Rels 235- Religion

religious ecologies

- Religious ecologies are ways of orienting and grounding whereby humans, acknowledging the limitations of phenomenal reality and the suffering inherent in life, undertake specific practices of nurturing and transforming self and community in a particular cosmological contexts that regards nature as inherently valuable

Mircea Eliade and Symbolism (1907-1986)

- Symbolism is the language of the sacred. The full meaning of the sacred can never be disclosed, only approximated via symbols - There are patterns to the process of symbolizing the sacred and these patterns reveal archetypal meanings shared by all human beings across time and culture - The narrative symbolization of the sacred produces myths - Logic of symbols draws on religious imagination to make connections that the rational mind fails to see

why are religions violent?

- They give us a way of thinking about the world that makes us feel secure, when people threaten it makes us feel vulnerable, the violence is resistance. - Ex. wool sweater is religion/ideology, people are protective of it and resist when others want to pull threads

Judaism, Christianity and Islam on Nature

- They have created a dominantly human focused morality because the world views are largely anthropocentric, nature is often viewed as being of secondary importance, which is reinforced by a strong sense of the transcendence of God above nature - there is an opportunity to rethink nature by extending biblical thought to all of creation

panentheism

- a sense of the divine permeating all of reality and yet maintaining a transcendent presence beyond the world - god is apart of nature and something else

Buddhism on nature

- also has tension between the withdrawal from the world and affirmation of its presence - in recent years socially engaged Buddhism has been active in protecting the environment in both Asia and USA

Functionalist

- approaches religious phenomena in terms of how it functions - argues that essentialism is a protective strategy, it immunes your ideology from critique - religion has an instrumental value - one function is social solidarity

the field of ecology

- defined by various approaches to the study of nature, ranging from holism to biometrics, from aesthetic appreciation of nature to economic valuing of ecosystem services - the relationship of these values in scientific ecology to religious ecology needs further examination - religions are necessary but not sufficient in themselves for achieving a sustainable future

pantheism

- identifies the divine with nature itself - all of nature is God

existentialism

- in this existence, in this world - prioritizes the burden of making choices of making choices in our life, we are forced to make decisions constantly, we are condemned to be free.

Max Muller and natural religion (1823-1900)

- mythology/religion can be conceived as a rationalization of natural phenomena - one example of religion is not sufficient to explain all religion= comparative approach. knowledge about religion can only be acquired via comparison - the necessity of comparison means that the scholar of religion cannot simply work from within their own tradition= religious studies based the construction of an 'other'

What is the role of religion within the processes of Earth and its ecosystems?

- nature cosmology is often shaped by our embeddedness in nature, tries to balance nature and God - religious cosmologies and ecologies are mutually enhancing - we communicate through stories, we don't know anything unless it is narrated - microcosm and macrocosm are all connected on a spectrum - different religion makes sense of how ecologies and cosmologies are connected and what that connection is like

the evolution of religious consciousness

- once early humans awakened to their embeddedness in nature, they created cultural and religious forms that wove them into the natural world, its daily and seasonal cycles and its capacity to nurture with food and water. In this sense, human developed a rich symbolic consciousness in relation to nature

Model of religious signification

- religion is a worldview and a system of value which is shaped by an ontology which shapes epistemology - religion is made up of society, the individual, and symbols

religious ecologies vs religious cosmologies

- religious cosmologies: through cosmological stories humans narrate and experience the larger matrix of mystery in which life arises, unfolds and flourishes (microcosm/macrocosm) - religious ecologies and religious cosmologies are mutually enhancing modes of integrating humans into the social, natural and cosmic order of reality

Indigenous peoples on nature

- religious ecologies in which the environmental ethics are embedded in their worldviews. Involves respect for the sources of food, clothing, and shelter that nature provides, gratitude to the Creator and to spiritual forces in creation is at the heart of more Indigenous traditions

Functional reductionism

- says that religion serves a function but that function can be reduced to some other domain of knowledge other than the religious domain - ex. Freud thought at a collective level religion was sickness, a way to deal with a reality which a scary. At an individual level Freud says religion is just an oedipus complex as in religion is about wanting to please God like a father

Hinduism on Nature

- significant emphasis on performing one's dharma in the world, but also a strong pull toward moksha or liberation from the world of suffering or samsara. - to heal the suffering and alienation through spiritual discipline and meditation one must turn away from the world of change to a timeless world of spirit - also numerous traditions that affirm particular mountains or rivers as sacred - Hindu theology also engages the world as a creative manifestations of the divine in the concpet of lila

Confucionism and Daoism

- some of the most life affirming of world religions - there is seamless interconnection between the divine, human, and natural worlds that characterize these traditions, an anthropocosmic worldview. A religious cosmology of continuity of being stressing the dynamic movements of nature through the seasons and agricultural cycles

Ontology

- the study of being, how we think about being int he world (a substance, a flux, etc.) - ontology's shape epistemology's, how we are in the world shapes what we know about the world - the ontology's that we are currently cultivating are dualistic which creates distance between you and nature, not true

How to acquire knowledge?

