SRS 1112 Definitions and Theories

E.B Tylor religion definition

Ranking religions with primitive near the bottom (and because they stay with those traditions, they are stuck at the bottom with no change)

Émile Durkheim religion definition

Religion is what binds people together and forms communities, idea of collective effervescence, creates an energy that makes the community stronger 

Karl Marx religion definition

Religion is the opiate of the masses, all of these problems created between the classes, religion is something that can be a replacement for revolutionary actions

Emic

Within a tradition, person on the inside … typically theology

Etic

From outside the tradition, an observer of sorts … typically religion

What is bracketing

Bracketing is a phenomenological method where researchers set aside preconceptions and biases to understand a subject's perspective without external influence, often used in the study of religious experiences.

Eliades 4 Key Points of SRS

1. Orientation

2. Distinguished btw Sacred and Profane places

3. An Axis Mundi (World Centre/Creation Story)

4. Religious Person vs Modern Person

Features of Religions of Antiquity

1. SRS is not separate from poltics

2. Many gods/deities

3. Myths and Cosmogony

4. Legitimation of power and ruling based on above

5. Lots of services to the gods

Ma'at

Order, truth, justice that was implemented by gods and expected by humans

How many Jews today

14 Mill

3 themes of the TaNaKh

Exile, Covenant, and Monotheism

Books of TaNaKh

Torah, Nevi’im and Kethuvim

Priestly Source

A source in the documentary hypothesis believed to contain material from the priests regarding rituals, genealogies, and religious laws in the Hebrew Bible. This is the 1st creation story but is belived to be newer

Jahweh Source

A hypothesized source in the documentary hypothesis that emphasizes the use of the name Jahweh. This is the second creation story, thought to be older

Midrash

Type of text that comes along later, which is the process of addition and clarification of some of the stories (through annotation and reconciliation of conflicts)

Four main similarities between sects of Judaism

1. Oneness of God 

2. Authority of the Torah 

3. Israel as the land of the people 

4. Status and sacred of temple 

Who started snyangoges

Rabbis

Branches of Judaism (Modern)

1. Reform

2. Orthodox

3. Conservative

4. Reconstructionist

5. Humanistic

Anti - Judaism vs Anti - Semitism

Anti-Judaism refers to opposition to Judaism as a religion, while Anti-Semitism refers to prejudice against Jewish people as an ethnic group.

What land was given to the Jews b/c of the WWII

Israel

3 Stages of Post Burial Mourning (Jewish)

1. 7 days filled with visitors

2. 30 days with no social obligations

3. Children repeat the same prayer for 1 year

4 Functions of Rituals

1. Orient participants to scared space & time 

2. Connect participants to the divine 

3. Connects participants to a larger community

4. Includes the body as an instrument for religion

3 kinds of rituals

1. Calendar Rituals

2. Special Occasion Rituals

3. Life Cycle (events) Rituals

What is Mikveh

Ritual immersion in water by women to purify so that they can enter the synagogue (typically after periods of menstruation)

Main difference btw Judaism and Christianity

JC as a prophet vs God

Rosemary Radford Ruether main Christian thought

Rather than looking for universally shared symbols, she was concerned with the idea of blueprints of religions (cultural values of the time and how it is shaping the era). Particularly interested in Gender and power, as well as the texts that were included in the Christian Cannon and why they were chosen.

Elaine Pagels main Christian thought

We can learn just as much by the texts that were left out, why were they not considered correct

Satriology

 it is a particular religious system interpretation of how salvation worlds

Gnosis

Hidden knowledge, the rejection of material world/body and embrace of the divine real,/spirit, strongly influenced by dualism

Anchoritic

Acesistic and dessert mothers/fathers. Completely on their own, praying, extreme fasting, extreme rejection of world items

Cenobitic

Through community, More of the common wealth side, Rejected the extreme form of accessitism, ties themselves to communities of lay peoples

Conciliar movement

Prior to the council in which the church declared that local councils have religious authority, there was a perspective that power and authority moved downwards → God → Pope → Bishops → Public 

Scholasticism

Reason and faith were mutually confirming

Thomas Aquinas

Distinguished between reason and faith and he states that you should reach faith from logic than you can more easily accept it

