Hinduism

• “Hinduism” is an outsider’s term applied to the family of religious traditions arising from the Vedas (earliest sacred scriptures of India). The term comes from “Hindu,” referring to people who lives in the area of the Indus river.
• “Insider’s” term for these traditions is sanatana dharma (sanatana = eternal; dharma = way, religion, duty)
• May be oldest living religious tradition (more than 10,000 years??)

Indus Valley Civilization

• Cities rose in the Indus Valley in the period from 2,500 BCE to 1,500 BCE. People called “Dravidian.”  Two major city-centers were Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
• Excavations reveal that their religion centered on worship of the mother goddess. The culture was largely agricultural, so focus on fertility.
• About 1500 BCE, bands of “Aryans” migrated from central Asia into Northern India and forced the Dravidians south. The Aryans were nomadic herders and warriors. Emphasis on male deities. Vedic religion associated with the Aryans.

   Shruti Texts

• shruti = revealed, not written by human beings
• The Vedas are shruti, believed to be the breath of the eternal as heard by ancient sages (rishis) and written down later.
• The word ‘veda’ comes from the Sanscrit term for knowledge.
• Oldest part is the Rig-Veda (means  “the Veda of verses of praise”), which contains thousands of hymns to the gods and stories of creation.

• CREATION MYTH – PURUSHA AND THE CASTE SYSTEM
• One of the creation stories in the Rig-Veda uses the story of the sacrifice of the “primal Man,” Purusha. He is dismembered, with different parts of his body becoming different parts of creation.
• Creation stories have interrelationships with ritual practices and social organization.
• This myth related to the practice of animal (maybe human?) sacrifice in ancient Vedic tradition.
• It also relates to the varnas (caste system)
• head = brahman, priestly caste
• arms = kshatriya, warriors/nobles
• thighs = vaishya, merchants, artisans, farmers
• feet = shudra, servants/laborers
• Those outside this system are called untouchables

Vedic Religions

• fire sacrifice was the primary ritual of ancient Vedic religion
• Rituals carried out by brahmins (also known as brahman or pandits – the highest caste)
• Both these customs carried over into present-day Hindu practices. Picture is from a Havan (fire) ceremony at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta conducted by brahmin priests.

Upnishads

• An important shift in Hinduism came with the scriptures called the Upanishads (c. 500 B.C.)
• Shift from a polytheistic view to a form of monotheism (one sacred reality manifest in many different forms)
• Shift from external, ritual focus (sacrifice) to internal focus (union of the individual with the sacred, personal religious experience)

Hindu Understanding of Reality.

• WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF EXISTENCE?

All of reality is One, called Brahman, the Absolute Godhead – unchanging and timeless. Too abstract and impersonal for the human mind to grasp.

• WHAT ARE WE?

Essentially we are Brahman. Atman is the term for our individual manifestations of the eternal and unchanging.

We are also jiva – the karmic self, our individual, changing, temporary bodies/identities/personalities.

• WHAT IS OUR PROBLEM?

Atman is trapped in the cycle of rebirth (samsara) by karma (the moral law of cause and effect – what we do in one life influences future lives).

We make bad karmic choices because of desire and attachment and because of ignorance of our true nature.

We are trapped in Maya = often translated as ‘illusion.’ Maya is sometimes translated as the material world, but is better understood as the illusion that our temporary bodies, personalities, and the material are what is “Real.”

• WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

The goal of Hinduism is moksha – liberation from the cycle of samsara. There are many paths for reaching this goal.

Dharma, Religion, and Hindu Society….

• Dharma is a deeply embedded and complex part of Hindu belief and society. It can be translated “religion,” “way,” “morality,” or “duty.”
• A Hindu’s dharma can vary, depending on gender, caste, and age/stage of life.
• Scriptures concerning this concept of duty include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Laws of Manu.

Part of dharma are the four life stages. They are based on the duties of higher-caste Hindu males.

