Description
Offered: 2020 Terms 1 & 2 – Te Awamutu
This eight-session course begins with “An Evolutionary History of Religion and Religious Behaviour” which encompasses the dawn of early human spirituality through to the emergence of polytheism and the Neolithic Revolution. Subsequent sessions focus on the rise of monotheism in Ancient Mesopotamia (including Zoroastrianism). In subsequent weeks, we will explore the history and development of the Western religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Other Western Religious traditions (e.g. Bahá’í Faith, Secular beliefs) will be viewed in the “Other Isms” course, offered as a part of the “Contemporary Issues in Religion” series.
This course is currently being taught in Te Awamutu as four class sessions per Term throughout 2020. While 2019 Term 3 focused on the Evolutionary History of Religion and the Rise on Monothesism, and 2019 Term 4 focused on Judaism, 2020 Term 1 focused on Christianity and 2020 Term 2 focuses on Islam.