Exam #1 Flashcards
TRUE/FALSE: Religions differ because all religions emerge independently out of specific cultures, geographies, and historical periods and represent different though-worlds.
True
TRUE/FALSE: According to Myhre, the fruitful study of religion involves learning all the answers.
False
TRUE/FALSE: According to Myhre, arriving at a single universe definition that applies to all religions is less important than increasing our understanding of the diverse human practices that are lumped under the category of religion.
True
TRUE/FALSE: According to Armstrong the first person to formulate the Golden Rule, as far as we know, was the Chinese sage, Confucius.
True
TRUE/FALSE: As Armstrong describes it, the emergence of sentient beings inclined to protect, nurture, and nourish a creature other than themselves was one result of the evolution of larger and more complex brain systems.
True
- What are the four “FS” that Armstrong frequently refers to as the basic instincts present in
all animal life forms including humans? (Hint: feel free to substitute “reproduction” for Armstrong’s fourth “F”)
- Feeding
- Fighting
- Fleeing
- Reproducing
What are the four “immeasurable minds of love” that the Buddha offered for meditation as a means of breaking free of self-centeredness and selfishness?
- friendship
- compassion
- joy
- even-mindedness
In a world that even today seems ruthlessly self-destructive, what is the one thing that all great sages, prophets, and mystics of the past insisted was in the capacity of every person to bring about change for the better?
every person has the ability to reform herself or himself and become an icon of kindness and selfless empathy.
How does the “academic” study of religion differ from the “devotional” study of religion?
The academic study of religion relates to the study of how beliefs and practices in different religions illustrate religion as a universal phenomenon, whereas the devotional study of religion relates to acquiring the beliefs and taking on the practices of a particular religion.
The chief focus is the network of relationships that can transform an individual into a member of a group and that can then serve as a basis for that individual’s identity. Demonstrates a willingness to understand a tradition from the believer in that tradition’s perspective. Considers the lived realities of the individuals who practice religion as vital for understanding a religion’s functions.
E. sociological approach to the study of religion
Extends intellectual space for a variety of discourses on African American women and draws scholars who intentionally challenge “the Christological centrality” that sometimes minimized African American religiosity. Brings African American women into the center of the intellectual enterprise as both subjects and actors, and examines what their religious “authorities” say about and to them.
G. womanist approach to the study of religion
Attempts to distinguish between the essence of religion and its diverse forms. Claims that the essence of religion is the experience of the sacred or holy – an experience that is unlike any other. Assumes the existence of a “general” pattern in religion, with definable elements, and seeks to analyze features such as prayer, giving and revelation.
C. Phenomenological approach to the study of religion
Sees religion as a treasure cove of material for the study of human emotions and behaviors. Deals with conflicts between belief and unbelief as it explores religious consciousness. Attempts to separate the “sacred” from the “profane”, to better understand reality beyond appearances.
D. Psychological approach to the study of religion
Assumes that religious rituals and institutions are observable. Promotes an examination of a religious body by exploring its beliefs institutions, and the behavior of followers, and allowing these findings to guide interpretations. Most concerned with how cultures create and transform religious symbols, myths, and the religious imaginations of particular groups.
A. anthropological approach to the study of religion
Interprets the role of women in religious traditions, as well as their encounters with God, or other forces considered sacred. Draws attention to what has been lost to humanity through the subjection of women and what new humanity might emerge through the affirmation of the full personhood of women.
F. feminist approach to the study of religion
Believes that humans interact with their environment in intentional ways and therefore believes that religion can best be understood by analyzing the natural factors and environment that shape faith. Central is how people adapt their religious practices to their environments.
B. ecological approach to the study of religion
TRUE/FALSE: According to Armstrong, if we are truly going to live and practice the great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” we must first develop a healthy love and appreciation of ourselves.
True
TRUE/FALSE: According to Armstrong, we often attack other people precisely for those qualities that we most dislike in ourselves.
True
TRUE/FALSE: According to our textbook religious explanations give rise to practices and beliefs that satisfy our human need for meaning and belonging
True
TRUE/FALSE: The practices of a particular religion are often strongly influenced by its cultural location.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Religion is such a universal concept that virtually every language has a word that can mean religion.
False
TRUE/FALSE: Rudolf Otto’s emphasis on the distinction between the divine and the material, the sacred and the profane applies equally well in all religions.
False
TRUE/FALSE: In Mahatma Gandhi’s understanding religion has to do much more with how we act than how we believe.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Since something called religion can be found in all cultures and societies everywhere, all people in these cultures and societies are necessarily religious.
