World Religions Exam 1 Homework Questions

You are a rare book dealer who is presented with a Sikh manuscript of indeterminate age that appears to be at least 200 years old. Using your Punjabi skills, you translate a phrase in the text calling God "The Sword" and referencing Sikh commitments to act as the extension of this sword in their fights for justice. Based on this information, what would you note to be the most likely age of the text?

1701, after the formation of the Khalsi

Although the majority of the world's Sikhs live in India, many also live in diaspora. What country has the most Sikhs living in diaspora?

Although the majority of the world's Sikhs live in India, many also live in diaspora. What country has the most Sikhs living in diaspora? Canada

From 1959 through the 1980s, a number of Hindu leaders gained notoriety in the United States as gurus (spiritual teachers). Who of the following were gurus active in America during this period?

Bhaktivedanta prabhupada Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the issue of "re feminization" in contemporary Sikhism?

Contemporary sikh women are invoking the teaching of guru nanak to advocate for more equality within their religious community

When researching in the library, you come across the diary of a nineteenth-century individual who described himself as "Birbala Singh, a Hindu of the Sikh sect." What is the best way to make sense of Birbala's seeming participation in two religious traditions?

During the 19th century many sikhs like birbala understood being a sikh as being a type of hindu

The spiritual homeland of Sikhism is best thought of as India. True or false

False

__ is often depicted near doorways and thresholds and is known as the remover of obstacles.

Ganesha

A Sikh temple is known as a __, or a ggateway to guru because it is where a __ resides

Gurdwara, guru granth

Why is Guru Gobind Singh sometimes called Sikhism's "second founder"?

He transformed sikhism into a fully organized religion through the creation of Khalsa which enshrined the ideal of the sikh soldier saint

Hinduism is an ancient religion and its focus has shifted over time. Arrange the ideas about what is "important" about Hinduism in chronological order from most ancient to most modern. Hinduism is about seeking the wisdom to overcome samsara Hinduism is about the nation of india and being a patriotic indian Hinduism is about fire sacrifices and ritual Hinduism is about connecting with a god through powerful devotion

Hinduism is about fire sacrifices and ritual Hinduism is about seeking the wisdom to overcome samsara Hinduism is about connecting with a god through powerful devotion (Bhakati) Hinduism is about the nation of india and being a patriotic indian

Hindus have been content to think of theirs as a religion of a people rather than the religion of all people. For that reason, it has typically been classified as a[n] ____ religion (like Judaism and Navajo religion) rather than a __ religion (like Buddhism and Islam).

Hindus have been content to think of theirs as a religion of a people rather than the religion of all people. For that reason, it has typically been classified as a[n] ethnic religion (like Judaism and Navajo religion) rather than a missionary religion (like Buddhism and Islam).

The view that only those who view India as both fatherland and holy land are true citizens of India is consistent with the ideas of which of the following?

Hindutva

In Operation Blue Star, __ ordered the Indian Army to enter the Golden Temple in an effort to drive out separatists fighting for an independent ___. As a result, hundreds of unarmed civilians and separatist fighters were killed, including __, who had initiated the protest.

Indira gandhi, khalistan, sant jarnail sign bhindran

timeline of hinduism

Indus valley civilization flourished Rig veda (oldest of four vedas) is composed) Early upanishads are composed Bhagavad Gita composed

Karn is a Hindu whose spiritual path involves renouncing the world. Karn has quit his job and lives as a sannyasin so that he can focus entirely on attaining moksha. He studies the Upanishads and hopes to escape samsara by fully realizing that atman is one with brahman. Which path does Karn most likely practice?

Jnana

When Guru Gobind Singh formed the __ on Baisakhi day in 1699, practitioners were ritually reborn into a new fellowship that deemphasized social differences as represented by the new last names given to members: __ for men and, eventually, __ for women.

Khalsa, Singh, Kaur

Which of the following texts has been proclaimed by some Mahayana Buddhists as the only Buddhist scripture that leads to Buddhahood

Lotus Sutra

What is an example of Engaged Buddhism

Monks in thailand protesting deforestation

The Indus Valley civilization vanished by 1500 BCE. The so-called "Aryan invasion thesis" theorizes that Northern Europeans invaded northern India from the west, destroying the Indus Valley civilization, and that traces of Aryan culture survive in modern Hinduism. Which of the following are objections, nuances, or variations to the Aryan invasion thesis?

