Shortened REL Notes PDF

Week 1: Theology: - Theology focuses on the supernatural of one religion which assumes one religion is correct (I.E. a christian studying christianity). Some areas of research are seen as taboo. Study of Religion: - Religious studies doesn't presume that one religion is correct and “ou...

Week 1: Theology: - Theology focuses on the supernatural of one religion which assumes one religion is correct (I.E. a christian studying christianity). Some areas of research are seen as taboo. Study of Religion: - Religious studies doesn't presume that one religion is correct and “outsiders” can study in this field(I.E here’s what some Christians say about so and so; don’t need to identify as Christian to study Christianity). - There are also no topics that are off limits. - Main focus on the differences and similarities between religions Week 2: What Makes a Religion: What do we mean by “supernatural” or “god”? - Omniscient (all-knowing; knows how it all ends an what will happen) - Omnipresent (Present everywhere) - Omnipotent (All powerful) - Apophatic theology (What god is not) “Internal” Understandings of Religion: The key factor that makes something a religion is Belief in something (Gods, mythes, spiritual beings) Most common way of defining “religion” by non-scholars: Usually focuses on “the supernatural” or “god(s)” as essential to religion Problems with “internal” understandings: - Since the definitions are quite vague about what could be considered a god, real world phenomenons (such as the “ Invisible hand of the Free Market” in capitalism) are subject to being grouped into this definition although they are obviously not god(s). “Practice” understandings of religion: - Belief it not always that important within a religion, rather it is what people “do” Early Religion In Canada: - After the Americas were discovered in 1492 Valladolid Debate (1550-1551) - Debate in Spain about the proper treatment of Indigenous people in the Americas within the Catholic church - Bartolome de las Casas (Catholic priest) - Native people should be treated like other “free” humans - Juan de Sepulveda (Catholic priest) - The civilized have a moral obligation to punish immoral behavior of natives Early Missionary Work - Sillery, Quebec - Canada’s first Indian Reserve - 1637 - founded by catholic priests Christianity and Assimilation: - “Kill the Indian in him and save the man” - Richard Pratt - assimilation by education Week 3: Hinduism: History: - No founder - Beliefs formed over time - Indus Valley Civilization 2300-1500 BCE Vedic Period: - 1500 - 500 BCE - Written Sanskrit Texts - The four Vedas composed 1500 - 1000 BCE - Brahmanas composed (800-600 BCE) - Pre-Hindu Brahmanism - Gautama/Buddha (563-483 BCE) Hindu Synthesis: - Emergence of Classical Hinduism (500 BCE-300 CE) - Emergence of “orthodox” Hinduism Golden Age: - Golden Age (300 - 700 CE) - Construction of temples to Hindu Gods Deities: Trimurti - Brahma - Creator god - Rarely Worshiped Today Trimurti - Vishnu - Associated with kindness and “order” - Four hands - Conch shell - Chakra - Lotus Flower - Mace - 9 Avatars - Matsya - Krishna - Buddha - 10th Avatar will announce end of the world - Kalki (will eventually announce the end of the world) Trimurti - Shiva - God of Destruction - Rebirth and Transformation - Tandav - dance of the death The Afterlife - Samsara (reincarnation) Key concepts in Hinduism - Dharma (social obligations) - Three paths (three paths that lead to salvation and spiritual fulfillment) - Jnana (wisdom/knowledge) - Karma (practice) - Bhakti (devotion) Upanishads - Philosophical teachings of Hinduism - Over 100 Upanishads are known; 13 of significant importance Week 5: Buddhism History of Buddhism - Life of Buddha - Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) - 6th century BCE History of Buddhism after Buddh’as death - First Buddhist Council (c. 400 BCE) History of Buddhism - Emergence of Buddhist Sects - Theravada (Hinayana) Buddhism - Oriented toward Nirvana - Mahayana Buddhism - Oriented toward Bhodisatva - Vajrayana Buddhism - Begins 147 CE History of Buddhism - Zen Buddhism - Emphasizes Xen (禪– “Chan” in Chinese): a meditative state - Control of the mind, often through focus on breathing Buddha is not the laughing Buddha - Budai - Chinese Buddhist Monk - 10th century - Possibly fictional - Importance: