(Originally written February 15, 2007 in Book 14)
Pocket Guide to World Religions
Dr. Winfried Corduan
InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL
2006
Categories in Religion
1) Name
- Some religions go by more than one name
- Practitioners of a religion may call it something different than non-practitioners
- It is important to use correct names
2) Numbers and distribution
- A quick review of religious statistics
3) Symbols
4) History
- Some religions' histories are crucial to their understanding; others it doesn't seem to matter.
5) Scriptures
6) Major beliefs
- "A religion usually attempts to help people make sense of their existence" (Corduan, 13).
7) Subgroups
8) Worship practices
9) Religious Buildings
10) Home practices
11) Clothing
12) Diet
- Food is important in most religions
13) Calendar
- one of religion's main functions is to provide order to people's lives
Most people are proud of their religious heritage. This has three major implications:
1) People are happy to talk about their religion
2) One should never belittle another for their religion or belittle their religion
3) One should not expect everyone to be an expert on their religion.
No comments:
Post a Comment