Download Packet: Religion

Name: ________________________________________ Class Period: _______ Date: _____________
Unit 9: Culture
Packet: Religion
Directions: Annotate the reading and answer the questions.
People love to wonder. Can you remember how many
questions you asked your parents when you were small? We
wonder about the dark crevasses in the ocean floor, the
nature of black holes, and what happens to us when we die.
The five billion people of earth lead very different lives, but
they are united in their ability to wonder.
Everyone has something special that they wonder about
because people are naturally curious. Some people
concentrate on the mysteries of the physical world.
Benjamin Franklin boldly tied a key to a kite to understand
lightning-and nearly fried himself in the process.
Christopher Columbus bravely
sailed to what many believed to be the edge of the flat earth to discover a new world. Other "explorers
of the spirit" left kingdoms behind in order to discover more about the heavenly world. Their
revelations and experiences became the cornerstones of the major world religions. All religions began
with one person wondering about the meaning of life.
The word, "religion" comes from the Latin word religare, which means "to tie." People of all faiths
believe that their religion ties them to a higher purpose. Some feel that religion ties them to a sense of
community through shared values. Religion has also tied art, culture, and societies together for
thousands of years. Magnificent buildings, beautiful works of art, and stirring books have been inspired
by religious faith.
Religion helps people figure out the meaning of life and the mystery of death. Some faiths believe
we only live once, while others, like Hinduism and Buddhism, believe that we reincarnate many times
to fulfill our purpose. Long before any scribes scribbled on papyrus, religion has been important to men,
whether they called it "religion" or not.
The oldest world religions are Zoroastrianism and Judaism, which began between three and four
thousand years ago. Christianity grew out of Judaism, and Islam grew out of both Judaism and
Christianity. Jewish teachings were being written down by scholars in the Middle East around the same
time as priests in India were writing down the basic ideas of Hinduism. Buddhism and Taoism
developed in China about 2,500 years ago. Within these major religions, there are smaller divisions.
For example, within Christianity, there are about 22,000 different sects! There are also other religions
that have fewer followers, such as Sikhism, Shintoism, and Jainism.
The major religions have some things in common. All of them have a founder or leader, and some
of these men were inspired by mystical experiences. All major religions have a sacred scripture or
texts. People of different faiths have special prayers, clothing, and symbols of their religions. For
example, fire is the symbol of Ahura Mazda, the one god of Zoroastrianism. The yin yang is the
symbol of Taoism. Religion gives a sense of purpose and comfort in times of trouble to its followers.
People also believe that religion can explain how the world was created. Many religions believe
that the universe was created by a god. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism recognize just
one god, which is called monotheism. Buddhism doesn't have a deity, or god, but Buddhists do
recognize many spiritual beings, while Hindus recognize more than three hundred million gods and
goddesses! This is called pantheism. Other people deny the existence of any deity. This is called
atheism.
Most religions have their own rituals and traditions that center around its belief in a god or divine
beings. Rituals can be serious, like the sacrament of Holy Communion in the Christian church. Other
rituals are just plain fun, like throwing colored powder and water during the Hindu holiday of Holi.
Many rituals celebrate life's important events, like birth, marriage, and death.
In addition to special rituals, all religions have their own festivals and holidays. The English word
"holiday" comes from the words "holy day." The yearly cycle of holidays tell stories of the faith.
Followers sing songs and perform dramas to honor these events. Christians perform inspiring
Christmas nativity plays. Taoists enjoy noisy, crackling fireworks during their New Year's celebration.
Many of these festivals also commemorate an historical event of the faith. For example, Wesak
celebrates Buddha's enlightenment, and Easter celebrates Christ's resurrection.
Many people think that food is the best part of any holiday! Think of your favorite holiday. Does
some special food come to mind? Food is a way of enjoying company, and it can also symbolize
something in a family's faith. Sweet foods often represent some element of the faith, while bitter foods
remember hard times. Some religions have a platter of different foods that represent different parts of
the faith. Zoroastrians have a platter with milk, wine, and fruit as well as other religious objects for
their thanksgiving ceremony. Food feeds the body like faith symbolically feeds the soul.
