REL2121 Midterm Study Guide 8 30 What is Religion What s In a Name by McCutchean o Naming of Mt Everest story o The names we give things often tell us more about the namer then the things being named o Classification a social act because people are doing it Religion and the Religions by Harrison o The name religion was given to external aspects of religious life to systems of practices Impersonal and objective concept was to be developed o A whole set of rules which governs the manner in which the nascent o The category of religion has a complicated history o During the enlightenment reason and scientific methods started being applied o Biblical criticism is that religious books were written by man But what man And why o Objectives of study are shaped to a large degree by the techniques which are used to study them What happens when we look at the Bible as the work of people We classify it differently High and Low Culture o High Art show o Low Monster Jam o Who decided this People that attend those events which is determined by money which determines power authority Classifying Religion o Thinking about religion means thinking about how things have been classified at specific times in specific places for specific reasons o While there is a staggering amount of data of phenomena of human experiences and expression that might be characterized in one culture or another by one criterion or another as religious there is no data for religion JZ Smith Religion is a word used to classify beliefs and acts such as prayer belief in a God pilgrimage etc Classification of religion is important because it leads to things like tax exemption protection from law suits etc Because the constitution said that now law shall be created that limits the freedom of religion the word religion had to be redefined so that things like terrorism aren t protected o The category of religion is a tool because certain protections are extended to people places ideas classified as religions 9 4 Early Contact In 1542 Spain had just finished the Reconquista Columbus brought the idea of join or die over to the New World Catholicism in the New World o Portugal and Spain o The Pope Papal Bulls New Spain o Church State Issues Inter Caetera split the new world between Spain and Portugal who got screwed Colonialism a religious economic and political endeavor o Conversion was done via force o The Requirement This was required to be read to natives There was a language barrier Written to justify Spain conquering the New World to other European countries Did not serve its purpose Basically Join or Die o Encomienda System Cheap native labor for Spanish plantations o Disease and violence drastically kills the population 80 90 o De La Casa Destruction of the Indies The response to this disease and violence Over the top exaggerated done to get peoples attention Wanted improved conditions for the indigenous people A good primary source Lots of bias o Sublimus Deus 1537 written by the Pope The Pope is saying native people are humans and enslaving them is forbidden New Laws of 1542 Improved living conditions of natives They are Catholic laws New France o Headquartered in Canada o Smaller population then the Spaniards o Less money less support less organized o Focused more on trade then on cities Religious Conquest o Process of Conversion in New Spain Natives brought to Spanish learning centers Natives expected to adhere to Spanish standards and o Process of Conversion in New France Religious teams went to native population to teach and provide languages services Religious teams learned native languages Long Term Effects of Early Contact o Mixed success for Spain Mexico vs Florida o Demographics o Native cultures obliterated o Protestants and Catholics Tension over who or what was Christian 9 6 Antinomians Religion and Law in Puritan New England The Protestant Reformation o Certain Catholic s began protesting Hence the term protestant o Martin Luther and the 99 Theses o Grace vs Works Protestants practiced covenant of grace Catholics practiced covenant of works Indulgences o Calvin and Calvinism The Institutes of the Christian Religion 1535 Important ideas A sovereign God God is all powerful Human depravity Humans are inherently evil there is nothing you can do Against emotionalism were escaping oppression not looking for religious freedom The Puritans o o Emphasis on the society being greater then the individual o The government s role was to enforce a Godly society o Not a theocracy Why Because they could never know what God wants He is separate from people o Extremely intolerant of everyone Catholics Jews Quakers etc o A City Upon a Hill Saw themselves as the New Israel God s Chosen People o Problems An Errand into the Wilderness Covenant of grace and governing the ideas don t mix Roger Williams introduce the first idea of separation of Internal disagreements church and state The role of ministers Puritan law was about enforcing the right religion Ministers made laws but if you could never know who the elect was then who decided who the ministers are This idea was one of Anne Hutchinson s main points Anne Hutchinson Court Transcript o She questioned the authority of the ministers o Argued that God s chosen the elect know when God chooses you Argued this could happen outside the church This is saying the ministers aren t needed undermining the role of the church the male clergy and the governments reason for existence o Because if anyone could know they were elect the entire authority o Her actual charge for the case was disobeying the 5th commandment system would break down disobeying parents pg 38 o Her accusation was that some ministers were teaching works rather then grace o Review pg 55 Which is why they separated from the Catholics How does she argue She quotes the Bible Overwhelmed with questions o She s reminding the ministers they are not all powerful only God is o The great irony of the case is that the ministers don t know if she s a member of the elect but she s not acting like it this is works pg 58 o Scapegoat for other problems Accused of having men in her home and gossip but really she was viewed as a threat to individualism o The threat of individualism is a big deal because if people don t buy into the ministers logic they put the whole community at risk because they believed they lived and died as a community Why It Matters o Challenging the premise of the law Either the law changes or something bad happens to