World Religions

HRT3M1-06 Chapter 1: The Religious Impulse

Name: Jasmine De Leon

Due Date: Thursday, September 26, 2013 Teacher: Father Delany

Check Your Understanding, p.6

1. Why is Canada a good place to encounter the religions of the world? Canada is a good place to encounter the religions of the world because Canada is a very diverse city with people immigrating from different countries and such. People in Canada are very friendly, thus making it easier for others to practise their religion in this country. Not only is Canada friendly, but a diverse country, therefore making it the platform to interact with the worlds major religious traditions. In addition, the United Nations has declared Canada the most multi-cultural society and Toronto the worlds most multi-cultural city, proving my point that Canada is a good place to encounter the religions of the world.

2. What is the meaning of the phrase religious impulse? In the textbook, Exploring World Religions: The Canadian Perspective, it defines this phrase as the universal urge to believe in something beyond ourselves. In other words, one may have a desire to believe in a power that is higher than us; they have an instinct to worship something.

Check Your Understanding, p. 13

1. Identify five common features of religions. Five common features of religions are a belief in the existence of a soul, a collection of sacred writings or scriptures, organized institutions, a strong sense of family and community based on rituals and festivals that represent and celebrate shared beliefs and practices, and a system of ethics that offers a guide to moral behaviour.

3. What is the essential difference between religion and ethics? The essential difference between religion and ethics is that religion is who or what you believe created the world and everything in it and you also praise and worship the person who you believe in for everything they have done for you and others. In addition, you do things a certain way because you believe that its the right way according to God. Ethics is the search for good judgement about how to act or behave. It is something that tells you what is right or wrong. Ethics also means the studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct.

Check Your Understanding, p. 20

1. Carefully explain the difference between ethnicity and religion. The difference between ethnicity and religion is that religion involves beliefs, rituals, and practises, and ethnicity refers to an individuals origin, race, or culture but not their

religion. For example, there are South Asians who are Christians, and there are North Americans that are from different cultural backgrounds who are Buddhists. One cannot assume an individuals religion just by their look, but by getting to know them personally. It is important to know that belief and practise are the key elements in determining religious devotion, not ethnicity.

Check Your Understanding, p. 22

1. How is religious freedom protected in Canada? Religious freedom is protected in Canada because since religion is a personal, not a political matter or a federal responsibility, Canadians are free to follow and celebrate any religious traditions they choose and are free to not be religious or not to study any religion. In The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, this freedom of religion is seen, as shown in these brief excerpts: freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.