Studied by 44 people
myth (basic religions)
not a lie, but a story to explain truth
how and why of life
parables are myths
totems (basic religions)
something that represents somethings else
eagle, bear, sun
identity component
mascot, idol
warrior, cross, social media
taboos (basic religions)
actions that must be avoided
touching Ark of Covenant
Sacrifice (basic religions)
something is given to appease, please, or provide for
spiritual disciplines, giving, time, Christ’s death
sacred place (basic religions)
a place that is considered sacred
temple, tabernacle, synagogue, Mt. Sinai, our bodies
holy - set apart, sacred, revered, honored, hallowed
sacred space (basic religions)
a space around a sacred place
mountain around the burning bush, temple
magic (basic religions)
not slight of hand, but the ability to control nature
not like a card trick, witch doctor
immitative magic - voodoo doll
fetish (basic religions)
good luck charm, used to control nature
is not sexual
horseshoe, good luck charm, four-leaf clover
dances (Native American)
intended to appease spirits, gain their favor, intended to tell a story
spirit world (Native American)
nature has many spirits in it
there is one supreme spirit (personal and abstract)
Vision Quest (Native American)
venture out alone into the wilderness around age 13
Medicine Man (Native American)
connected to the spirit world
able to heal others
Peace Pipes (Native American)
way of connecting to the spirit world
could be tobacco, Peyote
Animism (Native American)
all living things have a spirit, but they believe that this spirit is the spirit of the supreme
White people kill everything; Indians seek to prolong life
Sacrifice - sundance (Native American)
self-inflicted pain
taboos (Native American)
avoid the dead and gravesites
Death/Afterlife (Native American)
belief in two souls, neither are immortal
one soul is life/breath - when the body dies it dies
the other soul is the free soul - it leaves the body during dreams and sickness; goes to the land of the dead after death and is free
African Religions
have a belief in one supreme god who created the world, then withdrew (retired, impersonal, not involved)
Lesser spirits (African)
they are believed to be forces much like humans but in the spiritual realm
they can impact humanity for good or evil
can be bartered with, sacrificed to, or flattered to influence them
they are numerous
ex. are mountains, streams, pools, plants, animals, storms
Ancestor Spirits (African)
past relatives who have direct interest in the well being of those who are still living, unlike their god
ancestors can affect war outcomes, pregnancies, future, etc
treat your ancestors well now if you want them to do good to you and give you a happy life
Leaders - diviner (African)
works as a healer of circumstances
Leaders - Spiritual curer (African)
works for the healer of the body and the mind
Leader - prophets (African)
only in some societies, their role is to speak on the behalf of the gods
Sacrifice (African)
overarching way of life
can be some drink poured out or could be blood sacrifice
as severity rises, so does the sacrifice
they have done human sacrifice, but it is rare
Rites of passage - birth (African)
twins are favored in some and killed in others
children are not usually named until after the first week because of the high death rate
Rites of passage - puberty (African)
time to become an adult
taught how to act as men and women
boys go through whipping and fasting
girls put on weight by eating a lot
rites of passage - marriage (African)
happens soon after becoming adults
some places allow polygamy and polyandry
rites of passage - death (African)
make the dead very comfortable so they won’t bother you
embalming and mummification of great leaders
some people ponder the question of evil and its origin from the supreme god
Hinduism - historical setting
2000 BC, white invaders to India (Aryan)
have a caste system
Indus Valley Civilization
Caste System (Hinduism)
brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya, shudra, untouchables
BKVSU
Burger King’s Very Salty Unleavened-bread
Brahmin (Hinduism)
priests, scholars, teachers (aryan)
educated people
Ksatriya (Hinduism)
rulers, administrators, warriors
Vaisya (Hinduism)
merchants, artisans, craftsman
Shudra (Hinduism)
laborers, servants to all
Untouchables (Hinduism)
renamed “scheduled castes”
Ghandi referred to them as Harijan “children of God”
mixed caste relationship, foreigners, handles polluted things
caste segregation is starting to dwindle
mantras (Hinduism)
repeated prayers
guru (Hinduism)
one who is liberated in this life
vendata (Hinduism)
philosophy and spiritual of the religion
karma (Hinduism)
major law over life
a moral cause and effect
all thoughts, gestures, decisions, and actions are released into the world and come back to us
circumstances of birth, our caste, and other aspects of life are a result of our own doing
dharma (Hinduism)
the proper actions to do in life
written in the Code of Manu
Samadhi (Hinduism)
trance like experience of union with the Brahman
can be during yoga
Puja (Hinduism)
worship of one or several forms of god
typically done by sacrifice of grain, fruit, flower, incense, etc.
