Religious Impulse - Chapter 1 Flashcards
Define atheist
A person who believes no god exists
Define pagan
Historically a term used by Christians to describe non-Christians
Define spiritual
Concerned with sacred or religious things and related to the human spirit or soul
Define religious pluralism
A positive attitude toward the existence of many faiths in one society
Define multi-faith
Many faiths
Define secular
Concerned with the material world, not religion
Define Theology
The study of religion
Define religious
Devoted to religion
Define credo
A set of beliefs
Define soul
The spiritual part of a human being or an animal
Define evolutionary
A person who believes that evolution explains the origin of the species
Define ritual
A prescribed religious procedure
Define agnostic
A person who doubts the existence of a god
Define symbol
A mark, character, or object that serves to represent an idea, process or function
Define religious impulse
The universal urge to believe in something beyond ourselves
Define sacred
Connected with religion
Define ethics
Rules for human conduct
Define humanist
A person who views humankind as the source of all meaning
Why do we study religion? (4)
- to understand the present world
- the more you understand your own religion, the more you gain in practicing it
- a better understanding of others assist you in being more open and accepting of others
- learn from other great sources of wisdom
How many people in the US claim to be Christian?
85%
What are the 3 fastest growing religions in the past 10 years?
Pentecostal, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness
What Latin word does religion come from?
Religio, meaning to bind
Define religion
A community or person bound itself to something worthy of respect
Name three common element within all religions (1: 4)
Sacred stories (most have stories saying how the world was created, how humans were created and why; called myths; intended to convey sacred truth; becomes part of sacred history)
Sacred scriptures
Community
Define polytheistic
Many deities with distinct identities and roles (Hinduism, Greek)
Define monotheistic
One God derived from patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses (Christianity, Judaism, Islam)
Define no god
Buddha taught state of enlightenment (nirvana) achieved through human means like enlightenment, not by any supreme deity(s)
What is the Apostles Creed an example of?
A formal set of beliefs that spectate one religion from another
What are the sacred times for each religion?
Muslims=Friday
Jews=Saturday
Christians=Sunday
