Rel2003 study guide

Creed

Explanations of life and the universe.

Cult

1) a pejorative used for a relatively small group led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant and outside the norms of society. 2) a set of religious institutions and practices that is conventional within a specific culture.

Denomination

refers to a subgroup or subdivision within a religious tradition that operates under a common belief system but developed new or alternative traditions and practices

Divine

related to a god; supremely meaningful.

Empathy

involves what we call "perspective taking" which sees the world from another person's point of view and understanding their thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Animism

refers to the belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence or animating force.

Apologist

"a verbal defense" of one's beliefs.

Cluster Definition

comes from the famous German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein which defines things that are connected by a series of overlapping similarities but do not have one common feature to them all.

Comparative Studies

refers to an academic field that delves into the systematic comparison of the world's diverse religions, doctrines, practices and themes.

Cosmology

encompasses the study of the nature of reality and the universe while providing a framework for understanding the place of humanity and the divine within the cosmic order.

Essentialist Theory of Religion

attempt to identify a singular, core essence that defines all religions across cultures and time; they focus on contents of religion and the meaning the contents has.

Faith

involves accepting and trusting in truths that cannot be perceived through reason or senses alone, but it entails a sense of confidence in a higher power and accepting its guidance.

Functionalist Theory of Religion

delve into the nature and function of a religion within a society or the individual themselves.

Henotheism

refers to a belief system in which one deity is worshipped or considered the supreme deity, while other gods or deities may exist but are not given the same level of importance or devotion.

Heresy

refers to a belief system that deviates from an established belief system.

Heterodoxy

means "different beliefs," it encompasses a range of ideas, practices, and/or interpretations that are considered to be outside or deviation from the established or normative framework of religious tradition.

Immanence

refers to the concept that the divine is present within the world.

Indoctrination

The process of imparting religious teachings (doctrine) and beliefs in an authoritarian or limited manner without allowing for critical thinking, alternative perspective and /or informed consent.

Insider Perspective

refers to one that is informed by the direct experiences, beliefs, and practices of a particular religious tradition, and it can be gained through personal experience, participation in religious communities, and study of sacred texts and teachings. It provides valuable insights into the lived experience of religion and can help to bridge the gap between academic study and the realities of religious communities.

Monotheism

a belief system in the existence of a single, supreme creator-god who is often viewed as being omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere at all times).

Non-Theistic Religions

refers to those religious traditions that do not believe in the existence of a personal deity or god, and instead, they may emphasize other aspects of spirituality, such as personal growth, ethical behavior, or the interconnectedness of all things.

Old Secularization Theory

if a society modernizes and embraces liberal ideas, its population will abandon religious beliefs and associations.

Orthodoxy

adherence to accepted religious norms and beliefs

Orthopraxy

means "right practices," it emphasizes the importance of having and performing the proper actions and rituals of a particular religious tradition.

Outsider Perspective

refers to the one that comes from an external view of a particular religious tradition, and it can be gained through academic study, research, and critical analysis of religious texts and practices. And it offers a broader and more objective view of religion, allowing scholars to identify patterns, compare, and contrast different traditions, and develop theories about the nature and function of religion.

Panentheism

refers to a belief system that the divine intersects every part of the universe and extends beyond space and time.

Participants /Practitioners/ Adherents

Practice a specific religion.

Polytheism

a belief system in the existence of multiple gods and goddesses who are often viewed as having individual personalities, traits, and responsibilities, and are often associated with specific natural phenomena or aspects of human life.

Profane

real of everyday business, ordinary life.

Religion

is a range of social and cultural systems of philosophies, symbols, and meaning that designates behaviors, practices, beliefs, worldviews, literature, sanctified places, and/or community that generally relate humanity to transcendental and corporal elements.

Religionswissenschaft

academy scientific study of religion.

Religiosity

refers to the degree to which an individual or group adheres to or identifies with a particular religion.

Religious

associated with or involves beliefs and practices that are characterized by a religion.

Religious Institutions

refers to organized structure and social groups that support and manage the practice of specific religious tradition, and they provide a framework for communal worship, religious education, transmission of traditions and the performance of rituals.

Religious Studies

a discipline of study and research that strives to examine all aspects of religious tradition with a value free orientation and it aims towards objectivity.

Religious Traditions

refers to the broad grouping of histories, beliefs, customs, practices, and institutions that are associated with specific religions.

Religion as a Western Concept

define religion in terms of a set of beliefs having to do with a supreme god, messiahs, and a sacred literature that contribute to a system of beliefs and behaviors.

Rite/ Ritual

set of behaviors that people carry out for religious purposes.

Sacred

a sphere of the supernatural of the ordinary, order and perfection that exists beyond human intervention.

Sacrilege

involves the intentional transgression of boundaries or norms that protect the sacred realm, acts diminish the sanctity or holiness of sacred objects, places, or practices, and /or often carries symbolic meaning, conveying disrespect, mockery, or contempt towards religious beliefs and practices.

Santa Claus Theory

where you enforce your beliefs of religion on your kids when they are too young to know otherwise or to help them behave.

Scripture

written text that records myths, histories, ritual, instructions, songs and other religious information.

Sect

traditionally defined as a religious subgroup that has broken off from a main religious body and the separation is irreparable.

Secular/ Secularism

secular refers to something that is not connected to or controlled by religion, either religious beliefs or religious institutions. It also refers to decisions and actions that are based on no religious principles such as logic, reason and science.

Spiritual

refers to a sense of connection to something greater than oneself and often involves a search of meaning and purpose in life.