Mysticism

 Logic doesn't matter, what matters is profound personal experience of gods divinity

Monks

Mostly living in monastic communities and despite the rejection of extreme asceticism they still took vows of chastity and money

Friars

Would travel and live frugally but would go place to place to try to help the poor and destitute

Martin Luthers Main Beliefs

Salvation through faith and not actions, and the idea of direct access to the god through the holy spirit

Jean Calvin Main Idea

Idea that we need to move away from the catholic celery and focus more on scripture and the concept of accessing salvation through faith again instead of through actions or good deeds

Point of the meeting of trent

Trying to establish a catholic practice, this is about getting everyone on the same page against he critiquesTrying to establish a catholic practice, this is about getting everyone on the same page against he critiques

John Wycliffe Main Idea

Argued against indulgences, questioned ecclesiastical traditions of the catholic church and advocated for vernacular languages of scripture and worship

Puritan Group

• Condemned ornamentations (decor) and organ music in churches, viewed them as unnecessary and distracting 

• Preaching over sacraments and scripture over clergy 

• Advocated for the state to be subject to the church (church over state)

Shakers

Sect that split off from the quakers and focus on ecstatic religious experiences, celibacy and communal living

Hagiographies

A type of writing that is a sort of biography of a saint or holy person, it is not meant to be an accurate historical account but instead an idealised portrayal of a saint.  Ex The testament of Ann Lee

Liberalism (Modernism)

Skepticism toward traditional Christian doctrines; Biblical criticism; ethical dimensions of faith

Evangelicalism

reaction to liberal theology, personal conversion and sanctification

Fundamentalism

reaction to liberal theology; scriptural inerrancy (The idea that scriptures may have errors , divinity of Jesus, virgin birth, substitutionary theory of atonement (Jesus died for the sins of humanity), and physical resurrection + return

Shi’a

Leadership passed to Imams, descended from prophet, divine intermediary, first was Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali

Sunni

strictly opposes any belief in divine intermediaries, Prophet had no such divine authority; vast majority of Muslims today

Hadith

stories about the teaching and example of muhammad, second most authoritative

Shari’ah

case law

Fiqh

interpretation of Shari’ah

Fatwa

Personal interpretation/opinion

Prophet (Islam)

conveys a message from God to a specific people at a specific time

Messenger

is sent to a community to communicate a shari’ah (universally binding sacred law)

What are the 5 Pillars

• Shahadah → testifying to belief in Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet

• Salah →  performing five daily prayers, in direction of islam 

• Sawm → fasting during Islamic calendar month of Ramadan (Based on a solar calendar)

• Zakah → giving alms to the poor

• Hajj → making a pilgrimage to Mecca (consider the most holy spot) (Tawaf → Circling the Mecca)

Four Main Parts of the Mosque

1. Fountain

2. Large area for prayer

3. Pulpit,

4. An imageless niche in the wall closest to Mecca

Rite of passage

allowing someone to move from one point into another typically in a celebratory

Communitas

Binding factors that brings people together in a classification activity, the liminal state of being in between  two spaces, which forces people to work together

Hopi Kachina Ritual

A ceremonial ritual performed by the Hopi tribe, featuring intricate dances and masked performers representing Kachinas, spiritual beings that embody natural elements and ancestral spirits. This ritual serves to ensure favorable conditions for agriculture and community well-being.

Sam Gill 

Knew a lot and studied in the areas of anthology of rites of passage

What is the first amendment

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the rights to freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. It is a fundamental law that ensures individuals can express themselves without government interference.

Quanah Parker

elected by the US fed government and infected with the Comanche nation, tried to allow the practice of peyote ceremonies to continue

Religious Freedom Restoration Act

A federal law passed in 1993 to protect individuals' rights to practice their religion without interference from the government, requiring a compelling governmental interest to restrict religious practices.

cult

Group led by a charismatic leader, who also tightly controls all the members. Typically requires unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered to be deviant

New Religion Movements

New term for what would have be considered cults

Falun Gong

A spiritual movement originating in China that combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. It has faced significant persecution by the Chinese government.

Soka Gakkai

A Japanese Buddhist organization that promotes peace, education, and cultural exchange through the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. It advocates for the chanting of "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and emphasizes individual empowerment.