SOR 2 Flashcards
DEFINE THE SUPERNATURAL DIMENSION
Belief in powers/god apart from the natural physical world relating to deities or miracles.
Discuss a transcendent religious worldview which has a belief in a divine power and/or powers beyond the human.
Focused on a divine that is beyond the existence of the universe.
Islam: Allah sends angels to convey messages to the prophets meaning that god is outside of the universe overlooking it.
Discuss an immanent religious worldview which has a belief in a divine being or powers within the individual
Belief in supernatural powers that exist within the world, humans or nature.
Shinto: Kami are not gods but they are spirits that are concerned with human beings. Everything is experienced within this world.
Characteristics of religion
Beliefs and believers:
To be a religion there has to be a set belief and a group of people that believe them. These beliefs will have a clear understanding of the supernatural being, God or Gods and how they are known.
Jews believe in an omnipotent god.
Sacred Texts and writing:
Religions have sacred texts that are the basis of their religion and explain the beliefs. Explains the key central paradigm of a religion.
Gives guidance to everyday life.
Ethics:
A religions ethics is the system of standard that are used to make moral decisions to decide what is right and wrong. Believers ethics inform the scared texts.
Rituals and ceremonies:
Rituals and ceremonies bring to life the beliefs of a religion. Allows believers to express and reaffirm their belief systems.
Christianity:
Marriage -> union
Baptism -> Rebirth
Explore the ways in which these characteristics interact to create a dynamic, living religion.
The interaction of all four characteristics of a religion is what makes a religion dynamic and living. A religion must still hold the central values of that religion whilst still being dynamic. Adapts to culture and the period in which it is practiced.
A Living and dynamic religion is one that changes when the ethical principles are applied to modern issues, such as IVF and the religion constantly refers to the sacred text for guidance.
Life giving:
Provides hope and comfort to adherents answering the fundamental questions of human existence.
Contribution of religion to individuals.
Individuals:
- Spiritual guidance
- Community
- Hope
- Gives individuals reassurance
- Provides answers to life questions.
Provides a system of ethics to guide a person. Teaches how to address current and challenging ethical issues. Provides ways of celebrating life events and times.
Explains:
- creation
- Human nature
Cost:
- Feeling obliged to do something because of religion.
- Loss of freedom of dress.
Dedicating time to religion.
Contribution of religion to society
Gives society:
- Moral, ethics ( shapes our laws). Societies laws are based on the ethical systems of religious text.
- Structure
- Diversity in culture
- Provides framework for peace
- Social welfare. - Religious charities provide aid locally.
Helps to determine the roles and responsibilities of people within society.
Outline the nature of dreaming
The dreaming underpins all aspects of aboriginal lives.
Origins of the universe -
There Is no single creator. The universe has always existed yet it has been shaped and changed by ancestral beings as they have shaped the valleys, mountains and water ways.
Scared sites-
The dreaming is inextricably connected to the land. Sacred sites are associated with dreaming stories. All land is important. The sacred sites are connected to events in the dreaming and are where the ancestor spirits reside.
Stories of the dreaming -
The dreaming connects aboriginal people to the spirit world (metatemporal) and informs their understanding of the material world. Dreaming stories reveal the origins of the land and underpin all paths of knowledge and understanding.
Dreaming stories communicate the connection of Aboriginal people to surrounding tribes and informs them of the rights, relationships and responsibilities.
e.g The dreaming story of the Ngiyaampaa people reveals that the indentations in the land were formed by Wieowie the water serpent as he travelled through the land carrying water from the mountain.
DREAMING STORIES COMMUNICATE THE DREAMING.
Symbolism and art -
Humans live in the physical world but through their specific totems they are connected to the dreaming.
Totems are objects, animals, plants or landmarks that are from the material world which allow an individual to become connected to the metatemporal world.
e.g. Gadigal people –> Goanna.
Totems link a person with the ancestral being responsible for his or her existence.
Secret sacred. Layered nature of aboriginal symbolism. Aboriginal symbolism tells stories that have many layers of meaning.
Discuss the diversity of the dreaming for aboriginal peoples.
There are 250 Aboriginal nations with over 900 dialects. Each groups’ spiritual beliefs are heavily influenced by their own languages and landmarks.
The dreaming is inextricably connected to the land and totems are specific to that location.
Diversity in the way that the dreaming is expressed from nation to nation.
