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Unit:
The Mystery of God
Activity 2A:
World Religions
Resources:
Background information for students
Aboriginal Spirituality
Aboriginal spirituality is characterised by having
a god or gods who created people and the
surrounding environment during a particular
creation period at the beginning of time.
Aboriginal people are very religious and
spiritual, but rather than praying to a single god
they cannot see, each group generally believes
in a number of different deities, whose image is
often depicted in some tangible, recognisable form. This form may be that of a
particular landscape feature, an image in a rock art shelter, or in a plant or
animal form.
Landscape features may be the embodiment of the deity itself, such as a
particular rock representing a specific figure, or they may be the result of
something the deity did or that happened to the deity in the Creation Period,
such as a river having formed when the Rainbow Serpent passed through the
area in the Creation Period, or a depression in a rock or in the ground
representing the footprint or sitting place of an Ancestral Being.
Aboriginal people do not believe in animism. This is the belief that all natural
objects possess a soul.
They do not believe that a rock possesses a soul, but they might believe that a
particular rock outcrop was created by a particular deity in the creation
period, or that it represents a deity from the Creation Period.
They believe that many animals and plants are interchangeable with human
life through re-incarnation of the spirit or soul, and that this relates back to
the Creation Period when these animals and plants were once people.
Aboriginal deities have many roles and no single description or term can
describe all of these. Based on their primary role, they fall into three main
categories, and any one deity may belong to one, two, or all three of these
categories:
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(a) Creation Beings (also: Creation Figure). Many are
involved with the creation of people, the landscape, and aspects
of the environment, such as the creation of red, yellow or white
pigments, so can be called “Creation Figures” or “Creation
Beings”.
(b) Ancestral Beings. In many examples, these deities are regarded as
the direct ancestors of the people living today and so they are “Ancestral
Figures”, “Ancestral Beings”, “Ancestral Heroes”, or “Dreamtime Ancestors”.
Here, the one term “Ancestral Being” is used to describe these deities.
Even though regarded as ancestors of the people, such deities may not
appear in a human form, but may be plant or animal, for example. In
Aboriginal religious belief, a person’s spirit may return in human, animal or
plant form after death. So an Ancestral Being may have the appearance of a
plant or animal, but have done deeds similar to a human in the past.
(c) Totemic Beings. / Totemic ancestors.
A Totemic Being represents the original form of an animal, plant or other
object (totem), as it was in the Creation Period.
The concept of a Totemic Being overlaps with that of a Creation Being and an
Ancestral Being because the Totemic Being may create the abundance of
species, and people see themselves as being derived from the different
Totemic Beings.
Society is divided into two groups, called moieties, each with specific Totemic
Beings belonging to it. Every person belongs to one or the other moiety. These
moieties are further divided into sections or subsections, sometimes based on
totemic beings. Every individual has come from at least one Totemic Being,
and these help define a person’s origins and connections with the world, their
relationships with the past, present and future.
The Creation Period – The Dreamtime
Similar to other religions, there was a time in Aboriginal belief when things
were created. This “Creation Period” was the time when the Ancestral Beings
created landforms, such as certain animals digging, creating lagoons or
pushing up mountain ranges, or the first animals or plants being made. The
Aboriginal word for this Creation Period varies throughout Australia and each
linguistic region has its own beliefs pertaining to that particular area.
For example, it is known as Alcheringa (Aldjuringa) amongst the Aranda of
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Central Australia, as Lalai in the Kimberley, and as Nayuhyungki
amongst the Kunwinjku (Gunwinggu) east of Kakadu National
Park.
Aboriginal Gods
1 st : D A RA NA
2 n d : W A ND JI NA
3 r d : R A I NB O W - S NA K E
4 t h : D RE A M T I M E
5 t h : Y A RA - M A - Y H A - WH O
6 t h : A D N OA RT I NA
7 t h : BA I A M E
8 t h : L U NG K A T A
9 t h : A L T JI RA
1 0 t h : D JA NG G A WU L
Introduction:
Like most 'discovered' countries, Australia had already been discovered
by its original inhabitants - the Aborigines. Small nomadic tribes with
many languages and ideas roamed the vast plains.
