The nature of religion Flashcards
Religion is
system of formal beliefs and structured practices that guides and directs its followers to an initial or enhanced feeling for the sacred or the divine
Supernatural dimension
belief in a divine being or power,
responsible for the creation of the world,
provides a moral framework for human life
is the ultimate destiny of a human person at the end of their mortal life.
A transcendent worldview is
A transcendent worldview is
example of religion with a transcendent worldview
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
A immanent worldview
view maintains belief in a divine being or powers dwelling within he individual such a world view is characteristics of Buddhism and Hinduism.
What are the four characteristics of religion
– beliefs and believers
– sacred texts and writings
– ethics
– rituals and ceremonies
Beliefs and believers
religion is sustained by beliefs and believers.
Sacred texts and writings
oral and written
Ethics
the explicit, philosophical and religious reflection on moral beliefs within a tradition
Rituals and ceremonies
Rituals and ceremonies are enactments or systems of actions and beliefs that each have a beginning a middle and a end. They are directly linked to superhuman beings or forces.
A dynamic, living religion
These characteristics create a dynamic, living religion
characterized by energy, ambition, new ideas and practical achievements. Forever changing and adapting.
“True religion is a relation accordant with reason and knowledge, which man establishes with the infinite life surrounding him; and it is such as binds his life to the infinity, and guides his conduct”
The contribution of religion to society and culture
- They change over time and affect the society and culture in which that changers take place creating a dynamic and living society.
The contribution of religion to individuals
-Religions claim to offer adherents a way of restoring them to a right relationship with the world and higher powers
And thus gaining meaning in the present imperfect world.
In the light of a higher reality, people discover a reason for life and for death
Religions help people realising their lives matter.
Dreaming
beginnings when ancestral beings formed the land, its features, animals, plants, the laws that kept everything in existence. The Dreaming is an ever-present reality
Totem
animal or natural species considered related through the spirit ancestors to an individual or group of people, and taken as their symbol
The aboriginal people have occupied Australia for the last
50 000 years
Different aboriginal language groups probably arose as a result of
the size of the Australian continent
Much Aboriginal mythology is associated with
rain
The Aboriginal belief system is founded on
the Dreaming
The Dreaming is about the
past, present and future
At the core of the Dreaming are
Aboriginal deities or ancestral beings
The aboriginal deities or ancestral beings have
supernatural powers, looked like animals or plants and showed human weakness
how many language groups were there
200
How many Aboriginals were living in Australia before the settlers
750000
Semi-nomadic
move around/seasonal
Aboriginals are inextricably connected to the
land and natural environment
They pass on stories
orally
The stories reveal
the genesis and how land-forms formed
Where are the sacred sites for Aboriginal people
all natural land formations- rivers, mountains etc
To go to a sacred site you must
earn your right from the elders
The land was bestowed to Aboriginals by
the ancestral beings
protecting the land is every i
individuals responsibility and the tribes aswell
They invested the land with stories and formed a
holistic relationship with it
The people were connected to the land through totemic animals
determined by the birthplace and clan
Metatemporal
A concept which incorporates the past, present and future reality as a complete and present reality.
The Dreaming is communicated through
art, song, dance story and ritual
The Dreaming is inextricably linked t
the land, as the land is the physical medium through which the Dreaming is communicated. It is from the land that the dreaming flows with stories of ancestor spirits which explain different aspects of creation
