Studied by 3 people
Immanent
The divine or supernatural is inherent in the physical world, such as in the land and nature eg. Aboriginal spirituality
Transcendent
Separate from nature and humanity, outside of humanity's perception and grasp - a higher power
Monotheistic
believing in one god
Secular
Non-religious
Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters
Atheist
A person who denies the existence of God
Agnostic
one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; undecided
Worldview
A person's view of the world
eg. Christian worldview, atheist worldview
Supernaturalism
The belief in phenomena beyond our laws of science and nature; eg. magic, miracles
Objective Naturalism
says that a meaningful life is possible, but God or a supernatural element is unnecessary
Subjective Naturalism
God or the supernatural is unnecessary for a meaningful life, but what is meaningful varies from person to person
Nihilism
Belief that meaning is not possible
Animistic
the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess spirit; eg. Aboriginal spirituality
Pantheistic
Traditions which have multiple gods, often anthropomorphised, which share responsibility for everything, e.g. Greek mythology
Semitic
Family of related languages long spoken across parts of western Asia and northern Africa, eg Hebrew, Arabic, and Phoenician
Traditions on the 'western' arm which originated in the middle east from Palestine to Persia, e.g. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
Sectarian
Devoted to a particular religious sect, particularly when referring to religious involvement in politics
The Dreaming
the mythology of Aboriginal Australian spirituality
Samsara
The Buddhist cycle of life, death, and rebirth (Reincarnation)
Reincarnation
The process by which a person or soul is reborn continuously in new bodies
Nirvana
Enlightenment, liberation from the cycle of death and reincarnation (samsara)
Theodicy
A defence of God and God's goodness in the face of evil and suffering
Evil
The absence of good; wicked, depraved; very bad and wrong
Suffering
pain, distress, hardship; can be mental, physical, emotional, financial, etc
Karma
A moral law, how your actions dictate your future - if you do good, you'll get good in return and vice versa
Eschatology
study of the last things; afterlife, judgement, apocalypse, end times
What is a fundamental question?
A question reaching the heart of humanity, existence, and meaning
3 examples of a fundamental question
Why are we here?
Who are we?
What happens after we die?
What is The Trident?
A visual of the 3-pronged development of the world's religions - Semitic, Indian, and Eastern
Ninian Smart's 7 dimensions of religion
1. Practical and ritual
2. Experiential and emotional
3. Narrative and mythic
4. Doctrinal and philosophical
5. Ethical and legal
6. Social and institutional
7. Material
Development of Christianity
Began with the teachings of Jesus, when people were Jewish or Roman
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, son of God and saviour of the Jewish people
After Jesus' death and resurrection Christianity grew in size, beginning as a Jewish sect and growing into a major world religion
Who was St Paul (Saul) of Tarsus?
A Roman who persecuted Christians, but saw a vision of God + converted and spread Christianity across the Mediterranean in the 1st century
Development of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu prince who was sheltered from the world.
He went out and saw an old man, a sick man, and a dead man
He wanted to find the cause of, and way to end, suffering.
He did fasting, meditation, and became ascetic before meditating under a tree and achieving enlightenment, creating Buddhism
Demonic Evil
evil for its own sake, performed for the express purpose of harming others, or for the enjoyment of the experience of watching others suffer
Instrumental Evil
evil that occurs in order to carry out some other purpose; eg. coal mining to make money
Idealistic Evil
evil that is "justified" by some greater cause; eg. the Holocaust
Foolish Evil
evil that occurs based on human incompetence, despite the fact that nobody wished it; eg. plane crash due to piloting mistake
The Inconsistent Triad
God is omnipotent
God is omnibenevolent
Evil exists
Augustinian Theodicy
"The Fall" - Humans were created perfect, but choices made by 'Lucifer' and humanity meant the loss of perfection
Augustinian Theodicy Criticisms
It's illogical that perfect beings were capable of sinning and committing evil
Irenaean Theodicy
"Rise" - Humans were created imperfect, and suffering is a means to become better. God does not create evil, but nor does he intervene
Irenaean Theodicy Criticisms
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How can a good God allow such immense suffering, even for moral growth?
Suffering doesn't always help people grow - it can deeply affect them and make them worse
The Middle Way
between the extremes of indulgence and self-denial, free from sorrow and suffering; a balanced or moderate approach to life.
Why the middle way?
Indulgence is fleeting and leads to suffering, while ascetism is awful
Why did the Buddha dislike Hinduism?
