REL 100 chapter 5&6

Worldview

A term used by some of those who understand religion to be but one among many means whereby human beings construct a coherent environment in which to carry out a meaningful existence by drawing/building on a series of common assumptions, tales, behaviors and institutions- all of which enable them to organize and thereby experience their world as having order, sense, purpose, direction, etc.

Essentialism

An approach to definition that the term must possess a finite list of characteristics or traits to be considered a member. In regards to religion, that there are many characteristics of religion, but they are secondary. Instead there are a small number of primary characteristics that encompass all the religions of the world into one category.

Reductionism

An approach to the creation of new knowledge that attempts to account for one level of phenomena in terms of a more basic theory of propositions.

Islam

Arabic word literally meaning submission. The prophet Muhammed as the last in line of a long list of prophets. Two types: Sunni and Shi'ite.

Inductive

Arguing from particular observations to a general conclusion

Theism

Belief in god/gods (Otto)

Discourse

Communication of thought by words/conversation; this could therefore be likened to a conversation or, more technically, to a teaching or a systematic exploration of a topic. Scholars use the term to refer to any number of fields or disciplines.

Linguistics

Comparative science of language as a human phenomenon. Late 19th century appeared, this served as a model for the development of the science of religion. These two fields studied language and and religion as universal human phenomena, necessitating the development of general theories of language and general theories of religion.

Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District

Court case in early 2000s whose focus was to determine if intelligent design is scientific.

Theology

Distinguished by anthropology, this study is focused on the actions of the gods.

Logical Positivism on Religion vs Science

Early 20th century Vienna, goal was to eliminate metaphysics through the logical analysis of language (Rudolph Cornap), only claims that could be verified were scientific

Colonialism

Economic or political control or governing influence of one nation-state over another. Led to a new field of study called Post-colonial Studies, focusing on the implications of the colonial era.

Religion

Etymology unknown, may relate to the latin terms for "to be careful, mindful" and "to bind together." Scholars have related the term also to the term "careful performance of ritual obligations," modern sense of these words translate to "conscientious repetitive action. This term remains troublesome for those who presuppose some universal essence to lie beneath the term.

Human Sciences

Studies of minds, texts, social institutions, political organization and economic activity that seek to develop theories that explain human behavior rather than offer an interpretation of, or appreciation for, the meaning of behavior or its various artifacts.Practiced as a part of this, the study of religion seeks not to discover the meaning of religiosity but its causes and practical implications.

Psychology

Systematic study of the mind or of mental states and processes. This is one of the subfields of the academic study of religion.

Cognitive Science

Systematic study of the precise nature of different mental tasks and forms of this, and the operations of the mind/brain; this study uses elements of Psychology, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Linguistics. Focuses on rituals in religion. This study tries to develop a naturalistic theory of religious beliefs and behaviors.

Animism

Term popularized by EB Tylor to name the belief he thought to be held by evolutionarily early people concerning natural phenomena possessing spirits or souls. This term helped make Tylor and early example of a scholar of naturalistic theory of religion.

The Lemon Test (Lemon v Kurtzman 1971)

The government's action must have a secular legislative purpose, the primary effect of the government's action must neither advance nor inhibit religion, the government's action must not result in an excessive government entanglement with religion.

Culture

The portion of thought and behavior used by social groups that is learned and capable of being taught to others; including language, customs, worldviews, moral/ethical values, and religions. Some believe religion does not come in contact with this, yet others (mostly anthropologists) believe it goes hand in hand

Theodicy

The problem of justifying belief in the goodness of an all-powerful divine being in light of routine empirical observations of what could be called evil in the world. Three propositions that cannot be held simultaneously: God is all-powerful, God is all-loving, Evil exists.

Agent

term used in context of something being intentional, a being who acts, has motivations that inspires such actions, and can therefore be held accountable for these motives and actions.

Peter Berger

20th Century American sociologist, believed in methodological atheism: is the practice of bracketing—or refusing to consider—for the purpose of sociological study the ultimate reality of such religious objects as God, angels, or cosmic unity.

Ninian Smart

20th Century British trained in history, languages, philosophy. Methodological agnostic: tools avoid making truth claims, avoid asking if right or not, tools are anthropocentric, recognize limits. Not theological.

EB Tylor

19th century/ early 20th century English anthropologist, essentialist, said religion is the belief in spiritual beings. Believed religion originated from lower cognitive human being's dreams (cognitive error), animism.

Clifford Geertz

20th Century American anthropologist, advocated an anthropological approach to the study of religion. What we call religion constitutes an inner world. Religion is a system of meaningful symbols that function to establish interior dispositions.

Jonathan Z. Smith

20th century American scholar on religion, said gains in knowledge come about by means of the curiosity that results when we inevitably learn that the world does not always work as we think it does.

Karl Propper

20th century Austrian British philosopher. Induction never leads to certainty, to be testable means not verification but falsification, scientific discourse is conjectures and refutations.

Christianity

3 major types: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Greek Orthodoxy

Faith-Based Initiative

A program created by the Bush Administration that supports community service organizations that are run by local religious organizations.

