Please help my research.

BDS · 12-29-2003, 05:10 PM

Hello ladies and gentleman, my name is Alan and I was hoping some of you could lend me some assistance. I am aiming to compile a map of religions of the world for a project i am working on. I would like to know the original religions for the varying area's of the world. Eg; England is well known for its christian beliefs but before that were the pagan's. America is predominantly christian but the American indians have a full and colourful belief system that came before. I am quite knew to this topic as you may have guessed but I am very open minded, if you can't help me directly please feel free to send me some referances as all help will be appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

Zazen · 12-29-2003, 09:10 PM

im assuming your making a map of the present? if so i suppose it doesnt matter what came before..i mean if its a map then i could do your project in two days

but..if your gonna try and include a timeline in this map..oh boy if you truly wish to be as accurate as possible you better pack a lunch bucko

but anyway..theres plenty of info right on the left hand side of this site, use the UI to navigate around the site, youll probably find more then you think

amitabha

littlemissattitude · 12-30-2003, 12:32 AM

I'd like to add another note, whether you are going to cover only the contemporary world or historical religious distribution as well. Please don't make the mistake of assuming that all Native Americans subscribe to the same set of religious beliefs. There are quite wide variations. For an interesting exploration of just one Native American belief system, I would recommend "Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man" by Archie Fire Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes". This a wonderfully readable book that might be of help to your project. I read it for a Sociology of Religion class and enjoyed it a lot.

Also, you might want to keep in mind that, in reference to Christianity, different parts of the United States have different concentrations of adherents to specific denominations of Chistianity. The large concentration of Mormons in Utah and Idaho is only one example of this.

BDS · 12-30-2003, 08:23 PM

I'm starting to realise just how large a project this may be. You may have guessed by now that my knowledge on comparitive religion is somewhat limited. Maybe the best idea would be to do a course on it, if anyone could let me know about any in the east anglian (england) area I would be most greatful.
I am sorry to have looked naive about the varying religions, I understand that there are many different belief systems and sub-cults within most of the religions.There is such a colourful array of lifestyles, cultures and ways of life that for me to think in such a way would be incredibly narrow-minded.
To those that read this thread I would wish you all luck in your endeavours whatever they may be and thank you for your time Zazen and littlemissattitude.

littlemissattitude · 12-31-2003, 02:09 AM

Don't worry about it, BDS. We are all here to learn. By all means, take a course on comparative religions - that is a really good place to start. And don't abandon your project just because it looks daunting...look at how much you'll learn pursuing it.

Susma Rio Sep · 12-31-2003, 02:44 AM

Zarzen, did you pick this line below from somewhere or are you trying to produce some kind of effect...?

Quote:

In nomine patrie,et fili et spiritu sancti.

I am a postgraduate Catholic who used to attend in the olden days Catholic worship in Latin. I think you should attend a Latin Mass -- look for one today somewhere, and find out whether you are after some special effect in that phrase of yours, or the phrase might be in need of some correction.

Namaste.

Susma Rio Sep

Susma Rio Sep · 12-31-2003, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDS

Hello ladies and gentleman, my name is Alan and I was hoping some of you could lend me some assistance. I am aiming to compile a map of religions of the world for a project i am working on. I would like to know the original religions for the varying area's of the world. Eg; England is well known for its christian beliefs but before that were the pagan's. America is predominantly christian but the American indians have a full and colourful belief system that came before. I am quite knew to this topic as you may have guessed but I am very open minded, if you can't help me directly please feel free to send me some referances as all help will be appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

Your topic for research is quite huge.

May I suggest that you study instead whether peoples with their original religions in their very early times before being introduced to religions of other peoples like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc., made a distinction of religion as a separate facet of life in the individual and in their community: did they have any consciousness of what is of religion and what is not of religion? or everything is tied together indistinguishably?

All of us here I am sure know and act according to that distinction, and we maintian a hierarchy of the departments of life in our everyday's existince, giving priority to each. Did the early peoples with religous thoughts and feelings have such departmentalization and prioritization in regard to the question of religion?

Take up that research and you will have a more manageable scope of study.

Susma Rio Sep

Zazen · 12-31-2003, 03:21 AM

well sulsa rap siomep its from something i picked up off "the boondock saints" its an independent film in the U.S., i just like the way that phrase sounds in latin

amitabha