Religion as a Worldview

Religion as a Worldview

• Religion is a pre-existing framework of beliefs and practices.
• It provides a means to understand the world, addressing fundamental questions about life's purpose and suffering.
• Major world religions include Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
• Religion connects people to a meaningful relationship that goes beyond existence.
• Religion provides a lens through which the world is viewed, attributing the creation of the world to a supernatural dimension, god, or spiritual entity.

Supernatural Dimension of Religion

• This dimension involves a being or power responsible for creating the world and providing a moral structure, leading to a person's ultimate destiny.
• In Mesoamerican culture, the Aztecs viewed human sacrifices as repayment for the Gods' sacrifices in creating the world and the sun.
• In ancient Egyptian mythology, mummification prepared humans and animals for the afterlife.
• Transcendent Religious Worldview: Belief in a divine power or powers that exist before human beings.
• Supernatural beings reveal themselves to humans and is seen as miraculous and exceeds human knowledge.
• Semitic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe in a single God that holds all power and transcends the visible world.
• Immanent Religious Worldview: The supernatural dimension or God is closely associated with human beings and interacts from within, like in Buddhism.
• Monotheism: Belief in one God (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Judaism).
• Polytheism: Belief in multiple gods (e.g., Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology).
• Semitic religions originated in the Middle East (e.g., Christianity, Islam, Judaism).

Characteristics of Religion

• Beliefs and Believers: Core tenets that establish the religious worldview.
• Sacred Texts and Writings: Record beliefs, myths, and creation stories.
• Myths and Stories
• Ethics: Principles of right and wrong that guide believers, found in sacred texts and teachings.
• Rituals and Ceremonies: Collective or individual practices, such as sacrifice or prayer, connected to sacred symbols and social structures (times, places, people).
• Sacred Structure
• Religious Symbols

Importance Characteristics of Religion

• Beliefs and Believers: Foundation of the religious worldview.
• Sacred Texts and Writings: Contain religious myths and creation narratives.
• Sacred Rituals and Ceremonies: Linked to sacred symbols and social structures.
• Ethics: Guide religious adherents, rooted in the teachings of the founder.

Dynamic and Living Religion

• Dynamic Religion: Stimulates societal change and progress by providing meaning, purpose, and adapting to modern society.
• Living Religion: Relevant and meaningful to the adherent's life, fully integrated into everyday experience.
• The interaction of beliefs and sacred texts makes religion dynamic and living.
• Beliefs from sacred texts taught orally can be understood, taught, and lived in the contemporary world.
• Sacred texts and rituals create dynamic religion through practices like reenacting the Last Supper in Christian worship.

Contribution of Religion

• Religion aids individuals and society in the search for meaning and answers to questions.
• Religion offers ethical guidance on issues like bioethics and sexual ethics.
• Religion provides a moral compass for social concerns like pollution and unequal wealth distribution.
• Religion offers meaning, belonging, and rituals that connect individuals to the divine.
• Shared beliefs foster a sense of community.

Australian Aboriginal Spirituality

• Focuses on understanding the nature of the Dreaming.
• Emphasizes the connection between the Dreaming, land, and identity.

Aspects of Learning

• Origins of the universe
• Stories of the Dreaming
• Sacred sites
• Symbolism and art

Key Terms

• Dreaming: Aboriginal religious belief
• Kinship: Networks governing interactions within Aboriginal groups.
• Rainbow Snake: Common story among Aboriginal groups.
• Land Rights: Aboriginal rights to land, preserving spirituality and culture.
• Mimis: Aboriginal spirit figures.
• Sacred Sites: Landforms where Ancestral spirits interacted.
• Secret-Sacred: Reserved aspects of Aboriginal religion.
• Totemism: Entity or object representing an individual or group.