False
TRUE/FALSE: The Navajo sweat-lodge ceremony and the Christian ceremony of Baptism are similar in that both symbolically re-create the experiences of the first moment of creation, the movement from chaos and meaninglessness to order, purpose, and the beginnings of life.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In contrast to the pejorative understanding of myth, in religion myth is a story or narrative that points to a larger truth, thereby helping us to understand everyday life.
True
TRUE/FALSE: The biblical account of creation in Genesis 1 resembles the Babylonian account of Creation, Enuma Elish, in that in both accounts creation is the result of a cosmic battle between divine beings.
False
TRUE/FALSE: Hymn 129 from the Hindu Rig Veda suggests the divine character of humans who can raise questions and ponder answers about existence without arriving at certain and sure answers.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In the Sandy Lake Cree account of creation humans are far from the crown of creation, but rather depend on animals and the rest of creation in order to merely survive.
True
TRUE/FALSE: The myth in Genesis 2 explains that the woman is called “wife” [Hebrew issha] because she was created from the same human [Hebrew adam] as was her husband [Hebrew ish]
True
Creation begins with chaotic, formless void
Genesis 1
Creation begins with an earth in which there are no plants
Genesis 2
Creation begins when the LORD shapes a human out of the moist clay, then the LORD plants a garden, then shapes birds and animals, and finally divides the original human into a husband and a wife
Genesis 2
God creates a lot of humans, male and female, on the sixth day after having created plants, fish, birds and animal.
Genesis 1
God creates humans, male and female in God’s own image and likeness and gives puts humans in charge of all of God’s creation
Genesis 1
The LORD breathes into the human’s nostrils the LORD’s own breath so that the human becomes a living being.
Genesis 2
The LORD creates the human for the purpose of tilling and caring for the Lord’s own garden.
Genesis 2
Recognizes truth within many religious traditions. What is important is to bring one’s commitments into conversations with the commitments of others to further everyone’s fuller understanding of religious truth.
Pluralism
Suggests that while the complete and definitive truth is exclusively found in only one religious tradition, the truths found in other religious traditions are in some way to be found within that one true religious tradition.
Inclusivism
Suggests that there are many viable truth claims to be found within religious traditions, but no single religious tradition has an exclusive claim to what is true.
Relativism
Suggests that a single religious tradition has an exclusive claim to what constitutes religious truth, and that truth is not to be found in other religious traditions.
Exclusivism
TRUE/FALSE: While the exact understanding of the Bible as inspired differs among different Christian denominations, all Christians agree when it comes to what books make up the Bible.
False
TRUE/FALSE: The Jewish Bible [The Tanakh] and the Christian Old Testament is unified not by having a single writer or even a shared theological viewpoint, but by a shared subject: God’s relationship with Israel and with creation.
True
TRUE/FALSE: The unity of the Christian New Testament comes not by a common author but by its witness to Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah [Christ] of God.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Islam only the Arabic text of the Qur’an is inspired, being literally the words of God given completely and perfectly to the Prophet Muhammad.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Hinduism there is no recognized human author for its most sacred texts. The Sruti, divine utterances that emanated from the cosmos were heard by the worthy who recorded them for the faithful.
True
TRUE/FALSE: For Buddhists, the Pali Canon [the Tripitaka] consists of words spoken by Siddhartha Gautama, that were immediately recorded by disciples.
False
TRUE/FALSE: In broad terms, the sacred texts of all religions began as oral traditions that underwent additions and alterations over time, and gradually began to be committed to writings, that in turn were subject to editing and alteration until ultimately a version is accepted and presented as the “authorized” text for a religious tradition.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Rabbinic Judaism, the presentation of many different points of view in the form of a debate is one legitimate form for interpretation of its sacred scriptures.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In the modern era a Christian focus on literal interpretation does not mean interpreting what the text says in a rigidly historicist matter but rather an understanding of the text as the text wants to be understood.
True
TRUE/FALSE: An aesthetic approach to the study of religion challenges students to turn from the exploration of texts and doctrines to the sensory dimensions of religion: what religious people taste, smell, and see in their sacred settings.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Since all religions are founded on a relation between embodies beings and the world around them, without the human senses there would be no religion.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Since religion deals in the realm of the spiritual and the supernatural material-sensual activities only serve to distract believers from what is the essence of religion.
False
TRUE/FALSE: For observant Jews, every moment of life is to be lived in awareness of God’s goodness. Rituals allow for every act to be interpreted in light of God’s desire for human flourishing and God’s commands for the human community.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Roman Catholicism through its sacramental system every transition in life between birth and death is ritually marked and verbally interpreted in symbols that unite the individual with the larger community of faith.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Islam, it’s five pillars highlight Islam’s answers to the most basic questions about what it means to be human and to be submissive to God.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Rituals are natural acts that happen automatically the way breathing, eating, and seeking sexual intimacy do.
