Midterm 1 Flashcards
Religion
the service and worship of God or the supernatural, commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance, a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices, a form of societal control
Religionswissenschaften
Scientific study of religion
three identifying themes:
source of authority, temporal orientation, inner/outer focus
homo religious
religion is specific to humans
archetypes:
myth, ritual, symbols, sacred art, scripture
myth
traditional story about event of origin, explains worldview, practices, belief or natural phenomenon
ritual
repetitive act to remember key event, tradition to worship, placate or seek favor/forgiveness
Symbols
representational by sign to represent major theme
sacred art
art of music to worship, convey hidden glories, make intelligible that which are not
scripture
sacred text, ancient beliefs and teachings, passed down from antiquity and revealed by transcendence
cosmology
religious worldview
cognition
act or process of knowing
axis mundi
center of world where sky connects to earth
transcendence
exceeding limits of human understanding, enlightenment
spirituality
deepest values and meanings by which people live
human poetica
man the meaning maker, seek meaning in life and significant of actions
developmental stages:
primitive, archaic, historical, early modern, modern
primitive
worldview, cosmological monism i.e. aboriginals pre BCE no clear separation between sacred and profane acted out myths to become mythical being
archaic
worldview, cosmological monism
i.e. greek mythology
distinction between humans as subjects and gods as objects
new degree of freedom with increased burden of anxiety
historical
worldview, cosmological dualism
i.e. eastern religions, abrahamic religions
dualism, difference between this world and life after death through participation in salvation in this world
transcendence is sought as means to salvation
early modern
worldview, collapse of hierarchical structure, salvation can be available to any seeker
i.e. protestant reformation
development of religious leadership class
allows for conflict with political elite
modern
worldview, collapse of dualism
i.e. ethnic culturalism, humanism
anthropodicy, humankind is responsible for own fate
patterns of membership are flexible
theocracy
country, state or religious community governed by religious law
law can be interpreted differently
divinity of law leads to unquestioning devotion and rejection of change needed to evolve with society
douglas model
different conflicts regarding change in religion, reform or status quo, different interpretations and perspectives
can cause fragmenting or establishment of new religious system
evolution of social cultural and religious systems
dominant hierarchy, masses, individual
hierachy puts pressure on masses who relieve pressure by individual interpretation
cartwheel analogy
center, cosmology
spokes, cultural systems, practices, traditions that community wants to replace or modernize
rim, community
wheel suffers wear and tear and spokes will be replaced
theistic
divine person or people monotheistic or polytheistic
personal interaction between human and divine
abrahamic, hindu, sikhism, tribal
nontheistic
buddhism, confucianism, jainis, secular or humanism
sacred is impersonal form, power, process, liberating truth or way of being
ethnic/tribal
link people through ancestry, kinship and culture
tribal, judaism, shinto, toaism, druze, jainism
universal
seek to convert from other religions, spans ethnic boundaries
founder as guide to salvation, jesus
typologies:
abrahamic, indian, SE asia, tribal
abrahamic
theist, universal judaism, christianity, islam monotheism difference between god and human but still interaciton holy scriptures heaven/hell
indian
theist, non theist, ethnic/tribal
hindu, buddhist, jain sik
samsara, unending process of birth death, reincarnation
SE asia
nontheistic, tribal, shaman
tao, confu, shinto
relationship between world and tao
• Taoism, spirits, harmony, balance, ancestor worship
• Confucianism, social relationships, virtues and proper conduct
• Shinto, Japanese cosmology
tribal/indigenous
theist, nontheistic, shaman
africa, first nations, aboriginals
ancestor worship, shamans, spirits, animism, respect for nature
theoretical
thinking, speaking, how the universe is set up
spiritual aspect
origin, destiny of humans and world
mediation between ultimate and human
practical
doing
worship, practices, behavior
social
major institutions
structure to preserve and implement teachings and practices
leadership
how it interacts with larger society
