Applying ninian smarts model to religion

For those of you unfamiliar with Ninian Smart, be advised of the following, A) he was and is a very famous academic, and b) he is relevant because he went to aber . For proof of this, please see [1]

This essay is by me Tori and it is shit, (my tutor disagreed, and gave me teh good mark, which only goes to show that they really don’t actually read our stuff after all)

The observation of religious activity can provide many clues as to the significance of its effect on the day-to-day lives of its practitioners. By attending a Sunday service in a [Christian] (CofE) church, you will be able to glean a great deal about Christianity. You may see the members of the service taking the sacrament; the vicar will read from the bible and explain that the wafer represents the body of [Christ], the wine the blood. He will also explain that Christ, the son of God died for the sins of humankind “that we may be granted access to heaven” and reiterate some of the obligations inherent in believing this, including the Ten Commandments. Hymns may be sung, other bible and parable readings will be present, and prayers will be said.

The building itself may contain a cross and be fairly ornate, maybe containing images of Jesus on the cross, and the actual layout of many churches is that of a cross, this can be ascertained by walking around the outside of it. The surroundings of many churches will also contain a cemetery.

Ninian Smart’s model, divided into seven dimensions, allows us to break this down into clearly definable aspects, which help us to define this as a religious practice. The church itself would be defined as “the material dimension”. The actual attendance of the service by a group, and the fact that this is presided over by a religious official (the vicar) fill the requirements of “the social and [institutional] dimension”.

The reading of the Ten Commandments would be part of the “eth