World Religions

1
World Religions

• The Seven Dimensions of Religion

2
The Seven Dimensions of Religion by Ninian Smart

• Experiential and Emotional
• Narrative or Mythic
• Practical and Ritual
• Doctrinal and Philosophical
• Ethical and Legal
• Social and Institutional
• Material

3
1. Experiential and Emotional

• People experience an emotional reaction to
  something which they believe is life changing or
  profound
• A focus on the subjective and emotional what
  goes on inside the person
• Aims to address what it means to feel the
  presence of God
• Religious experiences allow us to move beyond
  everyday, ordinary experiences to new,
  extraordinary levels of consciousness
• Religion helps humans to make sense of their
  lives by inspiring (and answering) the big
  questions (human condition, spiritual
  perfection, identity, purpose, etc.)

4
1. Experiential and Emotional

• Religion begins with the religious experience of
  individuals
• Buddhism ? Prince Gautama experienced
  enlightenment under the Bodhi tree and became the
  first Buddha
• Islam ? Muhammad experienced revelations from
  Allah
• Judaism ? Abram received contact with God
• Some religions are not so obvious

5
1. Experiential and Emotional

• How People Can Experience Religion
• Faith a person does not have to believe in
  specific doctrines but can just have faith in God
• Mysticism a person becomes one with the divine
  through inward contemplation
• Vision Quest is a primal religious practical
  mystical experience

6
1. Experiential and Emotional

• Generally speaking, within the theistic
  religions, God is experienced as a holy presence
  who is other. This presence evokes both fear
  and fascination.
• Pantheism is another way in which an individual
  may experience religion the belief that God is
  in all.
• In non-theistic religions, religious experience
  usually takes the form of mysticism.

7
1. Experiential and Emotional
Abram (Judaism)
Muhammad (Islam)
Prince Gautama (Buddhism)
8
2. Narrative or Mythic

• Myths are often perceived as falsehoods
• They convey important truths in a religious
  context
• They are non-historical and non-rational but are
  sources of sacred truth (therefore, myths are
  powerful and give meaning to life)
• They are sacred stories passed along orally and
  commonly tell of the origins of humans and the
  world
• They are important because they help guide human
  behaviour within a faith community

The story of Creation in the Book of Genesis
9
3. Practical and Ritual

• A formal practice that re-enacts a myth or
  sacred story
• Symbolic actions (combining words with actions)
• A form of worship
• The Eucharist re-enacts the Last Supper
• The Hajj re-enacts Muhammads return to Mecca

10
3. Practical and Ritual

• Also includes prayer, gatherings, rites of
  passage
• Rituals are
• sacramental
• performed
• repetitive
• social

11
4. Doctrinal and Philosophical

• The belief aspect of religions
• Belief in creeds, doctrines or teachings
• Are derived from myths and originate from lived
  religious experiences
• Are often recorded in sacred texts scriptures,
  and serve as foundations
• Catholics have the Apostles Creed, the doctrine
  of the Holy Trinity, and the Paschal mystery

12
4. Doctrinal and Philosophical

• Explain the ideas behind a religion
• Determine what is acceptable and unacceptable
  (included and excluded) from religion
• Sometimes the cause of violent conflict between
  religions

13
5. Ethical and Legal

• Religion shows attention toward ethics
• Ethics moral principles that govern behaviour
  (moral correctness)
• How we act while living in the world
• Includes sets of teachings that respond to this
  question
• Links belief with action
• Includes obligations and responsibilities
• Example Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule

14
6. Social and Institutional

• Religious experience moves beyond personal
  experience becomes a social experience (creation
  of religious communities)
• The shared experience of community empowers
  individuals and results in organizations of
  hierarchy of leaders
• Means belonging to a group, tribe, parish, or
  congregation

15
6. Social and Institutional

• It is through the social dimension that one
  learns a great deal about religion (relationships
  help one to connect and share their experience in
  a powerful and meaningful way)
• Examples Sangha (first community of Buddhist
  monks and nuns) Synagogue (Jewish community)
  Church (Christian community) Ummah (Islamic
  community)

16
7. Material

• Can include sacred architecture, books, music,
  art, symbols, places, and nature
• The Bible, cathedrals, rivers, statues
• The Ganges for Hindus