Chapter 1: Introduction: Why Religion Matters

0.0(0)
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/13

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

14 Terms

1
New cards
Secularization Theory
predicts that as societies modernize, they will become less religious.
2
New cards
Discourse
________ (written or oral) that concerns issues transcendent to the contingent, finite human world.
3
New cards
Essentialism
is the act of reducing particular religious traditions to hard- and- fast things.
4
New cards
Religion
evolves and changes over time, and religious influences are embedded in all dimensions of culture.
5
New cards
the problem with perennialism
those who affirm it cannot agree who or what resides on their mountaintops, even though they believe all religion connect at the peak
6
New cards
Secularization Theory
 predicts that as societies modernize, they will become less religious
7
New cards
Substantive
they exclude too much
8
New cards
Functional
include too much
9
New cards
What is the 1st way of discussing religion in class?
The Way of Faith and Devolution

* this is the way people talk about Judaism or Christianity in Sunday school, or how Hindus sing of their love of Krishna
* basically, the nonreligious study of religion
* KEYWORD: insider view
10
New cards
What is the 2nd way of discussing religion in class?
A Nondevotional and Nontheological Way

* it is the way of religious studies. aim is not to do religion but to study it
* KEYWORD: outsider’s view
11
New cards
What is the four-part model that the author employs?

1. an analysis of the human PROBLEM
2. a SOLUTION to that problem
3. TECHNIQUES for achieving that goal
4. EXEMPLARS who chart the path toward the goal (saints, gurus, etc.)
12
New cards
What are the seven dimensions of religion according to Ninian Smart?

1. the ritual dimension (rites and ceremonies)
2. the narrative or mythic dimension (myths and other stories related to sacred things)
3. the experiential or emotional dimension (experience of awe, guilt, bliss)
4. the social or institutional dimension (religious organizations)
5. the ethical or legal dimension (laws and moral codes)
6. the doctrinal or philosophical dimension (creeds, theologies)
7. the material dimension (prayer beads, icons, temple architecture)
13
New cards
What are the four domains of religion according to Bruce Lincoln?

1. Discourse (written or oral) that concerns issues transcendent to the continent, finite human world
2. a set of practices who’s purpose is to produce a proper world (or proper human character)
3. a community whose members construct their identity with reference to such discourses and practices
4. an institution that regulates discourse, practices, and community (with the goal of reproducing this into the future)
14
New cards
How to address Essentialism
* be suspicious of the religious categories, avoid bad generalizations, and acknowledge ourselves and others that the generalizations we make are just generalizations