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Lesson 1 of 4
  • Year 10

Ninian Smart's dimensions

I can explain how Ninian Smart's dimensions of religion seeks to help us understand religion as a human phenomenon.

Lesson 1 of 4
New
New
  • Year 10

Ninian Smart's dimensions

I can explain how Ninian Smart's dimensions of religion seeks to help us understand religion as a human phenomenon.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Ninian Smart introduced the academic secular study of religion to the UK in the last century.
  2. He had a phenomenological approach to religion, studying how religion is lived and experienced by people.
  3. Rather than define religion, Smart came up with different dimensions of religion as ways to study it as a phenomenon.
  4. These dimensions are: ritual, mythical, doctrinal, ethical, social, experiential and material.

Keywords

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

  • Phenomenon - something which can be seen, observed, studied

  • Phenomenology - the study of what humans experience

  • Worldview - the term Ninian Smart preferred to use to refer to religious and secular ideologies

Common misconception

That Ninian Smart was aiming to define religion with his dimensions.

Ninian Smart was not hoping to define religion but to help those studying religion gather information about it.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Ninian Smart's dimensions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ninian Smart focused on the lived experience of those in a religion. Students can choose a religion to research the lived experience of followers of religion through videos, testimonials, interviews and other resources and report back to the class/teacher.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

5 Questions

Q1.
Everyone has a about life and meaning.

Correct Answer: worldview, Worldview

Q2.
Understanding without agreeing demonstrates ...

Correct answer: empathy
bias
weakness

Q3.
Which of the following is part of religion?

traffic laws
Correct answer: stories and rituals
scientific experiments

Q4.
Sacred texts provide religious ...

Correct Answer: teachings, Teachings

Q5.
Where can the same religion look different?

only in its country of origin
only in one time period
Correct answer: across different cultures

Assessment exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword to its meaning:

Correct Answer:dimensions,different parts that make up a religion

different parts that make up a religion

Correct Answer:phenomenon,something which can be seen, observed, studied

something which can be seen, observed, studied

Correct Answer:phenomenology,the study of what humans experience

the study of what humans experience

Correct Answer:worldview,the term Smart used to refer to religious and secular ideologies

the term Smart used to refer to religious and secular ideologies

Q2.
Theology and philosophy focused on religious ...

Correct Answer: truth, claims, Truth

Q3.
Ninian Smart helped establish ...

medical ethics
Correct answer: secular Religious Studies
theology as church training

Q4.
Smart used a approach.

Correct Answer: phenomenological, Phenomenological

Q5.
What did Smart develop to analyse religion?

a legal framework
a church doctrine
Correct answer: a checklist of dimensions

Q6.
One dimension is the dimension, involving ceremonies.

Correct Answer: ritual, Ritual