Language is esoteric –> shapes one’s reality and ideas.
Recognise the importance of the dreaming for the life of.Aboriginal peoples.
-Moral law
The ancestral beings provide a sense of guidance through life by creating roles and responsibilities for the inhabitants of the land and helping those to protect the treasure of the nation.
- Land rights
The traditional western view of land is that it can be possessed. The alternate perspective is that land is part of one’s identity and can never be possessed.
- Relationships
The dreaming creates a community for the indigenous Australians. Allows those in the same tribes to form relationships die to shared totems and shared dreaming stories.
- spiritual health.
Exercising spiritual health helps to provide a sense of elf meaning and purpose to the individual. Spirituality helps individuals to be resilient, reduce stress and promotes a sense of peace and connection to something larger than oneself.
Investigate the inextricable connection of the dreaming, the land and identity.
Without the land there is no dreaming. The dreaming informs all aspects of one’s identity, so without the dreaming identity is lost.
It is through the land that one is connected to the dreaming.
–> Land is the canvas for the dreaming
–> The dreaming shapes ones identity.
–> Rituals and practices are central to the lives and identity of the Indigenous peoples. The dreaming informs these practices.
–> Informs all knowledge and understanding, this knowledge will then affect one’s identity.
Outline the life of Abraham
Genesis 12: 2 –> Land
“ Go from your country .. to the land and i will show you,”
Genesis 15:5 –> Offspring
“ Look up at the sky and count the stars - if indeed you can count them… so shall your offspring be.”
Genesis 17:19 “ Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.”
- The canaanites were in the land that God promised to Abram in the covenant. Abram was 75 years old. After waiting for 24 years God decided to fulfil his promises and Abrams name was changed to Abraham. Sarah Gave birth to Isaac when Abraham was 100.
God responds to Abraham’s lack of faith in having offspring by reaffirming the idea of the covenant.
Marries Sarah
Promises - Land, offspring blessing
Isaac is born
Abraham dies.
Describe the convenant with the patriarchs including the promises of people and a land.
The covenant with the patriarchs refers to the promises God makes to Abraham and his sons. A covenant refers to an unconditional promise which God fulfills.
Genesis 12: 1 –> Land
“Go from your country… to the land and i will show you.”
I will make you into a great nation and i will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.”
Exodus 20:3
“ You shall have no other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:13
“ you shall not murder”
Exodus 20:15
“ you shall not steal”
Moses 613 Mitzvot
MOSES
God intervenes into the lives of the people that he chooses. He takes pity on the people under the rule of the pharaoh.
There were a large number of israelites, so the new pharaoh decided to kill every first born son in each family. One women, puts her son in the river nile, the phaarohs daughter finds the kid and he becomes adopted by her and is named moses.
He was an Israelite who was born in Egypt.
Moses grew up in the palace of the Pharaoh, the man who was enslaving the Israelites.
After killing an Egyptian for hurting an Israelite, Mose ran away.
God granted Moses and his brother Erin to speak on his behalf.
Moses went back to the pharaoh and said this is what the lord, god of Israel said, “let my people go”.
Pharaoh made the Israelites work harder because of this. God reassured the two man that his word would be fulfilled.
The lord said go to the river bank to meet with pharaoh. Pharaoh refused to let gods people go, so god sent 10 plagues. The first nine pharaoh had no reaction and did not let gods people go.
One morning the pharaoh woke up to find his first born son dead. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Erin and told them to be gone with the Israelites.
The Israelites left Egypt and went to the promised land of Canaan.
The Egyptians (pharaohs workers) followed them in attempt to get their slaves back to Egypt. With the help of God, Moses parted the Red Sea and then closed the sea on the Egyptians and pharaoh allowing the Israelites to continue on their path to Canaan.
Outline the story of exodus and the giving of the law at Sinai
Exodus 19:3
“ Then Moses went up to god, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said,”This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel.”
Exodus 19:6
“ You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Exodus 20:3, 13, 15
No other gods, murder, steal.
the tenth plague killed th Pharaohs son.
Moses parted the Red Sea in pursuit of the promised land.
The Israelites arrived at Mt Sinai, 3 months after leaving Egypt.
Moses knew god wanted to meet with him and so he went up the mountain.
God said to Moses, “Make an announcement to the people of Israel saying that if they obey me and keep my covenant they will be my special people among all the nations….. You will be a holy nation to me. - Exodus 19
God revealed himself ( through voice and the teach) To the sinful people and spoke the Ten Commandments.