Objections: There is no evidence that the Aryans were invaders. They might have migrated peacefully or arrived as traders Some indians argue that the aryans came from the indian subcontinent not europe Some indians claim that sanskrit is the mother of european languages

Place the events in chronological order Buddhism is adopted in Japan Indian Buddhist monks reportedly take buddhism to china Reign of Ashoka, Mauryan emperor and Buddhism Patron Composition Of the Mahayana Buddhist Lotus Sutra

Reign of Ashoka, Mauryan emperor and Buddhism Patron Indian Buddhist monks reportedly take buddhism to china Composition Of the Mahayana Buddhist Lotus Sutra Buddhism is adopted in Japan

sikhs shared beliefs with islam

Rejection of caste Refusal to bow down to idols Strict monotheirm

Select positions on Hindu beliefs and practices endorsed by Ram Mohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj.

Revelation cannot be supported by reason, including the vedas The hindu epics are merely myths Religion is based on reason Polytheism, idol worship, karma and reincarnation are superstitions Designating dalits as untouchables is undemocratic

Sikhs believe that there is an interdependence of political and spiritual responsibilities as represented by the proximity of __ or the seat of temporal authority to the harimandir which is known colloquially as ___

Sikhs believe that there is an interdependence of political and spiritual responsibilities as represented by the proximity of Akal Takht or the seat of temporal authority to the harimandir which is known colloquially as Golden Temple

Identify which of the following are common Sikh religious practices.

Singing kirtans and other praise songs Consuming a sacred sweet called karah prashad Praying and singing sacred hymns 3 times a day Reading a divine decree at random from the guru granth

Select the five distinctive forms of dress worn by members of the Khalsa, sometimes called the Five Ks.

Steel bracelet (kara) Sword (kirpan) Comb (kangha) Short breeches (kacha) Uncut hair and beard (kesha)

4 noble truths represent the buddhas first teaching and are foundational what is their order

Suffering Arising Cessation Path

Many Sikh practices aim, at least in theory, to challenge widespread Indian beliefs about pollution and purity arising from the caste system. Which of the following is an accurate depiction of a Sikh practice involved in making such a challenge to the caste system?

The langar involves individuals from all professions and walks of life sitting together to eat a meal without regard to caste, which would be traditionally forbidden under the rules of the caste system Seva includes work traditionally performed only by lower castes, including mopping floors and cleaning toilets. Participation in the Khalsa represents a symbolic rebirth, wherein one's old identity and caste are left behind to be replaced by a new identity as an initiated Sikh.

Sikh shared beliefs with hinduism

cosmological concepts like karma, moksha, and samsara use of vernacular, spoken languages for prayer

Among the nineteenth-century religious reform movements that spread throughout Indian subjects during British colonial rule, the Singh Sabha and the Arya Samaj shared the same goal of rehabilitating Sikh identity. true or false

false

Based on Guru Nanak's promotion of the position of women, as well as his opposition to veiling and widow burning, Sikh-majority states in India have almost no sex-selective abortions and the birth of a girl is as celebrated as the birth of a boy True or false

false

Anyone who identifies as a Sikh believes in only ten human gurus. True or false

false : While the majority of Sikhs believe in only ten human Gurus, the Nirankaris and Namdharis believe in additional human gurus.

Since its founding in or before 800 BCE, Varanasi has been independently governed by Hindus and even today its sacred spaces and places of worship are exclusively Hindu. true or false

flase

___ the warrior god and ___, the fire god, are two deities featured prominently in the Vedas.

indra the warrior god and agni, the fire god, are two deities featured prominently in the Vedas.

Which of the following reasons offers the best explanation for why Sikhism doesn't emphasize ascetic and renunciate practices?

it is not necessary to withdraw from the world. That is because God is immanent—present in the natural world and in human nature. Unlike those who worship transcendent gods (who are separate from and above ordinary life), Sikhs do not need to go far to find God. God is present in our work in the world and in family and social life.

Which branch of Buddhism is concentrated in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries like thailand

mainstream/theravada buddhism

When the Guru Granth states, "By the karma of past actions, the robe of this physical body is obtained," he is referring to the unsatisfactory cycle of life, death, and rebirth, known as __ in Punjabi.

sansar

Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of Sikhism, deeply influenced contemporary Sikh identity. Identify the activities he performed.

totally separated Sikh identity from Islam and Hinduism became Sikhism's first martyr at the hands of the Mughals built the Harimandir, or Golden Temple compiled the Guru Granth to combat "fake" writings of the Gurus in circulation