• Student. Males are expected to spend years in their youth studying Hindu scriptures as well as secular learning.
• Householder. In Hindu society, people are expected to marry, raise a family, and (for men) have a career.
• Retirement. After the duties to career and family are fulfilled, people are expected to turn to more spiritual pursuits and studies in retirement.
• Sannyasin. Although not required, the ideal at the end of life is total withdrawal from the world to become a wandering beggar totally focused on spiritual things. This path is open to both men and women, although it is more common for men.

Another part of dharma are the four life goals. They are all considered appropriate human goals, although some are more appropriate at certain life stages:

• Dharma - duty
• Artha – material gain, career success and reputation
• Kama – physical pleasure.
• Moksha – liberation from attachments and the wheel of samsara (need for rebirth).

The Four Yogas

The word “yoga” is related to the word “yoke” (a discipline/practice that a person takes on himself in order to reach liberation (moksha) and become one with Brahman. There are four different yogas that attract people of different personality types:

1. Jnana yoga = the path of knowledge. Realization of oneness with God through study.
2. Karma yoga = the path of selfless work in the world. Transcend the “small self” through action for others.
3. Bhakti yoga = the path of love and devotion to God in a particular form.
4. Raja yoga = the path of meditation (including physical – hatha – yoga).

Hindu Temples

• Many Hindu temples are in the form of pyramids or domes – both forms refer to mountains which are thought to be sacred and which link heaven with earth.
• The style to the left is common in northern India.
• The style below is more common in southern India.

HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA – RIVERDALE

§  The Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale was built by immigrants from different areas of India, so it contains elements from both northern and southern styles.

SHRI SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE – LILBURN

• A Hindu temple is believed to be the universe in ‘microcosm’ (a small ‘model’ of the whole)
• One example of a temple ground plan is a yantra (geometric map of cosmos).
• The four-sided figure represents the four directions of the universe.
• The circles represent a lotus flower (symbolizing the unity of God/consciousness)

Worship and Rituals

• Puja = devotion to God, often in the form of an image. May involve prayers, songs, lights, food offerings, and flower garlands.
• Prasad = food that is offered to an image of God is then returned to the worshipper (conveys a blessing – comparable to eucharist).
• Particular forms of god are believed to be present in their images. The practice of darshan = ‘seeing and being seen by god in the form of an image.’ Conveys a blessing (comparable to eucharist).

The Gods and their images

• Gods, goddesses and their images are an important part of Hinduism. People often ask if Hindus are polytheists because of the many images of the sacred in Hindu tradition. The dominant teaching of Hinduism is that God is One (Brahman) that manifests itself to human understanding in many forms.
• These forms express different aspects of reality. Although Hindus recognize God as one, they tend to focus on one or more specific forms as objects of worship.
• The chart to the left shows the three main forms of God.
• The images to the left are of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
• Images are important as objects of devotion and as ways of learning about aspects of sacred reality.
• Why do images of the gods have so many arms? It is because each arm either holds something a symbolic object that conveys information or is making a symbolic gesture (a mudra).
• If you know the ‘visual language’ of the images, you can identify the god and be reminded of sacred stories and teachings associated with the image.
• Example: the figure of Shiva at the bottom is dancing in a ring of fire symbolizing samsara. He holds in one hand the drum of creation and in another the fire of destruction. He has his foot on the dwarf of ignorance. There are many levels of meaning, but one thing all this conveys is the oneness of God (creation/destruction) and the god’s ability to liberate his followers from the wheel of karmic rebirth and ignorance.

Goddesses, Shakti, and the status of women…

• Brahman manifests in both male and female forms.
• Shakti means sacred force or power, cosmic energy. In Hindu tradition, Shakti is personified as creative, feminine power – the “Great Mother.”
• Traditionally, the male gods are powerless without Shakti, so all have wives.
• To the left is an image of Devi, the Great Mother. She has many heads and arms, representing the fact that all the forms of the goddess come from her.

 the three main forms of Devi:

• Saraswati is the wife of Brahma the Creator. She is associated with music and the arts.
• Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu the Preserver. She is often associated with good fortune, money, purity, and chastity.
• Parvati is the wife of Shiva the Destroyer. She is associated with motherhood and the power of Shakti.

