Test 3: HI REL Flashcards
What are the basic principles of Science of Mind?
BASICS
Founded religion: EH; Triune nature of universe & individual; cause & effect; All people are whole, perfect & complete; Oneness & Unity of all
GOD
One God is all that there is; Transcendent & Immanent; God is Word/Thought great causative Power in the Universe; Word of God eternally initiates Divine Creative Process; Law continuously set in motion to create from unformed substance
MAN
Made of God-stuff; Reciprocity: for every visible form there is an invisible counterpart; Christ Consciousness: a principle, a Universal Presence; God in all creation
EARTH
One source in all creation; triune nature is in Universal macrocosm & individual microcosm
LIFE/DEATH
Universe exists in eternal now; Immortality in Universal Principle; Ultimate goal of life is freedom from discord of any nature & all are sure to attain it.
What are the basic principles of Judaism?
BASICS
Revealed religion through Torah, moral imperative to fulfill covenant
GOD
One all-knowing Creator, formed a covenant with Abraham for all of his descendants; Has Torah laws: rewards & punishes; reveals His will through prophets
MAN
Created individually by God; invited into covenant with God; Laws of morality & ethics are given in Torah & man is rewarded or punished; man has free will to follow God’s law and guidance or not; mediator with God is Torah, Law, Ten Commandments
EARTH
God created, ends in messianic age leading to paradise
LIFE/DEATH
Human destiny is chiefly in this world; all righteous souls are resurrected in paradise on Earth; soul is close to God after death in heaven or hell (later Judaism)
SOM
One God; personal relationship with God; both have laws
What are the basic principles of Christianity?
BASICS
Emerged from Judaism; revealed religion through Jesus, son of God as man
GOD
Monotheistic & transcendent; sovereign all-good creator God; supreme self-manifestation of God through only son Jesus Christ, God incarnate
MAN
Created individually by God, born into original sin; attains eternal life in heaven through salvation in Jesus, incarnated to save human kind; mediator with God is Jesus
EARTH
God created; world corrupted by sin; will be judged & remade as paradise in end
LIFE/DEATH
Judgement & resurrection on last day leads to eternal life in heaven or hell
SOM
Jesus Christ is example, God is personal with each one – individualized; Do unto others = Law of cause & effect
What are the basic principles of Buddhism?
BASICS
Founded religion: Siddhartha; Reality is indescribable Unity = Nirvana; Karma
GOD
No personal deity; Fundamental purity of the mind is called Buddha Nature or Primordial Wisdom; Transcendent reality is potential in all, Nirvana; Divine is unconditioned reality, Unity beyond all opposites, beyond form
MAN
Ego & individual self is illusion; Individual is process of cause & effect; mediator between divine & human nature is Buddha nature, enlightened Buddha and teachings
EARTH
Cosmos goes through cycles, no beginning or end
LIFE/DEATH
Samara = unending lifetimes, good or bad according to karma; Upon enlightenment (Nirvana), not reborn again; Four Noble Truths: Life is suffering. Suffering is caused by desire. There is a way out – stop all desire by releasing attachment. The way out is the Eightfold Path of Righteous Living.
SOM
Self-reliance; control of conditions w/ power of the mind; Immortality; Eightfold Path = Treat & move feet; Be here now
What are the basic principles of Islam?
BASICS
Revealed religion through Mohammed; Islam = surrender, which brings peace
GOD
One God, Allah, absolute sovereign ruler revealed through Qur’an, given through Mohammed; personal & reveals self & provides guidance to humankind
MAN
Created by God; submission of individuals & communities to Allah in all of life
EARTH
Created by God, will be destroyed on last day
LIFE/DEATH
Humans judged on last day, reward is paradise/punishment is hell in Second Creation (Sufi: all returns to God so no hell); Five Pillars: Bearing witness, fasting, prayer, charity, pilgrimage to Mecca
SOM
Divinity’s Oneness; surrender to Allah similar to align with Divine right action: Love & Law
What are the basic principles of Hinduism?
BASICS
One God, many faces; Universe profoundly One; Ultimate nature of the Universe is expression of the Divine; 4 paths to God: work, knowledge, love & psychophysical exercises (yoga)
GOD
One God, many faces: 33 mil Gods yet considered monotheistic; identify with God (Brahman: absolute infinite presence) through discovering infinite self (Atman: the reservoir of infinite being & bliss); “Though art That” Atman-Brahman connection; immanent & transcendent
MAN
: No beginning, countless cycles of lifetimes determined by Karma; Mediators are Vedic scriptures, gurus & saints
EARTH
Countless cycles, world appearances are illusory
LIFE/DEATH
Countless lifetimes, karma; sin is ignorance, no intrinsic evil; cosmic & personal cause & effect; transcend karma through God-realization
SOM
Immanent & transcendent; Individual is one with God, Infinite & finite
What are the basic principles of Gnosticism?
