Religion Notes

Religious Questions

• Humans have always sought answers to fundamental questions about existence and the world around them.

• Experiencing awe when observing nature or pondering the vastness of space prompts reflection on humanity's place in the universe.

• Early humans, lacking scientific explanations, likely developed their own understandings of natural phenomena such as: Thunder and lightning, the sky and stars, sunrise and sunset, rain, shadows, and the wind.

  • These phenomena were often attributed to supernatural forces or deities, leading to the development of myths and legends to explain the world.

Religious Beginnings

• Some religions have origins so ancient that their exact beginnings are unknown. Examples include: African (Traditional) Religion, some Chinese religions, and Hinduism.

  • These religions often evolved organically within specific cultures, adapting to their unique environments and societal structures.

• Archaeological evidence and historical writings provide insights into religions that have died out.

• Religious practices are deeply connected to people's way of life.

• Early humans were hunter-gatherers, and their religion focused on their needs and experiences related to survival.

  • This included rituals to ensure successful hunts, fertility rites, and ceremonies to honor the spirits of animals and ancestors.

• The beginning of religion can be traced to the ancient near East, and can be divided into three main categories:-

  • Polytheism: Belief in many gods.

  • Often involved complex pantheons with gods responsible for different aspects of nature and human life.

  • Pantheism: Belief that all is God and that God is in everything.

  • Emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things and the divine essence within nature.

  • Monotheism: Belief in one God.

  • Characterized by the concept of a single, all-powerful, and transcendent deity.

Polytheism

• Definition: Belief in multiple gods.

• Origin: Thought to have originated with Hinduism around $2500$ BCE.

  • The Rigveda, one of the oldest Hindu texts, contains hymns and myths about various gods and goddesses.

• Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita revealed many gods subject to a supreme Brahman god.

• Other Ancient Cultures: Practiced in Babylonia, Egypt, Rome, and Greece.

  • The ancient Egyptians had a complex pantheon of gods, including Ra (sun god), Osiris (god of the afterlife), and Isis (goddess of magic and motherhood).

• Practices: Often involved sacrifices to appease the gods.

Pantheism

• Definition: Belief that all is God, and that God is in everything, including nature.

• Core Belief: Nature is part of God, necessitating its nurture and harmonious co-existence with all creatures.

  • Pantheistic philosophies often promote environmental stewardship and a deep respect for the natural world.

• Ancient Cultures: Practiced in ancient African, American Indian cultures, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Monotheism

• Definition: Belief in one God.

• Foundation: Basis of the Abrahamic religions.

• Origin: Began with Abraham around $2000$ BCE.

  • Abraham is considered a pivotal figure in the development of monotheistic thought.

• Religions: Includes Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

  • These religions share a common heritage and recognize Abraham as a key figure in their history.

Mayan Religion

• Location: South America (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and northern Belize).

• Civilization: Advanced culture with stone temples and pyramids for religious ceremonies.

  • The Mayans developed a sophisticated understanding of mathematics, astronomy, and art, which were closely intertwined with their religious beliefs.

• Practices: Developed a calendar, and most were farmers advised by priests on planting, harvesting, and family matters; practiced human sacrifice.

  • Human sacrifice was performed to appease the gods and ensure the continuation of the cosmos.

• Example: Ruins of the Mayan city at Caracol, Belize, flourished in the 6th century CE.

Timeline of Religions

• Hinduism: $2500$ BCE

• Judaism: $2000$ BCE

• Buddhism: 563 BCE

• Jainism: 500s BCE (date not certain)

• Taoism: 400s BCE

• Christianity: 30 CE

• Islam: 600s CE

• Sikhism: 1500 CE

• Baháʼi: 1844 CE

Judaism

• Oldest monotheistic religion, intertwined with the history of the Jewish people.

• $1900$ BCE: Covenant between Abraham and God, leading Abraham's people to Canaan (Palestine and Israel).

• 450 years later: Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt back to Canaan.

• Mount Horeb (Sinai): God gave the Jewish people the 10 Commandments and other rules, forming the Torah.

  • The Torah is the foundation of Jewish law and tradition.

Christianity

• Developed as a part of Judaism.

• Jesus: Jew born in Bethlehem in $1$ CE.

• Spread: After Jesus' death, followers were persecuted; by $391$ CE, Christianity became the most popular religion in Rome.

  • The Roman Empire's adoption of Christianity as its official religion significantly contributed to its spread throughout Europe.

• Expansion: The Roman Empire spread Christianity to Europe, and European colonization further spread it to the Americas, Africa, and Australia.

Islam

• Definition: Arabic word meaning submission.

• Follower: A Muslim submits to the will and laws of God (Allah).

• Origin: Began around $600$ CE with Muhammad.

• Muhammad: Believed he was visited by the Angel Gabriel, who revealed God's final message, written in the Qur'an.

• Core Beliefs: Muhammad is a prophet, and the Qur'an is the word of Allah.

Hinduism

• Origins: Difficult to establish with no formal founder or date of origin.

  • Hinduism is a diverse and complex tradition with a wide range of beliefs and practices.

