Question as follow
In another textbook, Introduction to World Religions, by Christopher Partridge, a claim is made about the religion(s) of Native American peoples. The claim is that “The tribal peoples of North America proclaim the One Great Spirit.” Your task in this homework assignment is to determine whether that is true or false given the evidence you have in our textbook, Invitation to World Religions, 2nd Edition. If you think it is true, you might give examples of different tribes and their beliefs, illustrating how they believe in the One Great Spirit. If you think the claim is false, you might give examples of different tribes and their beliefs, illustrating how they don’t believe in the One Great Spirit. You may need to interpret the name ‘One Great Spirit’ so that you and your reader (me and your peers) are clear on the claim. [You won’t be sharing these, but it helps to have an audience in mind.] In short, treat the claim as an hypothesis and set about confirming it or refuting it.
Submissions should be typed and should be between 200 and 300 words. Keep “fluff” to a minimum. Provide enough details to identify the group or tradition you’re talking about, but stick to the topic as best as you can.
Submissions will be analyzed using SafeAssign.
Submissions will be graded using the rubric in Course Materials and in accordance with the policies on your syllabus.
Outcomes: This assignment is particularly relevant to the following learning outcomes, among others:
(a) Attitudes: develop a sense of appreciation for multiculturalism.
(b) Skills: develop a critical and appreciative awareness of religious ideas and practices.
(c) Knowledge/Content: identify the basic ideas, practices and institutions of five or more different religions, and analyze similarities and differences between religions and within the varieties within each religion studied
Solution Preview
The Great Spirit
The different people of the North American native communities believed in one Great Spirit despite differences in their approaches of rituals related to the Great Spirit. In particular, different practices such as rituals preceding and following different events confirm that they may not have believed in a Deity, but they believed in a higher life force influencing their activities. For instance, the different communities engaged in activities such as tribe wars. However, they always consulted the Great Spirit in their war activities, seeking protection and victory as a favor following their offering of sacrifices in the form of rituals.
(317 words)