atman (Hinduism)
human souls
samsara (Hinduism)
to wander across
after death, life does not cease but moves to the next body
gods - Brahman (Hinduism)
supreme, eternal, infinite, unknowable, sexless, without past present or future, totally impersonal
gods - Brahma (Hinduism)
creator
he is the least favored of all of them
only has two temples in all of India
gods - Vishnu (Hinduism)
preserver, the god of love, forgiveness, benevolence
engages in life often, enjoys pranks and tricks
has come to the earth in nine forms
gods - Shiva (Hinduism)
the destroyer/dissolver (not necessarily bad)
most popular of the three
god of death, destruction, disease, dance
lesser gods - shakti (Hinduism)
female counterpart of Shiva seen in three aspects
lesser gods - parvati (Hinduism)
shiva’s mate
lesser gods - durga (Hinduism)
beautiful female warrior goddess
lesser gods - kali (Hinduism)
fierce blood thirsty form of power
three ways to salvation (Hinduism)
works, knowledge, devotion
“the plight of human beings is that they are bound up in this world of illusion and ignorance, thinking that it is real, unaware of their true identification with Brahman” - Hopfe
salvation - works (Hinduism)
must follow religious rites with no mistakes
salvation - knowledge (Hinduism)
gain all knowledge to come to state of mind where karma has no effect
salvation - devotion (Hinduism)
be fully devoted to gods, family, and boss in public and private
stages of the upper caste men (Hinduism)
student, household, hermit, wandering beggars (sannyasi)
moral goals (Hinduism)
one of the greatest sins is to kill a cow
pleasantness
patience
control of the mind (every pebble in the water)
not stealing
purity
control of senses
intelligence
knowledge
Holy days - holi (Hinduism)
february and march
most popular
honor Krishna
emphasizes pleasure
holy days - divali (Hinduism)
november
new year
festival of lights
holy days - dasehra (Hinduism)
october
presents are given to honor Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon
Religious Writings - vedas (Hinduism)
the only true Hindu book, all the rest are supplemental
Rig-Veda (Hinduism)
a collection of hymns establishing the origins and mythology of the gods
atharva-veda (Hinduism)
ruituals used in the home
prayers, spells, and incantations to ward off evil
yajur-veda (Hinduism)
knowledge of rites, recited during sacrifices
sama-veda (Hinduism)
mantras recited by the priest during sacrifices
Vedas in four parts - hymns to the gods (Hinduism)
usually considered the oldest of material
vedas in four parts - ritual material (Hinduism)
Brahamanas - this is how to perform sacrifices
vedas in four parts - forest treaties (Hinduism)
aranyakas - the how to for hermits
vedas in four parts - upanishads (Hinduism)
dialogues on existence (philosophy)
probably written around the 9th century BC
Religious writings - Bhagavad-Gita (Hinduism)
a segment of the Mahabharata
this is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna
teaches duty of each caste, acceptance of modes of salvation, and that Vishnu loves and is concerned for humans
ratifies much of the religion
Sects - sankhya (Hinduism)
to remove oneself from the material world
sects - yoga (Hinduism)
meditation is the key to yoga
sects - mimansa (Hinduism)
obedience to laws and rites in the Vedas
sects - vaisheshika (Hinduism)
earth, water, air, fire soul, mind, ether, time, and space are eternal
there is no need for god
sects - nyaya (Hinduism)
concerded with a logical analysis of the world with the basic premise of the Vaisheshika belief of the eternals
sects - vendata (Hinduism)
basically rejects the Vedas, hold to the Upanishadas
monotheists
believe that the human world is not actually real
the real problem is not sin or wickedness but ignorance
number of Hindus worldwide
1 billion
Buddhism historical setting
560 BC
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha
nirvana (Buddhism)
the blowing out or extinguishing the flames of desire
not eating pizza if you desire pizza is suffering, but if you don’t have any desires, you are suffering
dharma (Buddhism)
the teachings of Buddha
it is implied to mean moral behavior
(behave in a particular way)
karma (Buddhism)
what is done by you, good or evil, will be repaid back to you
mantra (Buddhism)
a phrase that is repeated
bodhisattva (Buddhism)
one who has reached buddhahood (mahayana)
dalai lama (Buddhism)
lead of the Tibetan sect
founder of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
Four Noble Truths (Buddhism)
all life is suffering
suffering is caused by desires
the end of suffering is possible
follow the eight-fold path to end pain
Eight Fold Path (Buddhism)
right understanding of reality
right thought
right speech
right actions
right occupation
right effort
right meditation
right concentration
burning incense (Buddhism)
offering to Buddha
ouza (Buddhism)
like a rosary, count recitation of mantras
a bell (Buddhism)
tells you when meditation is over
meditation (Buddhism)
varies according to types of Buddhism
Koan (Buddhism)
verbal puzzles that lead you to enlightenment
A cow passes by a window. Its head, horn, and four legs pass by. Why does its tail not pass by?
reincarnation (Buddhism)
man is alive, man dies, man goes through samsara, all his Karma is still in him, but he is not in the same body, and he can gain the new body’s karma
religious writings (Buddhism)
sutras - broken into three parts, aka Tripitaka (discourse, discipleship, doctrines)
telepathy
from within
Thereveda Buddhism
Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
Orthodox
He must seek enlightenment on his own with no help
focuses on Buddha as one person
more self-centered
Mahayana Buddhism
China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal
happiness
focuses on the many Buddhas
Buddhas exist to help us reach Nirvana
Pure Land Sect (Buddhism)
belief in a land that can exist without sin and some will go to this place (like heaven)
Syncritism (Buddhism)
mixing of worldviews
a Buddhist might have no problem with Jesus being one of their gods
Intuitive Sect (Buddhism)
also known as Zen Buddhism
one of the schools of Mahayana
favored in the west
focus on the experience (the flashes of truth)
they have many real questions that make a person think, but there is no answer to them (Koan)
Note 
Flashcard (22)