• Development: Gradually developed over four thousand years in India.

Buddhism

• Founder: Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, born approximately $563$ BCE

• Core Beliefs: Gautama was born a Hindu but found difficulty in reconciling with the Hindu teachings because of suffering he saw around him and also rejected the Hindu caste system.

• Enlightenment: After many trials, he formed his own belief system and was called the 'Buddha', meaning the enlightened one.

Sikhism

• Origin: Began in northern India in the $1400$s CE.

• Founder: Nanak, the first of the ten gurus (teachers or masters).

• Core Beliefs: Belief in one God - Vahiguru, who can only be seen from 'the inward eye', or the heart of a human being.

Jainism

• Origin: Originated in India around the same time as Buddhism, with uncertain beginnings.

• Core Beliefs: No all-powerful creator god; belief in a universe of scientific laws.

  • Jainism emphasizes non-violence and respect for all living beings.

• Key Figure: Mahavira, who lived during the time of the Buddha, was influential in forming the religion.

Taoism

• Origin: A religion that originated in China; origins go back to at least $400$ BCE.

• Founder: Lao-tze credited with being the founder of religious Taoism.

• Status: One of the officially recognized religions in China.

Baha'i

• Founder: Founded by Baháʼu'lláh in Iran in $1844$.

• Core Beliefs: Monotheistic but believes that God reveals himself through a number of prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and Baháʼu'lláh.

Religious Ceremony

• Purpose: To call the herds back to the veld after a long drought.

• Tradition: Must be performed in the prescribed way according to tradition to be effective.

• Generational: Each generation of dancers teaches the next generation.

• Clan's Belief: The dance has been performed for as long as the clan has existed.

• Ritual Sacrifice: The headman conducted a ritual sacrifice to the rain goddess, confident that the ceremony and dance will end the drought.

  • This highlights the intersection of religion, community, and practical needs.

Religion and Way of Life

• The connection between people's religious practices and their way of life.

• Sacrifice to the rain goddess reflects their dependence on rain for survival.

Transition to Agriculture

• Shift: People transitioned to staying in one place, planting crops, and keeping animals.

• Religious Adaptation: Religion adapted to this new way of life.

• Prayers: People prayed for rain and protection from storms and floods.

• Sacrifices: Gifts and sacrifices were made to gods for protection and good crops.

• Religious Specialists: Special people were chosen to perform sacrifices and rituals, eventually becoming religious specialists or priests.

Development of Transport

• Impact: Facilitated trade with other communities, villages, and towns.

• Record Keeping: Necessity to keep records of what they bought and sold.

• Development of Writing: Evolved from drawings, simplified over time.

• Examples: Egypt in North Africa and Mesopotamia in the Middle East.

The Ancient Egyptians

• They used a system of picture writing called hieroglyphics, about $3500$ years ago.

The Impact on Religion

• Oral Tradition: Previously, adults orally passed on holy stories and teachings.

• Scriptures: Religious specialists could now write down teachings, holy people's words, and prophets' sayings, marking the beginning of scriptures.

Religious Traditions

• Oral Tradition: Some religions rely on the spoken word, handed down from generation to generation, and the teachings are passed on in this way.

• Written Tradition: Other religions rely more on scriptures, which are the religious stories and teachings, originally written down by religious specialists.

• Development of Writing: The development of writing about $3500$ years ago made this possible.

BCE and CE

• BCE: Stands for 'Before the Common Era.'

• CE: Stands for 'Common Era.'

• Usage: Used after a date to show time.

• BCE Counting: Count backward from year 1.

AD and BC

• AD: Stands for the Latin words anno domini, which mean 'in the year of our Lord.'

• BC: Stands for 'before Christ.'

• Reason for Change: Non-Christians were unhappy with dates connected to Christianity, leading to the change to CE and BCE.

Olympic Dates

• First Olympic Games: Took place in Olympia, Greece, in about $776$ BCE.

• Calculation: If you didn't know the date, but knew that the first Olympic Games took place about $2800$ years ago, you could work out the approximate date by subtracting our current year from $2800$.

Marking of Time

• Early People: Used the seasons to mark the passing of time.

• Seasons: Noticed that the seasons came in the same order, over and over again.

• Importance: Being sure that one season always followed another meant that they knew when to plant crops, that the rains would come at the right time, and that storms didn't destroy crops.

• Calendars: Gradually, most religions developed a more exact way of deciding when to have important religious ceremonies.

Buddhist Calendar

• Celebration: All Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's birthday. It is the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar.

• Full Moon: There is a story that the Buddha's birthday, enlightenment, and death all happened on the full moon day of the lunar month, around our month of May.

• Wesak: In many countries where Buddhism is practiced, especially in South-East Asia, this festival is called Wesak.

• Esala Perahera: Other festivals take place in various Buddhist countries at regular times, like the festival of the Esala Perahera, which is celebrated in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Christian Calendar

• Gregorian Calendar: Christians, and the Western world in general, use the Gregorian calendar, which was worked out by Pope Gregory XIII.-

  • Division of the Year: Divided the year into $365\frac{1}{4}$ days.

