A Global View
WORLD RELIGIONS AND ETHICAL
SYSTEMS
I. BELIEF SYSTEMS
GENERALLY
Humans have always expressed a need to
understand natural phenomenon and to
answer questions regarding their way of life and
what happens once they die
 These needs resulted in the development of a
variety of belief systems and philosophies that
can be found throughout the world today
 Religion can be defined as an organized system
of beliefs, ceremonies, practices, worship that
centers on one or more gods

BIRTH OF RELIGION
Some prehistoric finds suggest that religion of
some sort have been a part of mankind since
the very beginning
 Early religions probably reflected human
relationship to nature
 Religions also reflected human need to explain
natural phenomena that are not understood –
the supernatural
 Religious belief is often encouraged by rulers
who claim the force of supernatural authority

RELIGION AND BEHAVIOR
A common factor in religions is the idea that
the god or gods have an interest in the behavior
of humans and their judgment of it right or
wrong
 From this follows the idea that a deity is to be
obeyed, or at least pleased, or retribution will
follow
 Morality is often seen as standards set by the
god or gods

ANIMISM
Animism (from Latin anima, (soul, life)) is a
philosophical, religious or spiritual idea that
souls or spirits exist not only in humans but
also in other animals, plants, rocks, natural
phenomena, and geographic features
 Animism is a belief held in many religions
around the world, and is not, as some have
stated, a type of religion in itself
 Animism is a belief that is found in several
religions

POLYTHEISM
Religion can be defined as a code of belief or
philosophy that often involves the worship of a
god or gods
 Many of the religions of the early civilizations
like those of Sumeria, Babylon, and Egypt were
polytheistic – involving the worship of many
gods and goddesses
 Each god or goddess had their own mythology
and ritual

MONOTHEISM
Monotheism (belief in existence of single deity)
gradually developed from ideas that one could
consistently worship a single deity while
accepting possible existence of other gods
 Often cities had a patron deity and worship of
that god was most important
 Monotheism guides the modern religions of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
The Greeks were the first to encourage people
to turn their attention from the outside world to
the condition of man
 Philosophy is a system of thought devoted to
the examination of ideas such as truth,
existence, reality, causality, religion, and
freedom
 Philosophical questions are the foundation of
some Asian belief systems that stress order
and structure in society or finding harmony in
nature

ETHICAL SYSTEMS OF BELIEF
Ethical systems of belief seek to address
questions about morality, how moral values
should be determined, how a moral outcome
can be achieved, and what moral values people
actually abide by
 Though probably not true religions, ethical
systems of belief provide much of the same
function as religion for many others
 Confucianism is one of the best-known ethical
system

A GLOBAL VIEW
Animism forms a core belief for many of the
religions of Africa, Latin America, the
Caribbean, Australia, and New Zealand
 Polytheism is best reflected in the ancient
religions of Greece and Rome although
Hinduism exhibits qualities of polytheism
 Not all belief systems involve the worship of a
deity (Buddhism)

RELIGION AND WORLD HISTORY
Religion continues to be a dominant force
throughout the world, affecting everything from
what people wear to how they behave
 Religion has a significant effect of world history
 Throughout the centuries, religion has guided
the beliefs and actions of millions around the
world
 Religion is a force that brings people together
or tears them apart

II. FIVE WORLD RELIGIONS
RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
Although there are thousands of religions
around the world, more people are followers of
five of these religions than any other
 We will concentrate on the characteristics of
these religions that make these five similar and
unique
 We will also examine the various subgroups
within each religion and look at the current
state of each

The Big
Five
•Hinduism
•Buddhism
•Judaism
•Christianity
•Islam
LINK TO HISTORY
Remember that religious and ethical systems
are one of the themes we can use to help in
our study of world history
 We will look at each religion in its historical
context and see how religion has shaped world
history
 We’ll begin with Hinduism (one of the oldest
religions still practiced) and end with
Christianity (the religion of the Roman Empire
at the time of its collapse)

RELIGION AROUND THE WORLD

World Population: 6.2 billion
Look at pages
282-283 in your
textbooks
Judaism
Buddhism
Hiduism
Christianity
Islam
Nonreligious
Other
What is the percentage of the total population that are
members of the listed groups?
RELIGION AROUND THE WORLD

Using the map and graph on p.p. 282-283
answer the following questions
1. What religion accounts for the highest percentage of
the total population in India?
2. What religion dominates Israel?
3. Latin America, North America, and Europe are
dominated by which religion?
4. Which area has the highest percentage of Muslims?
5. Which area of the world has the largest percentage of
Buddhists in the world?
6. Why does China have the highest number of
“Nonreligious and Other” ?