Introduction to World Religions 1st Half of Semester Notes Tyeler Cyr Academic Study of Religion Definitions of Religion Names something Colonialist term Translated into English as a systematic category in 1604 to define belief that results in ceremonial behavior Definition subject to theological debates Anthropological category David Hume A Natural History of Religion 1757 Religion not innate but it was to be found in human nature Universality Whatever religion was it looked the same in any given society that Europeans or Americans happened to observe Natural Religion Religion not influenced by environment or circumstances Provisional Definition Apprehended rationally as well as emotionally Appreciated corporately as well as individually Celebrated ritually and symbolically as well as discursively Transmitted in conventional forms as a tradition that offers people An interpretation of experience A view on life and death A guide to conduct An orientation to meaning and purpose in the world Twentieth Century Analyses A system of symbols which acts to Establish powerful persuasive and long lasting moods and motivations in men by Formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and Clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that The moods and motivations seen uniquely realistic Max Muller A German philologist and Orientalist one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion Religious Literacy At its most basic definition religious literacy refers to the ability to identify understand and use the basic building blocks of religious traditions their key terms symbols doctrines practices images sayings characters metaphors and narratives in the course of one s day to day life Name the four Gospels List as many as you can Matthew Mark Luke John Name a sacred text of Hinduism Bhagavad Gita Rig Veda Ramayana What is the name of the Holy Book of Islam Qur an Where according to the Bible was Jesus born Bethlehem President George W Bush spoke in his first inaugural address of the Jericho road What bible story was he invoking Parable of the Good Samaritan True or false Sikhism is a branch of Islam False What are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy What is the Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you God helps those who help themselves Is this in the Bible If so where No Aesop s Fables Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God Does this appear in the bible If so where Yes Matthew 5 The Sermon on the Mount Name the Ten Commandments List as many as you can Thou shall not have any other gods before me Thou shall not create false idols Thou shall not use the Lord s name in vain Thou shall not kill Thou shall keep holy the Sabbath day Honor thy father and mother Thou shall not kill Thou shall not commit adultery Thou shall not steal Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor Thou shall not covet Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism Life is dukkha suffering Dukkha is caused by craving desire attatchment Dukkha can be overcome The way to overcome dukkha is by following the Eightfold Path What are the seven sacraments of Catholicism List as many as you can Baptism Confirmation Holy Communion Penance Reconciliation Holy orders Ordination of priests Matrimony Anointing of the sick The First Amendment to the US Constitution says two things about religion each in its own clause What are the two religion clauses of the First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof The two clauses are the establishment clause and the free exercise clause What is Ramadan In what religion is it celebrated Month of fasting Islam What is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints When was it founded Where Commonly known as Mormons Founded in the Utah US By Joseph Smith in the 1830s and popularized over the course of the century Is the study of religion at public universities constitutional Yes We are concerned with the study of religion rather than indoctrination in religion True or false All of the religions studied in this class can be traced to a single founder False Name influential theorists of religion from any time period Karl Marx Emile Durkhein E B Taylor Friedrich Max Muller Max Weber Clifford Geerts Talal Asad Amy Hollywood Robert Orsi World Religions Roster of Religions Anglican theologist Frederick Denison Maurice 1846 The idea of a short list of great or living or world religions Required to be both historically influential and still alive today By 1900 Buddhism Christianity Islam Judaism Zoroastrianism Hinduism Shinto Sikhism Jainism Confucianism Taoism Primitivism Conceptual Framework vs Empirical Category Religion is an anthropological category Visual Culture Not synonymous with art Emphasis on everyday life Reception of visual and material objects How an artifact is received by people in different contexts in distinction to the motivations for production Descriptions can change the way an object is viewed A problem shared by both art and religion Once something is identified as religious or religion it means something that it likely did not mean before that term was used E g labeling an image a religious painting carries connotations that it would not otherwise convey The differences that the terms introduce are often difficult to quantify but that doesn t mean they aren t important to consider Also smell taste touch and sound Four Types of Religion until the 19th Century Christianity Judaism Islam Paganism Orientalism Presumed to be specific and historically unique Irreducible to a generic type Associated with particular historical people founders prophets teachers reformers Gave rise to our sense of world religions as historically specific traditions with a unique legacy that can be plotted historically and distinguished from other traditions Philology The study of language in written historical sources It is a combination of literary studies history and linguistics It is also more commonly defined as the study of literary texts and written records the establishment of their authenticity and their original form and the determination of their meaning Anthropology Small scale tribal societies Sought a category type of primitive religion Chris Ofili Holy Virgin Mary 1996 Sacred Connected with God or the gods
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