The Dreaming

• The Dreaming is the Aboriginal view of creation, the beginning of time and life.
• It involves the interaction of Spirit Ancestors with Aboriginal people.
• Ceremonies and rituals are passed down through generations via kinship.
• The Dreaming explains the origins of the universe.
• It shapes Aboriginal life by regulating kinship, ceremonial practices, and relationships.
• Aboriginal spirituality influences land rights through sacred sites.
• It underpins all beliefs and practices in Aboriginal communities.
• The Dreaming shapes Aboriginal identity.
• It determines the interaction, relationships, and responsibilities between groups.
• Over 200 diverse language groups share geographical commonalities.

Nature of the Dreaming in Relation to Origins of the Universe

• Indigenous spirituality believes all things originated from Ancestral Beings (mimis).
• Metatemporal describes the Dreaming as a continuous past, present, and future reality. The concept of metatemporal views the existence of past, present, and future simultaneously
• Aboriginals may believe the rainbow snake, creator of the universe, continues to exist.
• Ancestral Beings created land, then plants, animals, and people.
• Aboriginals believe Ancestral Beings entered the land, leaving sacred objects and sites.
• All land is sacred, as Ancestral Beings live there.
• Some sites are particularly sacred due to their connection to Dreamtime stories.
• Aboriginals perform rituals at sacred sites.
• Land is the medium through which the Dreaming is experienced.
• Destroying a site or preventing rituals causes a loss of the Dreaming.

Stories, Symbolism and Art of the Dreaming

• Stories convey beliefs, interactions, and moral duties.
• They teach about life, daily activities, and behavior.
• Symbolism and art express the Dreaming.
• Symbols vary by land and language groups.
• Symbols are expressed through song, dance, and art, like the Rainbow Serpent.
• Depicting the Dreaming recreates it.
• Art and symbols explain the way of life.
• Cave paintings are believed to be made by Ancestral spirits.
• Diverse mediums, including modern tools, are used to express the Dreaming.
• Some art is considered "sacred-secret."

Diversity and Importance of the Dreaming

• Diversity is due to Australia's large area.
• Aboriginal civilization has evolved over time.
• The expression of the Dreaming has evolved.
• There are 900 groups in Australia.
• Each language has its own Dreaming stories.
• Each group has a totem.
• Totems represent Ancestral Spirits, creating kinship with the spirits.
• Common features include a creation ancestor who created the Earth, people, and the universe.
• The Dreaming is celebrated through devotional practices.
• It involves signs, symbols, behavior, dances, words, and teachings.
• The Law determines behavior.
• Every person is part of a living system.
• Their role is to maintain that life or living system.
• Inextricable: Impossible to separate

Dreaming and the Land

• The land is an invisible but physical link between humans
• The Dreaming connects humans, beings, and the environment.
• The land is sacred because it is where the Dreaming's creative activity occurs.
• The connection highlights the relationship between spirits, humans and sites
• Ancestral Spirits are active.
• The land is cared for.
• The Dreaming and the land are inextricably connected for Indigenous Australians.
• The land is where Ancestral Beings live and the physical medium where Indigenous Australians connect with them.
• Example: ceremonies including initiation, storytelling, and dances at Sacred Sites.
• The land is inextricably connected to the Dreaming, cooperate with the creative cycle.
• Indigenous Australians believe the land sustains them and care for it through management and ceremonies.
• Each group has a totem and cares for it through song and hunting experiences.

Dreaming and Identity

• Quote: "I am the land."
• Elders feel part of interconnected environment.
• Quote: "Land is my backbone... the history of my nation."
• Quote: "We don't own the land, the land owns us."
• The Dreaming is an eternal link between Ancestral Spirits and humanity.
• It explains creation, sustains life, and provides totemic connections to sacred sites.
• Land and Dreaming are interdependent
• Extra Note: Religions are changing to provide structured beliefs.
• Judaism: Bar Mitzvah is a practice to follow the word of the Torah.
• Supernatural: A divine being is responsible for the creation of the earth and afterlife.
• HSC marker expects knowledge over christianity transcendance.
• Learn about religion characteristiscs.
• How does it engage? What sources?
• Use proper terminology