RS 168 - Comprehensive Final Review for Philosophy Course

1. Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism have been collectively called the Three ____

a. Jewels

b. Doctrines

c. Schools

d. Institutions

B. Doctrines

1. The legendary founder of Daoism is ____ whose name means "old master" or "old child."

a. Mencius

b. Confucius

c. Laozi

d. Mozi

C. Laozi

1. The great classic of Daoism, accepted by most Daoist's as a central scripture, is the

a. Daodejing

b. Tripitaka

c. Three Baskets

d. Doctrines

A. Daodejing

1. According to Daoism, the ____ is the origin of everything, and all individual things are "manifestations" of it

a. Yin

b. Dao

c. Jiva

d. Qi

B. Dao

1. One of the stimuli that influenced Daoism to take an organizational path was

a. Hinduism

b. Buddhism

c. Jainism

d. Christianity

B. Buddhism

1. For Confucians, the Dao is primary interest is the Dao within the human world, manifested in ______.

a. Right relationships and a harmonious society

b. Traditional mountain sites and heavenly constellations

c. Natural signs and symbols

d. Complex meditation and universal love

A. Right Relationships and a Harmonious Society

1. The Five Great Relationships signify that each person must live up to his or her social status. This has been called the ______.

a. Rectification of names

b. Path of righteousness

c. Way of the Gods

d. Enlightenment

A. Rectification of Names

1. He destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE brought about the end of the ____ ceremonial religion of Israel.

a. Temple based.

b. Polytheistic

c. Rabbinical

d. Patriarchal

A. Temple based

1. The Hebrew Bible is divided into three sections

a. Rig, yajur, atharava

b. Adam, eve, Noah

c. Genesis, exodus, numbers

d. Torah, navi'im, Ketuvim

D. Torah, Navi'im, Ketuvim

1. ____ was the first Hebrew patriarch. God entered into a solemn covenant with him, which involved a promise of land, protection, and descendants

a. Abraham

b. Noah

c. Isaiah

d. Genesis

A. Abraham

1. In a story from Genesis, Jacob wrestles all night long with a mysterious stranger. Jacob receives a new name.

a. Judah

b. Israel

c. Joseph

d. Noah

B. Israel

1. In Hebrew, the name for God.

a. Baal

b. Adonai

c. Yahweh

d. Adam

C. Yahweh

1. The Babylonian _____ contains legal material and nonlegal anecdotes and tales

a. Ketuvim

b. Talmud

c. Torah

d. Testament

B. Talmud

1. In 18th century Europe, Jewish traditionalism expressed itself in both Talmudic scholarship and in ______.

a. Hasidism

b. Sephardim

c. Conservative Judaism

d. Essene

A. Hasidism

1. Christianity grew out of this religion:

a. Hinduism

b. Judaism

c. Islam

d. Buddhism

B. Judaism

1. Almost everything that we know about Jesus comes from the four gospels of the New Testament. The word gospel means.

a. Vision

b. Good news

c. Enlightenment

d. Covenant

B. Good News

1. The two great commandments of Jesus combine these two elements:

a. Love for God and a call for kindness towards others

b. Missionary activities and a call for prayer five times a day

c. Love for God and pilgrimage to Jerusalem

d. Refraining from immoral activities and giving to the poor

A. Love for God and a call for kindness towards others

1. Because the way that he interpreted and spread the teachings of Jesus, this person Is sometimes called the cofounder of Christianity.

a. Peter

b. James

c. Paul

d. John

C. Paul

1. In the Gospel of John, the portrayal of Jesus is full of mystery. He is divine made visible in human form. He is God's

a. Inspiration

b. Transcendence

c. Incarnation

d. Spirit

C. Incarnation

1. When this man became emperor, he saw Christianity a glue that could cement the fragments of his entire empire.

a. Herod

b. Constantine

c. Antiochus

d. Hyrcanus

B. Constantine

1. This person was the dominant authority in Western Christian theology from the fifth century until the Protestant Reformation

a. Plotinus

b. Herodotus

c. Calvin

d. Augustine

D. Augustine

1. Islam means.

a. Sacred

b. Holy

c. Enlightened

d. Submission

D. Submission

1. Muslims refer to God as ______. The word is a contraction of two Arabic words.

a. Elohim

b. Salam

c. Allah

d. El Shaddai

C. Allah

1. The ______ is a single sentence that when recited with belief, makes a person Muslim.

a. Salat

b. Shahadah

c. Ramadan

d. Hajj

B. Shahadah

1. Fasting is thought to be an important bond that united Muslims during the period of sharing fasting known as.

a. Salat

b. Shahadah

c. Ramadan

d. Hajj

C. Ramadan

1. All Muslims are prevented by poverty of sickness, are expected to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This pilgrimage is known as.

