RS2030 Final

Western Bias

Bias of western civilization such as ethnocentrism.

29. Elements of Societies

Boundaries, social hierarchies, assigned behaviors Territorial, bodily, temporal, Insider/Outsider.

75. Rites of Passage

Ceremonies that mark a transitional period in a person's life. They typically involve rituals in which the person physically, mentally, or spiritually changes afterword and takes on new roles. Three phases would be separation, liminality, and incorporation.

21. Confucian Virtue

Confucianism - bottom-up approach; virtue ethic;

26. Divine Command Theory

Determining morality based on commands from religious authority.

12. Bemali (Tetum and Ema)

Ema people at Atabae and the Tetum people of Balibo live on opposite sides of the Bemalai Lagoon, Both groups have similar marriage rituals, social order, and belief in dualism. The groups come together for the ritual of "sau biu" for ritual regicide of the surrogate king to revitalize the water and guarantee adequate resources.

31. Endocannibalism vs Exocannibalism

Endocannibalism: consumption of humans within the group. (honorable, affines, usually delicate) Exocannibalism: consumption outside the group (enemies, violent process)

28. Dr. King's Water Bottle/Coffee Cup

Example of conforming to various social behaviors/beliefs in an effort to remain attached to any given social construct. It shows who is "in" and who is "out" from a social perspective. Habitus shapes the way we see the world and what our "common sense" is. Habitus...

48. Locations of Authority: things, figures/socials positions, absence

Figures with authority: facts, social positions with authority: celebrities (Ben Affleck), Absent authorities: Jesus can't hold a press conference and confirm or deny if he said anything. Makes things complicated because you can see things differently than others even though you even though you are in the same faith. Therefore, there is no specific way to know what exactly an absent religious authority did or did not say/did or did not mean, leaving the message open to individual interpretation.

10. Atrahasis: Akkanki, Igigi, Creation of Humans

Functions of myth, creation story, Akkanki - high gods, Igigi - lower gods who got tired of getting beer for the higher gods and created humans; reminded people their place in the world/hierarchy. Cosmological myth, establishes the hierarchy, give the people purpose???

43. Imagined Communities: limited, sovereign, community

Three aspects of imagined community: limited, sovereign, community. "Nothing changes but everything changes". Limited because you cannot physically know everyone, but the expectation that they would be like you. Sovereign because it's responsible for its members actions. Community because everyone understands itself to each other as equal.

5. Antihumanism

Omri Elish; religion turns people into objects; WWJD: Using other people to help yourselves. (Believer uses the nonbeliever for their own religious benefit.)

61. Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of Religion

Ordinary: to regulate; the religion that is more or less synonymous with culture. Shows people how to live well within boundaries. The point is that for a form of spirituality to be an instance of ordinary religion, it must concern itself with living well in this world, not in another. Extraordinary: to transform or challenge; the religion that helps people to transcend or move beyond their everyday culture and concerns. grows at the borders of life as we know it and seeks to cross over. helps people to contact God. involves an encounter with some form of difference, whether natural or supernatural.

Value Bias

Personal values. How you view things from within your own viewpoint.

68. Prescriptive/Descriptive

Prescriptive - what should happen or what one believes should happen; Descriptive - what actually is happening, why, how, and what are they doing

24. Cosmological

Religious Function of Myth; explains the universe using cosmos; most creation myths; renders a picture of order of the universe

40. Hierophanic

Religious Function of Myth; reveals something holy or sacred ex) Moses and 10 commandments

94. Upanayanam

Rite of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a guru (teacher) and an individual's entrance to a school in Hinduism.

79. Self

Shaping - "The practitioner affirms his or her commitment to the truth of the Qur'anic revelation and submission to the command of God" The Salat (and important body technique) plays an important role in a project of self-shaping.

80. Sites of Contestation

Sites of contestation = proximate other, theories of others vs the theory of self. One places self in prominence and the other in an inferior position.

82. Substantive vs Functional Definitions

Substantive - what it is; a collective understanding of what we "know"; Functional - how it functions in society; what it does

73. Religious Boundaries

Territorial - places, structures, etc (whoever is or isn't allowed in said boundary creates power); Mecca; can be layered territories within a larger one; Bodily - what one is allowed to do with their body (food, sex, clothing, Passover of no yeast bread; Temporal - Rites of Passage - Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, shows a shift in time, festivals/holidays of the changing of seasons.

8. Authenticity

The degree of which something is true to its nature, or a culture to its tradition.

