Emergence of Non-Sectarian Religious Studies Flashcards
Who are the pioneering figures in the field of non sectarian religious studies?
David Hume, Hobbes
Known for his work in the natural history of religion.
What is the title of Hume’s influential book published in 1757?
Natural History of Religion
This book forms the basis of modern religious studies.
What significant work did Thomas Hobbes write?
Leviathan
This work explores the psychogenesis of religion.
According to Hobbes, what psychological dispositions lead to the emergence of religion? Where do these come from?
Curiosity and the desire to know causes
These dispositions stem from anxiety and fear
What does Hobbes believe people are trying to understand through religion?
Invisible causes of happiness and unhappiness
This leads them to suppose that there are spirits.
How does Hobbes describe the state of man in nature?
Solitary, brutish, and short
This reflects his view of human nature without societal structure.
Who were the Cambridge Platonists?
More and Cudworth
They were part of a significant movement in England.
What concepts did the Cambridge Platonists introduce?
Theism, monotheism, polytheism
These concepts helped shape religious thought in England.
what did hobbes set out to achieve with the leviathan
psychogensis of religion
where did religious beleifs orignate (kant, 3)
- Early people attributed unknown events to supernatural causes.
- The idea of one supreme God arises from reasoning about a First Cause (First Mover) rather than from fear alone.
- The belief in spirits and gods developed from misunderstandings of dreams, reflections, and natural phenomena.
role of religion in society (kant)
- Those who invented and manipulated religion for political control.
- Those who claimed divine authority, like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, to establish true religion.
kant on pagan religions
Pagan religions assigned divine status to natural forces, emotions, and even objects (e.g., planets, animals, and virtues like Fortune or War).
kant on superstition and spirits
people evoke natural causes to the superstition and spirits
(lust to cupid, filling seas with nymphs, forests w faries etc.)
how did kant accuse regilous instituions of contorlling poeple
exploited people’s fears through rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies to control behavior.
what happens to faith with corrpt religious leaders (kant)
faith declines, israelites rejected the sons of Samuel because they took bribes
how did chritsians combine relgiion and political power (kant)
Governments declared sins as crimes to strengthen their laws.
Leaders encouraged rituals, sacrifices, and festivals to:
- Keep people believing that natural disasters or misfortunes were punishments from the gods.
- Prevent uprisings by making people blame ritual mistakes rather than the government.
Religion is often sustained not by belief, but by state support and tradition.
humes two key questions of religion
- Is it based on reason?
- What are its origins in human nature?
what was the first religion (hume)
polytheism (idol worship)
origin of polytheism (hume)
- People personified unknown natural forces (e.g., storms, famine, disease) as gods.
- Because human life is uncertain and unpredictable, people created gods to explain and control events.
- The variety of gods reflected the complexity and uncertainty of human experience.
what did hume think about early polytheistic gods being creators
- Early polytheistic gods were not thought to have created the world.
- Gods were seen as limited beings, responsible for specific events like war, fertility, or the harvest.
- Many ancient religions saw gods as part of nature, not above it.
hume thoughts on hero worship
- Mythologies mix symbolism and real historical figures, leading to the deification of past rulers or heroes.
- Examples:
1. Hercules & Theseus were real figures later worshipped as gods.
2. Natural forces like love, war, or wisdom were personified as gods (e.g., Venus, Mars, Minerva). - Art and statues strengthened religious belief, as people worshipped physical representations of gods.
polytheism to monotheism (hume)
- Over time, as gods became more powerful in myths, people combined their roles into one supreme deity.
- Rulers and priests promoted monotheism to unify religious worship.
- However, monotheistic beliefs were often still mixed with polytheistic traditions (e.g., saints in Christianity).
reason for religion (hume)
Religion evolves due to human emotions and social needs, not divine revelation.
montheism back to polytheism (hume)
Over time, religions become corrupted by superstition and return to polytheistic practices.
