Our “World Religions” series provides an in-depth look at the world’s main religious traditions, and goes into greater detail than the information provided in the introductory “Discovering Religious Diversity” series. Over an entire Term of eight sessions focused on a single belief tradition, we’ll examine the history and development of each tradition, view key figures associated with its founding or development, its sacred texts, contemporary beliefs and practices, and the major festivals and commemorations associated with each. During the final session of each Term, we’ll view a representative film for each tradition that accentuates and highlights the main points discussed during the Term.

Term 1's topic is Judaism.

This eight-week class provides a detailed introduction to the Jewish religion. Individual classes will focus on:

• Early Biblical History: Genesis
• Early Biblical History: Exodus through Second Temple Period
• Diaspora, Development and the Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism
• Sacred Texts: Torah & Talmud
• Contemporary Beliefs and Practices
• Jewish Festivals and Commemorations
• Jewish Ethics & the concept of Tikkun Olam
• Movie night

Class meets on Thursday evenings from 6:30-9:00pm, beginning on Thu 13 Feb runing for 8 weeks ending on Thu 2 April 2020.

All classes are taught from an historical/objective point of view and do not involve theology.

For more information on our classes visit our website: www.earthdiverse.org.nz/classes