This document provides an overview of a World Religions course taught by Dr. Stan Meyer at GCU. It includes information about contacting Dr. Meyer, course objectives to introduce major world religions and compare them to Christianity, topics that will be covered on different religions, assignments like interviewing someone of a different faith and presenting on a religious practice, and goals of encountering and reflecting on other faith traditions. It also provides material from class discussions on cultural immersion based on the story of Daniel in the Bible, components and origins of religion, and cultural values and religious identity.

1. World Religions
stan.meyer1@my.gcu.edu
Text 480-535-7826

2. Introductio
n
Course overview
Topic 1, Day 1

3. Dr. Stan Meyer
Stan, Carrie Jacqui
Maybelle & Parker

4. Contacting me
1. Private Message in LoudCloud
2. stan.meyer1@my.gcu.edu
3. Text: 480-535-7826
4. Coffee & Shmooze Wed 4-5 pm

5. Describe a unique family
Holiday tradition or custom

6. Paul in Athens Greece

7. Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked
within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in
the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the
marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of
the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And
some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He
seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was
preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought
him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is
that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears.
We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”
(Acts 17:16–20 ESV)

8. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus,
saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that
you are presenting? For you bring some strange
things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what
these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the
foreigners who lived there would spend their time in
nothing except telling or hearing something new.
(Acts 17:19–21 ESV)

9. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus,
said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way
you are very religious. For as I passed along and
observed the objects of your worship, I found also
an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown
god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown,
this I proclaim to you.
(Acts 17:22–23 ESV)

10. The God who made the world and everything in it, being
Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made
by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he
needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind
life and breath and everything. And he made from one
man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the
earth, having determined allotted periods and the
boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek
God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and
fi
nd him.
(Acts 17:24–27 ESV)

11. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live
and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets
have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s
offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold
or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of
man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has
fi
xed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by
a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given
assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
(Acts 17:27–31 ESV)

12. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the
dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will
hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from
their midst. But some men joined him and
believed, among whom also were Dionysius the
Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and
others with them. After this Paul left Athens
(Acts 17:32–18:1 ESV)

13. LoudCloud

14. Forums
• Announcements
• Class wall
• Questions to Instructor
• Private Forum
• Discussion Questions

15. Sign-Up Sheets
• Bible Devotions
• Class Presentation
• Volunteer (totally optional)

16. Objectives of INT-244
• Introduce the major world religions, their history, beliefs, and
practices
• Train to critically evaluate religious systems and compare them with
Christian beliefs
• Prepare to engage with people of other faith traditions

17. Goals of INT-244
• Encounter people from other faith traditions
• Re
fl
ect on your encounter through lens of Christian faith

18. We encounter persons, not religion

19. Religions
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Chinese & Japanese
• Native American &
African
• Religion you want to
learn about

20. Describe
Cross-cultural experience you had
over the last couple years.
1. What did you learn from it?
2. What questions do you still have?

21. Topic 2:
Interviewing Jewish Person

22. Topic 2
:
Interviewing Jewish Person
1. Sign-up on SignupGenius for a person
2. I will send you their contact info.
3. Text or email them
4. Introduce yourself as Dr. Meyer’s Student
5. Ask then they’re available
6. Be gracious and thank them for time
7. Don’t evangelize those who are not believers
8. Feel Free to ask those who are their testimony.
9. (Someone needs to s/w my wife & mom)

23. Topic 2-
7
Research project
• Signup Genius
• Choose a topic & religion
• Prepare 5-minute presentation
on ritual, practice, religious
object or even leading person

24. Topics 2-
7
Research project
• Due by end of course
• Must be something you are
interested in & want to tell
others about

25. Culture, Identity, & Religion
Topic 1 Day 2

26. Daniel & Cultural Immersion

27. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of
Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to
Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave
Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of
the vessels of the house of God. And he brought
them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god,
and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
(Daniel 1:1–2 ESV)

28. Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief
eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both
of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without
blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all
wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding
learning, and competent to stand in the king’s
palace, and to teach them the literature and
language of the Chaldeans. (Dan 1:3–4 ESV)

29. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that
the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were
to be educated for three years, and at the end of that
time they were to stand before the king. Among these
were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the
tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave
them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah
he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and
Azariah he called Abednego. (Dan 1:5–7 ESV)

30. Cultural Immersion
• What was Daniel’s cultural immersion experience
• What feelings was Daniel experiencing?
• What was Daniel asked to do?
• What do you think he resolved in his head?
• Why do you think the King asked this of them?

