...April Agresti Humanities – World Religion 03/24/2016 Understanding Primal, Antiquity, and India Religions There are many different types of religions around the world. Some of them are monotheistic, meaning that they only believe in one God, and some are polytheistic, meaning that they believe in more than one God, or nondualist, meaning that sacred reality cannot be numbered at all. Some examples of these religions are Australian Aboriginal groups, Native American Indians, African religions, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism, Greek, Celtics, Germanic, Hinduism, Jains, and Sikhs. Most of these religions have been practiced for centuries and are still practiced today. There are many similarities and many different ways of these religions. However, within these religions, we are able to compare and contrast some of their religious beliefs, their overall ideas, and how they try to satisfy their human needs. Primal definition is, “original,” the Australian Aborigines, Native American Indians, and African religions are primal religions. “Aborginigine,” means from the beginning. Aboriginal religion is best understood for a vision of the nature and how they are linked and connected with nature and everything around it. Aboriginal spiritually entails a close relationship between humans and the lands. They call the beginning of the world the “Dreaming” or “Dreamtime.” In the “Dreamtime,” aboriginal “Ancestors” rose from below the...
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...World Religion Test Common Features of Religion FEAR of evil, supernatural, sin, a meaningless existence. WONDER Nature, world, humanity, complex Requires explanation QUESTIONING Why do good people die? Why is there evil in the world? What is death? Is there more meaning to our existence than what we see and do? Definitions: Religion: to act as a meeting place for the sacred and everyday dimensions. Sacred Story: each sacred story shares the same key dimensions First: origin (the basic story) Second: history of the religious community Third: teachings that define that community, its creed, cult, and moral code. Creed: the community's fundamental statements about God or the meaning of life Cults: Used to describe even more fundamentally at odds with the world outside. Moral Code: the moral conduct people are to follow. The system of rules that guides moral activity. Sacred scriptures: record sacred traditions as they are handed/passed down. An approved text becomes established and is considered sacred or authoritative. Religious symbols: the primary means by which the sacred is expressed to the people whom it appears. Sect: sub-division within an established religion. Referred to a group of believers at odds with the mainstream tradition. Theophany: an encounter with the divine Ethics: norms of behaviour modelled on the way of life of the founder that emphasize the centrality of human dignity...
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...Prof. Joseph Molleur Office Hours Prall House 101 Mon. and Thurs., 10-11 a.m. Jmolleur@cornellcollege.edu Tues., Wed., and Fri., 3-4 p.m. Office: 895-4237 Or by appointment. Home: 895-8559 (Please, no calls after 9 p.m.) REL. 222: Religions of the World Aim of the Course This course explores the religious dimension of human existence, by introducing students to eight of the world’s major religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The aim of the course (through readings, lectures, and discussions centered mainly on selections from each religion’s sacred scriptures) is to gain an appreciative understanding of the basic teachings and practices of the religions, as well as an insight into how they motivate and inspire their adherents. In a “survey” course such as this one, it is inevitable that breadth will be emphasized at the expense of depth. In an attempt to achieve at least some degree of depth, we will read one relatively short sacred text, Hinduism’s Bhagavad-Gita, in its entirety—a little bit each day, all throughout the course. Prerequisite There is no prerequisite for this course. Course Requirements 1. Class Participation (20% of final grade). There are two components to this requirement, each constituting approximately 10% of your final grade. a) Your oral contributions to our class discussions. Formal study questions will be provided for each...
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...HUM/130 Final: World Religions Report HUM 130 October 16, 2011 HUM/130 Final: World Religions Report The Hindu religion is one of the oldest in the world. With his or her colorful celebrations and traditions the Hindu religion is very intricate. The Hindu religion believes in more Gods than anyone can ever get a true count of. The three main God’s Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are worshipped by all Hindus. During my research of the Hindu religion I learned that I knew very little about this elaborate religion. With the large amount of Gods, traditions, celebrations, beliefs, and stories it is so much to take in. Just learning the basics has opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. So many religions are based on the same principals. It is possible that all religion started with creation and the Old Testament. The three main Gods of the Hindu religion are worshipped by all Hindus. Brahma (the Creator) creates and writes a person’s destiny. When a person dies he or she goes to heaven and meet Brahma where his or her good and bad karma is judged. When Brahma judges karma the person is sentenced to heaven or rebirth. Heaven to Hindus is oneness with Brahma where his or her soul merges with God’s soul. Saraswati is the wife of Brahma and also the goddess of education and literature. Most scholars worship her. An interesting fact about Brahma is that it is believed Brahma came from Vishnu’s bellybutton. Vishnu (the care taker) is believed to have been...
