World Religions Notes PDF

Franfran and Jajers ✦ Studies what is written from the religion Introduction to World Religions & Belief Systems -> Science of God Belief System -> Assumes that God ex...

Franfran and Jajers ✦ Studies what is written from the religion Introduction to World Religions & Belief Systems -> Science of God Belief System -> Assumes that God exists ✦ Coherent and interconnected set of beliefs (knowledge -> Tries to solve philosophical problems that comes from a about the world) about a wide range of phenomena belief in God → Shared amongst religions Not limited to Catholic views -> Transcendent (no proof, otherworldly) Can sometimes be called world views Religion ✦ Nothing is sacred (no assumptions) Common Beliefs -> Seeks sound-arguments The afterlife -> No fallacies Rewards in life after death Humans have souls Studying Religions & Perspectives of Religion Spirits exist 1. Sociology: Religion as a connection between people 2. Anthropology: Religion as a symbol of diversity Phrases 3. Theology: Religious people must worship a supreme being “I believe in a life after death and that there are ways to 4. Psychology attain it.” “I believe in good spirits and bad spirits that are all around us in unique ways.” Theology of Religion “It is best that I behave well and help others to live a ✦ Theo and Logos virtuous life.” Theo – Greek word for “God” Logos – Greek for discourse/study → Studying humanity’s relationship with God through Religion doctrines in the perspective of a specific religion ✦ Unified system of beliefs and practices -> tries to answer the question “How can God exist?” All of the beliefs and practices practiced by a community to commune with their god One God - One Religion - Believers ✦ Common following -> Systematic and extensive study of a particular religion Shared history through its main doctrines and sacred texts ○ Contemporary (ie: Greek mythology is not considered Can the existence of God be proved? a religion because of the lack of common following) What do these sacred texts tell us about the world ○ A set of stories/beliefs today? A large following that begins at a point in history ✦ Relationship & Belief in Transcendent Beings/existence Is studying theology the same as studying philosophy? Statements about life after death → Theology starts with a belief in God Organized rituals and practices → Philosophy starts with a question Different methods; Philosophy is broader Etymology ✦ Religio/Religare – to tie or to bind (Latin) Notable Theologians ✦ Relegare – to tread carefully / respect and care for both the natural and supernatural words (Latin) 1. St. Anselm of Canterbury Re – again ✦ Faith (Theology) seeks understanding (Philosophy) Lig – join/connect → Start with faith, explore philosophy further Definition 2. St. Thomas Aquinas -> Unified system of beliefs, and practices ✦ Philosophy asks the question, Theology answers the Atheism isn’t a religion, but a belief system question ○ They believe in the most scientific things (which in → Philosophy (the journey of seeking answers) leads to itself is a belief system) Theology (the answer that completes the journey) → Religion is a HUMAN interaction Religion is dynamic because human interaction is 3. Alpharabius (Abu Nasr Muhammad-al Farabi) dynamic ✦ Religious truth can be known through rationality (Philosophy) guided by religious authority (Theology) Elements of Religion → Starts with the study of Philosophy, guided by Theology -> Symbol, mantra, place of worship (there are some questions that cannot be answered by Philosophy) Phrases Muhammad is the final messenger of God “I believe in a Supreme Being that governs all and these are the rules that this Supreme Being mandates. His set Islamic Perspective of rules is called the Ten Commandments.” Usul al-din “In order to purify myself of sin and imitate the → Arabic word for the Islamic intellectual tradition of holiness of my God, I will fast and pray.” theology Theology vs Religion Kalam Theology → Arabic word meaning “Word of God” for the branch of ✦ Scripture-based Islamic theology → Deals with speculative and philosophical arguments of ✦ Sees religion as a unifying belief system that groups of Islam people identify with Anthropology of Religion Max Weber and the Calvinists Physical vs Cultural Anthropology ✦ Religion focused on donations; you had to be rich in order → Studies human behavior, biology, cultures, communities, to donate and linguistics in the present and past (including past human species) Psychology of Religion The Anthropology of Religion Definition of Psychology ✦ Scientific investigation of diversity of human religions and ✦ Studies the mind and its internal processes, sources of belief systems thoughts, and mental health, and how it ultimately defines an → studies the rise of early civilizations and humanity's individual’s personalities and choices beliefs in Spiritual beings → Animism Key Questions Earliest signs of religion How does the belief in a religion/s affect the mental ○ Your mind can grasp abstract concepts (inanimate well-being of a person? objects) Are belief in religions a sign of psychological Artifacts and cave paintings wellness/unwellness? Key Questions Notable Psychologists How diverse are religions? 1. William James What are the practices, rituals, and beliefs common → Institutional Religion among religions “External Actions” How have religious practices helped shape culture and Forms of worship, scripture reading society? -> Personal Religion “The feelings acts, and experiences of individual men Notable Anthropologists in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves 1. Edward Burnett Taylor (Father of Cultural to stand in relation to whatever they might consider Anthropology) divine” ✦ The “belief in spiritual beings” Personal relationship to whichever god you have ○ Ex: When you’re happy when you give thanks, Divine 2. Abdul Hamid El-Zein interventions, Praying when you want something, etc ✦ Beings known as jinn were said to possess bodies of light or fire and to take the shape of animals 2. Sigmund Freud → “Spiritual Beings” can differ in each religion ✦ Religion as hallucination and imagination -> God the divine is the suppressed helplessness and guilt 3. Ninian Smart → “Religion originates in the helplessness and anxiety of ✦ “No religion, it seems to me, contains the whole truth. I childhood and early manhood.” think it’s mad to think that there is nothing to learn from other His methods were flawed (therapy/counseling with a traditions and civilizations.” preconceived assumption of what the problem was) REMEMBER! → Anthropology does not seek to know which religion is the ‘best’; they view all religions as equal 3. ## → To get the ultimate understanding of religion, you have to study all ✦ → Sociology of Religion ## ✦ Studies human interactions (kulang) ○ ## Key Questions How does religion as an institution influence human behavior and interactions? Is religion an instrument of unity or division among people? Notable Sociologists Conflict Theory – Karl Marx ✦ Conflict between the rich and the poor (have & have not) → “Opium of the Masses” → Sees religion as a capitalist tool to appease the masses and distract them of unfair labor practices Structural Functionalism – Emile Durkheim  FROM VIDEOS Introduction to Philo & Theo Anselm and the Argument of God -> Anselm of Canterbury Offered proof that God existed Ontology: Idea of God to the reality of God -> “If God is nice in our minds, the greatest thing would be a real version” God is the greatest thing we can think of Nothing we think of is better than God Therefore, God must exist in reality Fallacy -> Unsound argument