Foods for religious festivals are as varied as the clothes that people wear. Buddhists often eat a
delicious, gooey rice pudding to celebrate the Buddha's enlightenment, while Jews eat bitter herbs at
their Seder meal to symbolize the slavery of their ancestors. At the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting,
Muslims eat sugared almonds and chocolates. Crispy Christmas cookies are often made in the shapes
of stars, bells, and angels to represent parts of the nativity story, and Christians also often enjoy sweet
mince pies at Christmas. These pies were originally made in an oval shape to represent baby Jesus
lying in a manger. Enjoying these special treats is part of every world religion.
The faith represented in the world's religions has sprung out of man's wonderings about life. This
basic quest for a higher purpose is central to human nature, whether people belong to an organized
religion or not. Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the independence movement in India, explained this
perfectly when he said, "Religion is not alien to us...It is always within us; with some, consciously;
with others, unconsciously. But it is always there."
Questions
1. What unites many people on earth?
A. the ability to wonder
B. the same religion
C. a common faith
D. scientific discovery
2. What does the root word of religion, religare, mean?
A. to tie
B. to celebrate
C. to understand
D. to worship
3. Which of the following are NOT a part of many religions?
A. sacred books
B. festivals
C. a belief in god or gods
D. a common calendar
4. What does monotheism mean?
A. belief in one god
B. figuring out one's purpose
C. many ideas
D. reincarnation
5. Which of the following religions are not monotheistic?
A. Judaism
B. Christianity
C. Buddhism D. Islam
6. What do sweet foods often symbolize in religious festivals?
A. elements of faith
B. dreams and visions
C. revelations
D. a chance to visit the dentist
7. Which of the following is a synonym for "god"?
A. power
B. father
C. deity
D. ruler
8. What do religious festivals often symbolize?
A. scientific facts and real events
B. fairy tales and myths
C. real events and scientific achievements
D. stories about the faith and historical events
Religions often have a set of values that their followers live by. List three values that are most
important to you, and how you try to live by them. Write a minimum of 3 complete sentences.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
A line in a song asks, "Does anybody really know what
time it is?" This question could easily apply to calendars!
Did you know that our ideas about time are affected by
religion? Different faiths use different types of calendars to
measure time.
Odd structures, such as Stonehenge in England, may
have been used to measure time long ago. These ancient
rocks stand in a circle like large, gray Legos. Some people
think that the rocks relate to the position of the sun. No one
knows how people moved them into this formation, but it was probably a lot of work. If it was a
calendar, it sure was a big one! The Aztecs also had a rock calendar that was related to the sun.
They had a Sun Stone that showed their sun god in the center.
The calendar you are probably most familiar with is also based on the sun. The powerful Roman
Emperor, Julius Caesar, first adopted the solar calendar in 46 B.C. The cycle of the year in a solar
calendar is measured from one equinox to the next. A solar calendar has to be adjusted every so often
to keep in time with the sun. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII first authorized taking a few days out of every
year for the purpose of adjusting the calendar. People didn't like this one bit because they thought they
were losing time! It took centuries for Europeans to get used to this concept.
Eventually, a system was worked out to add a single day to the calendar every four years so it was
synchronized with the seasons. The extra day made every fourth year 366 days long. These special
years are called leap years, and we add the extra day to the month of February. If you know someone
whose birthday is on February 29, you know that he or she was born in a leap year. This calendar is
called the Gregorian calendar, and it is used in the United States and other Christian countries.
Muslims use a different kind of calendar. Their lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon,
and it is completely different than a solar one. According to the Muslim holy book, the Koran, Allah
said, "Truly, twelve months is the number of the months with God, according to God's Book, ever since
He created heaven and Earth." A new Muslim month does not start until two reliable witnesses have
seen the new moon. Muslim families often take walks in the evening to find the first yellow slice of the
new moon to start Ramadan, their month-long fast.
The visibility of a new moon depends on weather and longitude, so Muslim festivals sometimes fall
on different days in different countries. The Islamic calendar is officially used in countries around the
Persian Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia. Other Muslim countries use the Gregorian calendar for civil
purposes and the Islamic calendar to determine the dates of religious festivals.
