Description:
The human being as a social being and religion is an essential part of his culture. All humans need to establish relationships with other humans, with a superior being or force, with the world and with themselves. Even if you declare yourself an atheist or if you decide to move to a mountain far away from other people, even then you are making a decision regarding the world, others, god and yourself. Different religions offer different ways to approach this sociological need and that is exactly what we will be studying here.
This semester course will look at some of the world's major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Each will be examined without acknowledging the superiority of any one over the others. The course will begin with an overview of how religion is constructed and worldviews formed. Later, the history of each of the mentioned religions will be looked at, as well as its beliefs and practices.
If you want to understand better how different religions deal with issues such as: the relationship of man with God, the relationship of man with other mankind and man with the world, and life after death; then this is the course for you. This course will require extensive reading, interaction with your classmates, tests and a final investigative project. |