While goddesses are greatly respected in Hinduism, the religion has an ambivalent attitude toward women. Because of the power of Shakti, women are both revered and feared. When Shakti is ‘bound’ in marriage and childbearing, it is positive. When it is ‘unbound’ (for instance, in widowhood), it becomes ‘polluting.’

“Dark” forms of the goddess….

• There are many “dark forms” of the goddesses in Hinduism – two of the most important are Durga, the Warrior Goddess, and Kali. Kali is associated with death.
• These forms are not “evil,” but simply represent the darker side of universal sacred reality.

The BUDDHA - Enlightenment

  

• Becoming the Buddha

• the four passing sights. When Siddhartha rebelled against his father and left the palace, he saw a sick person, and old person, a corpse, and a sannyasin (Hindu holy man). The first three made him question the meaning and purpose of life and whether there was an answer to all the suffering he saw. These sights set him on his path to enlightenment. NOTE: Suzuki – when asked by a student to summarize Buddhism in two words he said: NOTHING LASTS.

• rejection of asceticism. Siddhartha first tried asceticism, the path of the holy man. “Asceticism” means giving up the pleasures of life, often fasting, going without sleep, etc. in order to gain spiritual insight. Unfortunately, this path didn’t lead him to answers.

• the “middle way” – Buddha decided there must be a way in between the hedonism of his youth and extreme asceticism. That is the way he advocated.

• Awakening (Enlightenment = bodhi) – Siddhartha sat under a tree and meditated for many days. He finally had an experience of his own nature, the nature of reality, and the way to end suffering that Buddhists call enlightenment. Another way to translate Bodhi is “waking up.”

• gathering disciples, the sangha. After his enlightenment, the Buddha (the one who is awake) travelled, taught, and gathered a community of disciples (the sangha = the community of enlightened beings).

• When the Buddha was dying and his disciples were mourning, he essentially told them that they didn’t need him. His final instructions are an important key to Buddhist thought – “You must be your own lamps, be your own refuge….A monk becomes his own lamp and refuge by continually looking on his body, feelings, perceptions, moods, and ideas in such a manner that he conquers the cravings and depressions of ordinary men and is always strenuous, self-possessed, and collected in mind.” Since the Buddha taught that everyone can reach enlightenment, and that the only way to do it was to meditate and realize the truth for yourself, Buddha was telling his disciples that they didn’t need him.

• A Zen Buddhist teaching that reinforces these words is “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.” If you are looking for something outside yourself, you’re looking in the wrong place. Buddhists especially emphasize the fact that the Buddha was a teacher, not a god.

• BASIC TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM

• practical orientation, rejection of abstract speculation. The Buddha emphasized that his teaching was about how to end suffering and how to have a happy life. He discouraged philosophical and cosmological speculation. ARROW STORY.

• non-theistic. Buddhism is non-theistic. That means there are no personal gods (beings with will and reason). Buddhists see reality as a sacred whole. As we will see when we get into Mahayana and Vajrayana forms of Buddhism, this non-theism can be somewhat ambiguous, because there are spiritual beings and forces that are personified in supernatural form.

• The Four Noble Truths. These are the heart of Buddha’s teaching

1.      Life is suffering; life is unsatisfactory. No matter how fortunate a life someone has, they must eventually face loss, illness, and death. On a daily basis, we also tend to run into problems that cause us to be dissatisfied.

2.      Suffering is caused by desire (craving). Buddha taught that we suffer because we want things to be different from they are. This can be translated as desire/craving/attachment. He didn’t mean that we can’t enjoy and appreciate things, or that we can’t love things or people. His point is more that if we cling to things and don’t allow them to change – including our own lives and those we love – we suffer. He also didn’t mean that you can’t have plans and goals – just that if you’re attached to them being accomplished in a certain way, you may suffer.

3.      The way to end suffering is to end desire. If we can appreciate what is without demanding that it be different, if we can learn to love without attachment and desire, suffering ends.

4.      How? The Noble Eightfold Path. the purpose of all of them is to live a life of awareness of reality, compassion, and non-attachment.

• The Three Marks of Reality

1.      dukkha = suffering/unsatisfactoriness. (see First Noble truth)

2.      anicca = impermanence. The realization that nothing in the physical world is permanent. Everything is always changing. If we can’t accept that, we will suffer. If we do accept it, we can find joy in appreciating things as they are in the “Now.”

