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STUDIES OF RELIGION PRELIMINARY COURSE
FOUNDATION STUDY 1: THE NATURE OF RELIGION
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF RELIGION
Students learn about the characteristics o a religious response to the human
search for meaning in life through the beliefs and social structures of religions,
including –
 Sacred sites.
 Sacred stories and writings.
 Sacred symbols.
 Ethics.
 Rituals.
 Sacred times.
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
Canon
A list of books that have been officially declared sacred.
In groups of three, devise your own religion according to your individual surroundings.
Requirements

1 page of notes, definitions, names, god(s), ceremonies, background, setting to be handed in.

3-4 minute talk to class, plus be prepared to answer questions.
Choices
1.
Island – size of Tasmania, near large active volcano, good vegetation, poor fishing.
2.
Desert – like the Simpson Desert in Australia, little water, minimal vegetation.
3.
Seaside – like east coast of Australia, mountains behind you, unknown other side.
4.
Mountains – like the jungle of PNG, humid climate, dense forests.
5.
Barren island – minimal vegetation, good fishing.
Questions to Consider
1.
How many gods do you worship?
2.
How do you worship? If at all?
3.
How do you celebrate feasts/marriage/birth/death?
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4.
Symbols? Sacred sites? Sacred times?
5.
What are your ethics/moral code?
6.
What are your beliefs?
7.
How do you communicate with your god(s)?
8.
Think of your life today and all the religious events/rituals.
9.
Do you have sacrifices?
10. How do you know if your god(s) are happy/upset with you?
11. Do you have any rituals?
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Description of location
Symbols, sacred sites, sacred times
Do you worship? If so how?
How many gods do you worship? Names.
What are your
ethics/moral code?
Do you have sacrifices?
How do you know if your god(s) are
happy/upset with you?
How do you communicate
with you god(s)?
How do you celebrate feasts, marriage, birth,
death?
Do you have any rituals?
What are your beliefs?
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Characteristics of Religion
Transfer the eight characteristics common to all religions to the wheel below:
Beliefs
Any religion has a very complex system of beliefs:

Beliefs about gods (or one single god), spirits (or forces beyond the natural), angels, demons, ancestors, and
so on.

Beliefs about human nature and the natural world (its origins and destiny). All religions have specific
beliefs about what human beings are, what their relationship is with the world of the unseen spiritual
beings, with each other and with the world of nature. They also have specific beliefs about the world of
nature. They may see things like rivers and mountains – and even ants – as sacred, or they may see them as
more or less secular (non-sacred).

Beliefs about the way the whole universe is structured. For some there is a world ‘above’, which is the
world of the gods and spiritual beings; ‘this world’, which is the world of human beings and nature; and a
world ‘below’, which is a world of evil or dangerous spirits. This pattern is by no means true of all
religions.

Beliefs about life, the meaning and purpose of human life, and the proper morality which should be
attached to it.
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
Beliefs in very important or sacred people from the past of the religious tradition. Often these are the
founders of the religions, or people closely linked to the founders. In some religions these people are seen
as human beings who have been specially inspired or who have reached the highest possible spiritual state.
In others, they are gods who have taken human form.

Beliefs about salvation and how human beings go about getting in tune whatever they see as their centre of
their belief system. The centre may be some spiritual being, their own true selves, or nature. Through this,
the believers find release from whatever it is that holds them captive.
Sacred Stories
Religions express their beliefs in abstract statements or creeds. An example would be: “There is no God by
Allah and Muhammad is His prophet.” The Catholic Creed is another example: “We believe in one God, the
Father the Almighty…” These beliefs are also expressed in stories, which are a very common feature of all
religions. There are different types of sacred stories:

Myths are stories which a set in the beginning, at the time when the world was not the way it is now and
deal with questions of origin and creation.

Legends are stories about sacred or important persons in the history of a religious tradition.