BASICS
Esoteric mystical form of Christianity, Gnosis = knowledge of the heart, dualistic
GOD
A true, ultimate transcendent God beyond all created universes, both masculine & feminine in nature; Aeons are intermediate creator beings between the True God and man; Flawed Aeon consciousness (creator-demiurge) created the cosmos in the image of his own flaw; blame for world’s failing lies not with humans but with the Creator; Yahweh is Aeon of this world
MAN
Human nature mirrors duality found in the world, part false creator and part True God; True nature is divine but recognizes evil; Humans contain Divine Spark but are usually ignorant of it; TO know oneself is to know Divine realities (gnosis); This intuitive knowing is salvation (liberates from ignorance); liberating gnosis is the purpose of life
EARTH
World is flawed because it was created in a flawed manner; good & evil exist at the same time in world & man; earthly life is filled with suffering
LIFE/DEATH
Attitude toward life encourages non-attachment and non-conformity to world, lack of egotism, respect for freedom & dignity of others; We can transcend this world & reunite with the Fullness of the True God; If there is some degree of liberating gnosis, death releases the Divine Spark; salvation is from ignorance, not sin; eventually everyone will receive gnosis & be reunited with its higher Self
SOM
Implicit order of wholeness; divinity is immanent within the human spirit; awaken to our True Nature
List three ways you would use the concepts in World Religions in your ministry
Relate to major world religions in talks, classes & writing
Facilitate dialog & interfaith communication within community
Recognize and teach how the various faiths influenced Ernest Holmes and therefore SoM
List three ways you would use the concepts in World Religions in your life
Clarify my own personal beliefs
Understand the worldview of others to show more love and empathy
Learn new ways to honor God for my own practice
Describe the historical context of the bible
Historical context gives meaning to the stories on a literal & metaphorical level
When we know the context of language, culture, customs, we are more in alignment with the original intent & a better foundation for extrapolating timeless truths being revealed
Strap on the sandals of a 1st Century Jewish person & listen with their ears
-Understand what it meant to them, not 20th century us
-THEN we can find what it means for us
-Much of the Bible is about radical transformation. Without this understanding, one can be confused in taking things literally and thus missing the spiritual message.
Examples
-Birth of Jesus story: not literal. Look at metaphysical meaning
-Parables: Jesus used them to shock, to present an alternative view of reality. He exaggerated examples & stories to speak to hearts, souls & minds, not to convey rules
-Parables were mirrors of identity, not models of morality
In what historical context was the Bible written?
Old Testament:
-Small nomadic tribe, always fighting for survival & territory
-Tribal warrior God
-Polytheistic world, every tribe had a God
-Group seeking differentiation for survival (chosen people, circumcision, dietary laws, monotheism)
-Patriarchal society
-Multiple traumatic invasions
New Testament:
-Under the thumb of Rome
-Persecuted for following their religion
-So caught up in law that they sometimes miss the point of why the laws were written in the first place
-Seeking military/political messiah
List three ways you would use the concepts in understanding the bible in your life
Read the Bible with a more balanced, educated perspective
Learn to interpret Bible stories and parables according to what they meant at the time, so I can personally learn from them.
Gain a working comfort with Biblical teachings and soften my personal resistance to evangelical Christian teachings
List three ways you would use the concepts in understanding the bible in your ministry
Utilize Bible stories in talks, classes and workshops
Teach the concept of the Cosmic Christ in a way that is available to everyone, from an educated perspective
Be able to engage with mainstream Christians about the Bible and Christ
Empathize with the human drama that has been ongoing since the long before the beginning of our recorded history.
Observe the methods and ideas used millenia ago to connect with spirituality, the numinous, and with how life works to see what’s still on our minds and what is different.
Admire the art of story that has been used in our history
What are your core takeaways from the bible for spiritual leadership
The power of story and suffering’s value.
The power of story is fundamental to individual, leadership, and community growth.
What is true and what is truth are completely different and easily conflated.
Valuing skillful response to suffering values resilience, the richness of life, and the promise of belief.
Suspending disbelief is necessary to the crucial process of choosing belief.
What are David Carr’s central ideas in his portrayal of the Bible
The old and new testaments arose in the suffering of individuals, and of groups.
These texts responded to suffering with wider stories of redemption.
Traumatic events include the Assyrian destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century before the current era (BCE), the Assyrian near‐destruction and rule over the kingdom of Judah soon after, Babylon’s conquest and exile of Judah and Jerusalem a century later, the 2nd century Hellenistic conquest of Zion and ban of Judaism, Roman conquest, the crucifixion, Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem, and Roman persecution of Christians.