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...Danielle Walker World Religions Field Trip Paper 4 May 2014 Different People’s Way of Life Many individuals abide or live life along a set of guidelines or follow a certain religion and that conveys their way of life. Religions have many values, beliefs, and aspirations among them. Worldwide many religions are practiced daily although some may be practiced more than others on a daily basis. I have learned about many aspects, values, and what the motive to practicing a certain religion may give to life. To studying certain religions in the classroom to attending churches and services of specific religions I have learned a great deal of information revolving around the true aspects of our worldwide ways of life. Among the few religions I attended in person to view what cultural values, beliefs, and aspects that individuals abided by were the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, The Greek Orthodox Church, Unitarian-Universalist Church, and Pilgrim Baptist Church. All in which shared different views and progressions on the way of life. The Vietnamese Buddhist Temple I found to be one of the more interesting locations out of all because of the formal one on one interaction with the monk. My impression of the religion and its “world view” from the apparent architecture and artifacts was an impression that actually stunned me because of the precise actions of such an individual. The site conveyed a very neat and high class appearance in the terms of how those individuals live the...
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...Among the major world religions, three are very closely related in their origins, their beliefs, their revealed books or Holy Scriptures, and their institutions of leadership. They are also closely related in their beliefs about morals and ethics, and their views of the individual and social life. Following is the way that the Abrahamic religions are compared to each other: Abraham (or Abram) had a huge impact on the religions Believe that God made a covenant, or agreement with Abraham to keep the faith in One God, and to worship Him, to keep that faith and teach the practice of worship to his children down the generations, and God would preserve, protect and multiply the children of Abraham. All of the monotheistic faiths share a belief that God, the Creator, has “spoken” to humankind over time. The word for this divine communication is “revelation.” Belief in angels as God’s messengers to human beings. Believers in the Abrahamic faiths have preserved these scriptures and traditions of the prophets and the story of their unfolding in human history. Mahayana Buddhism The Mahayana emerged between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C.E. in India in the context of debate about proper Buddhist doctrine and practice, about monastic discipline, and particularly about the ongoing presence of the Buddha after his death as well as the nature of enlightenment itself. Initially, the Mahayana was influenced by other Buddhist schools of thought in India; as it spread in...
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...How do religions become respectful to other traditions? I resonated with Stephen Prothero thought, “If it matters to ordinary people it matters,” (Prothero, Diversity Conversation 2010). Who are ordinary people? Are they immigrants, social outcasts, less fortunate, or people who go to work, church and school? I believe when we respect the differences of other religions we will help shape the values of society. In turn, we will realize what matters to ordinary people also matters in society. Throughout this paper I will argue interreligious communities need to be accessible and open to learn traditions of other faiths. The interreligious faith communities can start with respecting the differences and similarities of each other’s religions. Respecting the differences of other religions is essential for society to understand other religions and one of the obligations in interreligious relations. We can even expound the idea of respecting the differences of other religions into being an obligation of a Christian. Coogan states, “What way can religions encourage society in general to grant equality to other traditions with beliefs and practices perhaps antithetical to its own?” (Coogan 1998) How can the religious society be more vulnerable to other traditions, but maintain their own traditions? I am encouraged by Coogan's statement, “The world’s major religious traditions have both reflected and shaped the values of the societies of which they have been an inseparable element”...
