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Learning Package on Major Religions in
Regions along the Belt and Road and Global Ethics
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Chapter 1   Religion & Everyday Life
Key Learning Points
1.1 What is Religion ?
1.2 Why Study Religion ?
1.3 Distribution of Major Religions
1.4 Religion in Daily Life
1.1 What is Religion ?

Religions in Ancient Times

In ancient times, people relied on religious beliefs to explain various phenomena and quest for the meaning of life. They believed that their daily activities were closely related to the sacred world, and were expressed through symbols, stories, rituals, art and architecture. This is particularly obvious in funeral rituals and the worship of mother nature.

Religions in Today's Community

Even today, religion is still an essential part of our lives despite the rapid changes of human situation. From festivals to funeral rituals, from clothing to eating habits, it can be seen that the cultural aspect of religion is not absent in modern times. Our lives are still filled with "sacredness".

Religious Buildings around the World

Religion is a fundamental part of human life and cultures.
There are lots of religious buildings in Hong Kong.
Can you recognize them?
Wrong!
Correct!

Believers usually go to the religious venues to burn incense, pray or ask for blessing.

Definition of Religion

It believes in and respects a transcendent higher power; believers also show respect to the saints or holy figures in some of the religious traditions.

It has a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.

Faith and practices are derived from these beliefs.

Definition of Religion

It provides moral standards for regulating people's behaviours.

It provides beliefs and directives. For instance, every religion has a set of integral teachings and doctrines, explaining worldly and other-worldly concerns.

It provides religious practices for believers, such as prayer, rituals and meditation, as well as different forms of art presentation, for example, dance with religious music.

Which one of the following ideas fulfills the definition of RELIGION?
Why study Religion?
You should not touch someone's head when you are in Thailand. Why?
It is inappropriate to schedule a meeting with Jews on a Friday night. Why?
We study religion in order to......
Understand Others
Religion is an important part of human civilizations. Many taboos, rules and practices in our daily life have their roots in religion. Through studying different religions, we can better understand other people's lifestyles and customs, and hence conflicts could be reduced.

For example, we should not touch the top of a person's head in Thailand. According to Buddhism, touching one's head is a sign of an elderly person's approval of the younger generation. Only the elderly can touch the head of a young child.

Also it is inappropriate to schedule a meeting with Jews on Friday nights because they usually attend religious activities during that period of time. (The Sabbath starts at dusk on Friday)
Understand Ourselves
By studying religions, we get to know ourselves and others better, particularly the differences between our beliefs and those of others. Hence, studying religions helps us know how to treat other people with respect and minimize misunderstandings.
Establish Moral Norms
Religions contain plenty of moral norms and wisdom. By studying and understanding these moral norms and wisdom, we would know how to behave properly, and how to conduct ourselves in relation to others. We can even make reference to these norms and wisdom to build a meaningful life.
Distribution of Major Religions

Religious beliefs regulate people's moral values and behaviors.
According to Pew Research Center1,over 80% of the world's population believe in a religion.

How well do you know about the distribution
of major religions in the world?

1The following statistics are extracted from the project of 'The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050', Pew Research Center, 2015.
Retrieved on March 1, 2017, from：http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org

Religious Affiliation of World Population in 2010
Christianity is the largest religious group in the world.

There were 2.2 billion Christians (including Roman Catholics) out of 6.9 billion world population. This makes Christianity the largest religious group in the world. In the next place, there were 1.6 billion Muslims, 1 billion Hindus, 500 million Buddhists, and 400 million practitioners of folk religions. Other religions (including Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, witchery, etc.) have about 5.8 million followers worldwide.
Religious Affiliation of World Population in 2050
Will Muslims outnumber Christians by 2050?

According to the data from Pew Research Center, the average age of Muslims is low. Moreover, Muslim women had a total fertility rate of 3.1 children per woman, well above the 2.7 average for the Christian women. Thus, the number of Muslims around the world is projected to increase rapidly in the decades ahead. Looking to the future, the population of Muslims is expected to equate with those of Christians in 2050 and outnumber the latter in 2070.
The Gender Gap in Religion
Women religious believers outnumber men believers.

The survey in 2015 revealed that the percentage of women in total religious population is higher than men. Except the special demand on men's attendance in the traditions of Islam and Judaism, women believers in other religions are the dominant attenders in participating religious activities, such as rituals and prayer.
Population that Consider Religions
Very Important in Life
Religion is generally more important to people in low income countries.

The survey in 2015 revealed an inverse proportion of the percentages of population considering religion the most important to the level of GDP, such as Kenya. According to Dr. Tom Rees's research, people in places without strong social safety nets to provide people with opportunities for upward mobility, are more likely to rely on religion for comfort and support when facing difficulties or unknowns.
Population that Consider Religions
Very Important in Life
Elites in economically developed countrie rely less on religion.

From another point of view, education is what caused some countries to be less in need of religion. As a country's economy develops, the education level also rises, hence leading to the emergence of the middle class (elite group). Education frees people from old superstitions and authorities, allowing them to realize the freedom and rights they rightfully deserve. What they need is economic and political stability to safeguard their rights and freedom, not religion. Religion is no longer their prime concern.
Religion in Daily Life

Religious teachings penetrate into our daily lives
- from work, marriage, clothing to food.

Identify which religious group(s) usually observe the following practices.

Identify which religious groups usually observe the following practices.
While India is a hierarchical society, Sikhism advocates the equality between all classes. To emphasise the equality of classes, all Sikhs replace their family names with either Singh or Kaur. Singh is for men, meaning lion; Kaur is for women, meaning princess. The prime minister of India is Manmohan Singh, which implies that he is a Sikh.
Jews and Muslims do not eat pigs as pigs are considered unclean. This may be due to food safety issues; pigs have to be thoroughly cooked before consumption. Cooking requires water, yet desert areas are constantly deprived of water. Therefore, pork can be easily contaminated.
Polygamy is allowed in Islam, only under the condition that the husband can treat all his wives fairly. However, in reality it is hard achieve this and hence many Muslim couples remain in a monogamous relationship.
In Islam, death is only a temporary stage, the death body should be returned to the earth in a direct way. Also, they should not be obsessed with the deceased or commemorate the dead in an extravagant way.
According to the Islamic dietary laws, Muslims are not permitted to consume non- ruminants such as donkeys, horses and mules; The consumption of carnivores such as cats, dogs, and weird animals are prohibited too.
Chapter 1   Conclusion
Religion is part of our daily lives. If we look carefully, we can find that religion has its influence on most aspects of life, such as buildings in our communities, festival rituals, art and clothing.
Questions for Reflection
  • Can you name some common religions in your community? Can you also name some that are rarely heard or seen in your community?
  • How is daily religion related to life? Explain how religion influences your daily life?
  • How does the knowledge on different religions benefit personal growth?
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