The Book
This book guides students to complete Unit 1 in the revised Victorian Certificate of Education Study Religion and Society. It closely follows the Outcomes and Areas of Study of the revised unit, developing its teaching and learning sequence around the three areas of study of A brief overview of religious traditions, The diversity of religious communities in Australia and Religious identity and life experience.
The book systematically introduces students to the content proposed in the study design, and provides a wide range of activities through which they may engage critically with this content.
As the title suggests, it is intended to introduce students to the diverse world of religions.
They will encounter many religions as they use the book, from Australian indigenous religions, to the religions of the ancient world and the religions that have made Australia a multi-religious nation since the middle of the twentieth century.
The authors hope that as the students use the book they may not only be enabled to successfully complete the unit Religion in Society (Unit 1), but that they may also grow in their understanding and appreciation of the diversity of religions in their schools, neighbourhoods and the global world.
Throughout the book there are many suggestions given for assessment tasks through which students may demonstrate their mastery of the unit outcomes.
The Authors
Associate Professor Kath Engebretson is
a lecturer, researcher, writer and doctoral
supervisor in the School of Religious Education
at Australian Catholic University. Her current
research interests are inter-faith education,
the role of the Catholic school in relation to
the local Church community, professional
standards for teachers of religious education,
and freedom of religion in relation to religiously
affiliated schools. She is widely published both
nationally and internationally, and along with
colleagues from Australian Catholic University
and overseas she is one of the editors of the
International Handbook on the Religious Spiritual
and Moral Dimensions of Education as well
as the forthcoming International Handbook
of Inter-Religious Education. Her three most
recent books are: In Your Shoes: Inter-Faith
Education for Australian Religious Educators
(2009); Cornerstones of Catholic Secondary
Religious Education. Principles and Practice of
the New Evangelization (2008, with Marian De
Souza, Michael Buchanan and Richard Rymarz),
and Connecting: teenage boys, spirituality and
religious education (2007).
Marie Bagh (BA, Dip Ed.) is an experienced teacher of Religious Education and has worked extensively on curriculum for the Religious Education programs in a Victorian Catholic Secondary School as a Religious Education Coordinator (Years 10–12). She has always had a particular interest in religious and cultural diversity, with a keen interest in the religions of Islam and Hinduism and is especially curious about smaller religious sects in the Australian community. Marie feels that without providing young people with studies in the area of religious and cultural diversity these may become lost in the religious and cultural mix. Therefore, her goal as a teacher and writer is to provide young people with opportunities for critical inquiry into religious diversity to help them enhance their personal, community and global relationships.
Contents
Chapter 1: Spirituality and religion
1. What is spirituality?
2. Experiences of spirituality
3. Expressing spirituality through religions
4. When did religion begin?
5. How can we explain religions?
a) Religion as magic
b) Religion as animism
c) Freud and religion as neurosis
d) Religion as social
e) Religion as the Sacred
6. The five major world religions
7. Differences within religions
8. Why study religion?
Chapter 2: What’s the verdict? Are religions good or bad for the world?
1. Does religion lead to violence?
2. What were the Crusades?
3. What was the Spanish Inquisition?
4. Jihad
5. The problem of religious fanaticism
6. The golden rule
7. Dr Sakeena Yacoobi
8. The St Vincent de Paul Society
9. Contributing to the life of the community in Victoria: The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV)
Chapter 3: Introduction to the eight aspects of religions
1. Being connected to a group
2. Social Networking Group: Facebook
3. Being connected to a religious group
4. The eight aspects of religions
Chapter 4: Eight aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism
1. Beliefs in Hinduism: gods and goddesses
2. Ritual in Hinduism: Puja
3. The puja ritual process in the household
4. Symbols in Hinduism
5. Sacred Texts of Hinduism
6. Myths in Hinduism: creation myths
7. Hindu ethical principles and codes of behaviour – Dharma
8. Religious Experience and Spirituality in Hinduism
9. Spirituality in Hinduism
10. Social structure and organization in Hinduism
11. Who was the Buddha?
12. Beliefs in Buddhism
13. Rituals in Buddhism
14. Symbols in Buddhism
15. Sacred texts and religious writings of Buddhism
16. Myths and stories in Buddhism - The Buddhist Jataka Tales
17. Ethical principles and codes of behaviour: The Noble Eightfold Path
18. Religious experience and spirituality in Buddhism
19. Social Structure in Buddhism: Buddhist Monks and Lay Buddhists
Chapter 5: Eight aspects of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
1. Origins of Judaism
2. Beliefs in Judaism
3. Rituals in Judaism
4. Myths and stories in Judaism
5. Ethical principles and codes of behaviour in Judaism
6. Religious experience and spirituality in Judaism
7. Jewish social structure
8. Beliefs within Christianity
9. Rituals in Christianity
10. Symbols in Christianity
11. Social structure in Christianity
12. Sacred texts and religious writings in Christianity
13. Myths and sacred stories in Christianity
14. Ethical principles and codes of behaviour in Christianity
15. Religious experience and spirituality in Christianity
16. Social structure in Christianity
17. Beliefs in Islam
18. Rituals in Islam
19. Symbols in Islam
20. Islamic sacred texts and religious writings
21. Myths and stories in Islam
22. Ethical principles and codes of behaviour in Islam
23. Religious experience and spirituality in Islam
24. Social structure in Islam Assessment Tasks for Outcome One
Chapter 6: Overview of religions: Abrahamic, East Asian and Indian
1. Distribution of religions in the world
2. The Abrahamic religions.
a) Judaism
b) Christianity
c) Islam
3. East Asian religions
a) Confucianism
b) Shinto
c) Taoism
4. Indian religions
a) Hinduism
b) Buddhism
c) Sikhism
d) Jainism
5. Time-line of world religions
Chapter 7: Religions in the Ancient Near East
1. Aspects of ancient Egyptian religions
2. The religion of ancient Sumer
3. Canaanite religion
Chapter 8: A history of religions in Australia
1. A multi-religious nation
2. Two groups of indigenous Australians
3. Aspects of Australian indigenous religions
4. Indigenous people, the land and social organization
5. The Christianization of indigenous Australians
6. Christianity in the first two centuries of European settlement
7. Early Jewish migration to Australia
8. Post war immigration
9. Religions other than Christianity in Australia
10. Small portraits of some interesting religious groups in Australia
Chapter 9: Religions of the South Pacific
1. Melanesian religions
2. Polynesian religions
Assessment Tasks for Outcome Two
Chapter 10: Religion and life experience
Five case studies of people within their religions
Assessment Tasks for Outcome Three
Six Appendices
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A World of Diversity