RELS 110 Notes (1) PDF

Issues in Religion FALL SEMESTER 2024 INSTRUCTOR: DR. Steven Fink [email protected] 06 September 2024 UNIT ONE: Common Terms: Monotheism: belief in only one God Polytheism: belief in many different deities (both male and female) ○ Dao from Daoism is a great spirit t...

Issues in Religion FALL SEMESTER 2024 INSTRUCTOR: DR. Steven Fink [email protected] 06 September 2024 UNIT ONE: Common Terms: Monotheism: belief in only one God Polytheism: belief in many different deities (both male and female) ○ Dao from Daoism is a great spirit that connects everything Atheism: nonbelief in a God or deities ○ Could stem from an ideology that there never was a God to believe in ○ Strong atheists believe that they need to share with others that there is no God and that the ideology is negative ○ Weak atheists believe that there is no God or deities, but they somewhat keep this to themselves and do not try to push this on others Transcendent: a God that is all-powerful and lives in heaven or a heavenly realm ○ It can do whatever it wants whenever it wants Immanent: a deity that has limited power and lives on earth Approaches to studying religion: The insider approach or perspective: firsthand knowledge of a religion and studying a religion that you follow The outsider approach: involves studying a religion that you are not a part of or do not follow Phenomenological vs. social scientific 1  Phenomenological: argues that all people are religious in some way ○ Friedrich Schleiermacher followed the phenomenological approach He defined religion as a feeling of absolute dependence ○ Paul Tillich followed the phenomenological approach as well He defined religion as a person’s ultimate concern Social-scientific: argues that people don’t need to be religious, but they have some greater need or desire ○ Karl Marx followed the social-scientific approach He argued that religion is the result of people in power desiring to control people with less power ○ Sigmund Freud also followed the social-scientific approach He argued that religion is the result of people’s need to deal with guilt and anxiety People created the idea of a God, especially one who was all loving and forgiving, so they could transfer guilt to that being 09 September 2024 Inter-religious relations: major terms Exclusivism: belief that my religion is the only true religion ○ Fundamentalism: a type of exclusivism that strongly criticizes current social conditions Inclusivism: belief that many religions are true, but only because ideas in my religion are like ideas in other religions Pluralism: belief that all religions are true on their own terms 11 September 2024 Islam common beliefs: Tawhid: the Islamic belief that there is only one God Shirk: making something equal to God ○ Very serious sin in Islam 2  Beliefs about Judaism ○ Muslims believe that the God of Judaism and the God Islam are the same God ○ Muslims believe that god gave revelations to Moses, but early Jewish people changed parts of these revelations Beliefs about Christianity: ○ Muslims believe that God of Christianity and the God of Islam are the same God ○ Muslims believe that God gave revelations to Jesus, but early Christians changed parts of these revelations ○ In Islam, Jesus is a prophet, but not the son of God Revelations to Muhammad (610-632 CE): ○ Muslims believe that the revelations given to Moses and Jesus were given again, but this time to the prophet Muhammad and these were unchanged ○ Qur’an: the revelations given to Muhammad were written in the Qur’an, which is the holy book of Islam ○ Final revelation: muslims believe that the revelations given to Muhbammad were not changed in any way. So, the Qur’an is God’s final revelation 13 September 2024 Wahhabi Islam Origin: began in Saudi Arabia in the 18th century Islamist violence: most violent Islmamist groups, such as ISIS and the Taliban have been influenced by Wahhabi Islam Interpretation of the Qur’an: Wahhabi Muslims believe that their interpretation of the Qur’an is the only correct interpretation 7th Century Arabia: want life in the 21st century to strongly reflect Islam’s 7th century Arabian beginnings Final Judgment: most Muslims believe that every person will spend eternity either in Heaven or hell ○ Common islamic belief: most Muslims believe that monotheists that live a morally good life will go to Heaven 3  ○ Wahhabi belief: Wahhabi Muslims believe that only they will go to Heaven Hinduism: an Introduction Vedas (1500 - 1500 BCE): the earliest holy books of Hinduism, they include chants to many deities Dharma: the duty of Hindus according to their social class Moksha: liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The ultimate goal in most branches of