suffering, loneliness
• Guilt associated with doing wrong
• A sense of hopelessness in the face of troubles
  and lifes trials
• Internal and external conflicts meaning of life
• Wonder
• The complexity of the natural world leads us to
  question its creation
• Wonder and awe
• A deeper meaning or purpose or simply a series of
  accidents
• Search for a master plan to explain the
  unexplainable
• Is there a spiritual realm of existence?

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Factors That Lead One to Search for the Spiritual

• Questioning
• Insecurity towards birth, life and death finite
• The desire to be better people, to be uplifted,
  and to be rescued from our current condition
  which at times is unfulfilling is an attitude
  present in most people at some time during their
  lives.
• For some people, religion provides meaning to
  life and answers to these issues and questions
• Identity
• What is the meaning and purpose of our lives?
  Identity Crisis
• Are we simply characterized by our physical
  makeup or ability, our professions, our likes and
  dislikes, our cultural affiliation, etc., or is
  there more to being a human being a deeper,
  more lasting reality many identify as the spirit
  or soul?

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Factors That Lead One to Search for the Spiritual

• Intuition
• At some point, many people feel personal
  dissatisfaction in simply trying to find meaning
  in life as defined in the secular world.
• Many religions were started by leaders who felt
  inspiration or had revelations. They had a
  vision of a different reality a deeper mystical
  truth.
• The Big Questions
• Most people are curious about the Big Questions
  in life.
• What is the purpose of life?
• Is there a reality beyond that of the material
  world?
• How was the world created?
• Is death the end or simply the beginning in a new
  reality?
• Is there a purpose to life or is life just a
  series of random events?
• Is there such a thing as right and wrong?

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My Personal Credo

• A credo is a statement of belief. It is a
  testament to ones faith, values and most
  cherished beliefs.
• Some Religious Creeds
• Apostles Creed
• Islams Shahadah
• Buddhisms Bodhisattva Vows

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Christian Apostles Creed
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Islams Shahadah
"I testify that there is no god (ilah) but God
(Allah), and I testify that Muhammad is the
messenger of God."
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Reflection Questions

• Canada is a nation with a diverse multicultural
  population. What happens when people fail to
  celebrate diversity?
• How does living in a multicultural,
  multi-religious country like Canada encourage a
  spirit of openness, tolerance and understanding?
• What is religion? Would you consider yourself
  religious? Why or why not?
• Why do you think Religions arose?
• Have you ever felt an intuitive sense toward the
  supernatural or experienced a force, power or
  reality beyond the material world? Explain.
• What are some of the Big Questions you have
  regarding life? How do your religious beliefs
  and experiences attempt to answer these complex
  questions?

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Religion and Ethics
Ethics A system of morals rules for human
conduct. Ethics encompasses the search for good
judgment about how to act and behave. The study
of what is right and wrong. Religion the
belief in a superhuman controlling power,
especially in a personal God or gods entitled to
obedience and worship. Both Religion and Ethics
are concerned with doing the right thing. Some
believe that they are inseparable while others
(humanistic perspective) believe that ethics do
not necessarily depend on religion but are simply
a central goal in human existence. What do you
think?
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Science and Religion

• The most important human endeavor is the striving
  for morality in our actions. Our inner balance
  and even our very existence depends on it. Only
  morality in our actions can give beauty and
  dignity to our lives. Albert Einstein
• Some see both Science and Religion as competing
  philosophies attempting to explain the true
  nature of the world. Creationism vs. Evolutionary
  Theories (Darwinism)
• A Lesson Learned
• Looking at the similarities
• Both are concerned with truth and understanding
• Both attempt to provide answers to many practical
  questions including the origins of the universe
  and the guiding forces that regulate it
• Science has come to terms with its limitations
  even suggesting that there is some sort of order
  to the world rather than it being random.
• A movement towards mutual respect for each
  discipline with the realization that both play an
  important role in understanding the origins of
  the universe.
• Challenges of Technology good or bad?

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Science and Religion

• Living in the information age, can science and
  religion coexist?
• According to the Catechism of the Catholic
  Church, the elements of the world and the
  elements of our faith are derived from the same
  source and therefore can coexist. As human
  beings, we have a curiosity to logically
  understand it is what separates us from the
  rest of creation. We have a conscious awareness
  of our own existence and as such seek to
  determine the origins of that existence. God
  understands our desire to learn, to expand our
  minds and seek out answers to our questions.
  He/She gave us the ability to think critically.
  He/She gave us scientific methods to challenge
  recorded events knowing that it is human nature
  to hunger for answers. He/She even gave us the
  capacity to question His/Her own existence. We,
  unlike the rest of creation, have a moral,
  ethical and spiritual component in our divine
  makeup. Reason and faith must come together or
  else humanity limits itself to a pragmatic
  existence of mere trial and error. Without God,
  nothing can be known. It is through Science
  however that we encounter God by recognizing the
  divine wisdom that went into creation. In the
  end, scientific inquiry must recognize its
  limitations accepting the fact that some things
  are intangible and inexplicable. It is on this
  humbling plane that we come face to face with
  God.

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Religion and Human Rights

• In the Canadian Constitution under the Charter of
  Rights and Freedoms, it states that all we have
  certain unalienable rights including
• freedom of conscience and religion
• freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and
  expression, including freedom of the press and
  other media of communication
• the right to equal protection without
  discrimination based on race, national or ethnic
  origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or
  physical disability.

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Religion and Culture

• Culture The totality of ideas, beliefs, values,
  knowledge, habits, and way of life of a group of
  individuals who share certain historical
  experiences. Culture is continuously changing.
• Religion is primarily concerned with beliefs,
  rituals and practices. Ethnicity refers to a
  persons origins, race, or culture but not
  necessarily ones religion. i.e. A person born
  in Lebanon, predominantly Islamic may be a
  Christian. Some American actors have become
  Buddhist eg. Richard Gere. Angelina Jolie
  Kabala.
• NOTE The key elements in determining religious
  adherence are belief and practice, not ethnicity.
  
• What effect does pop culture have on our
  understanding of people of different religious
  backgrounds? i.e. Stereotypes - acts of
  terrorism and Islam, commercialism and
  secularism regarding the Christian holiday
  Christmas, Womens rights, etc.
• As we move forward in this course, we need to be
  willing to drop our preconceptions regarding
  these religions, exploring these faiths on their
  own terms.

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Reflection Questions

• Identify five common features of religions
• In your view, which two reasons best explain why
  people throughout time have turned to religion?
  Why?
• What is the essential difference between religion
  and ethics?
• Do you think that Science and Religion can
  coexist? Explain.
• Explain the difference between ethnicity and
  religion.
• How has pop culture influenced your view of
  religion?
• Describe at least one multi-faith practice or
  custom you are aware of or in which you have
  participated.
• How is religious freedom protected in Canada?
• Why do you think that attendance at religious
  services in Canada is in decline? How do you
  account for the fact that married couples with
  children, senior citizens, recent immigrants and
  residents of rural areas attend participate most
  actively in religious services?