Parables are stories that have layers of meaning. For example in the parable about the bad tenants who
killed the owner’s servants and finally his son, the tenants are the Israelites, the servants are the prophets,
the son is Jesus and the owner is God the Father.
Sacred Texts
Sacred texts may include writings that are believed to be actual copies of the words of God, or they may be
considered as words written down by people inspired by God. Finally they may simply be words considered to
be holy, devout and wise. These texts are known as canonical texts. In addition to these most sacred canonical
texts, there may be other writings that are also very important in the tradition and that may sometimes carry
almost the same authority.
Rituals
A ritual is a prescribed pattern of religious behaviour. Rituals contain definite structures and use symbols
to make them work.

Rites of passage are rituals which move people from one state to another (for example single to married).

Rites of communication are rituals which bring about communication between people and their gods, spirits
or the other world.

Rites of demarcation are rituals which establish some space, person, animal or object as holy.

Rites of memorial are rituals which make present special moments of the past.

Rites of cleansing are rituals which restore people to an original state of innocence.
Behind any ritual lie a wealth of stories and beliefs.
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Sacred symbols
All religions have their symbols. They attempt to capture in visual form something that is important or central
to the tradition. They are a sort of visual summary of the whole religion.
Social Structures
Social structures include:

Sacred time – whenever a religious community gathers to participate in religious activity.

Sacred space – where a religious community gathers to participate in religious activity.