Hinduism Householder vs. renouncer: competing ideal ways to live within Hinduism ○ The householder focuses on their dharma within family or society ○ The renouncer leaves society to focus on spiritual disciplines 9/16: Hinduism: an introduction cont. Deities ○ Vishnu: this God is often associated with Preservation and compassion. Vishnu keeps life going. Calming and happy Avatar: an earthly appearance of Hindu deity Krishna: an avatar of Vishnu ○ Shiva: this God is often associated with destruction and meditations. Destroys to make things better Ganesha: has an elephant head and is the remover of obstacles ○ Devi: has many different forms and these forms portray love as well as fierceness Hindu Fundamentalism (HF) Religion + Politics ○ Exclusivism of Hinduism motivated by religion and politics Major Goals ○ HF wants everyone to follow hinduism ○ Want the Indian government to promote/push Hinduism Other ○ Many HF have strong anti-muslim and anti-christian views 4 19 September 2024 Hindu Fundamentalism Continued Other Religions cont. ○ Many HF have strong anti-muslim and anti-christian views Results: HF have killed Muslims and Christians and have destroyed their places of workship BJP ○ Hindu Fundamentalist political party Comparisons to Gandhi ○ Unlike Gandhi’s interpretations of Hinduism, HF is exclusivist (belief that my religion is the only true religion) and sometimes violent ○ Ahisma: nonviolence, emphasized by Gandhi Baha’i Origion ○ Started in the 19th century in Iran ○ Baha’ullah He was the founder of Baha’i Baha’is believe he was a prophet Unity of God ○ Baha’is believe there is only one God (monotheism) Unity of Religion ○ Baha’is believe all major world religions are true because these religions are reflections of the one true God ○ Progressive revelation Baha’is believe God has given revelations to different prophets throughout history Difference from Islam 5  Unlike Muslims, Baha’is believe there have been prophets after Muhammad Unity of humankind ○ Baha’is believe people’s similarities are more important than their differences because all people are one family under God ○ Results: Baha’is believe emphasizing the unity of humankind will lead to world peace and the elimination of prejudice 20 September 2024 Christian Pluarlism : John Hick Christian exclusivism ○ Hick disagrees with Christian exclusivism because he believes no religion can be the only true religion Christian inclusivism ○ Hick disagrees with Christian inclusivism because he believes it makes Christianity superior to other religions Judges what religion is true and which isn’t true Reasons for Christian pluralism ○ God Hick argues that because all people have a different mental image of God, no religion can claim to have the only correct understanding of God. ○ Salvation If salvation is defined as becoming a better person, then salvation can be found in every religion. ○ Morality Hick argues that because there are morally good non-Christians and morally bad Christians, Christianity is not the only source of moral truth. Results of Christian pluralism 6  ○ Hick encourages Christians to follow Christianity but be willing to learn from other religions. UNIT TWO: Understanding of Salvation Salvation ○ This is the ultimate in a religion. Soteriology ○ The study of salvation ○ Addresses the questions: What is a religion's ultimate goal? How do you get this ultimate goal? Types of salvation ○ This-worldly salvation The ultimate goal is experienced during your life on earth ○ Other-worldly salvation The ultimate goal is experienced after you die. Salvation by works Salvation is earned because of your good actions Salvation by grace Salvation is received as a gift from God 23 September 2024 Life of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (d. 5th century BCE) ○ This is the real name of the Buddha, he died in the 5th century BCE Meaning of “Buddha” ○ “Awakened one” ○ Buddha grew up in luxury but then left and found peace (Nirvana) Previous Lives 7  ○ Before his final life on earth, Siddhartha lived millions of lives to become a Buddha whose teachings will save countless being. Birth ○ He was born to a powerful leader ○ After he was born, it was predicted that Siddartha would become either a worldwide emperor or a Buddha. Early Life ○ Siddartha had a very luxurious life in his father’s palace - no suffering at all Renunciation ○ After becoming aware of aging, sickness, and death, Siddartha left his luxurious life to find the end of suffering. Quest for awakening ○ Siddhartha tried fasting and other spiritual practices for many years, but he was unable to find the end of suffering Bodhi Tree ○ Siddhartha found the art of suffering and experienced awakening while meditating at this tree. 8