31. Cultural Immersion
• Why do you think the King asked this of them?

32. Cultural Immersion
• What were the quali
fi
cations for an intercultural
candidate?

33. Cross-cultural Candidates
• Youths without blemish
• Good appearance
• Skillful in wisdom
• Endowed with knowledge
• Able to learn (teachable)
• Competent to stand in the king’s place

34. Culture

35. We encounter people not religions

36. Culture is how we encounter people
• Culture
• Cultural Values
• Identity
• Religious Identity
• Identity Status

37. De
fi
nition of Culture
A society's complex integrated coping mechanism
consisting of learned patterned concepts and
behavior plus their underlying perspectives
(worldview) and resulting artifacts (material
culture)
Kraft. (1996). Anthopology for a Christian Witness. Orbis Books. p. 38.

38. Culture is Learned
•Personality is the hardware
•Culture is the software

39. • Religious objects
• Holidays
• Rituals
• Behaviors
• Values
• Beliefs
• Meta-narrative
• Worldview
Cultural is an Iceberg

40. Cultural Values

41. Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Values
- +

42. Edward Hall’s Cultural Values
Low Context Context High Context
Lack Boundaries Space Territorial
Event Time Time Linnear Time
Process Tasks Deadlines
Past Orientation Present, Future
Hall, E. (1987). Understanding Cultural Differences. Intercultural Press.1-31

43. Religious Identity

44. Self-Identity
• Name
• Family
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Race
• Religious Identity

45. Religiou
s
Identity
• Community
• Practices
• Beliefs

46. James Marcia
Professor State Univ. Buffalo, NY
Religious Identity Status

47. Identity Foreclosure

48. Identity Moratorium

49. Identity Achievement

50. Identity Diffusion

51. Identity Diffusion Identity Moratorium
Identity Foreclosure Identity Achievement
Low High
Low
High
Crisis
Commitment
Can’t decide
Doesn’t care
Can’t decide
Does care
Been decided
Didn’t care
Did decide
Did care

52. Religion

53. A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that by
means of its cultus directs a person toward
transcendence and, thus, provides meaning and
coherence to a person’s life.
(Winfried, 2014, p. 28)

54. A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that by
means of its cultus directs a person toward
transcendence and, thus, provides meaning and
coherence to a person’s life (Winfried, 2014, p. 28).
What’s the difference between a religion and
(a) ideology (b) philosophy of life?

55. Religion v. Philosophy
• Ultimate issues
• Sacred Rituals & Practices
• Sacred people, places & things

56. Ex. Marxism
• World Revolution, but no ultimate issues
• Customs, traditions, but no
fi
xed practices
• Leading thinkers, but no sacred people

57. Components of Religion

58. Components
• Sacred Stories
• Sacred Texts
• Sacred Community
• Sacred Beliefs
• Sacred Rituals
• Sacred Objects
• Sacred People

59. Origins of Religion

60. Two Theories
1. Evolution of Religion
2. Original Monotheism

61. 1. Evolution of Religion

62. 1. Evolution of Religion
• Mana: spiritual forces

63. 1. Evolution of Religion
• Mana: spiritual forces
• Animism: spirits in things

64. 1. Evolution of Religion
• Mana: spiritual forces
• Animism: spirits in things
• Polytheism: many gods

65. 1. Evolution of Religion
• Mana: spiritual forces
• Animism: spirits in things
• Polytheism: many gods
• Henotheism: favorite god

66. 1. Evolution of Religion
• Mana: spiritual forces
• Animism: spirits in things
• Polytheism: many gods
• Henotheism: favorite god
• Monotheism: Only 1 God

67. What are some problems wit
h
The Theory of Evolution of Religion?

68. Karl Marx
Evolution of Society

69. 2. Primitive
Monotheism
Wilhelm Schmidt (1912)
Devolution of religion

70. Wilhelm Schmidt
1868-1954
Austrian Priest, and Linguist

71. Wilhelm Schmidt
1931
Theory of Primitive Monotheism

72. Argument for Primitive Monotheism
1. Persistent story of a Creator God, Creation, and Fall
2. Ties together parallel stories in most global cultures
3. Evolution of Monotheism has not been observed & documented
4. Devolution of religion is readily observed & documented

73. Temple to the
Lord of Heaven

74. How Obatala Created the World

75. Western Religion
Decayed

76. Truth & Ultimate Truth

78. Wonder Woman 84

79. All Religions Make Truth Claims
• Islam: Angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammed
• Mormonism: Jesus physically visited North America
• Hinduism: Each of us will return in another form
• Christianity: Jesus physically rose from the dead

80. Christians in a Pluralistic World
• Particularism
• Pluralism
• Inclusivism
• Spiritual Relativism
• Dialogue and Engagement