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...astonishing moments in sports, God, usually within the context of religion, is the magician behind it all. A higher force may exist but presenting it as truth or even likely is not sensible. Religion negatively affects rationality with its doctrines, scriptures, and governance because it promotes ignorance. Ignorance comes in many forms; ignorance of evidence, moral perspective, other faiths, equality, etc. Theorizing a higher force is neither illogical nor dangerous, but piling on details contrary to what reason dictates does just that. It was sensible for ancient civilizations to do such things, and the same goes for primitive cultures today. However, these ideas should not subsist in the modernized parts of the world. The rise of religious beliefs within past civilizations does seem reasonable when considering the time period. Calling the ancient Egyptians “dumb” or their beliefs “stupid” is naïve since they lacked scientific knowledge and the means to obtain it. To the Egyptians, the sun and moon appeared as if they were moving and switching places periodically. The “mover” responsible for these actions was labeled Ra, the sun god. Now we know that Earth’s rotation affects the amount of sunlight in a region, which causes the occurrence of day and night. Supernatural belief back then was an attempt to explain the world and peoples’ experiences of it. Bill Maher in Religulous demonstrates that religion today contradicts reason, and that religious followers need their consciousness...
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...Religions of the World Midterm Exam Study Guide Fall 2013 Note: As stated in the course syllabus, the midterm exam will be held on Tuesday, October 8. Please be sure that you arrive to class on time. Remember that there is no class on Thursday, October 3, as I will be away at a conference (November 4 speaker takes the place of class). If you have attended class regularly, have kept up with the reading, and have taken good notes you should have no problem with the exam. It would be wise to use the practice quizzes and flashcards for Chapters 1, 10, and 11 in your e-book. Please review the following: * Reasons why it is important to study world religions; how pluralism is defined * Religion should be studied to understand its persistence in the modern world, which in many ways is not hospitable to religious belief and practice. * Pluralism – recognition of religious differences and the effort to deal with them constructively, goes beyond toleration. Different religious exist because religions are different. This makes dialogue between them both possible and necessary. * How Judaism is defined * Historic religion of the Jewish people. * This name comes from the ancient tribe of Judah, one of the original 12th tribes of Israel. * Importance of “covenant” in Judaism * Agreement god made with Abraham in which god promised to be with Abraham and be the god of his many descendants and Abraham promised to follow god. *...
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...World View Chart Writing Assignment Tranel Hill-Barrett Strayer University Rel 212: World Religions Prepared for: Dr. Darryl Claybon September 7, 2014 I would first like to start off by saying that this class has opened my eyes to a lot as far as different religions are concerns, I love learning of the history and origin of the varies religions. For my final paper, I have decided to focus on the category of "view of the afterlife". The reason I selected this category is due to the fact that they are all almost closely related. We are all here to live our lives, although we may worship different Gods, or practice different religions, I feel as though we all have the same questions at the end of the day. What will happen to me once I past? What will happen to my earthly body? After several weeks of reaches I expanded my knowledge of such world religions. Within my finding, I discovered that almost all the religions believe in some form or heaven and hell or that the soul of a person continues to live in some shape or form. For example within Hinduism and Jainism, moksha, is the ultimate salvation. The individual is absorbed into the ocean. To me this is kind of a form of being cremated and released into the ocean. I know that I have heard of some people wanting this to be done to them so that they may be one with the earth. Next we have Buddhism within this religion the view on the afterlife is that one is reincarnated to a different body. I...
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...From the beginning of time, men have had continuous arguments over religion. Religion has been the greatest source of disagreement between cultures. Even the foundation of America was built on religious freedom, as Puritans from Great Britain came to the United States to practice their religion freely. The biggest religious disagreement, however, has been between the Catholics and the Jews. Years ago, a man was crucified for saying he was God’s Son. His name was Jesus Christ. Those who followed his teachings were names Christians; and Christians soon resented Jews for their sinful act. This tension between Christians and Jews lead to increasing hate towards one another. Not too long ago, anti-Semitism was common. Anti-Semitism led to the death of an entire population during the holocaust. Luckily, the church took measures to rectify this anti-Semitism with the publication of Nostra Aetate. In 1965, the Vatican II Council completely transformed the church’s policies and theology with this document. Nostra Aetate signifies “In Our Time” and it is from the first line of the declaration as is customary with Roman Catholic documents. Indeed, in our time, the ill sentiments towards Jews have changed tremendously. Nostra Aetate is a unifying document that has not only led to peaceful coexistence of the Catholic and Judaic faith but also understanding of many other faiths. Ultimately, it has enabled the education of Catholicism in universities, as well as in organizations. The Nostra...