88. The Three Limits of the Human Condition

Time - stuck in a certain time period, Space - can only exist in one place, Death - limited time on Earth; religions imagine a possible entity who exists outside of or beyond these limits

85. Structuralist Theory of Myth

The ideology that myths are cognitive structures by which people think. Myths have basic a logical structure that help to guide interpreters. System of binary opposites. Off/on, up/down, chaos/disorder.

86. Symbolic Theory of Myth

The ideology that myths don't explain anything and instead stand as symbolic representations not meant to be taken literally.

20. Communitas

The social solidarity that develops during the liminal or transitional phase of a rite of passage.

89. Totemism

The totem is a physical representation of the sacred on which all the moral ideals are projected.

50. Manufacturing Consent

The use of legitimation and appeal to divine authorities to get people to agree to certain behaviors/actions/etc. "Basically peer pressure" -Cameron.

Theory Bias

Theory of what it is or how it functions.

Social Hierarchies

You exist in a hierarchy with people above you with more privilege and people below you with less privilege.

30. Elephant in the room

a bunch of blind guys feel a portion of an elephant and describe a bunch of random things, shows that having a portion of something doesn't allow you to see the whole thing until you put forth the effort to learn from each other and to explore beyond their own portion of the elephant. Socially, it describes that each man is equally wrong because they cannot completely fathom the issue as a whole. Everyone is working to describe something that none of us can see the subject fully,

18. Characteristics of a group (Robert Johnston)

a group is two or more people who 1)share a goal and common problem 2) agree on a set of norms 3) assign roles for interests of group 4) agree on status dimensions 5) have a commitment to the group, its goals, and means

55. Monotheism

belief in one god; Unitarianism, Trinitarianism, Deism

4. Animism

belief that all or most of our things have a soul or spirit; also specific phenomena; the Salmon People

54. Methodological Atheism

bracketing personal beliefs while engaged in academic inquiry

63. Patriotism as a Religion (American Civil Religion)

rituals shared by a community; 4th of July, sports. Projecting the ideas of "ideal American" or "ideal America" onto symbols such as the flag.

ideological rituals

seek social control by changing the mood, behavior, sentiments, motivations, and values of people, usually for the sake of the community as a whole; rites of passages, Mardi Gras, Day of the Dead

salvation rituals

seek to change a person's identity from a spiritually corrupt, polluted, sinful, or lost state to a spiritually saved state that provides freedom from sin, corruption, ignorance and the like; baptism, communion, spirit possession, meditation, conversion, altar calls

therapeutic/ antitherapeutic rituals

seek to produce a change in the state of human health, either to make healthier or make sick; witchcraft, anointing, herbs, special ointments, dancing, singing

revitalization rituals

seek to revitalize a culture or a religion seen as dying or in the process of being lost; try to do for the communities as a whole what salvation rituals do for the individual; not simple rituals but may involve ritual movements involving a number of complex actions

77. Scapegoat

some object, usually an animal like a sheep or goat, that is made to carry the guilt or sins of others. The key to understanding ritual itself

42. * Intersubjectivity

allows for multiple outside agents (such as God) in one's decision-making process

58. Naturalization

assuming the social order (or anything really) is natural to human nature; ie) slavery was okay because African American were naturally barbaric

66. Polemics

attack on religion; opposite of apologetics

72. Rationalist Theory of Myth

Myths are attempts to explain things

62. Pantheism

pantheistic ideas deny that there is a deity greater than the universe

23. Context

question the context of everything because some things might be trying to accomplish something other than it's obvious meaning/goal. Context in Paul, turn the other cheek, WWJD- how habitus shows how you view your code?

34. Five Pillars of Islam

1. Shahadah (Testimony) - declaration of faith 2. Salaah (Prayer) - Muslims pray five times a day. 3. Zakāt (Almsgiving) - charity 4. Saum (Fasting)- fasting in the month of Ramadan 5. Hajj (pilgrimage) - journey to the Mecca. Obligatory for every Muslim to perform the pilgrimage.

36. Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of John

Moments between Thomas and John make them different. These are considered the sites of contestation. The Gospels of Thomas and John both agree that something happened but disagree in the way in which it happened -- sites of contestation

44. Irshad Manji (a feminist response to Islam)

"medium is the message", Manji's relationship with the Quran is similar to the relationship Protestants have with the Bible; her mom was pretty cool. Her audience is Westernized individuals, we can relate to her because she is like us = Muslims are like us and Islam is going through a transition. Not all Muslims are bad and traditions are ok.

90. Trinitarianism

"the teaching that God's nature is a tri-unity rather than a single one"; Christianity - Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit

Boundaries

(limits of humanity, time, death, space)

78. Segregating Restrooms According to Gender

A type of ideological ritual that functions to reinforce the belief system and the values of the society. #1 Bathroom and #2 Bathroom Should be segregated based on ability, not "sex"

74. Rites of Intensification (sacrifice)

A type of ideological ritual that functions to reinforce the belief system and the values of the society. To strengthen their faith.

