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# Understanding Beliefs and Worldviews ## Kind of Belief Systems - **Monism**: there's no real distinction between God and the universe - **Monotheism**: doctrine or belief in one god - **Polytheism**: belief and worship of many gods - **Agnosticism**: God can exist, but there's no religion...

# Understanding Beliefs and Worldviews ## Kind of Belief Systems - **Monism**: there's no real distinction between God and the universe - **Monotheism**: doctrine or belief in one god - **Polytheism**: belief and worship of many gods - **Agnosticism**: God can exist, but there's no religion - **Atheism**: disbelief in or denial of the existence of personal god ## Definition and Nature of Religion Religion is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods. ## Basic Concepts in Studying Religion - **Theology**: systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine - **Philosophy of Religion**: includes analysis on the existence of divine being or on sacred texts - **Spirituality**: something an individual can have without being implicated in the complexity of human society and institutions ## The Origins of Religion ### Animistic Theories (Edward Burnett Taylor 1832-1917) - English anthropologist - Primitive people believe in souls or animas found in people (seen and dreamt) and found in nature ### Robert Henry Codrington (1830-1922) - Anglican priest and anthropologist - Melanesians believed in **mana**, a mysterious force that inhabited all of nature ### Nature Worship Theory Human being first develop their religion from the observations of the forces of nature. Early people became aware of the regularity of the