Other religions use an adjusted lunar calendar. Jews, Taoists, Buddhists, and Hindus adjust their
lunar calendars to synchronize them with the solar year. This is called a lunisolar calendar. Every so
often, a whole month is added to the calendar so the year has thirteen months instead of twelve. The
rules for adding months vary from religion to religion.
Jews celebrate five main festivals that commemorate events in the Torah. All of their festivals start
in the evening because for them a new day starts at dusk. Their weekly Sabbath starts on Friday
evening. During the Sabbath, strict Jews do not work or travel. For centuries, Jews figured out the
starting dates of festivals by the appearance of a new moon, but today Jews use dates based on
calculations. The Jewish calendar is the official calendar in Israel and is used for religious purposes by
Jews all over the world.
Taoists and Buddhists follow a lunisolar calendar that begins in January/February every year. The
lunar year has twelve moons of 29 1/2 days each. The lunar months are adjusted to lengths of 29 or 30
days. The lunar year is shorter than a solar year by 10 to 12 days. Their most important holiday is the
Chinese New Year. Families often travel far to celebrate together. Families clean their houses. This
holiday is a time to cleanse past mistakes.
People eat vegetarian food because it is believed that having an animal killed would bring negative
karma into the coming year. The Chinese people have many rituals to celebrate the New Year, such as
giving offerings of incense, food, money, and flowers in their temples.
Today, the People's Republic of China uses two calendars. They use the Gregorian calendar for
civil purposes and the Chinese calendar for festivals. The Gregorian year 2005 is the year 4703 on the
Chinese calendar. Legends say that the Chinese calendar was invented in 2637 B.C. by the Emperor
Huangdi.
These different calendars have different starting points. Christians and Muslims use dates that
correspond with their founders. For example, the Gregorian calendar began with the birth of Christ, and
Christians have holidays that celebrate events in the life of Jesus Christ. The well-known abbreviation
B.C. means "before Christ." The abbreviation A.D. means anno Domini, or "in the year of the Lord."
Many people now use the abbreviation C.E., which means Common Era, instead of A.D. They use
B.C.E., which means before the Common Era, instead of B.C.
The Islamic calendar is called the Hijri calendar. It is based on events in the life of Muhammad.
Their years start with the Hegira, the year that Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina. They use
an abbreviation A.H, which means anno Hegirae, or "in the year of the Hegira." The year 1 A.H
corresponds to 622 A.D. Years can also be named after important events that happened during that
year.
Jews use a different system for the beginning of their calendar. The Torah describes the creation of
the world in six days, with God resting on the seventh. The Jewish calendar starts with their traditional
date of the creation of the world. The year 2005 A.D. corresponds to the year 5765 in the Jewish
calendar.
There are many ways of keeping track of time, but all calendars have been influenced by religion.
No matter how you measure your days, the important thing is not to waste them!
Questions
1. What is the name of the calendar that is?
A. the Roman calendar
B. the American calendar
C. the Gregorian calendar
D. the leaping calendar
2. What is the basis of the solar calendar?
A. the political system of the country
B. the stars
C. the moon
D. the sun
3. What is the basis of the lunar calendar?
A. the government of the country
B. the sun
C. the stars
D. the moon
4. What is the purpose of leap year?
A. to give people a chance to exercise
B. to keep the calendar in time with the solar year
C. to keep the calendar light-hearted
D. to honor frogs on the calendar
5. What is the meaning of the Latin term anno Domini?
A. in the year of our President
B. in the leap year
C. in the year of domination
D. in the year of our Lord
6. Which events are the foundation of the Islamic calendar?
A. events in the life of Muhammad
B. events in the life of Christ
C. events in the Middle East
D. events in the life of Buddha
7. Who took days out of the year to create the Gregorian calendar?
A. Pope Gregory II
B. Pope Gregory XIII
C. Gregory Peck
D. Gregory the Scribe
8. Which abbreviation is now commonly used instead of B.C.?
A. A.D.
B. B.C.E.
C. A.D. E.
D. C.E.
Many people plan their daily lives by keeping track of events in a day planner, or on a calendar. What
system do you use some system to keep track of things? Explain in a minimum of 3 complete
sentences.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________