Religion in History

Watch

• The five major world religions - John Bellaimey ↗TED-Ed
• Faith, power, manipulation - The secrets of the Opus Dei sect | DW Documentary ↗DW Documentary
• God and the Afterlife: The Story of God with Morgan Freeman | MEGA EPISODE | National Geographic ↗National Geographic
• Old Testament: Genesis and Exodus (Full Episode) | Buried Secrets of the Bible with Albert Lin ↗National Geographic
• From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part One (full documentary) | FRONTLINE ↗FRONTLINE PBS | Official
• From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part Two (full documentary) | FRONTLINE ↗FRONTLINE PBS | Official

Read

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind ↗This sweeping narrative illuminates how shared fictions, including religious beliefs, enabled large-scale human cooperation and the formation of complex societies.Yuval Noah Harari
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam ↗A lucid exploration of how the concept of God evolved, revealing the intricate interplay between theological development and societal shifts across millennia.Karen Armstrong
• The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism ↗A seminal work demonstrating how specific religious doctrines can profoundly shape economic behaviour and the trajectory of entire civilisations.Max Weber
• Religion as a Cultural SystemThis influential essay defines religion not merely as belief, but as a system of symbols that establishes powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men.Clifford Geertz
• The Elementary Forms of Religious Life ↗A foundational sociological inquiry into how religious rituals and beliefs serve as the bedrock for social cohesion and the collective consciousness of human societies.Émile Durkheim

Voices to follow

• Karen Armstrong ↗Her extensive body of work offers accessible yet profound insights into the historical evolution and shared human experience across diverse faith traditions.Independent scholar and author on comparative religion
• Tom Holland ↗He masterfully narrates the complex interplay of religious belief and political power, particularly in the shaping of Western civilisation.Historian and author
• Diarmaid MacCulloch ↗His magisterial works provide comprehensive and nuanced accounts of Christianity's historical trajectory and its profound cultural impact.Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford
• Yuval Noah Harari ↗His sweeping narratives illuminate how collective fictions, including religious narratives, have been instrumental in enabling large-scale human cooperation and societal development.Historian and author

Glossary

• Belief SystemA belief system is a set of ideas and values that a group of people share, which guides how they think and act. It doesn't always have to be about gods or spirits, but it shapes their worldview. For example, a school's belief system might include valuing hard work and respect for teachers, which guides how students behave.
• DeityA deity is a god or goddess, or any being considered divine and worthy of worship in a religion. People often believe deities have special powers or control over parts of the world. For example, in ancient Egypt, Ra was a powerful deity believed to be the sun god.
• MonotheismMonotheism is the belief in only one God. Religions that are monotheistic focus their worship and beliefs around a single supreme being. For example, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions because their followers believe in one God.
• MythA myth is a traditional story, often from ancient times, that explains natural events, cultural practices, or the origins of the world and humanity. These stories are usually symbolic and carry important lessons or truths for a community. For example, the Greek myth of Zeus explains thunder and lightning as the actions of a powerful god.
• PilgrimageA pilgrimage is a special journey made by a person or group to a sacred place for religious reasons. People go on pilgrimages to show devotion, seek spiritual growth, or fulfill a religious duty. For example, Muslims make a pilgrimage called the Hajj to the holy city of Mecca.
• PolytheismPolytheism is the belief in and worship of multiple gods or goddesses. In polytheistic religions, there are usually many deities, each with their own roles and powers. For example, ancient Greek and Roman religions were polytheistic, with gods like Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon.
• ReligionA religion is a system of beliefs and practices that helps people understand the world and their place in it, often involving a connection to something spiritual or divine. It gives people a way to find meaning, purpose, and community. For example, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are all different religions with their own unique ways of understanding life.
• RitualA ritual is a set of actions performed in a specific, traditional way, often for a religious or cultural purpose. These actions are usually symbolic and repeated regularly. For example, lighting candles on Diwali or saying a prayer before a meal are common rituals.
• SacredSomething sacred is considered very special, holy, or worthy of deep respect, often because it's connected to a religion or spiritual belief. It's treated with reverence and often set apart from everyday things. For example, a temple, a holy book, or a specific mountain might be considered sacred by a community.
• SectA sect is a smaller group of people who have broken away from a larger religious group or organization, often because they have slightly different beliefs or practices. They still share many core ideas but have their own distinct identity. For example, within Christianity, Baptists or Methodists could be considered different sects or denominations.

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Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Astronomy & Cosmology Science

  Figuring out the exact date for Easter or the start of Ramadan meant tracking the moon and sun with real precision, year after year. That religious need pushed people to study the sky carefully for centuries. So faith, oddly enough, was astronomy's first big sponsor.

• Money, Banking & Credit Economics

  For centuries the Church banned charging interest on loans, so clever people invented sneaky financial workarounds to lend money without technically breaking the rule. The Knights Templar, a group of warrior monks, even ran what was basically the first international bank. Modern finance grew up dodging a religious ban.

• Writing Systems Literature

  Monks copying a holy book couldn't change a single word, or it wasn't sacred anymore. That fear of getting it wrong forced people to lock down spelling and grammar, and it kept ancient languages breathing for centuries. Faith basically became a preservation machine for writing.

• Public Health Health

  Ancient rules said wash before eating, avoid certain meats, and keep sick people separated from the camp, all framed as holy commandments. Centuries before anyone knew germs existed, these were basically disease-control instructions wearing religious clothing. 'Because God says so' turned out to be surprisingly good medicine.

• How Beliefs About Learning Shape Teaching Education

  The first-ever mass teaching method was the catechism, kids reciting fixed religious answers by heart. It made sense: if you believe the truth is already settled and sacred, then memorizing it is the only smart move. For centuries, what people believed about knowledge itself is what decided how classrooms ran.