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Animism
The belief that plants, animals, and other entities possess a spiritual essence.
Reductionism
The philosophy that complex phenomena can be understood by reducing them to their simpler components.
Orthodoxy
Authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice within a religion.
Heresy
Belief or opinion that goes against established doctrine, often leading to condemnation.
Ethnography
The systematic study of people and cultures through direct observation and participation.
Survival
Frazer
How a religion continues through a new context or purpose
Sorcery and Taboo
Frazer
“Negative magic”
Society
Durkheim
A body of facts which are connected
Totem
Durkheim/Freud
An emblem that represents a society
Primitive Communism
Marx
A time without private property, all was shared for the greatest survival chances
Marx ideology
Religion is shaped by the Bourgeois
Neurosis
Freud
Irrational behaviors of one with painful repressions in their memory
Consciousness
Freud
Surface awareness
Pragmatism
James
Truths measured by utility
Thick Description
Geertz
A nuanced understanding of human behavior which explains actions and cultural/social contexts
Exegesis
Interpretation methods to uncover “original meaning” of a text
Hermeneutics
Interpretation of a text to understand today’s meaning
Literalism
What is written happened, no questions
Critical readings
Using textual and historical tools to find the literal meaning of a text
Inspiration
The channeling of something divine
Allegorical meaning
A meaning beyond the surface of a text
Sensus Plenior
A meaning not intended by the human author, later reinforced, “fuller meaning”
Typology
Person, event, or act that foreshadows something that occurs in the New Testament
Historical Criticism
Look at history for a better interpretation of events
Form Criticism
Look at formal devices to find author’s intent, “what is the genre?”
Gospels (genre)
Varying accounts of Jesus’ life (written by Mark, Matt, Luke, etc)
Synoptic Problem
3 sources of the New Testament are very similar, historians want to know who was the first author
Two-source theory
Mark was the first author, followed by Matthew and Luke who each had their own historical and cultural biases reflecting in their testaments
Jesus mythicism
The belief that Jesus of Nazareth did not exist as a historical figure, and that stories about him are based on myth rather than fact.
Primary Criteria to find Historical Jesus
Embarrassment, Discontinuity, Attestation, Coherence, Execution
Buddhavacana
Word of the Buddha
Revisionist origins of the Quran
The setting of the Quran was between 500s-800s, people arguing how to best practice monotheism
Frazer Theory:
Evolution from magic to religion to science
Durkheim Theory
Worshiping God as a worship of clan or community. Sacred vs profane (salvation vs indulgence)
Marx Theory
Religion is an ideology used by the bourgeois to keep lower classes docile
Freud Theory
Oedipus complex, primal event of parricide and cannibalism, monotheism worship because of guilt
James Theory
Individual experience versus institutionalization, heresy vs orthodox
Hollywood Theory
Medieval monks and personal relationship to practice
Geertz Theory
Relationship between explanation and interpretation, experience vs religion
Quest for the Historical Jesus
The endeavor to reconstruct the life and teachings of Jesus based on historical methods.
Over-Interpretation
The tendency to read too much meaning into a text beyond its intended significance.