God gave the commandments to the Israelites because he was showing them how to live under his blessing and so that other nations could see what it was like to live under his blessing.
10 plagues
red sea
Burning Bush
Moses raised by Pharaohs daughter.
Belief in a single god who is the creator and the ruler of the universe
God is one ( single god)
Deuteronomy 6:4
“ Hear, O Israel: The lord our god, the lord is one.”
God as the creator: Genesis 1:1
“ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
God as the ruler of the universe:
Deuteronomy 32:39
“ I put to death and I bring to life.”
Omniscient: The state of all knowing, god knows everything.
Omnipresent: Present everywhere
Omnipotent: Powerful and having unlimited power.
Outline the unique features of conservative, orthodox and progressive judaism.
Orthodox:
The most traditional denomination of Judaism. Believes in the torah ( both written and oral) as revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Moses wrote down the torah.
Strict observance of the jewish law (halakha), interpreted in a traditional way, guides religious practices beliefs and daily life.
This term is used to describe jewish traditionalists who accept the authority of the code of the jewish law but they reject the modernist adjustments of the progressive movements.
Most Australian jews are part of the orthodox jewish community.
Conservative:
Conservative judaism accepts the authority of the Halacha but reserves there right to re-interpret this law in keeping with modern needs rather than bowing to divine revelation.
–> looking at what the word of god actually means.
e.g Shabbat is still practiced although jews can drive to get places and men and women are not separated within the synagogue.
Reform:
Given up on the idea that the Messiah will come. Individual people ( not under divine prophecy) wrote the torah not just Moses. Heavily influenced by enlightenment ideas.
Torah as the sacred text.
Monotheism, belief in one god.
Outline the concept if a divinely inspired moral law.
moral law -
Exodus 20:3, 13, 15
prescribed by god -
Given to Moses from god, divinely inspired.
Identify the importance of the covenant for the jewish people.
” I will be your god and you will be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
” He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.” Micah 6:8
- Establishes a unique relationship with God and his people. ( established with Abraham and reaffirms with Moses through Leviticus.)
It is the foundation of the Halakha. - Connects the jews to the patriarchs and the historic jewish community.
- Shapes the modern identity.
ERHCS
Covenant - Abraham
Convenant - Moses on Mt sinai
- Outlines the law and god’s relationship with Israel.
The act of circumcison makes followers set apart from other nations.
Identify the importance of the Hebrew bible
Written torah = Tenach = Hebrew bible.
Hebrew bible:
Three elements under the teach which outlines law and god’s relationship with Israel.
Torah:
- First five books
- All jewish law and tradition.
- Was given to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Moral law prescribed by God –> Torah.
Nevi’im ( The prophets, the prophetic vision):
- Includes narrative of the prophets and their interaction with the people of Israel.
- Includes the teachings of the prophets.
- Includes warnings and encouragement from god through the prophets.
Ketuvim ( the writings):
- Include poetry and wisdom literature.
- Provides guidance on areas like suffering, money, friendship and love.
- Other writings.
Torah + Nevi’im +Ketuvim = Tenach.
Important because:
- divinely inspired ( word of god).
- Documents history, laws and the covenant which guides the way of life for people to this day.
- Provides teachings which influence jewish life and ethics.
Identify the importance of the Talmud
The oral torah provides further explanation on the Tenach.
The talmud began to be written down in the 2nd century AD due to the destruction of the second temple ( 70AD) and the subsequent dispersal of jewish communities under roman rule.
The talmud = the written down oral torah.
It is a collection of rabbinical teachings. Originally spoken to the Israelites form God at Mount Sinai.
Mishnah + Gemara + Midrash = Talmud.
Mishnah: The mishnah is the written version of the oral torah, which was handed down orally from moses until the destruction of the temple.
Gemara:Gemara is a summary and further clarification of the oral law written over 300 years after the mishnah.
Midrash:Midrash helps those who seek answers to religious questions by interpreting the words of the torah.
Midrash Halakha: Claridies jewish law beyond its original context ( muslims can’t drink alcohol, the midrash will say that they cannot do other drugs as well).
Midrash Haggadah: Takes a phrase from the torah and explores it further, may not be entirely correct.
The talmud is important as it expands on the written down torah ( teach) which is the word of god and guides people to the moral ground which they must follow.
