Test 1

Question 1

substantive definitions

Answer 1

what religion “is” The necessary, essential features of religion

Question 2

functionalist definitions-

Answer 2

what religion “does” The roles, functions and effects of religion

Question 3

religion as classification-

Answer 3

• Religion as a secular, academic pursuit (with no theological agenda).
  Global and pluralistic.
  There is no single way to classify religion.
  In religious studies, religion is drawn from the humanities and social sciences from the field of art.

Question 4

EB Tylor-

Answer 4

• (1832-1917) Religion as a product of animism.
  Animism is the belief that some objects have souls. Attributing a personality to inanimate object
  Tylor popularized the idea of animism

Question 5

James Frazer-

Answer 5

-(1854-1941) Religion is a product of magic and superstition
Religion vs magic
Religion vs habit

Question 6

Emile Durkhiem-

Answer 6

-(1858-1917) Very functionalist views.
Society as Sacred.
“A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them.”

Question 7

Karl Marx-

Answer 7

-(1818-1883)
Religion “secondary to a larger system of economic and political exploitation.”

Question 8

Concepts of God, god, gods

Answer 8

s- The idea of monotheism, polytheism, henotheism, theism, and nontheism.
Personal vs non-personal gods.
The “haves” and “have-nots”.
The “haves” are placed into four main groups of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and ?
The “have-nots” are everyone else.
A hierarchy of religions and cultures.
God with a capital refers to a specific God.
god with no capital refers to a god in general, not a specific one.

Question 9

Christianity, Monotheism-

Answer 9

Monotheism is the belief in one god or goddess

Question 10

Polytheism-

Answer 10

• The belief in or worship one or more gods

Question 11

Henotheism

Answer 11

adherence to one particular god out of several, especially by a family, tribe, or other group. Example (professor saying we have to believe in the same thing he does)

Question 12

Atheism

Answer 12

Non belief in any gods or goddesses

Question 13

Non-theism

Answer 13

Lack of belief in a god or gods.

Question 14

Personal god

Answer 14

Personal god: a god that has physical form , spiritual “person” (name, character, emotions, body). Examples Jesus

Question 15

Impersonal god

Answer 15

Impersonal god: a god that has no form, no definite body, shape, identity etc. examples brahman, dao

Question 16

Confucianism, Heaven / tian

Answer 16

Confucianism (East Asia) focused on the here and now
*confucius (Kong Fuzi or “Master kong”
*551-479 BCE
* The Analects: purported record of Confucius teachings
* Emphasis on human virtues
* Believes in heaven but didn’t see it to be so important to focus on
* more philosophy than religion

Question 17

Hinduism-

Answer 17

Understood to be a huge gap between human and divine

Question 18

Brahman-

Answer 18

• “Impersonal” divine.
  Ultimate identification with the individual self.

Question 19

Atman-

Answer 19

The interest in collapsing the distinctions between the human and the divine.

Question 20

Theravada vs. Mahayana conceptions of the Buddha

Answer 20

Theravada is an early form from India. Mahayana is a later form from India to Asia.
The two basic families of Buddhis,.
Theravada is generally human.
Mahayana can be both.

Question 21

Shintō, Kami

Answer 21

Shinto (Japan)
Shinto means “The Way of the Kami”
Shin: Kami.
To: Dao which means way.
“Spirits”, “deities”, “gods”.
Examples?
Ebisu (Kami of fishermen) and Daikoku (Kami of wealth). Both are gods of luck, often paired together.
Inari (Kami of fertility, rice, and foxes). Has become the Kami of commerce and business.
Rock Kami.
Tree Kami.
Problems of definition?
The word god or deity relies on “Western conceptions of transcendental benevolent being” (textbook).
Anything that inspires awe or wonder can be considered a Kami (textbook).
“Systems of faith”.
“Belief in god(s)”.
“I’m not religious but…”.

Question 22

Inari-

Answer 22

The Kami of fertility, rice and foxes. Has become the Kami of commerce and business and businesses leave areas for Inari to bring them good commerce.

Question 23

Animism

Answer 23

“Religion is the belief of spiritual beings
Animism is the belief that some objects have souls. Attributing a personality to inanimate objects.

Question 24

Syncretism-

Answer 24

• the uniting or attempted uniting of different religions, culture, or schools of thought.

Question 25

dao

Answer 25

An important Chinese term is dao (道), which translates to “way”, “path”, “course”, and “teachings”.
Dao is not a term exclusive to Daoism, but found in most East Asian religions.
Faith and god are not always the deciding factor in religious affiliation.
E.g., “Born Shinto, Die Buddhist”.

Question 26

Om

Answer 26

Hinduism

Question 27

Yin-yang

Answer 27

Daoism

Question 28

born Shintō, die Buddhists

Answer 28

An example of syncretism.
The practice of both religions, where birth and marriage followed Shintō rituals and funerals often followed Buddhist rituals.

Question 29

Shangri-la

Answer 29

-A fictional utopia in a faraway hidden dreamland.
Ideas that the East has “ancient secrets” that the West does not have but wants.
The West viewing the East as exotic.
Eg., lululemon suggests that yoga is ancient and comes from the “exotic east”.

Question 30

Orientalism

Answer 30

Edward Said’s book Orientalism (1978).
The study of the orient.
Shock and awe refers to the idea of the East as bad (shock) and the East as good (awe).
Concepts of the East that have been created by the West to produce an imagined division between Eastern and Western cultures
Many stereotypical aspects of Asia (eg., spiritual, exotic, ancient, peacful) exist in the Western imagination.

Question 31

Theism

Answer 31

is the belief in the existence of god(s).

Question 32

Monotheism

Answer 32

is the belief in one god.

Question 33

born Shintō, die Buddhists

Answer 33

example of syncretism.
The practice of both religions, where birth and marriage followed Shintō rituals and funerals often followed Buddhist rituals.

Question 34

Orientalism

Answer 34

Edward Said’s book Orientalism (1978).
The study of the orient.