3.      anatman = no-self – no ‘atman’ or permanently existing, unchanging soul that is part of divine reality). Since everything is always changing, so are we. There is no permanent, eternal, unchanging part of us (like ‘soul’ in Christianity or ‘atman’ in Hinduism).

• The Five Precepts. This is sort of a code of ethics that started out as training rules for monks and nuns, but applies to all Buddhists). Think of them not so much as commandments (you ‘sin’ if you don’t do them) as advice about the kind of behavior that would keep people from reaching enlightenment and happiness. The person on the path to enlightenment will:

1.      abstain from taking life

2.      abstain from taking what is not given

3.      abstain from sexual misconduct

4.      abstain from false speech

5.      abstain from intoxicants

• RELATIONSHIP TO HINDU THOUGHT AND TRADITION

• Buddhism rejects:

• Vedic ritualism
• Brahmin priesthood
• asceticism
• caste system
• atman/soul
• traditional roles for women (to some extent – the reason I say this is because while Buddha made it clear that people are spiritually equal, and founded orders of both monks and nuns, some Buddhists societies at some times have discouraged women from being full participants in some Buddhist spiritual paths.)

• Buddhism has a different interpretation of:

• Reincarnation/rebirth – Buddha said reincarnation is like one candle being lit from another. The implication is that no ‘substance’ survives from one lifetime to another – only energy (in the form of either karma or desire) carried over.

Ø  If no ‘atman,’ what is reborn? Skandas (aggregates – the Sancrit word ‘skanda’ means skein, like a skein of yard – the idea is that we are sort of a loose, tangled bundle of attributes): Each person is made of of 5 skandas: form (your body), feelings, perceptions, volitions (will/desire), awareness (consciousness). We are bundles of energy in constant flux (change).

Ø  Each person is not an independent individual. Rather they are part of a web called dependent origination (we depend on intricate chains of cause and effect that resulted in our current existence and a complex web of interrelationships that sustain our current existence).

Ø  “There is a continuing series of processes which incessantly renews itself, and which is falsely called a living being.” (Vasubandhu, 4^th century C.E.)

• Karma. Buddhists do believe in karma as a chain of causes and effects, but it is much less ‘personal’ than in Hinduism.

• NIRVANA -- Moksha (liberation) in Hinduism is seen as the atman (individual ‘soul’ dissolving into Brahman – the sacred whole – sort of like a teaspoon of salt being dissolved in the ocean). In Buddhism, the idea of liberation– nirvana – is seen in a less positive metaphor. Buddha says when the flame of desire is extinguished, one reaches nirvana -- like a candle flame going out.

·                                  MAJOR DIVISIONS OF BUDDHISM

There are many types of Mahayana Buddhism, but we are going to focus on two of the major ones – Zen and Vajrayana.

o   Theravada - SE Asia including Thailand, Laos

Theravada Buddhism is known as the “way of the elders” because it tried to preserve the Buddha’s pure teaching and practice as reflected in the Pali cannon and other ancient scriptures.

Since it emphasizes the monastic life and intellectual study, it is often called the “little raft,” since this life does not appeal to the majority of people.

It emphasizes the path to liberation through meditation, study, insight, and wisdom. Salvation is achieved through one’s own efforts.

It holds up the arhat (the saint) as the ideal of life and sees Buddha as the example of the saintly life.

Theravada follows Buddha’s advice to avoid cosmological speculation and does not have anything that could be interpreted as deities or heaven/hell.

o    Mahayana - India, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Tibet

Mahayana is called the “big raft” because it focuses on the lives and needs of ordinary people, has more popular devotional elements, and has a way of liberation in which a person can be helped by others.

It emphasizes compassion as the main virtue = empathy, sympathy, kindness. This is based on the belief in the interrelatedness of all beings. The goal is to prevent suffering and achieve liberation for all.

 Teaches that bodhisattvas can help people achieve nirvana. The ideal is the bodhisattva.

