The Encarta World Dictionary defines religion as “people’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities and divine involvement in the universe and human life.”  In a world that is constantly struggling for peace, having a better understanding of belief systems and values can help us to understand different people and cultures…which may lay the foundation for a thoughtful progression amid a multitude of complex cultures.  Studying world religions can lead to a better understanding of the relationships between religion and politics, economics, and social structures..

Novel Studies & Curricula

• 
  Dive into a full-year course on Learning About World Cultures.
• Older students get more specific with a year-long course on Worldviews, World Religions, and Cults.
• Pick up the FREE Diversity Booklist, covering religions and cultures around the world.
• Drive Thru History has a fantastic DVD-based world curriculum!
• Memoria Press covers The Wars of the Jews in a traditional curriculum.
• Jewish Holidays in Literature is a year-long, Charlotte Mason-style curriculum.
• Learn about religious persecution in The Broken Strings novel study.
• Study early Christian history in DTH’s The Gospels.
• Explore the early Islamic empires in The Button Box novel study.
• Discover World Mythologies in this 16-unit bundle!
• Utilize the Famous People, Geography, History, and Bible / Character Study sheets from Notebooking Pages for a relaxed and tailored study.
• Take an even more laid back / unschooling approach to studying world religions by doing a monthly ‘fun study’ with a World Religion themed subscription box, such as ArtzaBox, Saint-of-the-Month, or Bette’s Box of Blessings.
• Readers may enjoy the Truly Yours Box (mom) and Rooted Book Box (teens).

Short Primers

• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Daoism
• Shintoism
• Sikhism
• Differences in the major Christian denominations

Art: Stained Glass Windows

Supplies

• Tracing Paper
• Black Marker
• Pattern (to trace)
• Crayons
• Laminator

Directions

• Print out the picture that you want to copy. We used shields and crests.
• Trace the picture on the tracing paper with the black marker.
• Color it with crayons. Use bright colors. Don’t color too hard, or the wax will run!
• Cut out your shield and laminate it to make the colors even brighter. 
• Hang it up and let the sun shine through!

    

Literature: G.A. Henty & Comparative Books

• Beric the Briton
• This tale of the Roman invasion of ancient Britannia remains one of G.A. Henty’s most popular novels of all time. Join Beric and his best friend Bodouc as they live the adventure of a lifetime – captured by the Romans, trained as gladiators, and placed in the service of Emperor Nero himself! When the story of a mysterious “Christus” begins to circulate the Roman Empire, Beric and Bodouc are forced to confront their pagan past. Will the two young prisoners be able to overcome their thirst for revenge and discover the source of true forgiveness?
• For the Temple
• The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem all come to life. In this impressive and carefully studied historic setting, you will follow a lad, John of Gamala, who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus. The fall of Jerusalem is brought to life in this classic.
• The Kids Book of World Religions
• By gaining a greater understanding of the cultures and beliefs of people around the world, children build respect and tolerance for the differences that make each of us unique.With objectivity and accessibility, this title in the Kids Book of series looks at the histories, scriptures, places of worship, religious leaders, gods and major festivals that are the foundations of many of the world’s religions.
• Investigate the World through Religious Tradition
• Over 7 billion people live on the earth, and 84 percent of them describe themselves as being religious. Few topics incite such passion as religion. What does that mean? Why are humans invested in ideas that may never be proved? Why has religion played such an important role in history?