1、Welcome to the unit,Unit 4 Behind beliefs,Do you believe in any god or do you believe in the existence of a god or gods?,There are many different religions in the world. What are the most popular ones?,Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and so on.,Have you been to any famous religious
2、sites in China? What are they?,The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province and the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Henan Province are famous Buddhist sites. Mount Wudang in Hubei Province is famous for Taoism. The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is the holy place for Tibetan Buddhism.,Are you famil
3、iar with the ancient Chinese story Journey to the West? What religion is it related to?,Can you name some religious festivals around the world?,For Buddhists, there is Nirvana Day, Buddhas Day or Bodhi Day. For Christians, there is Good Friday, Easter Day, All Saints Day, and of course Christmas Day
4、. For Muslims, there is Eid, the festival of sacrifice, Muhammads Birthday or Forgiveness Day. For Hindus, there is Great Shiva Night, Humanity Day or the Festival of Lights. For Jews, there is Passover and the Day of Atonement.,What date is Christmas Day?,On 25th December.,What do you know about Ch
5、ristmas?,Christmas Day is a Christian holiday. It is regarded as the birthday of Jesus Christ.,To learn more about the Christmas,What do people do on Christmas Day?,Although Christmas is a religious holiday, many of the customs and celebrations are not of a religious nature. Before Christmas Day, pe
6、ople go to shops to buy Christmas decorations, Christmas cards and presents for friends or relatives. For food, people will prepare lots of chocolates, nuts and snacks. A roast turkey or goose is usually served for Christmas dinner. On Christmas Eve, family members get together or go to church to en
7、joy the Christmas carols.,Have you ever read this book? What do you know about it?,Journey to the West,a classic piece of Chinese literature; a combination of myth, parable and comedy; main characters include a Buddhist monk who is also known as the Priest of Tang and his three followers, Monkey Kin
8、g, Pigsy and Friar Sand; a trip to India for the Buddhist scriptures; the characters are magical or heavenly beings in normal forms and have some magical powers that can protect them from the evil monsters and spirits,There are 81 obstacles for the monk and his three followers on the way to the West
9、. Why do you think they face these obstacles?,to give the monk and his three followers an insight into their own characters and show that people must often struggle to succeed; to symbolize the difficulties and challenges that people meet in the course of doing what they believe in,What is a mosque
10、used for?,A mosque is a place for Muslims to worship.,What are the architectural features of a mosque?,It is said that the first mosque was built based on the structure of Muhammads house in the city of Medina. Basically, a mosque consists of a courtyard, a domed hall and a fountain. Before prayer,
11、people need to wash themselves in the fountain and then they can worship in the courtyard or the hall facing the holy city of Mecca. The wall facing Mecca is called qibla. Human forms are not allowed to be drawn in Islam, so all the decorations in a mosque appear as shapes such as circles and square
12、s.,Do you know of any famous mosques in China?,There are many famous mosques in China. One of them is the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, Xinjiang. This mosque was built in 1442 and is the largest in China. Another famous one is the Great Mosque in Xian, Shaanxi Province. It was built in the 18th century
13、in a traditional Chinese architectural style.,What do you know about Taoism?,Taoism is one of the major religions in China. It was founded by Lao-tzu in about the 6th century BC. The most important text of Taoism is Tao-te-Ching. In the 5th century AD, Taoism developed as a religious system.,What is
14、 the belief behind Taoism?,The central concept of Taoism is Tao, which refers to the ways the universe functions. Taoism believes in wuwei, which means that everything must follow its course and happen naturally.,What does the picture of Taichi mean?,In the picture, the white part represents yang, a
15、nd the the black part represents yin. Taoism believes that yin and yang are two fundamental forces in the universe. Yin is the passive or negative force, referring to dark, wet or feminine aspects, while yang represents active and positive things, such as the bright, dry and masculine aspects. Accor
16、ding to Taoism, wise people will achieve a balance between the interactions of these two forces.,Although there are so many beliefs or religions, do you think that they have anything in common?,Discussion,different from superstition, which hasno central beliefs,encourage people to do good,have a pow
17、er to call on people to devote themselves to that religion,sometimes restrictive or judgemental of peoples lives,help people live their lives in a positive way,motivate people to be compassionate, kind and loving,Since religions are very important in many aspects, do you think everyone should have a
18、 belief/religion? Why?,Preview,To preview the new words in this unitTo preview Reading about Biblical idioms in EnglishTo learn how to understand analogies by reading the Reading strategy on Page 51,Homework,Collect more information about religions.,2. Read the three questions on Page 49 carefully, anddiscuss with your partners. Then write a report about your answers.,Thank you!,