- there are 3 ways of acquiring knowledge: 1. empiricism: knowledge derived from experience 2. rationalism: knowledge derived from understanding the concepts involved in making sense of our experience, in other words, reasoning 3. intuitive: self-referential knowledge based on intuition, ex. mystical experiences

categories of religion

- usually defined into 2 categories including Substantivist (essentialism) and Functionalism

religious ecological processes

1. Orienting: refers to the inclination of humans to turn toward air, sky, and celestial bodies, namely that which moves above us 2. Grounding: refers to earth, the soil and land on which we stand and in which we dwell 3. Nurturing: evokes water and food, essential for life 4. Transforming: connects to fire and the powerful force that can be creative, destructive, or healing

common values identified from the Harvard Project

1. Reverence: cultivating an openness to be enchanted by the ecological process of life/nature 2. Respect: for the Earth and all variety of species that reflects an enhanced ethical sensibility, privileging ecocentric perspectives over anthropocentric ones 3. Reciprocity: to give back to nature as nature gives to us, while being mindful of social/economic inequalities 4. Restraint: in how we utilize natural resources and the application of technologies, to try and live simply 5. Redistribution: of economic privileges/opportunities and social assets in a manner that underlines the importance of equity 6. Responsibility: to nature and each other to safeguard the health and of the planet for future generations 7. Restoration: of harmony between culture and nature guided by the ideal of human/earth flourishing

cultural interpretation and religion

1. a system of symbols= anything that conveys an idea 2. mood and motivations= religion makes people feel and do things. Mood and motives arise a very powerful way because religion is about things of ultimate concern, not triviality 3. conception of existence= worldview/ethos 4. aura of factuality= religion marks out a sphere of life that has a special status/ultimate concern 5. moods and motivations uniquely realistic= religion about ultimate concern

the diversity of religions

1. historical, cultural, and theological diversity within religious traditions that developed over time in different geographic contexts 2. there is also dialogic and syncretic diversity within and between religious traditions 3. cosmological and ecological diversity within and between religions

religion and science

By engaging in dialogue with the ecological sciences, religious practitioners can gain insight into how ecologists value nature for conservation, for aesthetics, and for ecosystem management. - the relationship between religion and science may be enhanced in a shared concern for our planetary future

correspondance

refers to the complex symbolic systems articulated by cultures for expressing the relationship of the small self of the human (microcosm) to the large self of the universe (macrocosm)

The School of Athens by Raphael

- Aristotle points up for transcendence - Plato is pointing down for imminence - there is an essence of what everything is - there is tension between idealism and materialism, between body and soul, between immanence and transcendence - some try to find a middle ground, Descarte says that the mind/body are split

Clifford Geertz, Cultural interpretation and religion

- Culture is a pattern of meanings carried in symbols by which people pass on knowledge - Religion as a cultural system: religion is (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivation in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic

Substantivist

- Examines the substance or ineffable essence of religion, common terms associated with substantive definitions are 'supernatural' or 'spiritual' - the ultimate reality of God is beyond words so all religious thinking and texts are approximations of God - God= 'more', something more than this - talking about the ultimate essence of reality/religion - religion has an intrinsic meaning

The Harvard Project

- From 1996 to 1998, John Grimm and Mary Evelyn Tucker helped direct a conference series at Harvard University on World Religions and Ecology - The Harvard project identified 7 common values that the world religions hold in relation to the natural world - each tradition will emphasize one value over another, none, or all. It is a broad spectrum.

Religion according to Marx

- Moves thinking from top down to bottom up - He is not interested in theological beliefs, it is all about meeting base needs, what do humans want? protection, food, etc. everything else is just a way to inhibit or maximize their material needs. - Marx thinks that religion keep you docile, so that you don't think critically, he then reduces religion to class conflict. Says that the haves want you to be dull so you don't start questioning. We are not citizens we are consumers

Characterizations of religion

- Religions have both conservative and progressive dimensions, how inclusive are the beliefs and practices? how does this religious traditions view and value social justice, gender equality, and sexuality? - characterized by historical, cultural, and theological diversity - characterized by dialogic and syncretic diversity (coming together) syncretic is the comingling of religions, hybridity the fusion of religions into new forms - religions are diverse and possess diverse views and values about nature/ecology

Religion according to Feuerbach

Says religion is a projection, we take our most cherished ideals and we project it out onto something else

spirituality

involves search of the sacred in which humans experience their authentic being in relation to a larger whole. Emphasis on individual experience over dogmatic belief. - often associated with mystical traditions that are present in world religions

Epistemology

the study of knowledge, how I know what I know