a. Salat

b. Shahadah

c. Ramadan

d. Hajj

D. Hajj

1. The word Qur'an means.

a. Successor

b. Recitation

c. The book

d. The writings

B. Recitation

1. This person was the father of Muhammad's youngest wife and was recognized as the first Caliph.

a. Abu Bakr

b. Umar

c. Ali

d. Uthman

A. Abu Bakr

1. The term _____ is used to describe the mixture of various elements from different religions.

a. Polytheistic

b. Imminent

c. Transcendent

d. Syncretic

D. Syncretic

1. This world, ____ is best known manifestation of the Contemporary Pagan movement.

a. Druid

b. Wicca

c. Voodoo

d. Santeria

B. Wicca

1. _____ were an elite group of ancient Celtic professionals who acted as judges, teachers, counselors, doctors, and priests.

a. Druids

b. Wiccans

c. Thetans

d. Orishas

A. Druids

1. This is a movement that grew up in Spanish colonial Cuba. Mixture of Yoruba religions and Catholicism.

a. Santeria

b. Theosophy

c. Scientology

d. Voodoo

A. Santeria

1. This religion, which developed in French colonial Haiti, mixture of Yoruba religions and Catholicism.

a. Santeria

b. Theosophy

c. Scientology

D. Voodoo

D. Voodoo

1. ________ Shows a strong interest in mystically oriented teachings from all sources-among them, Hindu Vedanta, Jewish Kabbalah

a. Santeria

b. Theosophy

c. Scientology

d. Voodoo

B. Theosophy

1. This movement, _________, was founded by: Ron Hubbard. It holds that the core of the human being is a spiritual reality, which it calls the Thetans.

a. Santeria

b. Theosophy

c. Scientology

d. Voodoo

C. Scientology

Ying-Yang

Chinese commonly thought that the universe expressed itself in opposite but complementary principles: light and dark, day and night. The ideal dynamic balance between the forces.

Wu-Wei:

"no action". It is the ideal of effortlessness. The ideal implies the avoidance of unnecessary action of action that is not spontaneous.

Lao-Tzu:

Also known as Laozi which means "old master" or "old child." His birth resulted from a virginal conception. He travelled by ox to the far west part of Chinda. He was seen as a scholar and started to write down his teachings.

Tao Te Ching:

Also known as the daodejing. Is seen as one of the greatest spooks and is accepted by most Daoist's as a central scripture. It can be translated as "the classical book about the way and its power."

Juntzu (zi)

"Noble person" the refined human ideal of Confucianism

Analects

Thought to record the sayings of Confucious and his followers. Book of sayings.

Abraham

first Hebrew patriarch. He was called by God to leave his home for another land.

Moses

The most important Jewish prophet. He is credited with the writing the Torah and leading the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. He was born in Egypt.

David

Second ruler of the United Kingdom of ancient Israel and Judah. He was chosen by God because he saw that his heart was good.

Jacob

The son of Issac and Rebecca, and the grandson of Abraham and Sarah.

Joseph

: His brother's sense that his father loves him best and set up a plan to kill him. He is taken to Egypt, and he becomes an important government minister.

Rachel

Wife of Jacob

Talmud

encyclopedic commentary on the Hebrew scriptures

Torah

Teaching or instruction. The first five books of the Hebrew scriptures; also, the additional instructions of God, believed by many to have been transmitted rally from Moses through a succession of teachers and rabbis.

Tanakh

the complete Hebrew scriptures, made up of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings

Yahweh

God

Zionism

A movement that has encouraged the creation and support of the nation of Israel.

Theophany

A revelation or appearance of God.

Orthodox Judaism

The most traditional branch of Judaism. Very strict.

Gaza

Base camp of the Palestine's who were constantly attacking and terrorizing the Jews of Israel

West Bank

Where Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. One of the ten tribes of Israel that were forced into exile.

Holocaust

The destruction of European Judaism by the Nazis. Also known as Shoa (Hebrew word for extermination)

70CE

The romans reclaimed Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple with a portion of the Western wall remaining.

Gospel

Good News

Apocryphal Gospels

Number of writings by early Christians that give accounts of Jesus and his teachings.

Council of Nicaea

: In 325, Emperor Constantine attempted to unite Christianity and establish a single, imperially approved version of faith.

Nicene Creed

A statement of the orthodox faith of the early Christian church in opposition to certain heresies, especially Arianism. It states, "we believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ.

Indulgences

"kindness-toward"; remission of the period spent in purgatory. This is part of Catholic belief and practice.

Paschal Mystery

Suffering, death, and resurrection

Kingdom of God

At hand, a future reality, inclusivity, call for decision, compassion/forgiveness, joy, radical love, trust in God.

Good Samaritan

: Jesus himself is this. He has proved this by his treatment of the robbed and the wounded human race. This parable teaches the plan of salvation, the Savior's atoning love, and our journey toward inheriting eternal life.

Two Great Commandments

: Love God and your neighbor. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." And "you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Parable of the Prodigal Son

A son asks his father for his inheritance, then squanders it recklessly as he lives a life of indulgence. With nothing left of his fortune, he is forced to work as a hired hand for a pig farmer. In the end, he is welcomed back into the family by his father and his brother.

Constantine

306-337. Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Europe under this leader. He played a major role in spreading Christianity by legalizing its practice and supporting church activities.

Beatitutudes

Sum up Jesus' teaching about what it means to live as a child of God's kingdom. Eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount

Collection of sayings spoken by Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew that emphasizes his moral teachings. Message of love, compassion, an selflessness. This sermon was addressed to a large crowd of listeners to guide them in a life based on a new law of love, even to enemies.

Edict of Milan

: Granted all person's freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased, assured Christians of legal rights, and directed the prompt return to Christians of confiscated property.

Islam

Means surrender/submission. Also means peace.

Qur'an

114 chapters. Things that prophets recited as he heard them from Gabriel. The word of God as revealed to the Prophet. Sacred text of Islam.

Hadith

collection of sayings that the messenger of God, Muhammad, preached

Sharia

Collection of Islamic law. Path to God by following.

Ramadan

: Period of fasting and spiritual growth and is one of the five "pillars of Islam"

Sunni

the larger of two main branches of Islam. Member of the branch accepts the first four caliphs as the rightful successor to Muhammad. Believed that Abu Barr was the successor. He was his right-hand man.

Allah

Muslim God

Sufi

Follow Sufism which is a spiritual approach to Islam. Mysticism immediately experiences to divine presence (love and brotherhood).

Shiite

The Ali party (son of Muhammad) people believed successor should be in his bloodline. Mainly in Iran. This is the other main branch of Islam.

Shariah

: set of Islamic religious law that governments aspects of say to day life for Muslims in addition to religious rituals.

Khadija

Married Muhammad. She provided instrumental support in his early prophethood. Her wealth allowed him the leisure to meditate, and she reassured him of the authenticity of his first revelations. Considered the first person to believe in Muhammad's message.

Adhan

Recited from mosque five times daily. It is the first call summoning Muslims to enter Mosque.

Ja

Manifested on Earth as Jesus. Shortened version of "Jehovah." He is Black and is an Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.

Santeria

Yoruba based religion that developed in Suba and was influenced by Spanish Catholicism. It is also a blend of West African tribal religion. Example of syncretism

Syncretism

reconciliation/fusion of differencing systems of belief. Also, the accommodation of one belief system within another

Wicca

Contemporary Pagan movement that seeks harmony with the forces of nature and worships both the female and male aspects of the divine. Focuses on the natural cycles of the universe.

Wiccan Rede

Basic ethics or principles. Do no harm to others that you would not want done to you.

Ba'hai

A modern monotheistic religion that grew out of Islam and emphasizes unity and equality of all individuals, cultures, and religions. Believe in oneness of humankind, the truth, harmony of science/religion, education, and equality

Rastafarianism

honor Old Testament prophets like Moses and Elijah. Based on Judaism and Christianity. A religion that began in Jamaica in the 1920s to emphasize African pride.

Pastafarianism

A social movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion and opposes the teaching of intelligent design and creationism in public schools

1. After spending a semester studying the world's religions, what concluding thoughts do you have in terms of what you learned, what may have surprised you, which religion you would like to learn more about and why?

After this semester, I feel much less ignorant towards the world and the way people approach life. When entering this course, I did not know much about religions of the world and am grateful to be leaving knowing so much. In the first unit of the course, we discussed how ignorance leads to anger and fear. I think all religions are beautiful and have such rich history that is valued tremendously by followers. Out of all the religions, I would like to learn more about Judaism and Buddhism. Judaism is very interesting to me as it is the origins of the three religions of the West and since the population is so small, it is not really taught in schools.