  • Leap Year: Every fourth year, there is an extra day in the year.

  • Months: The year has 12 months which all have 30 or 31 days, except for February, which has 28 days, and 29 in each leap year.

  • Starting Point: The calendar starts with the year when it is traditionally believed that Jesus was born.

• Christmas: Celebrates the birth of Jesus, takes place on 25 December.

• Moveable Feasts: Other events are known as moveable feasts and occur within a time period, more or less at the same time each year.

• Easter: Celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus, takes place on the first Sunday following the full moon, on or after 21 March.

• Advent: Advent starts in November, four Sundays before Christmas, and lasts until Christmas Day.

• Epiphany: Epiphany means 'showing or revealing something', usually a god or divine presence. This day reminds Christians of the discovery of the baby Jesus by the three Wise Men who had travelled a long way to find him.

• Lent: Lent lasts for 40 days before Easter. Christians remember the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, preparing for his time of preaching and teaching. Many Christians fast or give up something they enjoy during Lent. It is also a time when Christians prepare themselves for Baster.

• Good Friday: Good Friday commemorates Jesus' death on the cross.

• Easter Sunday: Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus' resurrection.

• Ascension Day: Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter. On this day, Christians remember Jesus' ascending (going up) to heaven.

• Pentecost: Pentecost is the seventh Sunday after Easter. Pente means 'fifty', and Pentecost close to 50 days after Easter. It commemorates the day Jesus' disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

• Ordinary Time: Ordinary time marks all the time between these main feast days.

Hindu Calendar

• Lenasia Times: Lights up the sky! (Week of 4 November 2000)

• Diwali Significance: Every year, families remember their duties to one another, exchange gifts

• Calendar Origin: Ancient origin for planning farming and festivals

• Structure: Year consists of 12 months of 30 days each, divided into 6 seasons. Extra Month: added every 2-3 years to synchronize months with seasons

• Astrology: Timing of events based on rhythm of life, with experts consulted for auspicious dates.

Most popular Hindu festivals in South Africa:

• Ram Naurnee (March/April): Remembers the birthday of the god Rama

• Raksha-Bandhan (July/August): Sisters tie bracelets on brothers' wrists.

• Krishna Asthmee (August/September: The god Krishna's birthday.

• Navaratri (September/October): Festival honoring the goddess Durga Kali).

• Deepavali (Diwali) (October/November): Known as the festival of lights.

Explanation of Hindu deities

• Symbolic Representation: The different gods represent different aspects of the Ultimate the Divine.

Islamic Calendar

• Lunar Calendar: Calculated according to the Moon around the Earth

• Month Cycle: Each month starts with the new moon.

• Islamic Year: Has 354 days, 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days (the time it takes for the Moon to go through all its phases)

• Timeline Orientation: Dates move 11 days earlier yearly due to shorter calendar

• The Hijrah: Marks the start based on Muhammad journey from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE.

The timeline highlights important days in the Islamic year

• Lallat ul Qadr: Commemorates the first revelation by to the Prophet.

• Eid ul-Adha: This festival is part of the Haji (the pilgrimage to Makkah).

• Eid ul Fitr: New month of Shawwal signifies end of Ramadan, celebrated with food gifts.

Jewish Calendar

• Structure: 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days

• Leap Years: Extra month added every 2-3 years for seasons to align

• Timeline: Leap years occur within a 19-year cycle 3rd, 6th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th

• Key Events: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukka, Purim, Pesach, Shavuot

The following holidays and events are shown below

• Rosh Hashanah: Starts Ten Days of Repentance

• Yom Kippur: Most important dav: Jews' av and orav for Atonement.

• Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles, families build their own shelter,

• Hanukka: Festival of remembering cleaning temple.

• Purim: Esther's day of Jewish pride

• Pesach: Passover festival to remember the people of Hebrew that escaped Egypt.

• Shavuot: Pentecost festival harvest, commemorated during Moses' receiving,

African Religion Calendar

• Nature Based Agricultural Cycle

• New Year Celebration: Starts in spring (September/October in southern Africa).

• Rituals to ask for rains strengthen planting.

• Ceremonies Varying Harvest in autumn.

Taoist Calendar

• Cycle-based Taoist calendar based or Chinese Lunar cycle.

• Modeled on a 60-year Taoist calendar Yellow Emperor in 2097 BC.

• Important Celebrations: Includes the burning of replicas of gods,

Other Important Holidays

• Lantern Festival celebrations, first full moon of the year celebration. Honor by walking through with red laterns.

• The Tomb Sweeping Day: Visit ancestors to remember.

• The Hungry Ghost Festival on days of the dead calming with musical prayer.

• The Dragon Boat Festival Death held in Yuan committed remember with boats.

The Bahai Calendar

• Badi calendar of 19 months with 19 days, additional days Intercalary

• Epoch-Based Dating: Year 1 based on 21 March 1844 to mark BaB's religion

• Dating Notation After dates, add BE for the Baha era, with BE= Baha 'Era

• Days of Há. The intercalary days Month: Loftiness. In March is fasting

• Bahái feasts include spiritual devotions.