Religion unites and divides the globe. In this Virtual Exploration we will explore religious diversity around the world, religion's social basis, and attempts to create online environments facilitating religious practice and experience.
Adherents.Com [http://www.adherents.com/] is a useful starting point for using the web to survey religion around the world. There is a tremendous amount of information at this easy-to-use website. Click on List of World's Major Religions to access a page with both a list of the number of adherents of the major religions and a pie chart showing their relative proportions.
1-2. According to this webpage, there are roughly Christians around the world who collectively make up about percent of the world's population. 3-4. There are roughly Muslims, who collectively make up about percent of the world's population.
1-2. According to this webpage, there are roughly Christians around the world who collectively make up about percent of the world's population.
3-4. There are roughly Muslims, who collectively make up about percent of the world's population.
Go back to the main Adherents.Com page and click on Major Branches of Major World Religions. Scroll down to find the following information.
5. What are the two major branches of Buddhism? and 6. Roughly what proportion of Christians are Catholic?
5. What are the two major branches of Buddhism? and
6. Roughly what proportion of Christians are Catholic?
Go back to the main Adherents.Com page and click on Largest Religious Groups in the U.S. Scroll down to find the following information.
7. What religious body has the largest number of churches in the U.S.?
Close the Largest Religious Groups window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
Another, somewhat more academic, site on world religions that is easy to navigate is maintained by Prof. Mahlon Smith at Rutgers University: Virtual Religion Index [http://religion.rutgers.edu/vri/index.html]. Click on Siddartha Gautama, then The Historical Siddartha to the following questions.
8. What was the name of the historical person who is known to us today as the Buddha and when was he born?
Close the Siddhartha window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
Let's go now to a website on Jewish Communities of the World [http://www.haruth.com/JewsoftheWorld.html]. Click on World Jewish Population Chart.
9. What is the estimated population of the Jewish communities around the world? 10. How many of these live in Israel and the United States?
9. What is the estimated population of the Jewish communities around the world?
10. How many of these live in Israel and the United States?
Close the Virtual Jerusalem window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
Let's now turn to Academic Info's Religion in America page [http://www.academicinfo.net/amrelig.html], which offers a broad range of nicely-annotated links. Scroll down and click on Divining America: Religion and the National Culture then 20th Century. Look over the topics covered, which are aimed at assisting teachers. Click on Islam in America.
11. Who were the first Muslims to come to the U.S. and when did they come? 12. In what part of the U.S. did African American Islam develop and grow? What is a possible explanation for that? Briefly respond to these two questions in the textbox below.
11. Who were the first Muslims to come to the U.S. and when did they come?
12. In what part of the U.S. did African American Islam develop and grow? What is a possible explanation for that? Briefly respond to these two questions in the textbox below.
Close the Islam in America window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
The Religious Movements website, maintained by sociologist Jeffrey Hadden at the University of Virginia, offers much food for thought about "new" religious movements, often labeled sects or cults. Start by reading through the Prof. Hadden's Mission Statement [http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/welcome/mission.htm] and answer the following questions.
13. Does Professor Hadden agree with the theory of secularization, which predicts the inevitable decline of religion? 14. Why does Professor Hadden think it is interesting to study new religious movements, even if they are often denigrated by people as "sects" and "cults"?
13. Does Professor Hadden agree with the theory of secularization, which predicts the inevitable decline of religion?
14. Why does Professor Hadden think it is interesting to study new religious movements, even if they are often denigrated by people as "sects" and "cults"?
Now click on Group Profiles, Links and Info on the image at the top of the page. Prof. Hadden's students have put together descriptive profiles of a wide range of contemporary religious movements. Click on Alphabetic Listing. As you scroll down, click first on Aum Shinrikyo.
15. Aum Shinrikyo drew world attention in the aftermath of the events of March 20, 1995. What happened then?
Return to the alphabetic list of group profiles, and scrolling down and click on Jehovah's Witnesses. Skim through the profile to answer the following two questions.
16. In how many countries are there members of Jehovah's Witnesses? 17. It is often said that 11:00 Sunday is the week's most segregated hour in the United States. Does the Jehovah's Witnesses reflect the tendency of many religious congregations to be racially exclusive? Discuss briefly in the text box below.
16. In how many countries are there members of Jehovah's Witnesses?
17. It is often said that 11:00 Sunday is the week's most segregated hour in the United States. Does the Jehovah's Witnesses reflect the tendency of many religious congregations to be racially exclusive? Discuss briefly in the text box below.
Close the Religious Movements window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
Sociologists are interested in both how specific social experiences give rise to particular religious beliefs and behavior and in how religious affiliation and belief affect attitudes and behavior in other spheres of social life. The Gallup Organization [http://www.gallup.com/] conducts frequent polls that touch on both of these sets of issues. Search the Gallup website by entering "religion" into the search box, and you will get a set of links to survey findings that relate to religion.
18. Explore some of the links and summarize the most interesting finding you found in the textbox below.
Close the Gallup window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
The relationship between religion and politics is a contentious issue around the world. The United States has a long tradition of the separation of church and state, but the issue of what that separation entails remains a source of controversy. Take the Freedom of Religion Quiz at the NOW With Bill Moyers website [http://www.pbs.org/now/quiz/quiz2.html] and then read and reflect on the answers after you submit your answers.
19. How do you feel about the current official interpretation of the separation of church and state, as described in the quiz answers? Do you basically agree or do you have an alternative view? Discuss briefly in the textbox below.
Close the NOW window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
Another interesting website that addresses the relationship between religion and politics is the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life [http://pewforum.org/]. Choose one of the “highlights” on the homepage or one of the links on the Religion News page.
20. Summarize and discuss its significance for understanding religion and politics in the textbox below.
Close the window and return to the Religion Virtual Exploration.
We have explored several websites where a variety of types of information about religious around the globe can be located. We have looked at the complex border between established religions and sects and cults, and why the study of new religious movements is particularly interesting from a sociological point of view. Using Gallup data, the relationship between social experience and religious perceptions and attitudes has been explored. Finally, we have explored some aspects of the complex relationship between religion and politics.
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