• Christianity stresses the importance of
Topic 3: Global Religions
LOVE,
FORGIVENESS, and following the TEN
Religion COMMANDMENTS.
- Pioneer sociologist Émile Durkhei
described it with the ethereal statement Denominations:
that it consists of things that surpass the Major Denominations
limits of our knowledge (1915). • Catholicism
- He went on to elaborate: Religion is ―a • Orthodoxy
unified system of beliefs and practices • Protestantism
relative to sacred things, that is to say set Protestant Christianity includes:
apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices • Baptist
which unite into one single moral • Episcopalian
community, called a church, all those who • Evangelist
adhere to themǁ (1915). • Methodist
- Some people associate religion with • Presbyterian
places of worship (a synagogue or • Pentecostal/Charismatic
church), others with a practice (confession • Lutheran
or meditation), and still others with a • Anglican
concept that guides their daily lives (like • Evangelical
dharma or sin). • Assemblies of God
- All of these people can agree that • Christian reform/Dutch reform
religion is • Church of Nazarene
a system of beliefs, values, and practices • Disciples of Christ
concerning what a person holds sacred or • United Church of Christ
considers to be spiritually significant. • Mennonite
• Christian Science
Christianity • Quaker
History: • Seventh-day Adventist
• World’s largest religion, with over 2.4
billion followers Practices and Rituals:
• The religion originated in the 1st century • Christian worship typically takes place in
CE. churches, with prayers, hymns, and
• It is based on the teachings of Jesus preaching.
Christ • Sacraments, such as baptism and Holy
and His life as described in the New Communion (Eucharist), are central to
Testaments. Christian rituals.
• Beliefs and Teachings: • Important Christian holidays include
• Christians believe in the Holy Trinity: Christmas (celebrating the birth of Jesus)
God the Father, The Son (Jesus Christ), and easter (commemoratingHis
and the Holy Spirit. resurrection).
• They believe in the divinity of Jesus, His
Death on the cross for the redemption of Hinduism
sins, and His resurrection. - World’s oldest religion
- Indus River Valley
- Third largest Religion Taoism
- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva - Taoism (Daoism)
- Vedas - Is a Chinese Philosophy attributed to
- Dharma LAO TZU (500 BCE)
Key Teaching
Buddhism • The key text of Taoism is the TAO TE
- Siddhartha Gautama CHING,
- East and Southeast Asia attributed to the philosopher Lao Tzu.
Buddhist Ideas and Philosophies overlap • Taoism Emphasizes the concept of Yin
with Yang, representing the balance of
those of other faiths. opposing forces.
• Enlightenment= Nirvana • It encourages a simple and natural way
of life aligning with the flow of the Tao.
• Buddha ≠ God Principles and Beliefs
• Morality, Meditation, and Wisdom • Taoism promotes the idea of Wu Wei,
• Karma and Reincarnation which is non-action or effortless action in
• Temples or Homes alignment with the Tao.
• Pratimoksa or Patimokkha • Followers seek to cultivate virtues such
as compassion, humility, and simplicity.
Islam
History: Globalization and Religious Pluralism
- Started in Mecca, in modern day Saudi - Globalization brings a culture of
Arabia. pluralism, meaning religions ―with
- Youngest of the major world religions. overlapping but distinctive ethics and
The Five Pillars interestsǁ interact with one another.
• Sahada - “There is no God but Allah, Essentially, the world‘s leading religious
and Muhammad is His messenger”. traditions teach values such as human
• Salah - Ritual prayer of Islam. dignity, equality, freedom, peace, and
• Zakat - Obligatory donation of Muslims. solidarity.
• Sawn- Fasting - Golden Rule: ―what you do not wish
• Hajj - A duty that every Muslim should done to yourself, do not do to others.
perform during their lifetime. Religious Pluralism
Religious- The service and worship of
Confucianism God or the supernatural.
- An official religion of China from 200 Pluralism- Refers to the state of having
BCE until it was officially demolished when more than one of anything.
communist leadership discouraged Religious Pluralism
religious o Refers to the belief in 2 or more religious
practice in 1949. worldviews as being equally valid or
Books of Confucians: acceptable.
Analects, Mencius, Xunzi, and Great o Involves the acceptance and respect for
Learning an Doctrine of the mean. the beliefs and practices of other members
Idea of Junzi of the society.
- “The Gentleman” ”Noble Person”
Principle of Pluralism
The principle of pluralism can be applied - *Population and demography*
in a wide are fields that 1study human
range of disciplines and contexts numbers and their dynamics.
• in society - They offer *insights into society’s
• ethics past, present, and future*.
• education - These disciplines serve as a
• politics *compass for understanding*
• ethnic relations societal issues like aging,
• and legal reform migration, and urbanization.
- They play a crucial role in
*shaping policies and decisions*
Pluralism in Politics
across various domains.
- the "recognition and affirmation of
- By analyzing *birth rates, age
diversity
structures, and migration
within a political body, which is seen to
patterns*, we gain knowledge.
permit the peaceful coexistence of
- This knowledge helps us
different *navigate the complexities of
interests, convictions, and lifestyles” our ever-changing world*.
. - It also allows us to *anticipate
Religious, Conflict, and Violence societal trends*.
- Religious violence is a term that covers - The exploration will uncover the
phenomena where religion is either the *fundamental principles,
subject or the object of violent behavior. methodologies, and theories* in
- "Violence" is a very broad concept that is these fields.
difficult to define since it is used on both - These fields have an
human and non-human objects. *indispensable role in shaping
our future*.
Religious Conflict
- Hormby (2006) defines religious conflict
POPULATION
as a situation in which religious adherents - a group of individuals from the
are involved in a serious disagreement or same species that live in the same
argument with one religious group and geographic area that interbreed
another. this is a situation in which there with each other.
are opposition in ideas, opinions, feelings
Key Point:
and - Total number of individuals from
wishes. the same species in a specific area
at a given time.
- Like counting all people in a city or
animals in a forest.
TOPIC 4- POPULATION AND
DEMOGRAPHY THE WORLD POPULATION
KEY HIGHLIGHTS! 1. 2023:
- World Population: 8,045,311,447
- Increase: 0.88%
- Net Change: 70,206,291
