History of Religions

The course is an academic study of religion and world religious traditions. It explores the philosophical, historical, sociological and doctrinal aspects of the major religious traditions. The course examines the great traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also does an overview of the primal, ancient and classical belief systems, as well as introduces to modern religions, including new religious movements. The course analyzes the religious traditions in the context of their historical development and their symbiotic relationship with local cultures. It also discusses cross-tradition similarities and uniqueness of each of the religious traditions: the role of doctrinal belief systems, religious social practices and syncretism in the formations of particular worldviews. Attention also will be given to the relationship of religion and the State (e.g. Constantinianism versus secularism) and attitude of religious traditions toward violence. After completing this course, the students will acquire the ability to critically evaluate competing religious claims; to understand the sociological and psychological function of religious social practices; to distinguish between the doctrinal, cultural and political aspects of various religious belief systems. The students will gain knowledge of the history and culture of major religious traditions. This will enable them to better understand the current inter-connected global multicultural environment and to form a constructive and tolerant solution-oriented approach to political and inter-cultural challenges.