He despised the Hindu caste system, which doesn’t allow upwards social movement, said only through reincarnation can people get a better life, and only the highest cast could reach moksha - Buddha believed anybody could achieve enlightenment
The Eightfold Path
Ethics (Right action, right speech, right livelihood)
Meditation (Right midfulness, right effort, right concentration)
Wisdom (Right view, right intention)
The Wheel of Life
A visual representation of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; divided into six realms, Gods, titans, hungry ghosts, hell, animal, and human
omnibenevolent
all good / possessing perfect goodness
particular judgement
catholic belief - the immediate judgement the soul receives after death where we account for the good we have done and the sins we have committed
omnitemporal
existing in all places
the two kinds of judgement
particular judgement, the last judgement
doctrinal and philosophical dimension of religion
a system of values and beliefs or laws, providing an overview for many of the practices and ideas of the religion
material dimension of religion
music, art, symbols, architecture/buildings, etc.
social and institutional dimension of religion
focuses on the community of believers and the hierarchy/organisation of the institution
ethical and legal dimension of religion
the idea that rules must be applied to uphold the values and understandings that a religion may offer the world
narrative or mythic dimension of religion
stories from a particular religion that aim to explain and inspire
practical and ritual dimension of religion
worship, prayer, regular gatherings, rites of passage, etc.
experimental and emotional dimension of religion
emotive content behind ritual and prayers. people react emotionally when they encounter something they believe is very profound
Free Will defence
god maximised the goodness in the world by creating free beings, and being free means that we have the choice to do evil things - a choice that some of us exercise
moral evil
evil committed by humans
omnipotent
all powerful
omnipresent
existing at all times
last judgement
At the end of time, the Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead. Those who have already died and have been judged will stay in Heaven and Hell. Those who have not died will now be judged and enter Heaven and Hell.
4 types of moral evil
demonic, instrumental, idealistic, foolish
criticism of the free will defense
it does not resolve natural evil
the year the first census was held
1911
Muslim burial
must be buried with 24 hours of death
omniscient
all knowing
purgatory religion
catholic
non theistic
not having or involving a belief in a god or gods
non maleficence
the principle of not causing harm, or allowing harm to occur
last judgement time
end of the world
the 4 noble truths
there is suffering
suffering is caused by our desires
we can manage our desires by changing our perspective instead of trying to change our circumstances
we can free ourselves from suffering by following the eightfold path/the middle way
Victor Frankl’s book
Man’s Search for Meaning
logotherapy
the belief that the primary human drive is not pleasure, but the pursuit of what we find meaningful
7 lessons learned from Man’s Search for Meaning
he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how
the salvation of man is through love and in love
you can get used to anything
you can resist your environment’s influence
there is meaning in suffering
without hope, meaning, a future; death will soon come
logotherapy is a practical solution to your problems
paradoxical intention
cognitive technique that involves persuading people to engage in their most feared behavior
Frankl age when he wrote Man’s search for meaning
41
Viktor Frankl lifespan
1905-1997 (92 years)
Bertrand Russell argument on theodicy
the universe needs no explanation; it just is the way that it is; and this includes evil and suffering, which just happen
Dostoevsky stance on theodicy
if god exists, and allows suffering, then he is not all loving
David Hume stance on theodicy
while God may exist, an orderly universe does not prove the existence of God
Emmanuel Kant stance on theodicy
God wills that we endure and eliminate evil through a progression toward a perfect adherence to the moral law
viktor frankl
the two Eastern religions clearly referred to in Soul
Buddhism and Taoism
Soul’s “great beyond”
a void where dead peoples souls go
Soul’s “great before”
where personalities come from before a soul is matched to a life
Soul’s “earth portal necessity”
a personality / earth pass
Soul’s “lost soul’s”
some people just cant let go of their own anxieties and obsession’’s, leaving them lost and disconnected from life, and this is the result
what joe (in the cats body) says about paul in the barber shop
don’t pay any mind to paul. people like him just bring other people down to make themselves feel better.
Soul’s “Blue Suit” symbolism
Good Karma for reflection and being truthful - links to the four noble truths / love thy mother and father
example of joe’s bad karma
Being caught by Terry and being sent back to the Great Before because he cheated
Example of rebirth in Soul
Joe’s soul in the therapy cat - bad karma for being selfish so now he is put in the body of a selfless being
Soul - example of Frankl’s lesson: you can resist your environment’s influence
22 vs Joe in the subway
Subjective naturalism in Soul
Joe’s meaning in life vs 22’s
Example of Joe’s good Karma
gaining the earth pass for being selfless and kind
Note 
Flashcard (196)