World Religions Unit 
By:  Linda Baumgardner
PO Box 495, Belington WV

Lesson I-World Religions

Objectives: Understand and explain Religious Experience and its Expressions

Activities:

1. Pose the question “what is religion?”
2. Write responses on the board
3. Go over literal meaning of religion. (Pg. 6)
4. Read and discuss Chapter One as a group.
5. Go over map of Distribution of World Religions
6. Orally discuss questions 1-11 Pg. 34-35

Materials: World Religions Today, Pgs. 5-35

Lesson II-Christianity

Objective: Explain Christianity in terms of fundamentalism and modernism.

Activities:

1. Read and discuss “Christianity and the road to Modernity overview as a group.
2. Divide the class into five groups and have each group read, discuss, then report to the class about the topic they read. Assign the following topics:
   1. The Fundamentalist-modernist controversy
   2. Pre-modern Christianity: The Formative Era
   3. Pre-modern Christianity: The Classical Era
   4. Christianity and Modernity
   5. Christianity and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
3. As a group, discuss questions 1-11

Materials: World Religions Today, Pgs. 37-106

Lesson III

Objective: Explain Judaism in reference to being scared and secular.

Activities:

1. Read and discuss the overview as a group.
2. Divide the class into five groups.
3. Each group will be assigned one of the following sections to read, discuss, and then report to the class.
   1. Modern Judaism and the challenge of Ultra-Orthodoxy
   2. Pre-modern Judaism-The formative era-from Torah to Talmud.
   3. Pre-modern Judaism: The Classical Era
   4. Judaism and Modernity
   5. Judaism and Post-modern Trends in a Postcolonial world

Materials: World Religions Today Pg. 107-180

Lesson IV

Objective: Explain The Muslim Experience

Activities:

1. Read and discuss the overview together.
2. Study the map of the Muslim World.
3. After reading and studying Chapter Five, give students an overview of the Muslim Experience, using lecture, giving special attention to the content of the discussion questions.
4. Discuss questions 1-14 as a group using notes.
5. Go over Key terms orally then write short definitions of each.

Materials: World Religions Today, Pg. 181-268

Lesson V

Objective: Describe Hinduism and its components.

Activities:

1. Read and discuss “The overview” together.
2. Read and discuss “The Geography and Demography of Modern Hinduism.
3. Read and discuss “The Work of Gandhi.”
4. Read and discuss “Contemporary Hindu Practices.”
5. Read and discuss “The Pilgrimage.”
6. Read and discuss “Sacred Cows and Hinduism.”
7. Read and discuss “The Conclusion” together.

Materials: World Religions Pgs. 274-345.