1. Identify and briefly explain eight characteristics of the Kingdom of God as Jesus talked about it. Provide an example of each from the teaching of Jesus.

The eight characteristics of the Kingdom of God consists of at hand, a future reality, inclusivity (teaching of the sermon on the mount), call for decision (repent is at hand), compassion and forgiveness (Parable of the prodigal son), joy (parable of the wedding feast), radical love (parable of the good Samaritan), and trust in God as our father.

1. Identify and explain the five pillars of Islam.

1. Shahadah: Testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and his messenger Muhammad. Testimony to God.

2. Salah: offering prayer five times a day.

3. Zakat: Giving alms or charity.

4. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca

5. Fasting: In the month of Ramadan

1. Identify and explain the six articles of faith of Islam.

1. Oneness of God: Tawhid: There is one supreme God and there are no equals. God must be loved and followed for salvation.

2. Belief in Prophets: All Messengers are mortal human beings of the Divine.

3. Belief in Angels: Angels are pure and are created by God for his command and must be worshipped.

4. Belief in People of the Book: Jews/Christians/Muslims:

5. Belief in Judgment: paradise and hell

6. Belief in Predestination: will of God. If God allows it, it will happen. He has control overall.

1. What is the meaning of the word tao as taught in the Tao Te Ching? How is it related to the principle of wu-wei?

The word Tao means the way. It reflects the ultimate reality, and the Tao is beyond definition and name. It reflects the universe as vital energy and rhythm. Lastly, it reflects human nature. The Tao Te Ching's major teachings are to live in harmony with nature and to be like water. This means to go with the flow but be unstoppable. Wu-wei is to live a life with nonviolence and to never force anything to come. What is supposed to happen, will happen, without any force. These two are related as they describe the approach to a peaceful life and the path to achieve it.

1. Briefly describe the basic characteristics/beliefs of each of the following New Religious Movements: Santería, Wicca, Rastafarianism, Baha'i.

1. Santeria: Blend of West African Yoruba religion and Christianity. Worships hundreds of orishas that communicate with humans to live a life of wisdom and prosperity.

2. Wicca: Revolves around the celebration of natural cycles and seasons. It is referred to neo-paganism and use the Wiccan Rede to reflect their basic principles and practices. Many principles emphasize love and treating all equally.

3. Rastafarianism: Based on Judaism and Christianity. Originating in Jamaica, this religion honors Old Testament Prophets like Elijah and Moses. Their God is Jah and is manifested on Earth as Jesus. He is Black and an Ethiopian Emperor.

4. Baha'i: Gods Progressive Revelation in Iran. Belief in oneness of human kind, equality for all, harmony between science and religion, and educational promotion.

1. What are the four models for understanding religious pluralism? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each model? Which one do you most agree with?

1. Exclusivism: one true way. Answers are clear but it can lead to many conflicts like war and divorce.

2. Inclusivism: includes other faiths. Other faiths can be saved. Open and tolerant of other faiths but is ambiguous and one religion looks superior.

3. Pluralism: all religions are the same, just different approaches taken. All are equal but it is open to debate.

4. Relative Uniqueness: recognizes the traits of all religions. Understands that they are relative to their own journey. It is specific to each person and perspective, but it appears to weaken the truth.

Out of the four models, the one I agree with the most is pluralism. I see religion as a way for many to understand the depths of life and truly provides people with sincerity and comfort. I do not think one religion is superior to the other and I believe that all religions have the same goals and attempt to answer the same questions for people.

1. While the religions we have studied this semester are very diverse they do share some common elements. What are three common themes you have discovered to be a kind of thread through the religions we have studied? Provide two examples for each theme.

Enlightenment: (1) Buddha was enlightened after his experiences and spending time in solidarity. It was due to this that he was able to begin her sermon and teachings. (2) Moses was enlightened at the burning bush when God spoke to him and told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

The Golden Rule: (1) Christianity; Matthew 7:12. "In everything, do to others what you would have them done to you." It is about treating others with respect and kindness as well as love. (2) Wiccans use the Wiccan Rede to actively do good for one's fellow humans as well as oneself.

Places of Worship: (1) Jews practice at synagogues and are large halls for prayer. It allows for a holiness attachment to God as well as a community for like minded individuals. (2) Muslims practice at mosques. They are used for prayers and community service.