Impact on Individuals and Society

Question 1

give examples of public and private rituals from the five major world religions?

Answer 1

1. Christianity:
   
   • Public Ritual: Sunday worship services,
   • Private Ritual: Personal prayer
2. Islam:
   
   • Public Ritual: Friday congregational prayers
   • Private Ritual: Salat, the ritual prayer performed five times a day
3. Hinduism:
   
   • Public Ritual: Aarti: offering of light to deities,
   • Private Ritual: Puja, a personal act of worship performed by individuals at home
4. Buddhism:
   
   • Public Ritual: Vesak: Buddha Day - commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha
   • Private Ritual: Meditation: conducted privately, allowing individuals to cultivate mindfulness
5. Judaism:
   
   • Public Ritual: Passover Seder, a ceremonial meal and retelling of the Exodus story
   • Private Ritual: Shabbat observance: private weekly ritual that takes place in Jewish homes to honor the Sabbath.

Question 2

What is spirituality?

Answer 2

Spirituality is a broad and multifaceted concept that refers to the inner, personal, and transcendent aspects of human experience.

It involves the exploration of questions about the meaning of life, the nature of existence, and the individual’s relationship with the universe, the divine, or a higher power.

While spirituality is often associated with religious practices, it can also exist independently of organized religion and is considered a deeply personal and subjective experience

Question 3

Explain importance of religion to individuals?

Answer 3

helps followers to focus on their present life …directing them towards the spiritual dimension – tbeyond their present reality and human experience.

provides a reason or purpose for life.

sense of belonging and identity in their community.

tradition

ethical framework to guide adherents’ responses to issues in life: how we interact with each other and our environment.

provide cultural interests and activities, influencing our music, architecture, literature and laws.

Question 4

Outline FOUR characteristics of religion that make
religion concrete and practical.

Answer 4

. rituals give meaning and purpose to everyday life.

• celebrate and mark significant events and times e.g. birth, adulthood, marriage and death.
• Religion offers comfort and solace in times of sorrow and tragedy.
• Religion provides a system of ethics for right behaviour.

Question 5

Outline how religion impacts individuals?

Answer 5

. a way of becoming a better person.
* ways of achieving inner peace.
* to address current issues and challenges.
* encouraging values such as justice, equality, compassion.
* Sometimes religion may make individuals resistant
to change and may reinforce stereotypes of race,
gender and sexuality in individuals !!

Question 6

Define religion and culture ?

Answer 6

Religion : system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and moral values that center around a transcendent or divine entity or entities… involves organized structures, traditions, and institutions that guide / shape the spiritual, moral, and ethical lives of its adherents.

Culture: shared patterns of beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, that characterize a particular group of people or society. It encompasses the way of life, social norms, traditions, language, arts, and institutions that are passed down from generation to generation within a community. Culture shapes the identity and practices of a group, influencing their perceptions, interactions, and expressions within a specific social, historical, and geographical context

Question 7

Outline how religion contributes to Society and culture?

Answer 7

• maintain order in society.
• The laws of many societies are based on
  religious ideals.
• stimulate change in society.
• challenges current thoughts and practices in society.
  *provide a system of checks and balances particularly in the area of scientific and medical research
  . also social welfare and education historically
  . BUT !!! been the cause of wars, conflict and
  violence in society.