Definitions
"Religion serves as a fundamental aspect of human culture, shaping beliefs, values, and social structures across civilizations. It provides frameworks for understanding existence offering guidance in moral and ethical matters while fostering community and shared identity.
Substantive? Functional? or Cluster? Why?
What is functional. It tells us what religion does.
Which religion appeared first in history?
Buddhism, Hinduism or Judaism?
What is Hinduism
Name three sacred texts
What are the Torah, the New Testament, the Quran, the Dhammapada
Name three important qualities a student of religion should possess
What are openness, critical intelligence, critical tolerance, careful observing, reading and listening
Besides being an insider or an outsider when studying or understanding religion, there is a third middle way? What is it?
What is participant observation
Why is the definition of religion as "a belief in God" not necessarily useful?
What is a substantive/essentialist definition. Too narrow. Doesn't include religions that don't believe in God.
Who are the main prophets (one each) for Jews, Christians and Muslims?
Who are Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad
Name three moral/ethical codes that many religions share
What are not stealing, not killing, not coveting, honoring family, etc.
What are a couple of qualities of openness when studying religion?
a willingness to regard as tentative (not set in stone) our views about religion
we should welcome that we might be wrong because we have learned something new
What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?
Sympathy is compassion and understanding from a distance. Feeling for rather than feeling with.
Empathy is putting oneself in another's shoes to truly understand their feelings and perspectives. Fosters a more profound connection.
Religions are more than belief systems.
True or False
Why or Why not?
True. Because there are other characteristics of religion that involve practice and ritual (action) for example.
What is the ka'ba and where is it located?
Building covered with a black cloth in Mecca.
What is a form of sacred communication with the divine?
What is prayer
What is the difference between perspective and prejudice?
Prejudice is a preconceived and often negative attitude or opinion about a person or group without sufficient knowledge (negative quality)
Perspective is a neutral viewpoint or a way of understanding from a particular angle, involving thoughtful observation rather than a fixed, unfavorable judgment (positive quality)
What is the danger of participant observation?
Losing objectivity, becoming an apologist about the religion, "going native" to use an old anthropological phrase
What is the potential problem of a cluster definition?
It has so many characteristics that could be applied to institutions not traditionally considered religious. Not precise enough.
What is the real name of the Buddha?
Siddartha Gautama
Name three rites of passage rituals (big life event rituals for individuals)
birth rituals (baptism, circumcision, naming)
puberty rituals (confirmation, bar/bat mitzvah, circumcision)
weddings
funerals
What does the following quotation mean?
"There cannot be a view from nowhere, just as there cannot be a view from everywhere."
...
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the viewpoints of the insider, outsider, and participant observer?
On the one hand, the outsider's viewpoint provides a greater hope for achieving objectivity, which is particularly valuable when studying many different religions. On the other hand, the insider's viewpoint offers a greater hope for a sympathetic/empathetic
Participant Observer--deeper empathetic understanding but danger of being to close to the object of study
Name three kinds of bias that are detrimental to creating definitions?
Western, Value, Gender
What are three kinds of branches of religion or ideas about a deity or the divine?
What are polytheism, monotheism, athiesm or non-theistic
Why is it important for an individual belonging to any religion to have a religious community around them?
Support (keeping one on track), shared values, cohesiveness, family feeling
What is critical tolerance?
Endorses freedom of religion but does not automatically approve of any and all religious beliefs and practices
If after we have really understood a religion as deeply as we can, we find ourselves unable to condone or support certain religious beliefs and practices
According to the text you read, which method do most scholars of religion follow? Why?
Outsider
Objectivity