7 Dimensions of Religion

World Religions

World Religions

The goal of our study

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To know our own faith better, and to understand other human beings better

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To recognize that all people seek truth, beauty, and goodness and to recognize it where it exists

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“We feel close to all who, despite being from other traditions and religions,
feel the desire to look for truth, beauty and goodness” – Pope Francis (to
world religious leaders) 3/20/2013

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Truth
○

Correspondence w/ reality

○

Proper object of the mind

○

Fullness of Truth is Christ

World Religions

The Goal of our study

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Beauty
○

Allows us to be drawn out of ourselves towards the
integrity and clarity of the infinite

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Brings true joy and awe

○

Proper object of the heart

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Goodness
○

Fulfillment of purpose

○

Proper object of the will

○

Realm of morals

Match

Match the following

• Allows us to be drawn out of ourselves towards the integrity and clarity of the infinite, proper object is the heart

• That which corresponds to reality, its proper object is the mind

• The realm of morals, the proper object is the will.

Beauty

Truth

Goodness

• Beauty

• Truth

• Goodness

World Religions

What is religion?

● Multi-valent (has many meanings)
● Word derives from a combination of 2 Latin

words

● religare (Latin): to (read) through again or religire (Latin): “to bind fast”
● a cosmic meaning
● “place an obligation on”,
● “bond between humans and gods”

World Religions

Ninian Smart’s 7 Dimensions of religion

● Basic elements

● Some religions have a large emphasis on one,

but may have very little emphasis on another

● Intertwined & complementary → all say

something about human longing

● 7 basic dimensions: experiential, mythic,

doctrinal, ritual, social, ethical, material

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Experiential Dimension
● Involves an encounter, or experience of

something beyond oneself

● Examples:

○ Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment under

the bodhi tree

○ Muhammad receiving messages from Allah

through the angel Gabriel

○ Becoming one with the Brahman in

Hinduism

○ Visions, mystical experiences of Christ,

Mary, saints, angels in Christianity

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Mythic Dimension

●

Myth: conveys essential truths of life –
the big story of origin, destiny, and
reason

●

Sacred stories often set in primordial
time

●

Often tell origins of humanity and the
world, the nature of things

●

May be oral or recorded in scripture

●

In Christianity - J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S.
Lewis – spoke of Christ as “myth
becomes fact”

Hindu Epic: The Mahabharata

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Doctrinal Dimension

●Belief aspect of religion

●Creeds, doctrines, and teachings

●Derived from religious experience and
sacred stories

●Doctrines make rational sense of experience,
give direction to lives

●They make assertions about the nature of
reality + truth

Judaism’s Sh’ma:

Hear O Israel:

The Lord is our God, the
Lord alone. You shall the

Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your might…

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Ritual Dimension

● Formal practices
● Worship is carried out through

ritual

● May re-enact a sacred story or put

a belief into practice

● Ex: Seder meal, Catholic Mass,

pilgrimage to Mecca

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Social Dimension

● Community – vital to religion’s survival
● Common elements:

○ Levels of membership: priesthood vs.

common adherents

○ Organization: hierarchy of leadership
○ Models of spiritual perfection: saints,

sages, etc.

○ Asks: Who are those who exemplify

goodness?

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Ethical Dimension

●

Ethics: moral principles, rules of conduct

●

Values → assert what is right + wrong

●

Religions hold the most in common here (b/c of
natural law)

●

Speaks to the idea of goodness - What does it mean to be good?

●

Examples: 10 Commandments, Buddhist ideal
of compassion, Christian commandment to
love one’s neighbor

Seven Dimensions of Religion

Material Dimension

● Physical aspects of world - viewed as sacred
● Architecture: cathedrals, temples
● Art: icons, paintings, statues
● Scripture: sacred writings
● Natural phenomenon: mountains, bodies of

water, certain creatures

● In some way, speaks to the human need for beauty

Match

Match the following Dimensions with their basic description

• Involves an encounter of something beyond oneself

• belief aspects of a religion, attempting to make rational sense of experience

• conveys the essential truths of life through stories of human origin and destiny

• formal practices, worship carried out by putting belief into practice

• moral principles, rules of conduct, values

experiential dimension

doctrinal dimension

mythical dimension

ritual dimension

ethical dimension

• experiential dimension

• doctrinal dimension

• mythical dimension

• ritual dimension

• ethical dimension

Match

Match the following Dimension based on the examples provided

• Paintings, icons, statues

• levels of membership, hierarchy, saints, sages

• Seder meal, Catholic Mass, pilgrimage to Mecca

• 10 Commandments, Buddhist ideal of compassion

• Muhammad receiving messages from Allah, the Buddha's enlightenment

material dimension

social dimension

Ritual dimension

ethical dimension

experiential dimension

• material dimension

• social dimension

• Ritual dimension

• ethical dimension

• experiential dimension