60. Nomos

Anomic - nomos - orderly world operating according to understandable laws; anomic state - meaninglessness; when we encounter things that don't makes sense or have no explanation

27. Dreamtime

Australian aborigines. This is a time of beginnings in which there was great power present on earth. This great power not only created sacred places but sacred rituals or ceremonies when celebrated today return the aborigines to this time to power.

47. Liminality

Being betwixt and between phases. In a ritual, the individual is removed from the society, the changing of a state/or identity, reincorporation into society.

11. Belief → belieben, lieben, lubet

Belieben is German means Beloved of God. belief in God, beloved by God, pleasing to God

Gender Bias

How women and men should act or behave.

69. Problem of Evil in Monotheism

If God is omnipresent, omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, how does he/she allow evil in the world. Answer in Anti-theodicies

81. * Sources of Ethics/ Code in Judaism, Christianity, Islam

In Islam it is focuses on the Sharia. The Sharia is the answer Islam gives to question how we should live. Judaism = Torah... Christianity = Bible

Assigned Behaviors:

Including social rules for particular positions moral codes and behavioral codes.Ie: Women must shave legs; blondes can't handle responsibility, dudes gotta be strong and muscular

96. Wari

Indigenous amazonian tribe that used to practice mortuary cannibalism.

71. Proximate Other

J.Z Smith; process of "other" defines polar opposites; theory of the other is a theory on the self -- describing one's proximate others is how one learns who they are

93. Upsherin

Jewish rite of passage ceremony. ONLY FOR BOiiiS. It's a boy's first haircut, and he is encouraged to love knowledge (lick's honey on the alphabet). Reinforces the patriarchy, suggests that religion + religious education is for men. Also suggests men are supposed to be in charge of the money.

83. St. Peter of Verona

Killed by Cathors. "Credo in unum deum". Means, "I believe in one god". Historical importance is this is its one of the first "I believe" statements, which is stating "I think this" over "I think that".

46. Legitimation: authority, proximity/distance, contestation

Legitimation with authority is when someone appeals to someone or something who hold greater power than they do. Ex. if a priest says something (like that he supports gay rights) it would hold less impact than if he says God would say something (like that God supports gay rights). Being part of a group signals that you are part of something, but more importantly, separate from something else (fish vs. Darwin fish)

25. Determining the Date for Ramadan

Little Mosque on the Prairie. Video shown in class in which the Imam argued with church members regarding the appropriate time for Ramadan. This argument brings to light the fact that habitus drives all religions to infight on various levels.

84. *Strategy vs Tactic

Long Term. Reifies one's own sense of identity. Strategy is a well developed plan whereas tactic is an immediate opportunity of grabbing power

49. Manifest Functions vs Latent Functions of Myth

Manifest functions are intended and usually obvious functions of the myth while Latent functions are hidden and (usually) unintended. (Kessler)

57. Mortuary Cannibalism

Wari; affines consume body after death;

22. Consanguineal Kin

Wari; blood relatives; did not consume the bodies because it's considered a form of insest; mourn for weeks/months their loved one's death

1. Affines

Wari; type of kin defined by marriage; consumes the body; opposite of consanguineal kin

35. Functionalism

What religion does for a community vs what it is (essentialism). How the religion functions within the community. "What the doing does."

97. WWJD (In His Steps)

What would Jesus do case study, a small town decides to "Follow in Jesus' footsteps". Claims one habitus is morally superior to another (working class that drinks is inferior to the upper class that does not drink (which is a lie)). Projects one interpretation onto code, and the social class with privilege can control the social class underneath them.

39. Hermeneutic of Suspicion

question the context of everything in case there is something going on; assures you don't take things exactly as they are?

38. Henotheism

recognition of many gods but the worship of only one; -ism; Henotheism in the Stonekeeper's allows for the spread of the repeated theme and idea of individuality

65. Phenomenological Theory of Myth

claims myths must be "interpreted by careful and nearly exhaustive comparative methods; believe myths will interpret themselves on you have enough examples to reveal a common pattern

16. Cadillac and Coke

commercials / proximate other serves as examples that define and reify the social structural hierarchy / Cadillac commercial us is hard working Americans and prox other is holiday taking Europeans / coke commercial promoting harmony where us is the peaceful English speakers

17. City on a Hill

concerns religious impulses within American Christianity, city on a hill is a model city and example of puritan piety and evangelism to go into the world and save people (antihumanism)

91. "Turn the Other Cheek"

context; Sermon on the Mount (Matthew) compared with "Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth" from Old Testament. Can't use the left hand, it's the poop hand. Form of peaceful protest.

