World Religions,Spirituality,and Experiential Education

Abstract

In simplest terms, religion is defined as an organized and institutional group experience with accepted faiths and beliefs. Spirituality is a personal belief in something greater than oneself. Because religion is so important in many people's lives, experiential educators may have an obligation to understand more about the essence of religions and acknowledge the influence of spirituality. Religion and spirituality are important and their impact may be embodied in classes, extracurricular activities, recreation, and the outdoors. Further, religious beliefs are a direct reflection of what is morally valued and how ethical issues are addressed. The purpose of this paper is to describe briefly eight of the world's religions so that experiential educators might want to examine what the major religions mean and some of the implications for spirituality and educational programs. For educators who know little about religions other than their own, these descriptions may be a place to start an exploration of how religion influences the ways people behave in the world.