for Smart, these are the different aspects or parts that make up a religion

'spirit' or 'superior' in Japanese and refers to all spiritual entities worshipped in the Shinto religion

in Japan this refers to 'non-belief', describing people who don't affiliate with organised religions

literally means 'the way of the gods' and is seen as the indigenous 'religion' of Japan

The place of religion in Japan

Religious education

Ninian Smart's dimensions

Evaluating the dimensions of religion

Veganism: could it be seen as a religion?

In this unit pupils will consider the term religion and ask: what does it mean? Does everyone see it as the same thing?  Ninian Smart's dimensions will provide one way in which religion has been classified. A case study of Japan and ethical veganism offer opportunities to question what is meant.

Belief: what is religion and does everyone understand it in the same way?

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

What word do many Japanese use to describe themselves?

Many people engage in both Shinto and {{}} ceremonies.

Why do some Japanese people choose Christian weddings?

According to Ninian Smart's framework, what does Shinto place less emphasis on compared to some other religions?

What did Ninian Smart propose to help study religion?

theistic, non-theistic and secular worldviews

Which of the following can Smart’s dimensions be applied to?

Smart used {{}} as a secular example to show the dimensions at work.

It offers a structured method for examining religion.

It supports a single religious tradition.

What is one key strength of Smart's dimensional model?

One criticism of Smart’s model is the 'cabinet of {{}}'.

Starter Quiz

What did Ninian Smart propose to help study religion?