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings. The bodhisattva vow, which many people in this branch of Buddhism take, is to continue to be reborn until all beings are liberated. These bodhisattvas verge on being treated like what we might call “gods” – but may be more like saints. People appeal to them for help.

There are heavenly bodhisattvas who live in other dimensions of reality – some once lived on earth. They can appear miraculously when needed in some branches of Mahayana. Examples: Guanyin (Kuan-yin = ‘hears cries’) is a popular Chinese saint. Buddha is considered a bodhisattva.

o    Zen Buddhism

Buddhism was transmitted from India to China about 50 C.E. and from there to Japan, Korea, and East Asian countries.

Zen is a Japanese form of Buddhism that developed in about the 5^th century C.E. The name comes from the Chinese word “ch’an” which means meditation, the focus of Zen Buddhism. In some ways it is a reform of Mahayana, cutting back on ritual and philosophy and emphasizing mind-to-mind Dharma transmission.

On its way through China, the Zen tradition was influenced by Chinese Daoism in its emphasis on Original Oneness and unity with nature.

According to Zen tradition, the true nature of reality is “Original Oneness” (the sacred reality that gives rise to everything moment by moment is non-dual – no ‘this’ or ‘that,’ no male/female, no good/evil, no you/me, no divisions of space or time. This Oneness is also referred to as the “Void” or “Universal Emptiness.” That sounds scary, but I think what Zen thinkers are getting at when they call it “void” is that it is empty of our perceptions, conceptions, and language. Our perceptions and our language works by making distinctions – so insight into the true nature of reality cannot be transmitted by scripture, images, or words. Language works by making distinctions – I can identify objects because they differ from one another. “Black” and “white” have meaning because of difference. 

   In meditation, a person can realize his own reality as Buddha-nature. Since reality is oneness with no distinctions, our true nature is oneness, Buddha-nature. This also means there is nothing special about “the Buddha.” “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him” – everything is Buddha-nature, so there is nothing special to be ‘worshiped.’ If you focus on anything outside your own true nature and experience moment-by-moment, you are reinforcing a false dualism.

   Zen masters are people who have had their own direct experience of enlightenment and who have received “dharma transmission” from their own master. Although they do teach “about” the tradition, they make it clear that what anyone can learn “about” Zen is limited.

“When a finger is pointing at the moon, do not look at the finger.” Famous Zen saying indicating that one should not look to teachers or teaching – anyone seeking enlightenment should look within at the “moon” (Buddha-nature, Original Oneness). The way to enlightenment is through zazen (sitting meditation). This is a typical zendo where people sit in silence, often for hours at a time. People follow their breathing  or “just sit” and let “monkey mind” gradually subside. Thoughts and sensations come and go – if we learn not to attach to them, the flow of experience “just is.”  The something in us, apart from thought and sensation, can be experienced as Original Oneness.

A koan is a tool for getting beyond the rational mind (concepts, language, judgment) and to glimpse Oneness. If you a studying zen with a master, he may assign you a koan and you report to him periodically to give him your “answer.” There are, of course, no rational “answers” because any real insight couldn’t be expressed in words. Many of the arts in Japan have been influenced by Zen practice and ideas as well as by  the love of nature that comes to Zen through Daoism. The arts try to express an appreciation for the fact that every artistic creation arises from Original Oneness and expresses it.

o   VAJRAYANA

Vajrayana is a form of Buddhism that developed in Tibet. It is a “syncretism” [a blending of different religious traditions which creates a new tradition with its own unique characteristics]. It is a blending of Trantric Buddhism and Bon (and indigenous shamanistic religion). Trantric Buddhism was brought by missionaries from India to Tibet. It also has Hindu influences in its rituals. Shamans are common in tribal cultures. They have a special connection with the world of spirits and act as intermediaries between the sacred realm and the ordinary world. They often act as healers and prophets.

Tantra is a tradition in both Hinduism and Buddhism in which the body and its energies are used to achieve enlightenment. This tradition emphasizes sexual imagery and, sometimes, actual sexual practices. These practices reflect Hindu beliefs about Shakti (female power) and reality as the union of male and female forces. The goal is to experience ultimate oneness by focusing on symbols and practices that unite opposites.