Much of Oz mythology is to do with Dreaming and the DREAMTIME, a
wonderful Golden Age in the remote past when Gods were real Gods and
anything was possible.
Relying on memory and scratched images, Australian mythology is
seemingly fragile, but in many instances in this very dry atmosphere it's
amazingly durable. Many of the dreams were trampled on by European
invasion, but fortunately there has always been a strong oral tradition,
and the legends of the Outback may be making a Comeback.
The Ancient Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses. Each one
with their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land.
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Some gods and goddesses took part in creation, some brought
the flood every year, some offered protection, and some took
care of people after they died. Others were either local gods
who represented towns, or minor gods who represented plants
or animals.
The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to
recognise and worship these gods and goddesses so that life
continued smoothly.
Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of beliefs and rituals which
were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians'
interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in,
and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The myths about these
gods were meant to explain the origins and behaviour of the forces they
represented, and the practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for
the gods and gain their favour.
Formal religious practice centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although
he was a human, the pharaoh was believed to be descended from the gods.
He acted as the intermediary between his people and the gods, and was
obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could
maintain order in the universe. Therefore, the state dedicated enormous
resources to the performance of these rituals and to the construction of the
temples where they were carried out. Individuals could also interact with the
gods for their own purposes, appealing for their help through prayer or
compelling them to act through magic. These popular religious practices were
distinct from, but closely linked with, the formal rituals and institutions. The
popular religious tradition grew more prominent in the course of Egyptian
history as the status of the pharaoh declined. Another important aspect of the
religion was the belief in the afterlife and funerary practices. The Egyptians
made great efforts to ensure the survival of their souls after death, providing
tombs, grave goods, and offerings to preserve the bodies and spirits of the
deceased.
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The religion had its roots in Egypt's prehistory, and lasted for
more than 3,000 years. The details of religious belief changed
over time as the importance of particular gods rose and declined,
and their intricate relationships shifted. At various times certain
gods became preeminent over the others, including the sun god Ra, the
creator god Amun, and the mother goddess Isis. For a brief period, in the
aberrant theology promulgated by the pharaoh Akhenaten, a single god, the
Aten, replaced the traditional pantheon. Yet the overall system endured, even
through several periods of foreign rule, until the coming of Christianity in the
early centuries AD. It left behind numerous religious writings and monuments,
along with significant influences on cultures both ancient and modern.
As in the rest of Africa, the people of ancient Egypt were polytheistic
throughout the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom.
That means that they believed in many gods. Some of these gods were Ra,
Anubis, Seth, Osiris, Isis, and Horus. Egyptians worshipped these gods with
animal sacrifices and with incense and many processions where people
carried the image of the god from one place to another. People believed that
all of Egypt belonged to the gods, and that the Pharaoh was the
representative on earth of the gods, or maybe a kind of god himself, and so
everything in Egypt sort of belonged to the Pharaoh. They thought that when
you died, Anubis would weigh your soul against a feather, and if your soul was
heavier than the feather (with bad deeds), you would be punished. They
thought that after you died you went to a new world, just like this one, and so
they put into your grave everything you would need in the next world.
But, as in Mesopotamia, there was also a little monotheism in Egypt. During
the New Kingdom, the Pharaoh Akhenaten started a new worship of the god
Aten, and he seems to have wanted people to believe that Aten was the only
real god, or maybe the only god worth worshipping. After Akhenaten died,
people went back to worshipping Anubis, Isis, Amon, and Osiris again, as they
had before.
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The Gods Of Egypt
Egyptian Mythology
The current top ten:
1 st : A NU BI S
2 n d : B A ST
3 r d : T H OT H
4 t h : RA
5 t h : I SI S
6th : IAH
7 t h : SE T
8 t h : O SI RI S
9th : AMUN
10th : HATHOR
The Holy Hit Parade is powered by GodRank™ Technology. More Info
Introduction
Made popular with the Book of the Dead and a thousand cheesy Curse of
the Mummy films, Ancient Egypt still holds its fascination in the modern
world. In this electronic internet age, the Egyptian government should
really consider renaming the place E-gypt.
The language barrier can be a little tricky. As with most hieroglyphic
translations, the old Egyptian names have many variant spellings in
English. Seth is SET in his ways, and RA is also the eye of Re.
