1. World Religions REL 2300 Lake-Sumter State College
Foundations of Religion and Ch. 1 Religious Responses
Textbook: Living Religions

2. Now Begin to Delve into the Study of Religion
Placing these key Themes before us:
Faith
Universality
Truth
Time
View of the Cosmos (heavens and earth)
View of origins and purpose of human life
Where are we going? (destiny/spiritual goals)
Spiritual Merit

3. Beginning Inquiry Questions
What is religion?
What is faith?
What is the relationship
Of religion and culture?
Why are there so many different beliefs out there in the world or are they really that different?
How did religions arise and what were the factors that lead several of these to become “world religions?” And what are “living religions”?

4. Foundational Religion Questions (1)
What is the distinction between “religion” and “a religion” and “religions”?
 What are the basic characteristics of religion?
 What are the key concepts and terms in each of the religions?

5. Foundational Religion Questions (2)
How are religious beliefs and practices expressed?
 How do their beliefs inform their worldview?
 How do their beliefs, worldview, and practices shape their culture?
What common themes are found in religion?
 What concepts are unique in each religion?
What are the main goals of each religion and how does one achieve them?

6. The Universality of Religion
“…from the great metropolitan capitals to the least developed areas of the world, there are temples, pyramids, megaliths, & other monuments that societies have raised at tremendous expense as expressions of their religions. Even as we explore the backwaters of time in prehistoric civilizations, we find altars, cave paintings, & special burials that point to our religious nature. Indeed, no other phenomenon is so pervasive, so consistent from society to society, as is religion.” (Hopfe & Woodward p. 4)

7. Roles/ Practitioners in Religion
Shamans
Medicine Men (or women) Healers
Priests
Prophets
Mystics
Sages
Religious Teachers
Scribes
Religious Clerics: Rabbis, Pastors, Bishops, Cardinals, Popes, Imams, etc.

8. Religion Foundations: Classifications
Classification by theism:
Monotheistic
Polytheistic
Non-Theistic
Classification by Revelation:
Revealed
Non-revealed

9. Foundations: Religions by Geographic Origins (Overview of Course from Hopfe & Woodward Religions in the World textbook)
Basic Religions (every continent)
Religions originating in India
Religions originating in China & Japan
Religions originating in the Middle East including Persia

10. Religion Foundations: Types of Religions from cultural developmental perspective
Basic Religions: = indigenous sacred ways/traditions main characteristic: pre-literate peoples’ religions (see the characteristics for “Basic Religions” in the Ch. 2 PPT)
Developed Religions:
organized, institutional

12. Foundations: Geographic Origins and Ultimate Concern (see next slides)

13. Religions originating in India and their Ultimate Concern
Religions that originated in India: Hinduism
Jainism
Buddhism, and Sikhism
Ultimate concern: release from the ongoing, endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth

14. Religions originating in China & Japan and the Ultimate Source, Monism, and Inclusivism
Religions originated in China and Japan: Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto
They have a monistic understanding of Realty including the Ultimate Source w/ the former two non-theistic and a strong tendency to an immanent view for theistic Shinto
A strong tendency to hold to inclusive views of various religious expressions, thus practicing syncretism

15. Religions originating in the Middle East and the Ultimate Source, Goal, and Exclusivism
Religions originated in the Middle East: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha’i
Transcendent view of God who is Creator & Ultimate Source
Ultimate Goal is generally Heaven/ Paradise
Strong tendency to exclusive view of their religion

16. Religion: Attempts to Connect with the Greater Reality
Takes many forms:
Organized institutions: complexes with elements of leaders, beliefs, rituals, symbols, myths, scriptures, ethics, spiritual practices, cultural components, historical traditions, and management structures.
Simple labels such as “Buddhism” and “Christianity” are abstractions

17. Defining Religion (1) Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
Fisher textbook: prob. From Latin word meaning “to tie back,” “to tie again”
Hopfe & Woodward textbook: from Lat. Religio, the fear or awe one feels in the presence of a spirit or god
New College Latin and English Dictionary entry “Religion: religio f. deorum cultus
Prof. W. Oxtoby: scholars applied assumptions based on Christian model
Spirituality: a part of religion: inner dimensions of religion

18. Defining Religion (2)
Frederich Streng ( ) means to an ultmate transformation
Paul Tillich: of ultimate concern
William James: (Variety of Religious Experiences) a collective name-concept too large for one definition

