This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
-
History of Religions
History of the 3 Monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and of the main different Christianity confessions (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism and Protestantism)
-
Pedagogical Approaches
New pedagogical approaches to teach history of religion
-
Role of Religions in Civilization
How to didactically promote among students of different confessions, the capacity of a critical analysis and understanding of the role played by religions in the history of mankind
-
Interreligious Students’ Competences
Set of teaching contents, to be used by teachers to highlight and valorize the universal values of tolerance and universalisms that all Monotheistic religions and religious texts contain to promote and sustain mutual understanding among students
-
Managing Multi-Religious Classes
Teaching Sources to help teachers dealing with multicultural and multi-religious classes
Map
An interactive didactical map interactive didactical map giving access to sites with a religious relevance.-
Introduction
A comparative review of the liturgical celebrations, ceremonies and dietary rules existing in the different religions.
-
Celebrations
Description and comparative analysis of the celebrations of different religions and confessions
-
Ceremonies
Description and comparative analysis of the ceremonies of different religions and confessions
-
Dietary Rules
Description and comparative analysis of the dietary rules of different religions and confessions
Events
The Pathway through Religions project has been promoted trough conferences and articles.
Conferences
The Pathway through Religions project was presented in a number of events in order to report about the activities carried out and the results achieved
Press Review
The Pathway through Religions project partnership made contacts with web sites focusing on the fields of educationPartnership
-
Contractual Partners
From this section it is possible to access to a description of each contractual partner of the Pathway through Religions project.
-
Schools
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the schools involved in the Pathway through Religions Project in the European countries involved.
-
Associated Partners
As a result of the exploitation activity a number of associated partners officially joined the project in order to contribute to the improvement of the project impact on their target groups and to ensure the project sustainability by continuing using the project deliverables in the next years.
This section of the Pathway through Religions portal provides administrative information for the project contractual partners and for the European Commission and it is password protected.
History of Religions
Homepage > Teachers’ Guide > History of Religions
History of the 3 Monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and of the main different Christianity confessions (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism and Protestantism)
History and Philosophy of Religions
7. Humanism
The term Humanism refers to a system of education and mode of inquiry that originated in northern Italy during the 13th and 14th centuries and later spread throughout continental Europe and England. Humanism is alternatively applied to a variety of Western beliefs, methods, and philosophies that place central emphasis on the human realm.
The history of the term humanism is complex but enlightening. It was first employed by 19th-century German scholars to designate the Renaissance emphasis on Classical studies in education. The word derives from the studia humanitatis, a course of Classical studies that, in the early 15th century, consisted of grammar, poetry, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy. Humanitas meant the development of human virtue, in all its forms, to its fullest extent. The term thus implied not only such qualities as are associated with the modern word humanity—understanding, benevolence, compassion, mercy — but also such more assertive characteristics as fortitude, judgment, prudence, eloquence, and even love of honour.
Humanism and related terms are frequently applied to modern doctrines and techniques that are based on the centrality of human experience.
In the 20th century the pragmatic humanism of Ferdinand C.S. Schiller, the Christian humanism of Jacques Maritain, and the movement known as secular humanism, though differing from each other significantly in content, all showed this anthropocentric emphasis.
Not only is such a large assortment of definitions confusing, but the definitions themselves are often redundant or too daring. There is no reason to call all Classical revivals “humanistic” when the word Classical suffices. The definition of humanism as anthropocentricity or human-centrality has a firmer claim to correctness. For obvious reasons, however, it is confusing to apply this word to Classical literature.
Humanism in large measure established the climate and provided the medium for the rise of modern thought. An impressive variety of major developments in literature, philosophy, art, religion, social science, and even natural science had their basis in humanism or were significantly nourished by it. More generally, the so-called modern awareness—that sense of alienation and freedom applied both to the individual and to the human race—derives ultimately, for better or worse, from humanistic sources.
The history of the term humanism is complex but enlightening. It was first employed by 19th-century German scholars to designate the Renaissance emphasis on Classical studies in education. The word derives from the studia humanitatis, a course of Classical studies that, in the early 15th century, consisted of grammar, poetry, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy. Humanitas meant the development of human virtue, in all its forms, to its fullest extent. The term thus implied not only such qualities as are associated with the modern word humanity—understanding, benevolence, compassion, mercy — but also such more assertive characteristics as fortitude, judgment, prudence, eloquence, and even love of honour.
Humanism and related terms are frequently applied to modern doctrines and techniques that are based on the centrality of human experience.
In the 20th century the pragmatic humanism of Ferdinand C.S. Schiller, the Christian humanism of Jacques Maritain, and the movement known as secular humanism, though differing from each other significantly in content, all showed this anthropocentric emphasis.
Not only is such a large assortment of definitions confusing, but the definitions themselves are often redundant or too daring. There is no reason to call all Classical revivals “humanistic” when the word Classical suffices. The definition of humanism as anthropocentricity or human-centrality has a firmer claim to correctness. For obvious reasons, however, it is confusing to apply this word to Classical literature.
Humanism in large measure established the climate and provided the medium for the rise of modern thought. An impressive variety of major developments in literature, philosophy, art, religion, social science, and even natural science had their basis in humanism or were significantly nourished by it. More generally, the so-called modern awareness—that sense of alienation and freedom applied both to the individual and to the human race—derives ultimately, for better or worse, from humanistic sources.
Online Resources
- International Humanist and Ethical UnionAn article on website of IHEU, the global representative body of the humanist movement, uniting a diversity of non-religious organizations and individuals. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, IHEU is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with representation on various United Nations committees and other international bodies. IHEU seeks to influence international policy through representation and information, to build the humanist network, and let the world know about the worldview of Humanism.
- Definition of HumanismThe reference on Encyclopedia Britannica.
- Humanism.orgMore about this organization and website resource: it started out in 1896, and since then this movement grew at the forefront of social change. Today the main aim is to promote humanism.
Practical Activity
- Understanding HumanismThe students are invited to look at three different short videos about Humanism, following which they organize a debate on the topics of the videos. At the end the students produce a summary of Humanism.