There was also a mysterious plague of missing hieroglyphs at the time of
the New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.), when foreign influence made certain
letters vanish from the language. Egyptian scribes valiantly tried to
reinstate them by adding extra letters to the ends of words, which led to
much confusion. And still does.
More confusion arises from the Egyptian tendency to join deities together
at different periods. With all the permutations, one God can have an
enormous number of names. Amon, Amen, Ammon-Ra, Amen-Re, Amun,
Amon-Re.. You get the idea.
If you want to get ahead or give yourself a headache then Egypt is the
place to be. Egyptian Gods go in for cumbersome and elaborate
headgear, and tend to stroll around with animal heads. Usually without
the matching body. Along the Nile there are only so many animals to go
round. So they do have to share, which causes much confusion.
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Although HORUS had the head of a hawk, he was not alone
and hawk-heads hawk their wares all over the place. Other
very popular heads are serpent, dog, jackal, bull, frog, hippo,
crocodile and lion. There are also the odd wobblies like the SPHINX with a
human head and lion body. Horns, globes and plumes are almost
obligatory accessories and you can have an animal head enhanced with
all these embellishments.
Cats were considered to be sacred creatures. They were mummified, and
this was done with the utmost respect. No vivisection was involved,
which is probably more than you can say for the humans.
Having invented mummification, the Egyptians were very much into
otherworldly preparations. This is not surprising as the many Gods of
Judgment and Death were waiting on the other side and would be most
insulted if a soul turned up looking scruffy.
The messy business of burial was looked after by a whole subset of
undertaker Gods. These were in charge of embalming - and handled
many bits not normally on public view.
This obsession with death may seem a bit morbid today, but the
Egyptians viewed it all with healthy fascination. The Book of the Dead
was a bestseller. At least they waited until you were dead from natural
causes.
The Ancient Greeks
Gods and Goddesses
The ancient Greeks believed there were a great number of gods and
goddesses. These gods had control over many different aspects of life on
earth. In many ways they were very human. They could be kind or mean,
angry or pleasant, cruel or loving. They fell in love with each other, argued
with each other and even stole from each other.
King of all the gods and goddesses was Zeus. He could control the weather and
was often called 'the thunderer' or 'the cloud-gatherer'. He lived with the
other gods on Mount Olympus, a high mountain in northern Greece
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Zeus with the thunderbolt
The Hephaisteion, a temple in Athens
built for the god Hephaistos and the
goddess Athena
The ancient Greeks built great temples and sanctuaries to their gods. They
held festivals in their honour, with processions, sports, sacrifices and
competitions. Stories of the gods' exploits were told to children by their
mothers and to large audiences by professional bards and storytellers. People
today still enjoy hearing stories about the Greek gods.
The Ancient Romans
Religion played a very important role in the daily life of Ancient Rome and the
Romans. Roman religion was centred around gods and explanations for events
usually involved the gods in some way or another. The Romans believed that
gods controlled their lives and, as a result, spent a great deal of their time
worshipping them.
The most important god was Jupiter. He was the king of gods who ruled with
his wife Juno, the goddess of the sky. Other gods were:
Mars
God of War
Mercury
The messenger of the gods
Nepture
God of the Sea
Janus
God of the Doorway
Diana
Goddess of Hunting
Vesta
Goddess of the Hearth
Minerva
Goddess of Healing and Wisdom
Venus
Goddess of Love
After the reign of the Emperor Augustus (27 BC to AD 14), the emperor was
also considered to be a god and he was worshipped on special occasions. Each
god had a special festival day which was usually a public holiday. This holiday
gave people the opportunity to visit the temple for whichever god was being
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celebrated. At this temple, priests would sacrifice animals and
offer them to the god.
Animals being led to slaughter at a temple sacrifice
Temples to worship the gods were built throughout the Roman Empire.
Temples usually always followed the same building pattern. The roof was
triangular shaped and supported by great pillars. Steps led up to the main
doorway that was usually built behind the pillars. The inside of the temple
would have been very well decorated and there would have been a statue of
the god in it. There would also have been an altar where a priest would have
served the god and made sacrifices. People called augurs could also be found
in the temples. These people used the entrails of the dead animals to predict
the future. The Romans took these predictions very seriously and few ignored
the advice of an augur.
