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Oldest religions in the world : a cultural aproach
20
Oldest religions in the world
Who we are?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT RELIGIONS ARE THE OLDEST? COUNTRIES? CULTURES? LANGUAGES??
Let's explore
Stereotypes and imaginary
-What stereotype do you consider is the most common for religions?
- Do you consider religions as a reflection of cultures?
- What is the strongest imaginary you got about faith worldwide?.
Break down your stereotypes
Let's discuss about that!
The basics
What’s important to understand is that tracing the origin and emergence of religion can vary dramatically depending on the point of reference. Most of what we know about the oldest religions of the world today are based on suppositions, archaeological records, and other sources that are subject to debate. It is natural to be curious about the inception of religion as we know it, as well as which religions have shaped the human experience into what it is today.
We’ve listed some of the oldest religions in the world based on common scholarly beliefs. Each faith has its own outlook on the human condition and each one has different practices. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic. Hinduism provides space for the worship of numerous, powerful gods and goddesses. Buddhism and Daoism also permit the existence of multiple divine beings in various incarnations.
Beyond the content
Your reading analysis
After seeing the text, what type of questions came to your mind related to the following?:
1. Main ideas.
2. Paragraph distribution.
3. Key characters.
4. Culture, languages, countries that are mentioned.
5. Information about beliefs, faith, origins.
6. How can you understand and explain in simple words the previous text?.
Beyond the content
Reading Tips
Remember the following advices when you explore a text or information in English for the first time:
a. Check connectors, grammar and words that are familiar in meanings to you.
b. Verify how many paragraphs and lines the information have.
c. Identify the type of text (argumentative, expository, informative...)
d. Notice the format (formal vs. informal)
e. Key characters (names, countries, languages, numbers, adjectives)
f. Check the tone (sad, happy, neutral...)
Geography & religion
- Have you ever asked yourself how religions and believes have influenced culture and geography?.
- Let's check together the following map and place the religions where you think they go, give arguments to support your choices.
Worldwide religions
Worldwide religions
observation
Take a deep look
Let's discuss
- What makes interesting the information that we got on this chart?.
- Why India has a different approach from the Asian countries?. Explain the reasons.
-What tendency can we identify in Africa? And Latin America? .
- From your perspective what makes relevant the Atheist or Agnostics in in China? .
Modern tendencies
- What makes interesting the information that we got on this chart?.
- Why India has a different approach from the Asian countries?. Explain the reasons.
-What tendency can we identify in Africa? And Latin America? .
- From your perspective what makes relevant the Atheist or Agnostics in in China? .
The oldest religions worldwide
Zoroastrianism
Initial insights
What is the first idea that comes to your mind as soon you see this map?
What do you know about those cultures?
In western society why the Middle East is a taboo of old religions?.
Zoroastrianism
The ancient Indo-Iranian religion (known to natives as Mazdayasna) – said to date back to the 2nd millennium BCE – emerged in its current version from the teachings of the reforming prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who historians contend lived at some point between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE.
Extremely influential over the development of the Abrahamic tradition, it was the state religion of various Persian empires until the Muslim conquest of the 7th century CE, and survives in parts of Iran, India, and Iraq to this day, reportedly followed by some 200,000 people.
Zoroastrianism
After reading and seeing the generalities about Zoroastrianism, use past tense to describe what catch you attention from both the text and the videos.
Remember to include adjectives, nouns and include at least 10 sentences using past tense.
If you had to summarize or classify the main information what narrative structure will you use? Would you like to try it ?.
Zoroastrianism for the public
Choose one option about the type of format and information you would choose if you had to talk with a particular public about Zoroastrianism?.
Podcast
Video
TV series
Animation
How to share information in English: tips
Always ask yourself five questions: What? Why? How? Who? When?. For communicating any type of logical idea always follow that structure in order to set up a clear, coherent and complex position. Let's practice with a simple plot.
Video
Podcast
Animation
TV series
Yazdânism
Yazdânism
Three particular Kurdish religious variants (practiced among the Yazidis, Goran, and Ishik Alevis), grouped together under the umbrella neologism Yazdânism (Cult of Angels), have evolved from a mix of Islam and a Hurrian precursor to the Zoroastrian faith.
They reconcile the existence of Abrahamic prophets with a doctrine of reincarnation, and the belief that the world is defended from evil by seven ‘angels’.
Practical exercise
Imagine an audience that has no idea either about Kurdish region, religion or culture. Explain them how their system or belief has a close connection with other well-known religions? For example Catholicism?.
Execute a monologue of 3 minutes maximum. If you don’t have a particular clue about that culture, share your stereotypes from them in general and we will discuss briefly. Remember to include on your discourse: determiners and quantifiers (this, my, a few, a lot of), nouns, possessives.
Jainism
Jainism
Once a dominant religion on the Indian subcontinent (before the rise of reform Hinduism in the 7th century CE), Jainism has fairly obscure origins.
Its followers believe in the tirthankaras, omniscient preachers of the Jain path, whose defining characteristics are marked by asceticism and self-discipline.
The last two tirthankaras are known historical figures: Parshvanatha (8th century BCE) and Mahavira (599 – 527 BCE). Yet archeological evidence proving the existence of Jainism only dates back to the second century BCE. Jains are said to number six to seven million worldwide.
Behind India
- After seen an exploring the previous text and video we just saw. What kind of new ideas, thoughts or opinions - came to your mind?.
- What did you knew about India? its culture? its multicultural traditions?
- Did you got any stereotype about that region?
- When you saw the video, what was the first thought it came to your mind?
How the Jains understand the universe? Can you please explain it?
How you please provide and explanation about the interpretation they have about the concept of a ‘souls’?
What is ‘Moksha’?
Which are the five vows to achieve ‘Moksha’?
In what aspects the ‘Hindus’ and the ‘Jains’ are similar?
Confucianism
Confucianism
This is not a religion. If, like Buddhism, Confucianism must invariably be traced to one man – in this case, the Chinese politician, teacher, and philosopher Confucius (551 – 479 BCE) – it is worth noting that he himself maintained he was part of a scholarly tradition dating back to an earlier golden age.
Though the most humanistic and least spiritual creed on this list, Confucianism does provide for a supernatural worldview (it incorporates Heaven, the Lord on High, and divination) influenced by Chinese folk tradition.
Title
Philosophy vs. Formal religion
If you had to establish your own definition about philosophy and religion what arguments and graphical examples will you choose to set up your position?. Provide 5 arguments with pop culture examples to illustrate your ideas. Be creative, precise and context oriented.
Shintoism
Shintoism is a direct descendant of the animistic folk religion of the Yayoi, whose culture spread from the north of Kyushu to the rest of Japan from the 3rd century BCE onward.
Today, the faith is a unified account of ancient Japanese mythology, marked strongly by Buddhist influences, and followed by the vast majority of the country’s population (though only a small minority identify it as an organized religion).
Title
In deep! Let's discuss
What aspects catch your attention?
What information was new for you?
What sequences of ideas were mandatory to follow the key rituals?
If you had to classify generalities + more detail information how would you accomplished that? Can you tried?
How do we encounter this religion on pop/ culture- animation ?
Why it is not well discussed?