The document discusses several topics related to religion including: 1. It discusses the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2001 and their denial of selling religious artifacts. 2. It presents arguments for why world history students should study world religions, including that global integration has challenged traditions and accelerated changes with consequences for people worldwide. 3. It provides an outline for a class mission statement about the importance of studying world religions.

1. It is conceivable for states to get together and have a United Nations but it is still inconceivable to have a United Religions Abraham Heschel “Losing My Religion” by REM

2. There may be nothing as powerful and nothing as destructive as religion....

3. Asia (the Indian sub-continent, China, and Japan)is richly diverse in its religions and philosophies. The picture to the left displays the Bamiyan Buddha, carved into a mountain in Afghanistan. It was unfortunately destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 because it is pre-Islam and seen as idolatry. The Taliban were accused of selling these type of artifacts; they denied this accusation. infonews.co.nz news.bbc.co.uk "We are idol breakers not idol sellers," Religion: Brotherhood of Man?

4. Why Should We Study Religion in a World History Class? Divide INB paper in half. Top Half: Brainstorm with a peer about religion, religious conflicts, tolerance, extremists, rights, etc. Create a mission statement about why we, as world history students, should care about world religions.

5. Why Should We Study Religion in a World History Class? Global integration has accelerated recently with enormous consequences for people all over the world. It has resulted in changes in traditional behavior and has challenged the adaptability of individuals, families, organizations, institutions, and nations. Wealth has been created and redistributed as economic, political, and social systems have striven to adapt. Governments have had to reassess their roles and responsibilities as the governing elites have worked to maintain their influence. The historic trend has had dramatic effect on the civilizations characterized generally as either Christian and Islamic.

6. Why Should We Study Religion in a World History Class? Global integration has accelerated recently with enormous consequences for people all over the world. It has resulted in changes in traditional behavior and has challenged the adaptability of individuals , families, organizations, institutions, and nations . Wealth has been created and redistributed as economic, political, and social systems have striven to adapt. Governments have had to reassess their roles and responsibilities as the governing elites have worked to maintain their influence . The historic trend has had dramatic effect on the civilizations characterized generally as either Christian and Islamic.

7. Why Should We Study Religion in a World History Class? Divide INB paper in half. Bottom Half: Class Mission Statement about why we should study world religions

8. The Basics 1. A map - label with the geographic areas of each listed world religion 2. Charts - make sure to fill in basic knowledge

9. Map of World Religions

10. The Basics uncommonthought.com

11. Monotheism refers to a religion that contains the belief that there is only one god. Polytheism is the belief that there are many gods. There are three main monotheistic religions existing in the world today and they share many of the same characteristics. Judaism , Christianity , and Islam have many commonalities in their foundation, religious doctrine, belief structure, and spiritual principles. In fact, the similarities far outweigh the differences, an interesting point when the numerous episodes of conflict are taken into account. The following chart offers comparisons and contrasts between the three major monotheistic religions. For the sake of clarification, the Christian religion is divided into Roman Catholic , Protestant , and Eastern Orthodox .

12. The Basics “ Heaven Help Us All” by Stevie Wonder

15. “ Sajda” by Rahat Fateh Khan and others

16. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? Women and Islam In the early days of Islam , women enjoyed more freedom than many Muslim women today. Women were protected by laws concerning such areas as inheritance, divorce, and property. Also, women and men were considered religiously equal, according to one interpretation of the Qu'ran , the Islamic holy book. As Islam spread from Arabia into Northern Africa, Southern Europe, and farther east into the Indian subcontinent, it began taking on cultural aspects of those areas, through the normal process of diffusion. Examples of this are the seclusion of women and the covering of a woman's face in public. The role of Islamic women began to be relegated to the order of the household, while men handled all public affairs. Many of these practices, remain in varying degrees throughout the modern Islamic world. The most recent examples lies with the Taliban of Afghanistan, the Muslim ruling body which severely restricted the rights of women and imposed extremely harsh punishments if women violated any laws. For example, a woman could be publicly executed if she went out into public without a burkha on. As shown here, burkhas completely hide the identity of the woman. Some Islamic women enjoy more freedom than others. However, this depends on the wealth of the husband and does not apply to politics. In the 20th century, many Islamic leaders attempted introducing western reforms which included the elevating of women's rights, but they were often met with strong opposition from the fundamentalist element of Islamic society. Despite this, many women have broken societal stereotypes and have gained an education, forcing their way up through Islamic society on their own.

17. Review

18. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity share a belief in 1. the central authority of the Pope 2. a prohibition of the consumption of port 3. reincarnation and the Four Noble Truths 4. monotheism and ethical conduct

19. “ When I go to the office, I put on my shirt and I take off my caste; when I come home, I take off my shirt and I put on my caste.” What is the main idea of this quotation? 1. the caste system continues to influence Indian society 2. the caste system has been reflected by most Indians 3. successful urban workers in India belong the same Caste 4. the Indian government officially supports the Caste system

20. According the teachings of Confucius, the key to the successful organization of society is that 1. the ruler should be chosen democratically 2. the evil in humans must be eliminated 3. ancestor worship should be discontinued 4. individuals should know and do what is expected of them

21. Twenty Questions Sept 17th

23. The Beginning

25. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? What does the U.S. court system say? What does freedom of religion mean? 1989 Native American Church v Oregon erowid.org Native American arrested for use of peyote. Also arrested for snake handling. These are done in conjunction with religious ceremonies. People have died from either or both of these. If we legalize it, what about pot for your own church? Crack? Oregon State Law - illegal to possess peyote and/or use it.

26. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? What does the county policy indicate? What does freedom of religion mean?

27. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? India and Pakistan teeth.com.pk

28. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? India and Pakistan harpercollege.edu changinguppakistan.wordpress.com

29. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? Palestine? hotpeachpages.net A young Palestinian refugee and her mother pass an Israeli military checkpoint near the West Bank village of Nablus in August

30. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? exeterpsc.org.uk A Brief History of the Arab Israeli Conflict http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,,720353,00.html

31. Religion: Brotherhood of Man? Palestine? exeterpsc.org.uk Mahmoud Abbas Yasser Arafat Benjamin Netanyahu

32. World Religion Issues

33. Current Event Reading and Discussion

34. World Religion Projects