False
TRUE/FALSE: Nearly every religion has rituals surrounding common meals and marriage, linked with natural, universal features of human life.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Rituals can often be identified because the same acts and the same words are repeated in precisely the same way each time.
True
TRUE/FALSE: Because rituals function so powerfully to transmit and reinforce traditional social structures, they are very effective in preserving these social structures and preventing any transformations or changes in these structures.
False
TRUE/FALSE: While there is a clear gap between the experience of an outsider observing and describing a religious ritual and that of an individual participating in the same ritual evidence suggests that an outside observer can begin to share in a participant’s experience.
True
TRUE/FALSE: In contrast to the assertions of some advocates of “rational religion” the rituals and prayers of believers express, shape and reveal the faith and beliefs of the participants.
True
TRUE/FALSE: The words uttered in rituals, together with the actions are formative. The words function to bring about an experienced new existence for the participants, as in the words said at a baptism, or at a wedding.
True
We make decisions by judging which course of action will most likely produce the greatest amount of sublime happiness. [Myhre p. 83]
Ethics of the good
We make ethical decisions based upon our judgment of “What is the right standard?” or “What has been commanded?”. [Myhre p. 83]
Ethics based on duties or obligations
We make decisions given the choices available to us according to “What is the most fitting action in this particular circumstance?” [Myhre p. 83]
Relational or situational ethics
We make decisions that are rooted in the history of our specific traditions, with our individual basic experiences of social life, and our sense of values, rules, and notions of good that come from the shared heritage of our people. [Myhre p. 84]
Contextual ethics
An ethic that is difficult in application because we must still determine which rules are relevant, which authorities do we follow, what ends are worthy, and what are the desirable consequences. [Myhre p. 84]
Relational or situational ethics
Ethics that does not consider the consequences of choices. [Myhre p. 83]
Ethics based on duties or obligations
Ethics that can degenerate into a calculated rationality that runs roughshod over the rights of minorities. [Myhre p. 83]
Ethics of the good
The basis for the rise of liberation ethics, feminist ethics, and womanist ethics over the last forty years. [Myhre p. 84-85]
Contextual ethics
TRUE/FALSE: Within any religious ethical system there will be complexity and a variety of ethical stances. [Myhre p. 86].
True
TRUE/FALSE: For Muslims, Allah’s intensions for humanity as revealed in the Qur’an are mediated in the hadith, teachings and accounts that reportedly convey what Muhammad said and did. [Myhre p. 87].
True
TRUE/FALSE: The practices associated with the required pilgrimage to Mecca draw attention to the racial, cultural, and economic differences of those who practice Islam. [Myhre p. 88.]
False
TRUE/FALSE: The five pillars of Islam predispose Muslims to justice and fairness in financial dealings, to compassion toward all human beings, including one’s enemies, and to giving due regard to nature—plants, animals, and the ecosystem. [Myhre p. 88].
True
TRUE/FALSE: Violent acts of martyrdom, such as those that led to 9/11 are encouraged by the Qur’an and the hadith. [Myhre p. 88].
False
TRUE/FALSE: In Islam, the primary significance of the concept of jihad is militant actions to convert nonbelievers. [Myhre p. 88].
False
TRUE/FALSE: Christian ethics can be described as walking in Jesus’s footsteps but not imitating Jesus’ sacrificial way of living. [Myhre p. 88].
False
TRUE/FALSE: As in Islam, Christians are expected to extend their unconditional love beyond family and kin to the larger community including one’s enemies. [Myhre p. 89].
True
TRUE/FALSE: For Christians it is important to appear to be outwardly righteous, even when one harbors enmity jealousy and lustful thoughts. [Myhre p. 89].
False
TRUE/FALSE: Jesus’ closest disciples found it easy to keep the straight and narrow path of discipline that Jesus proclaimed. [Myhre p. 89].
False
TRUE/FALSE: False In Hinduism one’s present circumstances have been predetermined by one’s past deeds with respect to the duties required by dharma. [Myhre p. 90].
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Hinduism norms and values that determine what is right and wrong remain the same for everyone and at all times. [Myhre p. 90-91].
False
TRUE/FALSE: In Islam, those who are unable to work, or whose work cannot provide them with their basic needs have no right to share in the wealth of the community. [Myhre p. 92].
False
TRUE/FALSE: Many Christian societies today harbor the world’s wealthiest individuals while simultaneously tolerating increasing levels of homelessness and the growth of a permanent underclass. [Myhre p. 93].
True
TRUE/FALSE: In Hinduism, large gaps in wealth between rich and poor are not the result of social injustice but the inevitable outcomes of karma. [Myhre p. 93].
True