19. Defining Religion (3)
Common Threads that holds the tapestry of Religion together: They all:
Deal with the greater and unseen reality
Have a sense of the sacred
Have beliefs
Have rituals with deeper meaning
Have spirituality
Have values
Have stories that tell their sacred story, history, and story of cosmos

20. Nature of Religion
It deals with the ineffable, the supernatural, God, or unseen forces throughout nature
It deals with the sacred
It exercises belief
Genuine religious experience expressing itself thru various rituals, rites, ceremonies
Prayer, meditation, chanting/singing are key practices
It has fashioned & passed down myths (stories)
Its distinct from the affairs of the state

21. Religion is multifaceted
Ninian Smart distinguished seven dimensions of religion (not in Living Religions textbook; in Anthology in a little different order):
1. Ritual
2. Narrative and mythic
3. Experiential and emotional
4. Social and institutional
5. Ethical and legal
6. Doctrinal and philosophical
7. Material

22. Why are there religions?
Religion has been the basic foundation to life in many cultures and times
Theorists/ Scholars three basic perspectives for the reason why religion exists: Materialist, Functional, and Belief

23. Materialist Perspective: Humans invented Religion
Philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach ( )-
Philosopher Karl Marx ( )

24. Functional Perspective: Religion is Useful
Sociologist Emile Durkheim ( )
John Bowker
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud ( )
Psychoanalyst Erich Fromm ( )
Frederick Streng ( )

25. Small Group Discussion
In the Functional Perspective, discuss with your neighbor whether you agree or disagree with Mata Amritanandamayi’s statement and why: “Faith in God gives one the mental strength needed to confront the problems of life. Faith in the existence of God makes one feel safe and protected from all the evil influences in the world” (p. 5)

26. Belief Perspective (1): Ultimate Reality Exists
S. Radhakrishnan ( ) philosopher and past president of India
Martin Luther ( )
William James ( )

27. Belief Perspective (2): Mysticism, the Unseen Reality
Mysticism illustration: George W. Russell ( )
the Unseen encounters, various names:
Enlightenment, realization, illumination, satori, awakening, self-knowledge, gnosis, ecstatic communion, “coming home”
Kabir, Indian reformer & mystic
Rudolf Otto ( ) “Wholly Other”
Joachim Wach ( )

28. Understandings of Sacred Reality and Comparative Religion Terms
Mircea Eliade ( )-“sacred” and “profane”
Immanent
Transcendent
Theistic
Polytheistic
Monistic
Nontheistic
Incarnations
Exclusivist religions
Universalism

29. The Gamut from Atheism to Agnosticism to Universalistic Theism
Richard Dawkins, Oxford Prof.
Agnosticism
Secularism
Maimonides ( )
All religions come from 1 Divine Source:
Bede Griffiths ( )

30. Ritual, Symbol, and Myth Ritual Prof. Antony Fernando of Sri Lanka
Akka Mahadevi 13th cent Hindu saint
Psychologist Carl Jung ( )
Allegories and symbols
Myths
Joseph Campbell ( )
4 primary functions of myths: 1) mystical 2) cosmological 3) sociological 4) psychological

31. Comparative Religion Terms: Absolutist and Liberal Interpretations
Orthodox
absolutists
Fundamentalism
Liberals
Conservatives

32. Encounter between Science and Religion
17th century
Charles Darwin ( )
David Bohm ( )
Metaphysics
Gaia Theory
Creationism
Intelligent Design

33. Women in Religions They are challenging:
1) patriarchal religious institutions
2) gender-exclusive language in holy texts, authoritarian masculine images of the divine

34. Negative aspects of Organized Religions (1)
1)  Institutionalization of religion
2)  Charismatic leaders can dominate and control their followers
3)  The potential for the exaggeration of guilt
4)  Escapism
5)  When church and state are one, the dominate national religion may be used to oppress those of other beliefs within their country
6) Dangerous politicized polarizations between religions on increase today

35. Negative aspects of Organized Religions (2)
Max Weber ( )-the “routinization of charisma”
Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Isma’ili Shia Muslims: real problem today is a “clash of ignorance.”

