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Religion

Terms in this set (71)

agnosticism
The position that holds that the existence of God cannot be proven.
animism
A worldview common among oral religions (religions with no written scriptures) that sees all elements of nature as being filled with spirit or spirits.
atheism
The position that holds that there is no God or gods.
nontheism
A position unconcerned with the supernatural, not asserting or denying the existence of any deity.
pantheism
The belief that everything in the universe is divine.
polytheism
The belief in many gods.
monotheism
one God
Henotheism
is the belief in and worship of a single God while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities that may also be worshipped.
reconnecting.
The word religion is usually interpreted by scholars to mean
shaman
A human being who contacts and attempts to manipulate the power of spirits for the tribe or group.
divination
A foretelling of the future or a discovery of the unknown by magical means.
Taboo
A strong social prohibition.
Upanishads
Written meditations on the spiritual essence of the universe and the self.
Brahman
The spiritual essence of the universe.
Atman
The spiritual essence of all individual human beings.
Maya
"Illusion."
Karma (chapter 3)
The moral law of cause and effect that determines the direction of rebirth.
Hinduism Karma
Hindus, like Buddhists and Jains, believe people are reborn into another life after this one. The idea of karma states that actions in this life will determine the quality of the next life. When people begin their current life, karma accumulate based on their actions. When they die, they enter the process of samsara, and will be reborn into another life, as human or any other life form, depending on the quality of this life, according to Hindu belief. The ultimate goal of Hindus is to attain liberation by escaping samsara, in a process called moksha.
Buddhism Karma
Karma is a natural order of things; it is not a punishment or reward from a god. Those with negative karma may be reborn as animals or into a hell, while those with positive karma will be reborn into a heaven. Even if Buddhists are born into a heaven, they attempt to escape the death and rebirth cycle, since they believe nothing lasts forever. Some Buddhist writings hold that not every action is a result of karma, and some events naturally occur, but modern Buddhist thought diverges from that concept.
Samsara
The everyday world of change and suffering, leading to rebirth.
Moksha
"Liberation" from personal limitation, egotism, and rebirth.
Timurti
"Three forms" of the divine; the three gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Brahma
God of creation.
Vishnu
A god associated with preservation and love.
Shiva
A god associated with destruction and rebirth.
Guru
Spiritual leader.
Bodhi
Enlightenment
Nirvana
The release from suffering and rebirth that brings inner peace.
First Pattern: Focus of Beliefs and Practices
Realizing the limitations of all generalizations, we nonetheless might gain
some perspective by examining the orientations exhibited by individual religions.
When we look at the world's dominant religions, we see three basic
orientations in their conception and location of the sacred.
Sacramental orientation
emphasizes carrying
out rituals and ceremonies regularly and correctly as the path to
salvation; in some religions, correct ritual is believed to influence the
processes of nature. All religions have some degree of ritual, but the
ceremonial tendency is predominant, for example, in most tribal religions,
in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, in Vedic
Hinduism, and in Tibetan Buddhism. Making the Catholic sign of the
cross, for example, is done in a certain way: only with the right hand,
beginning with a touch on the forehead, then on one's chest, and
finally on each shoulder, left to right.
Prophetic orientation
stresses that contact
with the sacred is ensured by proper belief and by adherence to moral
rules. This orientation also implies that a human being may be an
important intermediary between the believer and the sacred; for
example, a prophet may speak to believers on behalf of the sacred.
Prophetic orientation is a prominent aspect of Judaism, Protestant
Christianity, and Islam, which all see the sacred as being transcendent
but personal. The television crusades of evangelistic ministers are
good examples of the prophetic orientation in action.
mystical orientation
seeks union with a reality
greater than oneself, such as with God, the process of nature, the universe,
or reality as a whole. There are often techniques (such as seated
meditation) for lessening the sense of one's individual identity to help the individual experience a greater unity.
Second Pattern: Views of the World and Life
Given the great variety in their worldviews, it is not surprising that each
religion defi nes differently the nature of sacred reality, the universe, the
natural world, time, and human purpose. Religions also differ in their attitudes
toward the role of words in expressing the sacred and in their relations
to other religious traditions. By examining different views on these concepts,
we will have further bases for comparison that will lead us to a more complete
understanding of the world's religions.
tIME
Religions that emphasize a creation, such as Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam, tend to see time as being linear, moving in a straight line
from the beginning of the universe to its end. Being limited and unrepeatable,
time is important. In some other religions, such as Buddhism,
however, time is cyclical. The universe simply moves through endless
changes, which repeat themselves over grand periods of time. In such
a religion, time is not as crucial or "real" because, ultimately, the universe
is not moving to some final point; consequently, appreciating the
present may be more important than being oriented to the future.
Kronos
Chronological
Kairos
When time stops figuratively
James Frazer (1854-1941),
saw the origins of religion
in early attempts by human beings to infl uence
nature, and he identifi ed religion as an intermediate
stage between magic and science.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
theorized that belief in a God or gods arises from the long lasting impressions made on adults by their childhood experiences, in which their parents play a major part; these adults then project their sense of their parents into their image of their God or gods.
