TaK - Religion

• Why are there religion(s)?

• How do we assess the claims of religion?

• Should religious belief be exposed to rational criticism?

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Some questions to start …

All cultures in all times have organized their societies around their religious beliefs.

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so where does it all begin?....

Early religion was the science and technology of its time – inasmuch as its stories sought to

explain and predict; and its practices were designed to influence

natural forces

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The Evolution of Mythology and Religion

“A myth is a religion in which no one any

longer believes.”James Feibleman

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The Evolution of Mythology and Religion

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80,000 light years

25,000 light years

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Ursa Major

NGC 3310

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NGC 331050,000 light years in diameter

Religion: a definition

A Religion is a set of doctrines and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral

claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature and often arranged

as prayer, ritual or religious law.

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Key terms:• Faith• Doubt• Belief• Truth• Certainty• Reason

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It is hard to be indifferent to claims which offer explanations about the

nature of right and wrong; the purpose of life;

and what happens to us after death.

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Who believes what?

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• Atheism (there is no God)

• Theism (there is one God)

• Polytheism (there are several gods)

• Pantheism (the Universe is God)

The options …

…are there others?

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The varieties of Religion:

• One religion is true and all the rest are false

• All religions are false

• All religions point towards the same underlying truth

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• I think that God exists• I believe that God exists• I know that God exists

What’s the difference?

Religious beliefs can give certainty, meaning and purpose to our lives.

(Atheism is also a belief system which can give certainty, meaning and purpose to our lives.)

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How many people have a religious belief?

Between 70% - 90% of the worlds population.(depending on source)

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Top 11 Most Religious CountriesIs religion an important part

of your daily life?Country % YesEgypt 100

Bangladesh 99

Sri Lanka 99

Indonesia 98

Congo 98

Sierra Leone 98

Malawi 98

Senegal 98

Djibouti 98

Morocco 98

United Arab Emirates 98

2007 – 2008 Gallup Poll

Top 11 Least Religious CountriesIs religion an important part

of your daily life?Country % YesEstonia 14

Sweden 17

Denmark 18

Norway 20

Czech Republic 21

Azerbaijan 21

Hong Kong 22

Japan 25

France 25

Mongolia 27

Belarus 27

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Country

USA

Philippines

Norway

Russia

God

62.8

86.2

20.1

12.4

Afterlife

55

35.2

31.6

16.8

Bible

33.5

53.7

11.2

9.9

Devil

45.4

28.3

13.1

12.5

Hell

49.6

29.6

11.4

13

Heaven

63.1

41.9

23

14.7

Miracles

45.6

27.7

17.8

18.7

God: ”I know God exists and I have no doubts about it”

Afterlife: ”I definitely believe in life after death”

Bible: ”The Bible is the actual word of God and it is to be taken literally, word for word.” 

Devil: ”I definitely believe in the Devil”

Hell: ”I definitely believe in Hell”

Heaven: ”I definitely believe in Heaven”

Miracles: ”I definitely believe in religious miracles”

International Social Survey Program (ISSP) 1991http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_comp.htm

http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx

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Which best describes the Bible?

35%

48%

17%

Actual word of God, to be taken literally

Inspired by theword of God

Ancient fables,history, legends

recorded by man

Averages of May 2005, May 2006, May 2007 Gallup Poll

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Faith: a definition

“Faith is the confident belief or trust inthe truth or trustworthiness of

a person, idea, or thing.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith

Faith, by definition, demands belief without a need for supporting evidence.

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Allegory of FaithL.S. Carmona (18th Century)

The veil symbolizes a

willingness to believe without seeing evidence

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Snakehandlers in a church in the

southern United States

George Went Hensleyand the

Dolley Pond Church of God

….and the things religious faith

enable you to do

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Is faith irrational?There is no way we can prove any of the following beliefs, and yet we remain committed to their truth:

• Life is not a dream• Other people have minds• The laws of physics will not break down

tomorrow• The past really happened• I can pass the IB!

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“I respect faith, but doubt is what gives you an education.”

Wilson Mizner (1876 – 1933)

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But remember…

Just because a lot of peoplebelieve something to be true,it doesn’t make it true

Can we use the Truth testswhen thinking about religion…

• Correspondence?• Coherence?• Pragmatism?• Consensus?

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“Acceptance without proof is the fundamental characteristic

of Western religion; Rejection without proof is the

fundamental characteristicof Western science.”

Gary Zukav

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Karl Marx Charles Darwin Sigmund Freud

Three men whose work had a profound impact on religion

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“Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, He must more

approve of the homage of reason than that of

blindfolded fear”Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

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“If we can learn to hold even our deepest beliefs with a

degree of humility, we will be less likely to kill one another

in the name of things we do not fully understand”

Richard van de Lagemaat(ToK for the IB Diploma p.428)

The basic command of religion is not,“Do this!” or “Don’t do that!”

It is, simply, “Look!”

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Discussion questions…

• How do we assess the claims of religion?

• Should religious belief be exposed to rational criticism?

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• Do you know why you believe what you do?

• Is it a set of beliefs you have come to yourself?

• To what extent do you think your religious beliefs have been affected by the society you grew up in?

• Do you think that reason should play a part in determining religious beliefs?

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Suggest ways in which a person’s religious beliefs may affect their understanding of:

• Science• History• Art• Ethics

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Key points:• Religions are concerned with questions of meaning and

purpose which trouble all human beings• Faith plays an important role in religion, but people have

different views about what faith is and whether or not it is rational

• The fact that there are many different religions in the world raises the question of whether they all contradict one another or whether they all point towards the same underlying truth

• All religions are founded on a bedrock of personal experiences, but opinions differ about how such experiences should be interpreted

• Since we will never have the answers to the deepest mysteries, it may be wise to hold our religious beliefs with a degree of humility

Religion

PerceptionHow should

religious experiences be

interpreted?

ReasonWhat arguments are there for the

existence of God?

EthicsAre values based

on religion?

ArtsHow similar is

human creativity to divine

creativity?

HistoryDoes history

reveal some kind of plan or purpose?

Human Sciences

What can psychology tell us

about religious belief?

EmotionWhat role does emotion play in religious belief?

Natural Sciences

Do science and religion contradict

one another?

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Is there value in mythology?TaK - Religion

If ‘Yes’ – what?