World Religions Unit 1

What latin meaning may the word religion come from

"to tie fast" "to bind together" religion binds people to something greater than themselves "good faith" "ritual"

Advantages of Religion

-Helps us respond to question of meaning of life or purpose of humans on Earth -Provide individuals with sense of direction and then improve mental health -Provide ethical or moral system for society -Most religions include values and beliefs that promote treating others well which helps us live together and define right and wrong -Religion brings people together and strengthens bonds between one another through rituals, festivals, or other gatherings

Examples of symbols and religions they belong to

-The Wheel of Dharma (Buddhism) -The Cross (Christianity) -The Lotus Flower (Hinduism) -The star and crescent (Islam) -The star of david (Judaism) -Yin and Yang (Taoism)

Disadvantages of Religion

-religious doctrines have been used to justify violence and hatred -Religion can create divisions in society -some believe their religion is superior to others and only true one. Leads to discrimination and violence. -Violence, conflict, war between religions or subgroups of same religion -Some religions discourage questioning religious texts, laws, or leaders. Reduces innovation and alternative explanations

Things to know about Functionalist definition

-studies provide support for functionalist perspective -Individuals who participate in religious services and organizations live longer and are less likely to have health problems like high blood pressure

When did schoolars begin trying to define religion

18th century when colonization encouraged people and cultures to mix

Wilfred Catwell Smith

1960's schoolar argued that trying to define religion is the same as signing up to fail because religions do not share common features

Ludwig Feuerbach

19th century philosopher argued deities or gods were projections of fears, wishes, and desire

Who is Friedrich Schleiermacher

A Christian (Protestant) theologian that gave a definition of religion="essence of religion consists in the feeling of absolute dependence." This means beleiving there is a higher power is less important than being dependent on the higher power

Atheism

A lack of belief in gods. Not a religion

nontheistic religion

A religion that has no personal divine being but a "way" or "unity" Some forms of Taoism

Prayer

A religous practice with the purpose of bringing humans into contact or communication with divine or supernatural -Native Americans danced, quakers silent, Hindus may chant mantras -Some believe they can communicate with deities and elietes want humans to communicate with divine -May belive prayer can affect individual and circumstances they are in -One of oldest religious practices -Ancient Greeks and Romans used prayer -God would give something to individual for prayer and sacrifice

Emile Durkheim

A socilogist that argued religion helped hold society together. Others say religion gives meaning and purpose to life and helps create bonds and maintain societal groups

Monolatristic religion

Acknowledge many gods, but followers only worship one god consistently

Religion

Any specific system of beleif about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, a philosophy of life, and a worldview

Joseph Campbell

Argued religions myths and stories serve number of functions. He was a mythologist. -Can give followers a sense of wonder about creation or divine for example, myths of cosmology discuss how world was formed. By telling supernatural stories, followers have a sense of awe and give individuals a reason to worship divine -Can help to establsih an ethical code for followers and guide them through the varius changing stages of life -Stories of heros, saints, and other important figures are models for how individuals should act. -Stories about end of time or what happens after people die

Pantheism

Beleif that the universe is god. There is not a creator or personal god, god is seen in world and universe. Nature is seen as sacred "god is the whole"

Problems with funtionalist definition

Each religion serves an entirely different purpose.

Intellectual Definitions

Focuss on what a person believes about the existence of a reality beyond our human understanding. This can also be called faith perspective.

Friedrich Max Mueller

German scholar who lived 1832-1900. founded study of comparative religion.

Ultimate Reality

Ideal state of being, or obtaining connection to divine. Some religions beleive ultimate reality is all around us or immanent, not present in one being. Some religions beleive ultimate reality is transcendent, or existing outside the world we live in.

Beliefs

Ideas a person holds to be true

Monotheistic religion

If they beleive there is one god, or supreme being Examples=Christianity, Islam, Judaism. God is viewed as creator of world, and moral codes associated with religion

Symbols

Images that stand for something or represent some information. Represent important ideas or beleifs. Emotions attached to them

Affective Definitionds

Intellect has to do with your brain-your thoughts about something, your affect has to do with feelings. -Focusses on emotions we have about religion

What three main definitions of religion are there

Intellectual, affective, and functional

Problem with intellectual definition

It does not allow for some beleif systems that are usually classified as religions to actually be religions because they don't have a beleif in a higher central power. If you try to broaden definition by saying religion is a strong beleif in something, many things that are not religions would be considered religions

How does religion influence a culture

It shapes beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors in an entire culture. Even if a person does not follow a religion, many aspects of their lives are influenced by religious practices and beleifs of others. Beleifs shape laws, influence moral codes, and mold the character of nations and communities

What do some religions begin with

Mystic experiences or unexplained happenings that humans try to understand and explain. These explanations are about what someone thinks about a higher power, but leave out what a person may feel or how these beleifs might urge a person to act

What is the problem with the affective definition

Not all religions require their followers to feel dependent or to feel anything specific towards a being, and you can feel dependent on things that are not religion

Agnosticism

Not the denial of the divine, but the beleif that it is impossible for humans to know whether or not the divine or ultimate reality exists. Not a religion, a set of views about world

Functional Definition

Perhaps religion can be defined by the function, or purpose, that it serves. Maybe we could say religion is a practice that makes us feel safe in the world, or a way to feel at one with everyone and everything

Functionalist Perspective

Religion exists because material world does not meet human needs

Why is defining religion hard

Religions have come from so many different places and people, that trying to find one feature they all share does not allow room for diversity of societies and thoughts that created these religions. Religions have overlapping similarities rather than 1 generalized beleif or feeling they all hold

Rituals

Repeated, worshipful actions. They often take place at set times and places and may include special symbols or objects. Often create distinctions between the sacred and secular, reinforcing basic beliefs and values of religion. -Can be emotional events that bind participant more closely to divine, their religion, and fellow participants. -Most religious services are rituals -Male circumscion=important ritual is Judaism and Islam and some CHrisitan groups -Sacrifice is Hindu ritual

Materialistic Perspective

Supernatural world does not exist and humans invented religion

Panentheism

The belief that there is a god, the god exists in every part of nature, god extends beyond nature. "the whole is in god"

What would be the problem if we encompassed all definitions

The more inclusive it is, it could become to broad or narrow

Myths of Cosmology

Those that discuss how the world was formed or created

Polytheistic religion

Those that have multiple dities

Faith Perspective

What a human beleives about the existence of a reality beyond our human understanding

Do we need a definition of religion?

When certain religions are granted exemptions or benefits under federal law, and others are not, those not supported may lose rights and be discriminated against.

Theistic Religion

When people believe they have a connection to a sacred being that is or part of ultimate reality, they are part of theistic religion. (theos means god in ancient Greek)

Henotheistic Religion

accknwledge a single god, but leave the possibility open that there may be other gods.

How long has study of religion occured

hundreds of years

Karl Marx

said religion develops from desires of poor or oppressed in society who create gods when they cannot create change themselves -Believed ruling class in society could use religion to justify oppresion

Myths

stories based on the symbols and beliefs of the religion. Not untrue, stories that are important to a group. Followers may take litteral interpretation to story, or less litteral, beleiving general events happened but not exactly as story related. Might take metaphoric interpretation, believing story is just meant to illuminate some important theme or value of religion

What did German theologian Rudolf Otto argue

that brushes with a supernatural being can attract people to the spiritual, as well as creating feelings of awe or sometimes dread. -This attraction to the spiritual increases the incentive to create religions centered on those spiritual realms