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961),
described religion as something
that grew out of the individual's need to arrive at personal fulfillment,
which he called individuation. many religious insignia can
be seen as symbols of personal integration and human wholeness: the circle,
the cross (which is made of lines that join at the center), and the sacred
diagram of the mandala (often a circle within or enclosing a square), which
he called "the path to the center, to individuation." 8 He pointed out that as
people age, they can make a healthy use of religion to understand their place
in the universe and to prepare for death.
Otto
He calls this experience "numinous," and says it has three components. These are often designated with a Latin phrase: mysterium tremendum et fascinans. As mysterium, the numinous is "wholly other"-- entirely different from anything we experience in ordinary life. It evokes a reaction of silence. But the numinous is also a mysterium tremendum. It provokes terror because it presents itself as overwhelming power. Finally, the numinous presents itself as fascinans, as merciful and gracious.
Marx
religion is like other social institutions in that it is dependent upon the material and economic realities in a given society. It has no independent history; instead it is the creature of productive forces. "The religious world is but the reflex of the real world."
Taboo
life. Taboos represent a codifi -
cation of the social and religious order. In our language, taboo means, often
negatively, something that is prohibited. This is essentially the viewpoint
of an outsider. From inside native religions, a taboo is often better seen as
a way of protecting the individual and of safeguarding the natural order
of things.
There, when I was
young, the spirits took
me in my vision to the
center of the earth and
showed me all the good
things in the sacred
hoop of the world.
Taboo
regulate other social behavior. One common
relates to rank: people of high position, such as chiefs, nobility, priests, and
shamans, must be treated with extraordinary care because of their special
powers; protect them from insult or inappropriate action.
Vedic
A period in the history of India; It was a period of transition from nomadic pastoralism to settled village communities, with cattle the major form of wealth. patriarchal and polytheistic..1750-500 BCE
Vedas
A Hindu holy book which is a collection of Aryan hymns that were transmitted orally before being written down in the 6th century BCE.
Vedas
"Wisdom," early collections of prayers and hymns that provide information about the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C.E.; Rig Veda is most important collection.
Rig Veda
A collection of 1,028 hymns honoring the gods
Yajur Veda
Instructions for priests regarding sacrifices
Sama Veda
(H) veda with all music instructions, chant lines etc; where mantras come from
Atharva Veda
"knowledge from the teacher Atharva" which consists of practical prayers and charms
Axis Age
period from 800-200 BC where similar revoltionary thinking appeared in Persia, India, China, and the occident
legend of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama born a prince in Northern India (Nepal) walked 7 steps, lotuses bloomed under his feet
Buddha
"awakened one." Siddhartha Gautama and all others who have experienced enlightenment but, motivated by compassion, stop short of entering nirvana so as to help others achieve it.
Buddha
(c. 563-483 BC) Founder of Buddhism, also known as Siddhartha Gautama; he gave up princely life to search for truth and enlightenment. He established the Buddhist religion based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Four passing sights
sickness, old age, death, poverty; What Siddhartha encountered investigating his spiritual quest
Great Going Forth
When Siddhartha Gautama escaped from his palace, removed his jewels, cut off his hair and entered the world to live as an ascetic.
Great Going Forth
When Siddhartha decides to escape the palace where he lived. Went out into the world with nothing but questions and curiousity. Left all material possesion behind
Bodhi
A Buddhist term referring to a person or being who is awakening and is far along the path to full enlightenment such as that enjoyed by the Buddha; they choose not to enter Nirvana but to help others who have just begun their quest for enlightenment
Bodhi Tree
a sacred fig tree in india that Siddhartha Guatama is said to have achieved enlightenment under (bodhi). Destination for Buddhism pilgrimages.
3 jewels
Buddha, Dharma, Sangha (3 focal elements of Buddhism)
Dharma
The totality of Buddhist teaching.
three marks
Characteristics that summarize the changing nature of reality: anatta (no-self), anicca (impermanence), and dukkha (suffering).
four noble truths
1) All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow. 2) suffering comes from desire. 3) To end suffering, end desire. 4) The way to overcome nonvirtue is to follow the Eightfold Path
eightfold path
"right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation"
Eightfold Path
A Buddhist doctrine calling for right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior, right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation.
Theravada
"Way of the Elders" branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Theravada remains close to the original principles set forth by the Buddha; it downplays the importance of gods and emphasizes austerity and the individual's search for enlightenment.
Mahayana
"the Great Vehicle" - The largest of Buddhism's three divisions, prevalent in China, Japan and Korea, encompasses a variety of forms, including those that emphasize devotion and prayer to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Vajrayana
The Vehicle of the Diamond - Named for the vajra, the Buddha's diamond scepter; prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet; emphasizes the harnessing of sensual energies to attain nirvana.
Structuralism
Looks for universal structures underlying language, religion, mythology and other human activities
Post-Structuralism
Approach rejecting the search for universal structures and focused on individual elements in cultural phenomena.
deconstruction
A technique, pioneered by Jacques Derrida, that sets aside ordinary categories of analysis and makes us, instead, of unexpected perspectives on cultural elements; it can be used for finding hidden values in text, film, art work, cultural practice, or religious phenomenon
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