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...Capstone Week 9 In what ways has learning about world religions influenced the way you think about religion? As I have studied the different religions and the beliefs of those religions. I have come to understand other religions and their dogma in a way; I was never able to before. I was forced to look at other religion, without letting my own beliefs hamper me. I let myself be curious about the why, when, where other religions developed. This class has taught me the beginnings of the major religions of the world and changed my thought process about my own religion. I also learned how the religion started, evolved, and where its believers are in the world today. It opened my eyes to the fact that many religions care for the poor, young and the old. I have learned not to close my mind when something is not of my own religion. Why is it important to learn about other peoples' beliefs and attitudes? It is very important for me to learn other’s beliefs and religions. This helps you to understand why you see a woman wearing a heading covering or a man a yamakl. This teaches you not to make snap judgments about other religions when a few people do bad things in the name of that religion. When you have an understanding of other religion’s it is easier to see the person not the religion. This has helped me to understand that not all Muslims hate American’s or that Hindu women are odd because of the dot on their forehead. When we understand another belief this may lead to peace. ...
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...Religion and Philosophy Assignment I believe that society should tolerate all kinds of religious groups. Religious tolerance is a growing social movement in America. It seems that tolerance of various religious groups is a necessity if we are all going to get along. We need to be tolerant of those who have different religious beliefs. We should not hate and persecute someone because of his or her faith. Another example to me, is the concept of the "melting pot," in the United States which referred to the fact that many different nationalities and ethnic groups supposedly "melted together" to become Americans. I experience this concept almost every day. For me it occurs more frequently at work. My co-workers are Haitians, Semolians, Philippians, etc. Personally, I seem to adapt well with differences. I am three unique ethnicities, African American, German, and Japanese, so being able to understand other people’s lifestyles is very natural to me since I have the experience of my own. In my opinion, differences between religions are more important. The United States is very uniform when it is compared to other countries. We try to speak the same language, have similarity in the school system, and the government is the same for everyone in the United States. Why have the same religion? By having varying religious groups, it honors each group of religion as valuable and unique. It also shows appreciation by being distinct and valuable. I feel people of various...
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...Hinduism Hinduism is the dominant faith of India. It is practiced by more than half of the population. Hinduism is not easily defined. It can be described as a way of live based on the teachings of sages and scriptures like the Upanishads and Verdas. Hinduism is known to the practitioners as Sanatana Dharma, which means everlasting or eternal religion, rule or truth. Over the last three thousand years the most orthodox divisions of Hinduism has changed. The caste system is the oldest practice of Hinduism. An understanding to the caste system must be conceived before the Hindu religious beliefs. In the caste system there are five basic social classes. Each class has its own obligation for living and its own set of rules. The Brahman which consist of the priest is the elite caste. The Brahman acts as a counselor. The Kshatriyas caste which consist of the warriors and rulers. The Kshatriyas are protectors of the society. The Vaisyas caste which consist of the farmers and merchants. The Vaisyas own land and are money lenders. The Shudras caste which consist of the laborers. The Shudras does manual laborer. The Dalit caste which consist of the untouchables. The Dalit does the dirty jobs that no one wants to do. The perform job like cleaning toilets and sweeping. It is decided when born what caste system you will belong to and will not be determined by the individual. All Hindus believe in Brahman, the caste system, karma, reincarnation, nirvana. Brahman...
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... Judith Posey, Student Professor Yancey, Instructor REL 212 – WORLD RELIGIONS July 23, 2012 In order for people to make sense of their life and to find the purpose for their being, they try to find something that they can use in an effort to put order in their lives. Religion is what most people use to help deal with the day to day events which take place in their lives, whether good or bad. Religion also helps them to rely on something other than themselves to help understand the reasoning behind the events that transpire in their lives. Religion also helps them to identify with their place and purpose within the universe. In facing death and other catastrophic events, religion gives them a sense of comfort and support. Religion is inspirational and motivational when seeking life-long goals of achievement. Close to every aspect of life can become the raw material out of which a religious interpretation of life may be built. The various types of religion present us with a particular view of life, expressed in its teachings, scriptures, and traditions. In order to appreciate and accept the religion, one must become devoted to the discipline and strength needed to practice it. Life experiences may cause a person to choose religion. When things in life seem too overwhelming to handle on their own, the need to depend upon a higher power helps to put their life back in order. Religion helps people deal with personal problems such as physical illness, grief...
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