always content even though he owns very little and has the ability to see the future History of Buddhism - Tibetan buddhism - Buddhist texts translated into Tibetan in 7th century History of Buddhism - Engaged Buddhism - FOunded by Thich Nhat Hanh in the 1950s Birth and Rebirth - Samasara (wandering life) - Karma - Reincarnation - Enlightenment - Nirvana (Theravada) or Buddhahood (Mahayana) - There’s no concept of the soul The Four Noble Truths - Dukkha (suffering) - Death is suffering, separation as pleasing is suffering, we are attached to suffering - Samudaya (The cause of suffering is desire [Greed, ignorance, hatred]) - Rebecoming leads to reincarnation - Nirodha (the end of suffering is detachment) Asceticism - Relinquish the craving of suffering - Magga (the eightfold path) The Eightfold Path - Right view (Know the truth) - Right Intention (free your mind of evil) - Right Speech (say nothing that hurts others) - Right Action(work for the good of others) - Right Livelihood (respect life) - Right effort (resist evil) - Right concentration (practice meditation) - Right Mindfulness (control your thoughts) Three Jewels - The Buddha - Dharma: Teachings of Buddha - Sangha Monastic Order/Buddhists in General Five precepts (things you shouldn’t do) - Refrain from taking life - Refrain from taking what is not given - Refrain from the misuse of the senses of sexual misconduct - Refrain from wrong speech - Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind Gods? - No omnipotent, omnipresent, omnipotent creator god - Divine beings are not venerated - Devas - Mara - Hungry Ghosts Buddhavanca - “Teachings of Buddha” - Dharma Pali canon teaching (sutra) - Absence of ourself - Our soul may not even exist; detachment of the soul - Everything we love, everything we desire won’t last forever Pali Canon (Nikiya) - We’re scared of not existing - Our relationships and desires make us feel like we exist and connect to the world; our soul’s desire to cling to existence keeps us from enlightenment - We must let go of our desires to achieve enlightenment Buddhist Monks (Bhikku) and Nuns (Bhikkuni) - Active seeking release from samsara - At least 20 years old - Vows: renunciation of wealth and pleasures Vegetarianism - First of the precepts: “Do not take any life” Week 6: RELIGIONS OF CHINA, KOREA, AND JAPAN Confucius - Confucius (551 - 479 BCE) - “Master Kong” Teachings Of Confucius - Negative “Golden Rule” : Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you - Emphasis on maintenance of tradition and ritual (li) - Social obligations - There’s a natural goodness in people Confucian texts: Five Classics - Five Classics Confucian Beliefs - Tian - Heaven as source of goodness, life, and human dignity - Right to revolt - Knowing place in society and cosmos Five constant values of humanity - Jen (Humanness) - Li (Propriety and rites) - Yi (Righteousness or rightness) - Chih (Wisdom) - Hsin (Faithfulness) Taoism - Lao Tzu (“Old Master”) - Circa 500 BCE? Maybe Fictional? - China Tao - Tao (The way) - Harmony with nature - Emptiness Wu-Wei (Non-Action) - Work that is not effortful Three pure ones (ON EXAM) - The jade pure one - The supreme pure one - The grand pure one Week 7 Sikhism Sikhism - Before its founding - Punjab region - 15th century CE History of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji - 1469-1539 CE SIkhism - Belief in God (Waheguru) - Monotheism/Monism - Genderless, formless, eternal, creator - Equality before God - Direct access to God Sikhism - Duties and Vices - Three duties - Nam japan (pray) - Kirt Karna (honest work) - Vans Chhakna (give) Five Vices - Lust - Covetousness and greed - Attachment to things of this world - Anger - Pride Sikhism - Humanity - “Oneness” of humanity - Equality of People Week 8 Judaism - Jewish Bible = Hebrew Bible = Tanakh = Christian Old Testament - Torah (Not the same as Tanakh) has multiple meanings - Abraham - Isaac (Binding of Issac) - Ishmael - Moses - Exodus from egypt - Ten Commandments Foreign Conquest - Babylonian Exile (587 BCE) - Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple - Persian Return (539 BCE) - Second temple built Medieval Judaism - Islamic Period (638 BCE) Denominations - Orthodox Judasim (1819) - Reform Judaism(1819) - Conservative Judaism (1854) Modern Anti-Semitism - Yiddish Culture - Pogroms - Third Reich - Holocaust