Sacred persons – past and present. Sacred persons of the past are those legendary heroes, founders and
saints who are instrumental to the religion’s history and tradition. Characters, such as Jesus, Buddha,
Muhammad and Moses are typical of such sacred persons. As well, there are sacred persons of the present,
priests, ministers, rabbis imams, and so on.
For sacred space and time there is also a past and a present dimension. For the Anzac tradition, for
example, there is the sacred time of the past, April 25, 1915, the timing of the Gallipoli event. There is also a
sacred time in the present in the form of April 25 each year. The sacred space of the past is the actual place
called Gallipoli and everything that meant to the Anzac tradition. The sacred space of the present is the site of
the march each year and especially the cenotaph.
Similarly, the Christian communion ritual has a sacred time and space dimension. Sacred time of the past is
the time of the original death and resurrection of Jesus. Sacred time of the present is whenever a Christian
community gathers to commemorate this event. Sacred space of the past is the holy land, especially Jerusalem,
where the events were played out. Sacred space of the present is the Church, or wherever a place is set aside to
commemorate the event.
Religious Ethics
All religions have some sort of code of approved moral conduct. This code may be derived through sacred
texts, doctrines or traditional leadership. What is regarded as morally good or morally evil is not the same in al
religions; neither are the same values emphasized in all religions. Some may approve of the practice of having
more than one wife; others absolutely forbid such a practice.
Experience
When a person participates in a ritual, knows the underlying story, holds to the underpinning beliefs, is
conscious of sacred time and space and relies on the effectiveness of sacred persons, he or she is open to a
religious experience.
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1.
Work in groups of three.
2.
Construct a cross-word-puzzle that requires definition of the following terms:
(a) Ritual
(b) (Rites of) passage
(c) (Rites of) communication
(d) (Rites of) demarcation
(e) (Rites of) memorial
(f) (Rites of) cleansing
(g) Symbols
(h) (Sacred) stories
(i) Beliefs
(j) (Sacred) time
(k) (Sacred) space
(l) (Sacred) persons
(m) (Religious) experience
(n) (Sacred) texts
(o) Ethics
3.
Swap your cross-word-puzzle with another group.
4.
Organise a competition to complete the cross-word-puzzle assigned to your group. Prizes for
the group that completes the cross-word-puzzle in the shortest time, and for the group that
constructed that cross-word puzzle.
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Cross Word
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Examples of Characteristics of Religion
Refer to the table of symbols and definitions to draw the main symbol of each of the major religious
traditions, and to explain the meaning of the terms listed.
Symbols
Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Akhirah: Muslim belief in life after death.
Bible: The sacred book of Christians consisting of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.
Brahma: The creator of the world.
Dharma: The sacred law of doing right.
Dukkha: Suffering (the First Noble Truth).
Eucharist: Ritual of thanksgiving that remembers the Last Supper, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Hadith: The recorded tradition of what the prophet Muhammad said and did.
Incarnation: The belief that in Jesus Christ God became man.
Mitzvot: The commandments of the Torah.
Mosque: A Muslim place of worship.
Pali Canon: The sacred writings of Buddhism.
Parable: Story told by Jesus which compared spiritual truths with everyday realities.
Patimokha: 227 strict rules of morality.
Pesach: The Passover festival, remembering the night in ancient exile when the angel of death spared the Jewish
people.
Pope: The elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Qur’an: The sacred book of Islam, believed to be the infallible word of Allah spoken directly to Muhammad.
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Raja Yoga: The way of meditation.
Rakat: A round of ritual prayer in Islam.
Reincarnation: The doctrine of the rebirth of souls.
Schacharit: Morning prayer.
Shari’a: The law of Islam, a religious and moral code that covers all aspects of life.
Shema: The section in the Torah which declares the essential Jewish beliefs that God exists and is one.
Siddhartha Gautama: The man, upon enlightenment, became the Buddha.
Siddur: A book of prayers.
Social justice: The obligation of individuals and groups to apply the gospel to systems, structures and
institutions in society.
Sutra: The sayings of the Buddha.
Tenach: The Hebrew Bible.
Upanishad: The writings of Hindu gurus between 800 BCE to 300 BCE.
Veda: The body of sacred knowledge held to be the basis of true belief and practice among Hindus.
Vesak: Festival celebrating Buddha’s birth.
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Examples of the Characteristics of Buddhism
Main symbol
Wheel representing the Noble Eightfold Path:
Belief
Life is Dukkha:
Sacred story
Sutra:
Ethics
Patimokha:
Ritual
Vesak:
Social structure
Siddhartha Gautama:
Sacred text
Pali Canon:
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Examples of the Characteristics of Christianity
Main symbol
Cross:
Belief
Incarnation:
Sacred story
Parable:
Ethics
Social justice:
Ritual
Eucharist:
Social structure
Pope:
Sacred text
Bible:
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Examples of the Characteristics of Hinduism
Main symbol
Sacred syllable Om:
Belief
Reincarnation:
Sacred story
Upanishad:
Ethics
Dharma:
Ritual
Raja Yoga:
Social structure
Brahma:
Sacred text
Veda:
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Examples of the Characteristics of Islam
Main symbol
Crescent moon and star:
Belief
Akhirah:
Sacred story
Hadith:
Ethics
Shari’a:
Ritual
Rakat:
Social structure
Mosque:
Sacred text
Qur’an:
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Examples of the Characteristics of Judaism
Main symbol
Magen David:
Belief
Shema:
Sacred story
Siddur:
Ethics
Mitzvot:
Ritual
Pesach:
Social structure
Schacharit:
Sacred text
Tenach
References
Board of Studies. (1999). Stage 6 syllabus: studies of religion. Sydney: Board of Studies New South Wales.
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Fleming, L. (1998). Studies of religion. Glebe: Pascal Press.
Kelly, M. (2000). The nature of religion. In D. Parnham (Ed.), Exploring religion (pp. 3-20). South
Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Lovat, T., & McGrath, J. (Eds.). (1999). New studies in religion. Katoomba: Social Science Press.
Morrissey, J., Mudge, P., Taylor, A., Bailey, G., Gregor, H., McGillion, C., O'Reilly, P., Magee, P., &
Mills, L. (2001). Living religion (2nd ed.). Sydney: Longman.
©
Emmaus Publications (2003). Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge all materials used.
This material may be photocopied for educational use only.