Religious Quest Exam 1

Durkheim - Totemism

A totem is a marker of being related to the group that is worshipped because the group places prohibitions around the symbol. This is what makes religion real; the group makes it real.

Schleiermacher's emphasis on religion as a non-rational & the "oceanic feeling"

An unlimited feeling of connection to the natural world. This feeling of major connection is the root of all religion. Individual experience is the explanation not reason.

Which of the following is true of the discipline of religious studies? A. Like theology, it begins with the assumption that God is real and that he is active in the world B. Because it only makes sense within a specific religion tradition, it is only open to catholics C. It says that only what can be repeated in a lab counts as data for religious studies D. All E. None

E. None

Insider-Outsider problem (etic/emic)

Emic(Insiders)- adherents/believers in a certain religion get to define the religion Etic(outsiders)- scholars ore "neutral observers" get to define it Problem= scholars must be close enough to be empathetic but detached enough to form their own beliefs.

Comparing sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible and in the Vedas would be this kind of comparison.

Encyclopedic

Authority of the mystic- William James (From Enoch)

Enoch intercedes for the angels. This gives him authority because he has a direct, personal relationship with God that the angels he is interceding for cannot do.

Pope Francis writing encyclical about service to the poor represents this order of religion.

First Order

Description

Geertz described as: "thick"- concept driven and specific "microscopic"- focused on individual situations

Enoch 12-16- his ascent into heaven

His ascent showed ineffability- it could not be explained or a paradox Ex) he walked into a house into a bigger house

Rudolf Otto's- mysterium tremendum et fascinas and how this relates to his idea of "holy"

Holy is an individual experience. Mysterium= non-rational space Tremendum= repellent, scary Fascinans= attractive Religion is experiencing a different layer than usual that is scary yet attractive. Ex) taking mushrooms. Religion is a bad trip.

What does Otto's quote on religion mean?

If you don't have religious experience there's no sense in studying religion at all.

Paul vs Super Apostles

Super-apostles-Exalted in Chris , Mystical experiences mean exalted status, Emphasis on benefits of salvation now, Claim connection to Jerusalem church Paul-Suffering Christ, Willingness to suffer proves status, Salvation in future, Corinthian's experience validates Paul's claims

Empathy

being able to put yourself;f intellectually/emotionally in the shoes of someone practicing another religion to deeper understand.

J.Z. Smith- "Map is not territory"

maps only show the important things in an area, not everything

Defamiliarization

taking everyday religious practices and seeing them in their strangeness usually through comparison of similar practices (Lord's Supper)

Explanation

what meaning can be found for what happened? Evaluate a situation and make it make sense in the world.

An Example of defamiliarization

seeing the eucharist in a new light by comparing it to other examples of bodily consumption

In 2 Corinthians 10-13, what problems does basing a community around mystical experience raise? How does this relate to the ideas of William James?

- Authority- mystic - Authority must be acknowledged and judges in community. 2 Different claims that must be tested. - Paul speaks less well, presents himself less well, emphasized suffering -----I'm going to test you 13 3-5

What are the three developments that prepared the way for the academic study of religion?

1. Enlightenment- uses a secularized adaptation of the key claims of the Reformation-individualism, reason, challenge of rationality, reasoning with religion 2. Non-Western religions became known: history is not all white and Christian 3. Academic Study of the Bible- erodes supernatural perspectives on it-seems like human product. Studying the Bible shows that human process creates it.

What are the four elements of a critical theory of religion?

1. Essentialist 2. Functionalist 3. Description 4. Explanation 5. Prediction

What are the concepts associated with Comparison?

1. Ethnographic- one lives among an unknown group of people and studies what can be known about them. Drawback= mistaking trivialities for larger insight 2. Encyclopedic- collection of insights from different ethnographers arranged by culture Drawback= often takes the form of how they are not like us 3. Morphological- explaining the different kinds of religion based on diff. structures, cultural institutions, methods of worship etc.. Drawback= anatomy is the science based on 4. Evolutionary- focus on how religion changes over time. Religions went from simple to complex. Drawback= runs the danger of seeing ones religion as the pinnacle of development (ethnocentrism)

The 4 characteristics of mystics given by William James.

1. Ineffability- the experience is overwhelming and hard to put into words 2. Noetic Quality- although the experience cannot be described exactly, it bestows some kind of deep understanding of the world or an aspect to it 3. Transiency- mystical states cannot be sustained for long, given that James sees them as altered states of consciousness 4. Passivity- A person feeling like they are at the mercy of greater forces. Ex) automatic writing, prophetic speaking, and the mediums trance

What are the four techniques or methods of understanding?

1. Self-Conciousness 2. Comparison 3. Defamiliarization 4. Empathy

What are the concepts associated with Self-Conciousness?

1. The Phenomenological Method- Step away from background. Urges us to "bracket" assumptions so that our objects of study can appear without any filters. 2. Hermeneutical Method- Use prior judgements. Understanding gets started when we put out prior judgements and assumptions out there then test them against what we observe.

Legitimate vs Illegitimate knowledge

Legitimate knowledge-granted by Enoch/heavenly world, realities of judgement, causes of sin Illegitimate knowledge- weapons, cosmetics, metallurgy (how you make stuff out of metal)/mining, divination/magic

This scholar emphasizes the "oceanic" feeling that serves as the basis for religion, and tried to explain it to his cultured peers.

None of the above- Schleiermacher

Predicition

Religion gives order and predictability to the world of people who practice it. "The universe is understood in terms of human values."-Berger

Durkheim's quote

Religion unites practitioners into a single community. It does so by constructing a comprehensive world view out of both beliefs and rituals.

Durkheim: collective effervescence

Ritual bonds people together and gives energy for its participants. Belonging/Connectedness is understood as impersonal sacred. It gives rise to communal feeling of morality, and it gives rise to impersonal sacred power.

Enoch 6-16: What is original sin? Where does it come from?

The sin we are born with. It comes from the sons of heaven seeing women as sexual objects,

Difference between theology and religious studies

Theology= insiders, transcendent truth Religious studies= outsiders, sensory world and natural causes

Functionalist

attempt to describe the effects of a religion or what a religion accomplishes

Essentialist

attempt to describe the inner essence or nature of a religion

What does Herling mean by "provisional and adjustable truths"

provisional and adjustable is making your own definition of a religion while still being open enough for your definition to be adjusted because more knowledge is gained through observation.