36. Lenses for Studying Religions
Historical
Sociological
Psychological
Anthropological
Theological
Political
Economic
Feminist perspectives
Phenomenological

37. Back to the Beginning Themes Relate to Elements/ Characteristics of Religion
List from Slide 2: Faith, Universality, Truth, Time, View of the Cosmos (heavens and earth), View of origins and purpose of human life, Where are we going? (destiny/spiritual goals), and Spiritual Merit
To this list, add: Piety (one factor of spiritual machinations, the engine the drives religion)
Relate to Smart’s Dimensions & Eliade’s Sacred and Profane
For the basic elements/characteristics of Religion, go the Ch. 2 Indigenous Sacred Ways PPT

38. Ch. 1 Terms/ Concepts (1) Religion Spirituality Comparative Religion
Sacred Profane Secularism
Ritual Symbol Myth Allegory
Theism/Theistic Monotheistic Polytheistic
Monistic Immanent Transcendent Incarnations
Atheism Agnosticism Gnosis
Scientific Materialism Metaphysics
Absolutist Exclusivism Fundamentalism
Dogma Orthodox Institutional religion
Liberal Hermeneutics Redaction
Creationism Intelligent Design
Enlightenment Illumination Awakening
Realization Satori “coming home”
Ecstatic communion Self-knowledge Mysticism
Phenomenology Charisma Universalism

39. Ch. 1 Terms: Theorists, Analysts, Philosophers, Scholars, & Religious Leaders (1)
Ninian Smart
Ludwig Feuerbach ( )
Karl Marx ( )
Emile Durkheim ( )
John Bowker
Sigmund Freud ( )
Erich Fromm ( )
Frederick Streng ( )
S. Radhakrishnan ( )
Martin Luther ( )

40. Ch. 1 Terms: Theorists, Analysts, Philosophers, Scholars, & Religious Leaders (2)
George W. Russell ( )
Rudolf Otto ( )
Joachim Wach ( )
Mircea Eliade ( )
Richard Dawkins
Maimonides ( )
Bede Griffiths ( )
Joseph Campbell ( )
David Bohm ( )
Max Weber ( )

41. Review Questions In what ways has the term “religion” been defined?
What are some of he different perspectives available for understanding religion?
Describe absolutist and liberal interpretations of religious traditions

42. Discussion Questions
What relationship does spirituality have to institutional religion?

43. For students reference; you will not be tested on this material
The following slides are material from the Overview chapter of Hopfe and Woodward
Religions of the World
For students reference; you will not be tested on this material

44. Theories of the Origin of Religions: Overview (1)
Animistic Theories:
·        Edward Burnett Tylor ( )
·        Bishop R.H. Codrington ( )
 The Nature-Worship Theory
·        Max Muller ( )
·        Muller’s mythology basis
 The Theory of Original Monotheism
·        Wilhelm Schmidt ( )
·        Schmidt’s theory High God and lesser deities

45. Theories of the Origin of Religions: Overview (2)
The Magic Theory
·        Sir James George Frazier ( )
Theories of Religion as Projections of Human Needs
Ludwig Feuerbach ( )
Karl Marx ( )
Sigmund Freud ( )

46. Animistic Theories
Tylor maintained that “primitive” people developed a sense of other and soul from experience w/ death and dreams.
(Lat. Anima lit. means “soul,” spirit)
found not only in people but in all of nature: in stones, trees, rivers, mountains… The entire world including air seen as being alive with spirits of all kinds.
Codrington: mana: supernatural power that belonged to the region of the unseen.

47. The Nature-Worship Theory
M. Muller-personification of the forces in nature: sky, sun, moon, etc.), and tales that eventually became mythology; the key to the origin of all religions.

48. The Theory of Original Monotheism
Wilhelm Schmidt--originally, “primitive” societies were monotheistic, but because the worship of one god was difficult, religion corrupted into polytheism.

49. The Magic Theory
G. Frazier defined a linear development of the human mind: first phase: Magic, peoples attempted to control the world through magic. When humanity realized that nature could not be coerced through magic, it turned to the second phase: religion.

50. Theories of Religion as Projections of Human Needs (1)
L. Feuerbach--religions were essentially projections of the wishes and needs of humanity
Karl Marx socialized Feuerbach’s theory: saw the origin & development of religion in terms of view of history as economic and social struggle between classes
Sigmund Freud: religion is a result of the projection of human needs out on the comic canvas; the Oedipus Myth/ Syndrome

51. Religion and Violence
Hopfe and Woodward Textbook has plenty of discuss of religion and violence
It states 3 basic varieties of “religious violence”
It explains why religious violence is particularly pernicious