RELI1001 Quiz 1

outsider position

a critical curiosity of a religious tradition where direct first-hand knowledge is limited

religion

a dynamic cultural complex with positive or negative impacts that states a claim to legitimacy based on a foundational connection to reports of hierophony

mysterium fascinans

a latin expression representing a mystery that draws people toward it, because it evokes the emotion of religious fascination

mysterium tremendum

a latin expression that represents a mystery that frightens people away because it evokes the emotion of religious awe

orientalism

a racist attitude running through western scholarship and politics that lumps all people of the "orient" (east) together without distinguishing their specific characteristics

sui generis

a unique, one of a kind experience "belong to its own kind" "class of its own"

historical context of scriptures

looking at it academically; questioning it (who wrote it, when was it written, what was the context, which region where they in, what CONDITIONS, etc.) in order to understand the intended meaning

hierophany

manifestation of the sacred; unique events, but people attempt to recapitulate them in the ritual arena if space-time using power of objects

sacred (vs profane)

religion is the practice of marking off and maintaining distance between these two realms

theologians

religionist-type believers who take up the issue of truth; typically believe in God and identify with one particular religious tradition and work to clarify the truth of their particular tradition

culture critics (McCutcheon's term)

students of world religions who are "not in the business of nurturing, enhancing, or... criticizing the communities" they study

insider-outsider challenge

the challenge of empathizing with others from an insider's perspective and seeing ourselves from an outsider's perspective

traditional study of religion

typically within a religious institution, like seminary, most students are believers, preach religion and strive to convert sources of studies are varying

academic study of religion

typically within public institutions, could be believers, could be atheists, requires evidence and gives evidence based criticism sources must be identified and supported by evidence

abrahamic monotheism

Belief in one God, the Lord of Abraham

subtle erasures

literary bias, giving less importance to weaker populations, giving more value to specific text than to the one's living it

numen

from latin, "this extra in the meaning of of holy above and beyond the meaning of goodness"

religionists

claims that religion is something unique that cannot be studied only in terms of political, social, economic, etc. components, but should be studied as religion focus more on the inside position, believe in some aspect of deity, experts in nature of religion ex: pastor haggard

east-west diptych

comes from study of orientalism; misinformation on both sides; understanding that the western people don't understand the eastern people and vice versa

religions of resistance

develop when some members in a community are subject to unjust treatment; challenge ex: early judaism, christianity, and islam

religions of status quo

established stabilizing religion covering a large area; maintain ex: established judaism, christianity, and islam

insider position

first-hand knowledge and personal experience of a tradition in all aspects of its application

pastor's methodology

insider perspective, largely religionist

scripture flow of judaic, christian, and islamic traditions

judaism: ~2000 years of development christianity: ~300-400 years of development islam: ~20 years of development

religions of revolution

members practicing militancy or rebellious action primarily used for political gains during developing years' overturn ex: developing judaism, christianity, and islam

dawkin's methodology

outsider perspective, largely reductionist

religious symbol

powerful communicators that are dependent upon cultural context

believers

practical thinkers that fall into two camps that reflect the basic views of reductionist and religionist academic scholars

marxists (communists)

reductionist-type believers who judge the truth-value of religion, and act according to their views; typically do not believe in God and judge religious claims about God to be ultimately false

reductionists

the reductionist approach to religion views religion as a human creation and analyzes by breaking it down into different components (such as social, biological, political, economic or historic components) scholars reject the sui generis view of religion deny any supernatural experiences and influences contend that the real meaning of religion can be understood by examining the subject from an outside position expose the ways a religion "functions" in a society or community ex: karl marx, freud, dawkins