You can see tantric symbolism in some common objects used in Tibetan ritual: the vajra and bell. These objects are what are known as “root” symbols – ancient objects found in several different religious traditions: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain. The bell symbolizes female energies and wisdom.  The vajra is where Vajrayana gets its name. It is associated with lightning bolts, firmness of spirit, spiritual power, and compassion. During the ritual, one is held in each hand, symbolizing the attempt to unite compassion and wisdom, male and female.

Tibetan Buddhism is highly ritualistic, drawing both on ancient Hindu influences and its shamanic heritage. Music and dance play an important role. Rituals invoke the deities and bring power and protection to those involved in the ritual.

Tibetan Buddhism has deities and demons, but most scholars interpret these as manifestations of the energies of the universe. Their forms are important in Tibetan religion, but are recognized as “illusory” (no permanent existence, ‘moon’s image on water’). The images are often used in dance and in meditation. Lamas (or llamas) are venerated spiritual masters and/or heads of monasteries.

The Dalai Lama -- Born 1935 in a small village in Tibet; recognized at age 2 as reincarnation of the 13^th Dalai Lama and incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion; enthroned as Dalai Lama in 1940. The Communist Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950; years of demonstrations by the Tibetan people          attempting to reassert their independence. Tibetan uprising crushed by Chinese army; His Holiness escaped to India with many of his followers in 1959. Today there are more than 120,000 Tibetans in exile. His Holiness still lives in exile, teaching compassion and the Buddhist way, working for Tibetan independence, and writing. He regularly visits Atlanta because of his ties to Emory University.

World Religions quiz 1-3

Question 1         

What is the ritual marking the coming of age ceremony for girls in some branches of Judaism?

c)            Bat Mitzvah

Question 2          What is one belief that Jews, Christians, and Muslims DO NOT share?

the Trinity

Question 3          What date is significant because it was the year that the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem?

70 CE

Question 4          The process of interpreting Scripture to discern God's will is called

midrash

Question 5          The first of the two major periods of Jewish history is called

Biblical Judaism

Question 6          The most traditional group of Jews is called

Orthodox

Question 7          The group of Jews who conduct services in Hebrew and allow women rabbis are the

Conservative

Question 8          The books of the Tanakh that contain the prophets are called

Nevi'im

Question 9          For Jews, God is 'personal,' meaning he is understood to have characteristics such as

Love, reason, and will

Question 10        The Jews who settled in Germany and Eastern Europe are called the

Ashkenazim

Quiz 2

Question 1          Circumcision is a sign of the covenant between God and

Abraham

Question 2          The holy day in Judaism known as the "Day of Atonement" is

Yom Kippur

Question 3          During Sukkot, Jews gather four species of plants. Which one is associated with the heart and the emotions?

etrog

Question 4          Ushpizin" means

guests

Question 5          Which of the covenants do scholars specifically associate with the restoration of the order of creation God established in the beginning as narrated in the book of Genesis? The covenant with

Noah

Question 6          Jews observe Shabbat

from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday

Question 7          Pesach celebrates

the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt

Question 8          The name for Hasidic Jews comes from a Hebrew word meaning

loving devotion

Question 9          The married couple in the film Ushpizin are members of a Jewish group founded by Rebbe Nachman called

Breslov Hasids

Question 10        The most conservative of Orthodox Jews, sometimes referred to as the "Ultra-Orthodox" are called

a)            Haredi

Quiz 3

Question 1          The language Jesus and his disciples probably spoke was

Aramaic

Question 2          The writings of the New Testament grew out of

a)            oral tradition

b)            the life and experience of the early church

Correct Answer                a and b

Question 3          The title "Christ" is the Greek translation of an Aramaic word that means

anointed one

Question 4          According to Pelikan, the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount confirms the special status of Jesus as not only Rabbi but as

prophet

Question 5          Paul's attitude toward the Jews (called "Israel" in Romans 9-11) is that they

will be saved because of the original covenant with Abraham

Question 6          In the 1st chapter of John, what does John the Baptist first call Jesus when he sees him coming toward him?

the Lamb of God

Question 7          Jesus's first miracle, related in the 2nd chapter of John, is

turning water into wine

Question 8          In the 3rd chapter of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to "see the Kingdom of God" a person must

be born again

Question 9          The 1st chapter of Acts says that after his resurrection, Jesus

appeared to his disciples for forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God

Question 10        In the 2nd chapter of Acts, what happens to the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem?

they are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues

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• Describe the approach to the academic study of religion called “empathetic objectivity”

Ø  No evaluation of truth claims of particular traditions

• What does it mean to take a “phenomenological” approach to religions?

