What is a Religion? Flashcards
Control Thesis
Representation is not a reality
Miracle
Event for which a rational explanation does not yet exist
Working definition of a religion
An even in which one or more people represent an alleged ultimate reality
Goal of working definition of religion
to understand what is going on
descriptive not prescriptive
Not telling people how to be religious
The Canadian definition of religion
religion is a set of practices and beliefs freely chosen by an individual whose beliefs and practices have no authority over another individual
Blasphemy
One persons truth claim is another persons blasphemy
Internal flux
within a religious community - the members do not agree with everything of that religion
Geographic flux
differences in a religion based on geography
historical flux
Mormons do not believe that catholics are christians and same goes vice versa
External competition
religious groups that are different and are competing with one another
Syncretism
when two entirely different religions start to emerge
Neutral vocabulary
set of words and use those words to describe
Theos
Greek word for God
Theism
Any religion that has one or more supernatural agent
polytheism
Religion that has many gods
Henotheism
Religions that has more than one god but there is a hierarchy, they are not equal
Monotheism
Religion that has one and only one supernatural agent
Monolatry
Group of people who worship one god, believe in more gods but only worship one
Theistic Dualism
universe being rules by 2 supernatural agents. one god is of goodness and the other is of evil
Zoroastrianism
two supernatural agents that are at war with one another
Immanent God
God conceptualized of being available in time and space
Transcendent God
God conceptualized oof not being available in time and space
What is orthopraxy
correct religious practice
How does Moodle define secularization
Decreased influence of religion in the public space
Countries that guarantee religious freedom have seen an increasing variety of new religions. how has this Trent affected existing religious communities
This trend decreases religious participation
What is a common symptom of secularization
People who accept religious truth-claims take these claims less seriously than did earlier generations
How does birthrate affect the long-term success of a religious community
Low birthrates guarantee the decline of religious membership
What does the religious strategy of reductionism try to do?
Accept secularization but affirm that there is only one correct religion
What does research on the numbers of people who participate in worship services demonstrate?
Participation in worship services has declined significantly in recent decades
During the past 2 centuries, each new human generation has been?
less likely to take seriously the truth-claims of any religion
Who defines Orthodox religion
The leaders of a religious group
According to Moodle essay, what is the cognitive optimum
It is the instinct to seek agents everywhere
why is increased religious diversity a catalyst for decreased religious participation
Diverse truth-claims imply that all truth-claims are merely human opinions
Among early Christians, many equated Jesus Christ with an angel and others equated him with God. This is an example of what?
Experimentation with a variety of minimally counterintuitive agents
identify the theism in this quotation: “I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel…but he said to me, ‘you must not do that!…Worship God’”
Monotheism
Religious conquest and conversion strategies share the same goal
To defeat secularization
what are causes for secularization
the right to religious freedom
why is the construction of orthodoxy a political process
Those who would be leaders find ways to impose their definition of correct belief on others
What is the logical by-product of every orthodoxy
Heresy
Definition of a definition
A hypothesis that helps us to understand
