Intro to Religion

<aside> ☝ From this section, you must know…

What are the culture expressions related to religion?
What does it mean to be monotheistic?
What are the Abrahamic religions and how are they similar? </aside>

Religion: a set of beliefs in an ultimate reality and a set of practices use to express those beliefs.

Why study religion? Religion is a critical piece of culture as it crosses ethnic, linguistic, and national lines. Several elements of cultural expression are addressed by religious beliefs and practices.

What defines a religion?

Religions are defined and set apart by its own special beliefs, celebrations, traditions, and worship styles. These are the elements of religion:

Primary Belief	Example: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Christianity), The Five Pillars (Islam)
Sacred Text/Symbols	The Quran/Koran (Islam), Bible (Christianity), The Torah (Judaism)
Special Celebrations	Ramadan (Islam), Diwali (Hinduism)
Sacred Sites	Mecca (Islam), Bodh Gaya (Buddhism)
Special Traditions	Fasting, Pilgrimage (Hajj), Prayer

Monotheism: Belief in only one god

Polytheism: Belief in more than one god

The Abrahamic Religions

We group the world’s three largest religions - Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - into a group called the Abrahamic Religions. The Abrahamic Religions are centered around monotheism and the God of Abraham - a major Hebrew figure.

There are several similarities between these three religions:

They are all… monotheistic.
… originated from Southwest Asia.
… consider Jerusalem a city of religious importance.
- The Dome of the Rock, The Temple Mount, Western Wall, Golgotha (site of Jesus’ crucifixion), and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
… have similar origins for their sacred texts.