Warm-Up

What does it mean to be religious?

Use a Bubble Map to brainstorm what you think
it means to be religious.

Religious

Include at least one example of something

people DO that you think is religious.

Central Historical Question

What is religion?

What is Concept
Attainment?
Concept attainment means
searching for and listing
characteristics that can be used to
differentiate if something is or is
not an example of a concept. Source:
Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin, 1967

Today, RELIGION is our CONCEPT

Observe and Note

What are the common characteristics
you see among the examples of
religion?
What are some differences you see
between the examples and nonexamples?

Example of Religion

Christian Church

Example of Religion

Islamic Mosque

Example of Religion

Buddhist Temple

Non-example of Religion

Football Stadium

Non-example of Religion

Concert Venue

Non-example of Religion

Theater House

Forming a Hypothesis
Noun: What do both the examples and
non-examples have in common? What
umbrella term describes all of them?
Distinguishing Characteristic: What is the
main difference that distinguishes the
examples as EXAMPLES OF RELIGION?
Write your answer in the form of a
hypothesis:
If a (noun/distinguishing characteristic),
then it is an example of religion.

Example of Religion - Y/N?

Who has an example that we have not seen yet?

Definition of Religion
Oxford Dictionaries noun: religion
1- the belief in and worship of a superhuman
controlling power, especially a personal God or
gods. 2- a particular system of faith and worship
Wikipedia A religion is an organized collection
of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that
relate humanity to an order of existence. Many
religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred
histories that are intended to explain the
meaning of life and/or to explain the origin of life
or the Universe.

Definitions of Religion
Joachim Wach (1898-1955 German Religious
Scholar) Religion is 3 things: a belief
system, a ritual worship system, and a moral
system of social relationships. This is a
substantive definition of religion. Modern
people think first of belief, but the social
sciences argue that ritual and social relations
are the central aspects of religion. The Latin
roots of the term religion are religare (to
bind together), and religere (to rehearse).

Definitions of Religion
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917 French
Sociologist) "Religion is a unified
system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things which unite
into one single moral community
called a church, all those who adhere
to them."
*This is a functional definition, focused on the
moral unification function of religion.

Definitions of Religion
Robert Bellah (1927-2013 American
Sociologist) "Religion is a set of
symbolic forms and acts which relate
man to the ultimate conditions of his
existence, i.e., death,
meaninglessness, egocentrism, and
emotional needs which are not
rational."
*Emotional needs of individuals are the main
focus of this individualistic, functional definition.

Wrap-up: Which do you agree or disagree with and why?

Positives of Religion
1-Supports and comforts
individuals and groups.
2-Makes needed social sacrifices
virtuous (giving to charity).
3-Adds social stability by making
social norms sacred, and by
creating authoritative sources of
opinion regarding moral matters-ie religious leaders.
4-Encourages personal growth
and maturation, as they are
identified by the religion.
5-Explains social, political, and
economic inequality, reducing
conflict in ranked societies.

Negatives of Religion
1-Causes guilt for some individuals
for failure to live up to religious
ideals.
2-Can support unfair authority in
society.
3-Ethnocentrism-causing people to
think their religion is superior to
other groups.
4-Intergroup conflict-when
individuals of different religions
are both trying to defend their
religion as superior cause lead to
people feeling offended.
5-Explains social, political, and
economic inequality, preventing
social change.

Source: Curt Raney, Professor of Sociology, St. Marys College of Maryland

Think about it

What does religion

mean to you?