Each family home would also have a small altar and shrine. The Romans had
personal household gods or spirits called 'lares' which were worshipped every
day at home. The shrine contained statues of the 'lares' and the head of the
household led family prayers around the shrine
each day. The service was considered so important
that family slaves were also invited. It is believed
that most Romans were more keen to please their
'lares' than the public gods such as Jupiter.
A family shrine at a house in
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Pompeii
Hinduism at a Glance:
Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India
and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations
outside of the sub continent and has over 900 million
adherents worldwide.
In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the
world, or at least elements within it stretch back many
thousands of years. Yet Hinduism resists easy definition
partly because of the vast array of practices and beliefs
found within it. It is also closely associated conceptually
and historically with the other Indian religions Jainism,Buddhism and Sikhism.
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single
scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Throughout its
extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different
philosophies and writing numerous holy books. For these reasons, writers
often refer to Hinduism as 'a way of life' or 'a family of religions' rather than a
single religion.
Defining Hinduism
The term 'Hindu' was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest,
the Sindhu. Sindhu is a Sanskrit word used by the inhabitants of the region,
the Aryans in the second millennium BCE. Later migrants and invaders, the
Persians in the sixth century BCE, the Greeks from the 4th century BCE, and
the Muslims from the 8th century CE, used the name of this river in their own
languages for the land and its people.
The term 'Hindu' itself probably does not go back before the 15th and 16th
centuries when it was used by people to differentiate themselves from
followers of other traditions, especially the Muslims (Yavannas), in Kashmir
and Bengal. At that time the term may have simply indicated groups united by
certain cultural practices such as cremation of the dead and styles of cuisine.
The 'ism' was added to 'Hindu' only in the 19th century in the context
of British colonialism and missionary activity.
The origins of the term 'hindu' are thus cultural, political and geographical.
Now the term is widely accepted although any definition is subject to much
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debate. In some ways it is true to say that Hinduism is a religion of
recent origin yet its roots and formation go back thousands of
years.
Some claim that one is 'born a Hindu', but there are now many Hindus of nonIndian descent. Others claim that its core feature is belief in an impersonal
Supreme, but important strands have long described and worshipped a
personal God. Outsiders often criticise Hindus as being polytheistic, but many
adherents claim to be monotheists.
Some Hindus define orthodoxy as compliance with the teachings of the Vedic
texts (the four Vedas and their supplements). However, still others identify
their tradition with 'Sanatana Dharma', the eternal order of conduct that
transcends any specific body of sacred literature. Scholars sometimes draw
attention to the caste system as a defining feature, but many Hindus view
such practices as merely a social phenomenon or an aberration of their
original teachings. Nor can we define Hinduism according to belief in concepts
such as karma and samsara (reincarnation) because Jains, Sikhs, and
Buddhists (in a qualified form) accept this teaching too.
Although it is not easy to define Hinduism, we can say that it is rooted in India,
most Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred scripture known as the Veda,
and most Hindus draw on a common system of values known as dharma.
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Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in
modern day Pakistan.
About 80% of the Indian population regard themselves as Hindu.
Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God, whose qualities and forms are
represented by the multitude of deities which emanate from him.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth,
governed by Karma.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its
next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.
The main Hindu texts are the Vedas and their supplements (books based on
the Vedas). Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning 'knowledge'. These scriptures
do not mention the word 'Hindu' but many scriptures discuss dharma, which
can be rendered as 'code of conduct', 'law', or 'duty'
Hindus celebrate many holy days, but the Festival of Lights,Diwali is the best
known.
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The 2001 census recorded 559,000 Hindus in Britain, around 1%
of the population.
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Buddhism at a glance
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that
focuses on personal spiritual
development and the attainment of a deep insight
into the true nature of life. There are 376 million
followers worldwide.
Buddhists seek to reach a state of nirvana,
following the path of the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama, who went on a quest for Enlightenment
around the sixth century BC.
There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhists
believe that nothing is fixed or permanent and that change is always possible.
The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development of
morality, meditation and wisdom.
Buddhists believe that life is both endless and subject to impermanence,
suffering and uncertainty. These states are called the tilakhana, or the three
signs of existence. Existence is endless because individuals are reincarnated
over and over again, experiencing suffering throughout many lives.