Ritual

A system of actions used by a group of people to interact with the cosmos and/or directly relate to superhuman beings: worship, sacrifice, prayer. Materialist scholars believe this predates myth because routinized behaviors are though to provide the physical and cognitive conditions in which meaning systems can take place. Some behaviors might classify as "habit" and could also be classified as this implying implications are involved when classifying something as this.

Judge Jones

Judge during the Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District, said supernatural causes can't be tested.

Emile Durkheim

Late 19th century, French, one of the founders of the academic discipline of sociology. This person believed religion was something eminently social that you do with your body. Sacred and Profane is a binary pair. Totemism, symbols of non empirical group. Collective effervescence, experiencing the group, ritual occasion where group members express; groups are real if they continue to regroup. Community. Wrote: The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.

Rudolph Otto

Late 19th/ early 20th century German protestant theologian. Wrote: The Idea of the Holy. Believed that religion was its own thing (sui generis), and cannot be reduced. Believed in Max Weber's thoughts of inductive, define at the end. All religion is about an experience (the numinous). Mysterium tremendum. You have to be something to understand it (guy teaching women's studies class). Sine qua non. Religion is an outward expression of a prior, non-rational inner feeling.

Experience

Many humanistic scholars of religion argue that religion is grounded in a unique type of this, conceived as an inner, personal sentiment that can only be expressed publicly by means of symbolic actions that are themselves derivative and thus flawed copies of the original. Raymond Williams, 20th century British literary critic, said there are two senses of this term: it can denote the accumulation of empirical facts and the results of such an accumulation, the 'past' form; the other form is the 'present' form, this denotes a form of ever present consciousness that resides within the individual and to which one appeals when making judgements concerning the authenticity of a person. The latter form is found in the studying of religion.

Hinduism

Mass social movement in India 1500 years prior to the turn of the era. Those who practice this call it sanatana-dharma: a term for indigenous Indian religions, characterized by a diverse array of belief systems, practices, institutions and texts. Texts are separated into two categories: shruti, inspired (revealed scripture), and smiriti, remembered (epic literature). Studies of this focus on the dharma system (social system of duties and obligations), caste system (similar to a class system, but it is inherited), karma (social actions result in future reactions), atman (the name of one's soul or self), and samsara (the term for the almost limitless cosmic system of rebirths), the central role of brahmins (a caste of ritual specialists).

Anthropology

Modern, comparative, and cross-cultural science that deals with the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, and social customs and beliefs of humankind. Known as distinct from the study of religion; however, Religious Studies could be related to this if it is practiced with something other than theology, the study of religion is focused on human beings and their practices and does not study the gods and their will.

Atheism

Non-belief in gods (Marx, EB Tylor)

Naturalistic Theory of Religion

Opposed to theological approaches, this presupposes that those beliefs, behaviors, behaviors or institutions classified as 'religious' are mundane elements of this world (historical and cultural world). Linked to an earlier sense of 'natural science' in that it is the systematic study of the empirical world.

Church/State

Originally from 17th century Europe, used today to stand for the legal separation between religious groups and the government, traced to the first amendment. 'Wall of separation' refers to a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote when he was in office.

Myth

Popular understanding known as something that often designates fanciful, false, or fictional narratives that should be distinguished from historical narratives or rational discourse. Some are told orally and tell of what supernatural beings can accomplish and these same deeds humans cannot accomplish. Idealist scholars believe this to be certain modes of thought, they believed this term inspired ritual in this way. Used by functionalist scholars of religion to refer to any narrative that is used by a group of people to satisfy any basic need that a society of an individual may have.

Phonome

Refers to the basic unit of a sound used by the users of any particular language systems

Phonetic

Refers to the system of cross-culturally useful notations that represent vocal sounds from different language systems

Greek

The New Testament was written in this language. Words/concepts used in the early Christianity era were then translated into Latin, then the many languages that comprise the text of the Bible.

Falsification

The action of falsifying information or a theory

First Amendment

The establishment and free-exercise clause make this up.

Sociology

The science or the study of the origin, development, organization and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations and institutions. This is one subfield of the academic study of religion.

Functionalism

The view that, rather than some internal quality, things are defined by what they do and can be studied in terms of the purposes that they serve or the needs that they fulfill.

Existentialism

This philosophical ideal takes its starting point as the priority of the individual along with the assumption that "existence precedes essence," historical human beings come before, and are thus the makers of, qualities and values. This is the opposite of essentialism.

Theory

This term presupposes a distinction form of practice; sometimes used as synonymous with philosophy, viewpoint or speculationA series of logically relatable and testable propositions that aim to account for a certain state of affairs in the observable world.

Agnosticism

Thomas Huxley coined this term in the 19th century meaning no prior knowledge

Sui Generis

Unique, self caused. Religion is wholly and irreducible. Cannot be explained using naturalistic study of religion. Used to create religious studies departments because anthropologists and sociologists were missing religious experience.

Buddhism

a religion, originated in India by one and later spreading to China, Burma, Japan, Tibet, and parts of southeast Asia, holding that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject.