Understanding Religion 101

Welcome to the course on “Understanding Religion”

What you'll learn

Define "religion" and reflect on why religion matters

Learn why religion continues to play a significant role in our world today

Understand why knowledge on religion is important in our daily encounter with other human beings

Introduction to religious illiteracy

Understand the dangers of religious illiteracy

Learn about fields of religious experiences

Understand why there is a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation

Learn different approaches to the study of world religions

Requirements

No prior knowledge on "religion" is required before taking this class.

Description

Have you ever wondered why 85% of the global population identifies with some form of a religious tradition? Religion continues to play a significant role in shaping cultures, influencing governments, families, and daily habits worldwide.This course ventures into understanding and comparing religious patterns found around the world. It involves an appreciative introduction to religion as a phenomenon which has varying spiritual intentions and meanings.The term “religion” derives its meaning from a Latin word that translates “to tie again” or “to tie back”. An empathetic approach reveals that all religions share the goal of tying people back to something behind the surface of life. Almost all religions of the world hold a belief in a greater reality which lies beyond the world that we can perceive with our human senses. Religion tries to connect people with this greater reality.Knowledge of religion helps us understand our nationhood and our place in global citizenship. Both contexts are notoriously religious. Religion plays a significant role in both national and international politics as well as culture. We will learn together why “religion” continues to inspire many while repelling others.The overall goal of this course is to help you see the human person as a spiritual being who seeks ultimate meaning in life and to see religion as providing that meaning.Objectives:At the end of this module you should be able to answer confidently:What is religion?Why is it that religion has held such a major place in human history?Why does religion matter?Do humans inherently have a religious nature independent of any other factor?Why have people always drawn from religion energy needed to live?What is religious literacy?Why is the knowledge of religion important in understanding our world today?What are the elements that make religion?

Overview

Section 1: Global Religious Landscape

Lecture 1 Global Religious Landscape

Section 2: Religious Unaffiliated

Lecture 2 Religious Nones

Section 3: Is Religion Dying?

Lecture 3 Is religion set for extinction?

Section 4: Religious Literacy

Lecture 4 Religious Literacy (and religious illiteracy)

Section 5: What is Religion?

Lecture 5 Belief in the Supernatural

Lecture 6 Notion of God

Lecture 7 Defining Religion Continued…

Lecture 8 Elementary Religious Phenomena

Section 6: Genesis of the Study of Religion

Lecture 9 Genesis of the Study of Religion

Lecture 10 Genus of Religion

Lecture 11 Animism Defined

Lecture 12 Religion as Magic: a pseudo science

Section 7: Emergence of the Science of Religion (Naturism and Primitive Religion)

Lecture 13 Emergence of the Science of Religion

Lecture 14 Naturism and Primitive Religion

Lecture 15 Religion and Economic Structures

Lecture 16 Religion and Personality

Lecture 17 Totemism

Lecture 18 Totemism as Primitive Religion

Lecture 19 Religion as a Comprehensive Program of Human Salvation

Lecture 20 Religion as a the “Sense of the Numinous”

Section 8: Phenomenology of Religion

Lecture 21 Idea of Comparative Religion

Lecture 22 Religion as a Cultural System

Lecture 23 Dimensions of Religion (Part I)

Lecture 24 Lesson 24 – Dimensions of Religion (Part II)

Section 9: Empathetic Approach

Lecture 25 Empathetic Approach

Lecture 26 Empathetic Approach: Practical Interfaith Engagements (Part I)

Lecture 27 Empathetic Approach: Practical Interfaith Engagements (Part II)

Human beings are spiritual beings who seek ultimate meaning in life. Religion provides that meaning. This class offers a unique opportunity to understand and compare religious patterns found around the world. If you are looking to understand religion and learn more about individual religions of the world, then this course is for you.