It is impermanent because no state, good or bad, lasts forever. Our mistaken
belief that things can last is a chief cause of suffering.
The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to
enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.
The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born into a royal family in present-day
Nepal over 2500 years ago. He lived a life of privilege and luxury until one day
he left the royal enclosure and encountered for the first time, an old man, a
sick man, and a corpse. Disturbed by this he became a monk before adopting
the harsh poverty of Indian asceticism. Neither path satisfied him and he
decided to pursue the ‘Middle Way’ - a life without luxury but also without
poverty.
Buddhists believe that one day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of
awakening), Siddhartha became deeply absorbed in meditation and reflected
on his experience of life until he became enlightened.
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By finding the path to enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from
the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of
enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened
one'.
Schools of Buddhism
There are numerous different schools or sects of Buddhism. The two largest
are Theravada Buddhism, which is most popular in Sri Lanka, Cambodia,
Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar), and Mahayana Buddhism, which is
strongest in Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia.
The majority of Buddhist sects do not seek to proselytise (preach and convert),
with the notable exception of Nichiren Buddhism.
All schools of Buddhism seek to aid followers on a path of enlightenment.
Key facts
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Buddhism is 2,500 years old
There are currently 376 million followers worldwide
There are over 150,000 Buddhists in Britain
Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for
Enlightenment in around the 6th Century BC
There is no belief in a personal God. It is not centred on the relationship
between humanity and God
Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent - change is always
possible
The two main Buddhist sects are Theravada Buddhism
andMahayana Buddhism, but there are many more
Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple
The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development of
morality, meditation and wisdom.
Judaism at a glance
Judaism is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, which also
includes Christianity andIslam. According to information published by The
Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, there were around 13.1 million Jewish
people in the world in 2007, most residing in the USA and Israel. According to
the 2001 census 267,000 people in the UK said that their religious identity was
Jewish, about 0.5% of the population.
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 Judaism
originated in the Middle East over
3500 years ago
 Judaism was founded by Moses, although
Jews trace their history back to Abraham.
 Jews believe that there is only one God with whom they
have a covenant.
 In exchange for all the good that God has done for the
Jewish people, Jewish people keep God’s laws and try to
bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.
 Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most
important religious document is the Torah.
 Jewish traditional or oral law, the interpretation of the laws of the Torah, is
called halakhah.
 Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.
 Jews worship in Synagogues.
 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out
Judaism.
There are many people who identify themselves as Jewish without necessarily
believing in, or observing, any Jewish law.
Christianity at a glance
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Christianity is the most popular religion in the world with
over 2 billion adherents. 42 million Britons see themselves
as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who are
actively practising.
 Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised in
the Old Testament.
 Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
 Christians believe that God sent his Son to earth to save
humanity from the consequences of its sins.
One of the most important concepts in Christianity is that of Jesus giving his
life on the Cross (the Crucifixion) and rising from the dead on the third day
(the Resurrection).
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Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there
are three elements to this one God:
 God the Father
 God the Son
 The Holy Spirit
 Christians worship in churches.
 Their spiritual leaders are called priests or ministers.
 The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and New
Testaments.
 Christian holy days such as Easter and Christmas are important milestones
in the Western secular calendar
Ancient Greek mythology: The minimum you need to know
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Islam at a glance
The word Islam means 'submission to the will of God'.
Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1
billion followers. The 2001 census recorded 1,591,000
Muslims in the UK, around 2.7% of the population.
 Muslims
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believe that Islam was revealed over 1400 years
ago in Mecca, Arabia.
 Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
 Muslims believe that there is only One God.
 The Arabic word for God is Allah.
According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach
them how to live according to His law.
Jesus, Moses and Abraham are respected as prophets of God.
They believe that the final Prophet was Muhammad.
Muslims believe that Islam has always existed, but for practical purposes,
date their religion from the time of the migration of Muhammad.
Muslims base their laws on their holy book the Qur'an, and the Sunnah.
Muslims believe the Sunnah is the practical example of Prophet Muhammad
and that there are five basic Pillars of Islam.
These pillars are the declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving
money to charity, fasting and a pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once).
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