Religion
Many religions contain vast amount of scriptures, commentaries, and even commentaries on classical commentaries. Rote learning is prevalent in many religious schools throughout the world. This is partly because most major religions appeared before the emergence of print.
Most Dharmic religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism initially transmitted their scriptural knowledge through oral transmission without resort to text. This was done by converting verse into chant and repeating it to commit to memory. In Abrahamic religions, Jewish yeshivot or chederim (plural of cheder) use rote learning when teaching children Torah, Muslim madrasas utilize it in memorizing Qur'an. A person who has memorized the entire Quran is known as Hafiz. In pre-Enlightenment Europe, memorization techniques were known as Method of loci, mainly practiced in monasteries and universities, where divinity was taught. These skills were highly praised and they were known to be extensive allies of memorization technique such as the memory palace.
After the emergence of the printing press, the memorization of the entire scriptures was no longer an essential requirement of being a religious teacher. Rote learning is still used in various degrees, especially by young children, the main purpose being to memorize and retain as much textual material as possible, to prepare a student for a more analytical learning in the future.
Read more about this topic: Rote Learning
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“... the average Catholic perceives no connection between religion and morality, unless it is a question of someone elses morality.”
—Mary McCarthy (19121989)
“As soon as beauty is sought, not from religion and love, but for pleasure, it degrades the seeker.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)
“When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the world-old, world-wide religio of amulets and holy places and priestcraft. Protestantism, in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague mist of ethical platitudes. Catholicism is accused of being too much like all the other religions; Protestantism of being insufficiently like a religion at all. Hence Plato, with his transcendent Forms, is the doctor of Protestants; Aristotle, with his immanent Forms, the doctor of Catholics.”
—C.S. (Clive Staples)