Ø  “facts on the ground,” understanding from the point of view of a believer in a particular tradition

• Be able to name 5 of Ninian Smart’s dimensions of religion and be able to give one example of each

Ø  Mythic, Doctrinal, Ethical, Ritual, Experiential, Social, Material

• Be able to recognize and describe three theories about the existence of religion: insider, materialist, and functional. What are some examples of people who hold each theory?

Ø  The “insider” (religious) theory – religion is a response to sacred reality. Example: Judaism – religious texts, laws, rituals are revealed by God.

Ø  The “materialist” theory – no sacred reality; only material world exists. Religion is an outgrowth of material reality. Examples: Marx, Freud.

Ø  The “functional” theory – sacred reality may or may not exist, but focus is on how religion fulfills human needs. Examples: James, Durkheim

• Who said “religion is the opium of the people?” What did he mean? What is your own view of his theory?

Karl Max said the following:

Ø  “Man makes religion, religion does not make man.”

Ø  “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”

• Basic theories of religion of Freud, James, and Durkheim.

Ø  Freud: describes theory of the actual origins of religion and its function in the individual psyche

Ø  Durkheim: “God” = projection of a society’s rules, expectations, ethics, organization. Religion functions as the organizing principle of a society and is the “glue” that holds society together (moral and social order).

• Basic definitions of theism, atheism, agnosticism, nontheism.

Ø  theism – sacred reality exists in the form of a divine Being or beings (‘personal’ God/gods = divine beings who have personal identity, intelligence, and will).

Ø  nontheism – rejects theism (personal God/gods). Can be religious or non-religious.

Religious examples: most forms of Buddhism, Jainism, some Quakers

Ø  atheism – God/gods do not exist

Ø  agnosticism – we don’t know enough to say whether or not God/gods exist (can be religious or non-religious)

• What are four things that Jews, Christians and Muslims have in common?

Ø  All three traditions believe God has given human beings specific commandments and a moral framework for living the best human life.

Ø  All three believe in the central role of scripture in revealing God’s nature and will to humankind (although the three have different scriptures).

Ø  All three believe that God acts in human life and history.

Ø  All three trace their ancestry to Abraham and his covenant with God.

• the two major periods of Jewish history (names and approximate dates), how  different, significance of date 70 C.E.

Ø  Biblical Judaism: (from about 2,000 BCE – 70 CE)

• What is a covenant? Basics of covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses. What was the agreement? What is the “sign” of each covenant?

Ø  A covenant is an agreement between two contracting parties.

Ø  Noah: This covenant was between God and all humanity

Ø  Abraham: This is the founding covenant of Judaism, since it creates a special relationship with Abraham and his descendents. God promised would bless and multiple Abraham’s descendents.

Ø  Moses: The covenant between God and the Jewish people is renewed on Mt. Sinai through the giving of more specific laws through the 10 commandments and other related laws interpreted in the books of Exodus and Leviticus.

• What are two basic characteristics of the Jewish God?

Ø Not to be rude, but to clarify on CJ's answer: 

Ø Christians and Jews worship the same Father, but Christians recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, while Jews do not.

• What is the “problem” with humankind according to Judaism? What is the solution?

Ø  According to Jewish, man can divorce for any reasons.

• three basic division of the Hebrew bible – Hebrew names and general nature of each

Ø  Torah (in the narrow sense “Torah” refers to the first five books of the Tanakh, called the Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Jews also use “Torah” in a broader sense to refer to all teaching, written or oral, revealed by God.

Ø  Nevi’im – the prophets

Ø  Ketuvim – ‘the writings’ (everything else – Psalms, Provers, Song of Songs, Job, etc.)