Lecture Review: Culture, Identity, Suffering, and Apocalypticism

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture, including definitions of culture, differing identities, views on suffering, and the apocalyptic worldview.

What is the "big concept of culture" according to the lecture?

Culture helps us make sense of the chaos of human experience.

What are some ways culture helps us categorize our world, as mentioned in the lecture?

Culture categorizes our world through concepts like family, race, nation, and gender.

What are examples of explicitly gendered words discussed in the lecture?

Examples of explicitly gendered words are 'daughter' and 'he'.

What key concept did Boaz use to describe how culture helps us see the world, according to the lecture?

Boaz used the concept of 'cultural glasses' which help us learn to see the world in a certain way and focus.

What phrase did Malamaski use to describe culture's role in coping with concrete problems?

Malamaski described culture as a 'vast apparatus' that helps us cope with concrete problems.

Which theorist emphasized the concept of 'rules' in their definition of culture and saw it as neither natural nor artificial?

Levi-Strauss emphasized 'rules' and described culture as neither natural nor artificial.

Which theorist's definition of culture, emphasizing 'selecting from and organizing' and 'culturally mediate,' influenced the lecturer's 'big concept of culture'?

Rosaldo's definition, emphasizing 'selecting from and organizing' and 'culturally mediate,' influenced the lecturer's big concept of culture.

How is culture primarily transmitted between individuals and generations, according to the lecture?

Culture is transmitted by learning it, often through parents and generations, by absorbing it rather than biologically.

How is 'social identity' defined in the lecture?

Social identity is how one identifies oneself in relationship with others, particularly through group memberships such as a sports team, gender, being a student, or family.

How is 'personal identity' defined in the lecture, and what are some examples given?

Personal identity is defined as one's own self, relating to personality traits like being shy, extroverted, or adventurous, or having personal hobbies and skills.

What is 'social constructionism'?

Social constructionism is the idea that an individual is shaped by their interactions with others.

What is 'essentialism'?

Essentialism is the belief that certain traits or characteristics are an inherent or 'essential' part of a person's nature, like being 'born that way,' natural, or normal for a particular group.

What is the first part of the socialization process?

The first part of socialization is receiving many messages from different sources, often confirming certain messages about who one ought to be.

What is the second part of the socialization process?

The second part of socialization is that it is a long process that happens from generation to generation, at different levels, and is often unconscious.

What is the third part of the socialization process?

The third part of socialization is that it often occurs as one interacts with others and as one contrasts oneself with others, often setting up hierarchies.

According to Erman's introduction, what are the three parts of the problem of suffering?

The three parts of the problem of suffering are: God is all powerful, God is all loving, and There is suffering.

Bernie Heron's perspective on suffering suggested God was and .

Bernie Heron's perspective suggested God was all good (fighting evil) but not all powerful (couldn't stop all suffering).

How did Tim Linson's view about God the Father, referring to Him as a 'Barbarian,' challenge one of Erman's three premises about God?

Tim Linson's view implied God was not all loving or all good.

The Chowdhury couple's view emphasized God's __ as the primary aspect in relation to suffering.

The Chowdhury couple's view emphasized God's all-powerfulness.

According to Erman's intro (pages 11-13), what are the two main points he makes about free will in relation to suffering?

Erman discusses how free will seems to make sense on one hand, but how it also seems to be problematic on the other hand.

According to Larrimore, how did ancient people view suffering differently from those in the post-Enlightenment/Renaissance/Reformation period?

Ancient people viewed suffering as something that 'happens' and is part of life, not a 'problem,' whereas post-Enlightenment people viewed suffering as an intellectual problem.

What is the historical context in the Old Testament when the 'punishment view' of suffering was prevalent, and which prophet is often associated with this view?

The context is the 8th and 6th centuries BCE, during wars by the Assyrians and Babylonians (exile); the prophet Amos is associated with this view.

How does the apocalyptic worldview critique or differ from the 'punishment view' of suffering regarding rewards and punishments?

The apocalyptic worldview critiques the punishment view by stating that faithful people may suffer in this life but will be rewarded in a transformed afterlife or new age, whereas the punishment view expects rewards and punishments to occur within one's current life.

What are some key biblical sources for the apocalyptic worldview mentioned in the lecture?

Key biblical sources for the apocalyptic worldview include the New Testament and the Book of Daniel.

How does the apocalyptic worldview offer hope to those who are suffering in the present life?

It offers hope by asserting that despite suffering in this life, the faithful will be rewarded in the life to come, a 'new age' where God rules.

In the apocalyptic worldview, what is God's ultimate role after the current age of suffering?

God's ultimate role is to destroy evil forces, reform and renew the world, set up a new kingdom, and put an end to suffering, taking back control that was temporarily given to evil powers.

How does the concept of Satan or the devil function within the apocalyptic worldview, and when did this idea become more prominent?

Satan/the devil are seen as cosmic evil forces causing suffering in the present age, allowed by God temporarily; this idea became prominent around the Zoroastrian period (300-400 BCE).

What are the two main roles humans play in the apocalyptic worldview, particularly concerning their faithfulness and suffering?

Humans are either unfaithful (aligned with evil forces) or faithful (suffer in the present but will be rewarded in the future).

Which Old Testament prophet represents the 'punishment view,' and which biblical book represents the 'apocalyptic view' according to the lecture's comparison?

Amos represents the punishment view, and the Book of Daniel represents the apocalyptic view.