Study Guide for Test 1 Intro to World Religions Spring 2013 Introductory Lecture on the Study of Religion 1 Since the conversion of Emperor Constantine religion in the West has been primarily caught up with Christianity What were some of the turning points that began to shatter the hegemony of Christianity within the study of religion o The proliferation of European exploration trade and conquest o The protestant reformation o The renaissance the birth of science the enlightenment o Developments such as a rise of historical biblical criticism 2 What is the most significant feature of Ludwig Feuerbach s thought for the study of religion Wrote the Essence of Christianity projection theory we project our traits onto other people but we re alienating ourselves b c we re focusing too much on it 3 What is the most significant feature of Karl Marx s thought for the study of religion Focused on economics Existence of religion Christianity has an economic explanation Beginning of capitalism said rich people used religion as a way of keeping poor people in their place 4 What is the most significant feature of William Robertson Smith s thought for the study of religion Wrote lecture on the semites Focused in on communal aspect of religion ex most people don t worship alone Known for rise of myth ritual school 5 What is the most significant feature of mile Durkheim s thought for the study of religion Claimed that sense of divine comes from community feeling community influences you 6 What is the most significant feature of Max Weber s thought for the study of religion Ecomonics sociology organizational theory Wrote Protestantism and Rise of Capitalism people create systems of meaning that influence them to act or behave how they do aka find a purpose to live by 7 What is the most significant feature of Rudolf Otto s thought for the study of religion Religious experience is contact with the holy or sacred cant be explained through rational means 8 What is the most significant feature of Sigmund Freud s thought for the study of religion Explained religion in terms of psychological neurosis nothing more than infantile need for father figure power of guilt 9 What is the most significant feature of Max M ller s thought for the study of religion Theory of origins of religion started as nature worship 10 What is the most significant feature of James Frazer s thought for the study of religion Also believed it began with nature then magic religion science 11 What is the most significant feature of Richard Dawkins s and Daniel Dennett s thought for the study of religion Religion is a product of evolution Religion makes people survive and adapt because it creates community etc In the real shortcuts that help us survive religion is a misfire universe has no alternate purpose besides the one we give it Hinduism 1 Who were the Dravidians Be able to say a little about them and their civilization Original inhabitants along Indus valley Thei religion consisted of fertility rituals temple rites animal sacrifice and ritual bathing 2 Who were the Aryans Approximately when did they enter the Indus valley of present day India Be able to say a little about them and their civilization Nomadic group that migrated to the Indus valley b w 1500 BCE and 1000 BCE Their religion consisted of worship of nature gods and sacrifice to them 3 What two factors make the study of the early roots of Hinduism more difficult Lack of scholarly during this period the myriad views of actual hindus 4 What are the two main types of Hindu sacred literature What is the difference between them Be able to give examples of each type of Hindu sacred literature and give a brief description of each example The Shruti and the Vedas The Vedas are the most important types of Hindu sacred literature Vedas consists of hymns to the gods goddesses charms and spells Brahmanas include how to do vedac practices Aranyakas taught to religious elite without anyone hearing it most secret knowledge Upanishads knowledge gained by gurus passed down to disciples 5 What is the oldest piece of Hindu sacred literature and approximately when was it written The Rig Veda 1200 BCE 6 What are the main differences between the Vedas and the Upanishads Hint I am looking for the differences in the topics each contains different subject matter see above 7 What are the primary concepts found in the Upanishads see above 8 What is karma Law of cause and effect 9 What is samsara Cycle of deaths and rebirths reincarnation 10 What is moksha Liberation from the cycle ultimate goal 11 What is Brahman What is the difference between nirguna Brahman and saguna Brahman Ultimate reality includes everything Saguna Brahman is a god with attributes or person qualities 12 What is Atman One s true self realization that Brahman is within them 13 What are the four primary castes in Hinduism What is the significance of being one of the twice born castes Be able to describe a story from sacred literature that supposedly is the basis for the caste system Brahmin Kshatriya Vaishya Shudra i ii iii iv 14 What are the four stages of life ashrama for the twice born castes do rituals warriors nobility maintain order defend merchants and business people commoners and workers Student vedic learning from 8 12 Householder marriage at 25 Forest dweller when grandchildren are born seeking a higher knowledge Renouncer seeking Samadhi higher form of consciousness that leads to moksha i ii iii iv 15 What are the four acceptable goals worth pursuing in Hinduism pursuing material pleasures pursue money for powers sake Kama i Artha ii Dharma iii iv Moksha 16 What are the four paths to liberation salvation moksha within Hinduism You will need to be able to give a brief description of each doing one s duty liberation from cycle of death and rebirth most religious worthy the path of knowledge concentrate on changing the way that you think the path of love most popular path the path of work doing one s duty for duty s sake and not for the good Jnana Yoga finding the true you Bhakti Yoga Karma Yoga that will come out of it for you Raja Yoga the path of physical and mental discipline discipline your mind and body iv 17 What is the significance of the scorpion story when thinking about Karma Yoga A yogi bathing in a river saw a fallen scorpion struggling to get out of the water Held him in his hand while being stung multiple times and withstanding unbearable pain to save the scorpion onto shore Afterwards his followers
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