Vocabulary List Introduction to World Religions By Tamara Wiggemans Oxtoby Monotheism Greek term for worship of one god Polytheism the worship of many gods Dualism in religion postulates two principles 1 Good god and 2 An evil devil Missionary Religions what are they and what 3 does your book list Buddhism Christianity and Islam Believe that all religions are different therefore those who know the truth are obliged to spread it The religions are intended for all humans meaning they are not meant for a specific group or heredity Zoroastrianism this is a monotheistic religion with dualistic overtones It developed in Persia Iran The god of the religion is called Ahura Mazda Their tradition is known as the Good Religion and they called themselves the Mazda worshippers The religion is still practiced in India and in Iran The name of the religion came from the prophetic teacher Zarathustra Ahura Mazda this is the supreme creator god of Zoroastrians Eschatology this is a notable characteristic of Zoroastrianism it is centered on the expectation of a world to come both for the individual and for the world as a whole Gnosticism suggested that humanity could be released from its primal entrapment in the sinful cosmos only through divine redemption Mysticism Jewish belief in which adepts of meditation could ascend to heaven to discover hidden truths Nigosian Modern Scholarly Approaches Philosophy of Religion three main trends are discernible in the present scope of the philosophy of religions 1 An analysis of religious language 2 An analysis of the nature of the religion in the general framework of a worldview and 3 A philosophical justification or rejection of various religious positions Sociology of Religion sociological is all about the network of relationships that binds people in cohesive groups called societies Both sociologists and anthropologists emphasize the importance of religion through its cultural symbols and expressions Psychology of Religion the study of religious psychology involves the collection and classification of psychological data the investigation of religious responses as correlated with various personality types the testing of various psychological explanations the examination of the religious symbols and practices that aid or impede individuals in working out personal problems and the bearing of religious issue on the integration of personality Phenomenology of Religion phenomenologists believe that every human activity is relevant to the study of the particular phenomenon on which they are focusing To the phenomenologist who focuses on religion music painting sculpture labor and any other product of human endeavor must be observed and analyzed in terms of its potential to illuminate and explain the phenomenon of religious faith History of Religion historians of religion study religious behavior through the sequence of events or series of transformations that characterizes the evolution of various religious traditions into their current forms or up until the points at which they vanished McCutcheon Anthropological approach to study of religion primarily concerned with studying people their beliefs behaviors and institutions rather than assessing the truth or truths of their various beliefs or behaviors The study comes from a confessional religious or theological approach This is generally concerned with determining the nature will or wishes of a god or the gods Judgments Historical Accuracy Descriptive Accuracy vs Normative Judgments these two enterprises therefore have very different data the academic study of religion studies people their beliefs and their social systems the theological study of religion studies God the gods and their impact on people Religious Instruction vs Instruction about religion Court 1st Amendment The opening lines to the First Amendment to the Constitution read Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof The academic study of religion is concerned to study about religion and religions Kessler Moral evil suffering and pain inflicted on others by human beings Natural evil natural disasters like floods earthquakes and tornadoes Nomos an orderly world operating according to understandable laws Aomic many things that happen seem like this meaning random without explanation Theodicy any proposed solution to the problem o evil that reconciles the existence of an all good and all powerful God with the evil that exists in the world What is the difference between the scientific why and the existential why There are many scientific explanations for events that produce great pain and suffering But the why that evil makes us ask is not the scientific why but the existential why Why did this act happen to me Some believes that is restores nomos Anomie and evil are the two largest challenges that religions must face Naturalistic or non theistic view of Karma Karma can man the law of cause and effect governing our lives The wheel of rebirth commonly comes into play Good karma results from following one s dharma bad comes from no following that in Hinduism The law of karma in this view operates blindly impersonally and automatically It is a moral law In addition to naturalistic views there are also theistic ones that say some superhuman divine agent oversees the law of karma by linking he actions in one life with those in another Eschatology refers to the ideas about the last things When good people will be rewarded and evil will be punished the end of the era Theodicy of participation deals with evil suffering and misfortune but relativizing such events It reassures us that in the grand scheme of things our individual suffering is of little significance Dualistic theodicy face the problem of explaining head on by claiming that some sort of superhuman force is responsible for evil Judaism Mount Sinai a Holy mountain for the Jewish because it is the mountain where Moses received a series of moral and ritual obligations to the people of Israel Sabbath a day for prayer and public assembly Synagogue the house of worship and community meeting Comes from the Greek meaning assembly or gathering Pentateuch the first five books of Moses or the Hebrew bible which make up the first section of the Bible Torah this is the religious law and it includes the entire Hebrew Bible it is written in Hebrew and this is where the Bat or Bar Mitzvah reads in public for the first tie from The word means teaching
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