Theistic Religions

refers to those religious traditions that believe in the existence of one or more gods or goddesses who are involved in the affairs of world and humanity.

Theology

refers to the systematic study of the nature of the divine or ultimate reality, religious beliefs, and practices, and it encompasses the critical examination of religious texts, doctrines, and traditions seeking to understand their meaning, significance, and implications for human life in relation to the divine.

Transcendence

refers to the human's desire to transcend beyond the mundane to reach Heaven in Christianity, Moksha in Buddhism.

Western Biases

viewing the world from a European influenced perspective with an implied belief in the pre-eminence of Western culture.

Worldview

how people see the world or what is true.

Agni

Ancient vedic god of Hinduism, who is the messenger god and the god of fire.

Ahimsa

Non injury of life.

Artha

involves the acquisition of resources and the development of skills and abilities to achieve financial stability and security for the pursuit of spiritual liberation.

Aryans

refers to a theorized group of people who lived in the area of Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, parts of Turkey, parts of Uzbekistan, this area of Asians that is believed to have been the source of many of Europe's population from back in the olden days.

Asuras

are demi-gods (part human, part divine).

Atman

eternal soul/self.

Avatar

the incarnation of a deity on earth.

Avidya (Hindu)

ignorance.

Bhagavad Gita

is a 700 verse Hindu text that lies within another Hindu text that's a part of the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata and is one of Hinduism's best known and celebrated and beloved texts of all the Ghandi.

Bhakti

loving devotion for the gods. Bhakti is seen as the highest form of spiritual practice within Hinduism and in a sense it really emerged as a counter movement to those of Buddhism and Jainism who deny the existence of gods.

Bhakti yoga/marga

known as 'The Path of Devotion,' and refers to the spiritual practice within Hinduism that focused on loving devotion towards a personal deity as a path to moksha.

Brahma

the creator.

Brahman

Hindus believe Brahman is God and is both many and one. Brahman is an impersonal, all-pervading spirit. It is the universe but yet transcends it as well. It is the ultimate reality within Hinduism.

Brahmin

are the priests within the Hindu old vedic tradition.

Caste system

the social classes in Hinduism. There are Brahmins, the Kshatriya, the Vaishya and the Shudra.

Dalit

the untouchables within society. They're the lowest part of Hindu societies, so low that they exist outside Hindu societies.

Devas

masculine gods.

Dharma (Hindu)

set of duties or set of behavior. The pursuit of righteousness, duty and ethical conduct.

Ganesha/Ganesh

one of the most popular Hindu gods. He is the son of Shiva and Pavarati. He is known as the patron of scribes and accountants and as the remover of obstacles.

Henotheism

refers to the belief in many other gods but primarily worshiping one god.

Hinduism

is Sanatana Dharma ('the eternal truth'). It is a diverse religion of India that teaches that life is consumed by samsara and humanity's real purpose is to be done with life forever. It is considered the oldest and 3rd largest religion in the world.

Indigenous Religions

refer to an ancestral religion or a people group who are native to a particular area or landscape and apply localized belief systems and that usually do not engage in proselytization and whose beliefs are orally transmitted and are intertwined with their traditional lifestyles.

Indus Valley Civilization

Independent civilizations that existed in India that were to rival that of Ancient Egypt and Babylon, known also as the Harappan Civilization. A huge territory that ran within the valley between the two mountainous regions as well as the plains, the rest of the lower plains of India, but similarly but mostly around the Indus River.

Jnana yoga/marga

also known as 'the path of wisdom or self-realization,' Jnana marga emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge and understanding as a means to attain spiritual liberation and enlightenment.

Kali

goddess of good fortune related to Diwali.

Kama

the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment in accordance with one's duty and responsibilities to oneself and others.

Karma

refers to the universal principle of cause and effect of an individual's actions on everyone and everything. Hinduism teaches there are 3 kinds of karma: Sanchita, Kriyamana, Prarabdha.

Karma yoga/marga

one of the three paths which aim is to break from samsara and achieve moksha. The path of unselfish action and duty.

Krishna

one of the avatars of the god Vishnu.

Kshatriya

the warrior class and the society rulers.

Law (Code) of Manu

is a legal text of Hinduism and forms the basis of Dharmasastras - which are treatises on Dharma and rule books of Hindu behavior and society.

Lingam & Yoni

abstract representations of Shiva and symbolize the merging of primordial matter with pure consciousness creation.

Maya

false knowledge.

Moksha

a physical, spiritual liberation from this existence on earth.

Murti

statues, images, idols, of the Hindu gods and goddesses.

Puja

the act of worship.

Puranas

are comprised of devotional verses about the exploits and attributes of popular Hindu deities.

Samsara

is a universal force that works through all cycles of life.

Sanatana Dharma

the eternal truth.

Sanskrit

the ancient language of the religious texts of the Hindus religion.

Shaivites

devotees of the god Shiva.

Shudra

the servants and the laborers of the community.

Shiva

the god of death, destruction, and dance.

Shruti

refer to those texts which are regarded as quotes not made by the hands of men, meaning that they weren't composed by men themselves but instead they believed within Hindu traditions that they were revealed by the deities.

Smriti

refers to those texts that are man made, meaning that they have been hand written by humans and do have a traditional author.

Trimurti

The three forms or functions: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Upanishads

refers to a collection of Hindu philosophical texts and dialogues written around 800 BCE to maybe as early as 300 BCE.

Vaishnavites

devotees of the god Vishnu.

Vaishya

the landowners and the merchants of the cities.

Varna

early Indian society began to develop into three basic classes called varnas.