Ninian Smart's dimensions
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Ninian Smart's dimensions of religion seeks to help us understand religion as a human phenomenon.
Key learning points
- Ninian Smart introduced the academic secular study of religion to the UK in the last century.
- He had a phenomenological approach to religion, studying how religion is lived and experienced by people.
- Rather than define religion, Smart came up with different dimensions of religion as ways to study it as a phenomenon.
- 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.
Teacher tip
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.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Everyone has a about life and meaning.
Q2.Understanding without agreeing demonstrates ...
Q3.Which of the following is part of religion?
Q4.Sacred texts provide religious ...
Q5.Where can the same religion look different?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each keyword to its meaning:
different parts that make up a religion
something which can be seen, observed, studied
the study of what humans experience
the term Smart used to refer to religious and secular ideologies
Q2.Theology and philosophy focused on religious ...
Q3.Ninian Smart helped establish ...
Q4.Smart used a approach.
Q5.What did Smart develop to analyse religion?
Q6.One dimension is the dimension, involving ceremonies.
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Ninian Smart's dimensions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Ninian Smart's dimensions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Belief: what is religion and does everyone understand it in the same way? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.