7. Apologetics

defense of a religion; vs polemics =attack on religion

37. Habitus: dispositions, preferences/taste, practical sense

dispositions - refer to those things you were taught at a young age like preferences or taste in things like the things you enjoy (music,food,clothes) Defined by Bourideau.

13. Ben Affleck, Sam Harris, and Bill Maher Debate about Radical Islam

distributing authority handout, facts vs pathos. The celebrities are "authorities" people listen to, the news and TV are in people's private rooms in the house. Aiming towards educated liberals.

59. Numinous

elicits sense of awe

56. Morality

everything that governs our interactions with people and the environment Morality is a creation of culture because it tell us what is good and what is bad.

53. Meritocracy

government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.

87. *Three Elements of Religious Morality (Ronald Green)

impartiality(assumes a moral point of view), retribution (receives reward/ punishment), and reconciliation (some way of recognizing they cannot reach these moral systems completely)

41. Insider/Outsider Perspectives on Studying Religion

insider - personally familiar with religion or social system, may have better insight into certain aspects of the religion, but also larger prey for bias. 1st order activity, commitment to religion, call to worship outsider - not familiar on a personal level, can look at something from a fresh perspective but no aware of how things work in the same way that insiders are. 2nd order activity, no commitment to religion, observation of worship

32. Eschatological Theodicy

makes an attempt to explain experiences of what seem like pointless pain and suffering by promising that someday things will be made right and justice will triumph; this- worldly claims that things will be made right in this world; other-wordly - claims things will be made right in other world such as heaven; consequence resolved in the future. The wrongs will be made right one day, justice will be served later on. (Christianity's idea of Eschaton. The last thing or end, the final event.) Future oriented.

3. Alienation

means becoming separate from or losing control of something that you have produced or create (totem).

9. Atheism

no God b/c scientifically impossible; not agnosticism, -ism

45. Karmic Theodicy

originates from Hinduism/Buddhism; something one accumulates over their life that affects their next life; ie) reincarnation (Buddhism) - ultimate goal is to escape cycle and to accumulate enough good karma to be born a monk; the blame is rooted in the past.

15. Blue Eye/ Brown Eyes experiment

teacher split up the kids and when she told one group that they were better because of their eye color. they began acting elitist and fighting with kids they had been friends with all year, when the teacher switched the eye color the next day, the kids that were treated like crap by the elitist kids the day before, became the elitist group and began bullying their bullies from the day prior (our identities are social, Martin How Society works: Classification)

33. Five Functions of Ritual

technological rituals - seek to produce or prevent a change of state in nature so that humans benefit in some way; rain dances, hunting rituals, prayers for good weather

67. Polytheism

the belief in and worship of many gods

19. Classification

the first of Bourdieu's habitus elements referring to the matrix of perception, the second element being disposition??

52. Mechanical v Organic Societies

the social cohesiveness of small, undifferentiated societies (mechanical) and of societies differentiated by a relatively complex division of labour (organic).

76. Rites of Sanctification

to make holy. Ex: baptism or the importance of cleanliness.

92. Unitarianism

type of monotheism; "belief that God's nature is an absolute entity"; One God who is a complete whole; Islam, Judaism

95. Virtue and Duty Ethics

virtue ethics - "an ethic or system of morality centering on developing a virtuous person, that is, a person of moral excellence and good character"; "our primary moral guides are not rules, commands, and the like, but the people who exhibit moral excellence or an ideal moral character"; in order to know what's ethical or good and right in the world, you must participate in the world (Confucianism); bottom-up approach; duty ethic - "an ethical system based on the notions of duty, obligation and obedience to rules"; "our primary moral obligation is to our duty"; "centers on rules, commands, and prohibitions that spell out what our duties are"; you know you're doing the right thing because an external force is telling you what is good and right; top-down approach; Christianity and Islam

2. Agnosticism

we don't know and we don't have the evidence; - ism, not atheism

70. Projection

when people place their beliefs on da totem.

6. Antitheodicies

when theodicies don't work out/no way to describe the chaos; Submission - Job, accepting the pain for what it is, taking the beating ; Protest - Holocaust. Stripping God of the title of God, refusing to see the pain as acceptable.

14. Bias

where you grow up affects your opinions; bias of value.

64. Paul's Description of Women in Early Church

women shouldn't speak or have an opinion in church. Latent meaning: to keep the church alive and growing.

51. Matrix of Perception

your world view based on your habitus.