Religious Tolerance and

World peace

FUNCTIONS AND
DYSFUNCTIONS OF
RELIGION
WHAT NON-VERBAL CUE?
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
PRAYING
WORSHIP/PRAYING
PRAYING/WORSHIP
PRAYING
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
THE DALAI LAMA
THE POPE
JEWISH LEADER
COPTIC CHRISTIAN POPE
 What is Religion?

 Religion deals with :

 1. Selfhood - "Who am I?" "Where did I come from?”
 2. Meaning - "Why am I?" "Where will I go when I
die?”
 3. Purpose - "What do I do?" "What is the purpose of
life?"
 Religion Defined

 Religion is human involvement with what is

considered to be the realm of the sacred.
It is expressed in three forms:
 THEORETICAL (Thought): myths, experiential
and doctrines.
 PRACTICAL (Action): rituals, worships and ethics.
 SOCIAL (community): carries on the tradition in
groups that give the believer identity.
 The Dimensions of Religion

 Ritual:
 Forms and orders of ceremonies
 Mythical:
 revealed stories complete and systematic interpretation
of the universe and human's place in it.
 Experiential and emotional:
dread, guilt, awe, mystery, devotion, liberation,
ecstasy, inner peace, bliss (private)
 Social and Institutional:
 belief system shared and a practiced by a group. Rules for
identifying community membership and participation
(public)
 Dimensions of religion

 Ethical and legal:

Rules about human behavior (often regarded as revealed
from supernatural realm)
 Doctrinal and philosophical:
systematic formulation of religious teachings in an
intellectually coherent form
 Material:
ordinary objects or places that symbolize or manifest the
sacred or supernatural
 Leadership/Mentorship
 –Founders of religions
 ROLE/FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

 Influences behavior patterns of its adherents.

• Influences political behavior in many societies.
• Provides ethical codes on issues surrounding
good and evil, morality and immorality, and
fundamental human relations.
• The fundamental doctrines of all religions
emphasize the importance of values and ethics
in human relations.
 Role/functions of religion (cont.)

 Individual’s action and cultural behavior can be

assessed on the basis of his or her religious
convictions.
 Serves as basis for justifying actions of individuals,
groups, and even nations.
 Plays different functions in a the legal systems of
different countries.
 influences how individuals and groups in diverse
societies perceive each other and the world at large.
 Dysfunction of religion

 Disagreements over the interpretation results in

divisions leading to different denominations within
the same religion.
 Religious disputes have created severe difficulties in
international and intercultural understanding.
 Dysfunctions (cont.)

 Unreasonableness: Some people and groups are so

attached to their religious warrants that no other
reasons can convince them to modify their position
or change their minds.
 Fanaticism/fundamentalism: results in
communication breakdowns and violent clashes.
TOLERANCE
TOLERANCE
UNDERSTANDING
UNDERSTANDING
ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
WILLINGNESS IS THE KEY !!!
 Religious tolerance
 Need to get rid of religious prejudices and
stereotypes – (Tolerance)
 Find out accurate information about the
other group – (Understanding)
 Need to approach others with mutual
respect.
- (Acceptance)
- Need to be willing to accept the other
(Willingness)
 THE GOLDEN RULE

 (Golden Rule Poster to be distributed in class)

 The concept of the golden rule is similar in all the
major religions of the world
 Why can’t we all get along? – DISCUSS !!!
 END
Any Questions ???
Any Experiences to share
???
Any suggestions to offer ???