Religions of the World Midterm Study Guide

Navatri

9-day Hindu festival in honor of goddess Durga, featuring public celebration of dancing and feasts.

Dassehra

The 10th day after Navatri, celebrating the triumph of good over evil.

Sukkot

Judaism's Feast of Tabernacles, a seven-day agricultural festival commemorating the Israelites' 40 years in the desert.

Mawlid al-Nabi

Islamic celebration of the birth of Muhammad, often includes poems, stories, street processions, and decorations.

Yom Kippur

Jewish Day of Atonement, a 10-day period of repentance aimed at creating brotherhood and abandoning jealousy.

Fall Equinox

The event marking the beginning of Fall.

Mabon

A Pagan festival celebrating the Fall Equinox and harvest, akin to Thanksgiving.

Paryushan

The most important festival in Jainism, a holy week of forgiveness.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year, marked by synagogue services, repentance, and feasting.

Krishna Jayanti

Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu.

1st World Parliament of Religions

Held in 1893, aimed to showcase Christianity but highlighted the strengths of smaller religions.

Swami Vivekananda

Prominent figure at the World Parliament of Religions who stressed Hinduism's tolerance and science.

Moses Mendelssohn

Philosopher who emphasized ethical monotheism and Judaism as a religion of reason.

Connections between Mendelssohn and Vivekananda

Both reshaped religions to fit a scriptural, universal, and belief-based paradigm.

Features of Indigenous Religious Traditions

Characteristics include oral revelation, locally practiced beliefs, and connections to nature.

Doctrine of Discovery

Legal and religious justification for colonialism over indigenous lands.

Animism

The belief that the entire universe is alive.

Human/Nature Binary

Conceptual framework that separates humans from nature, asserting superiority.

Mahavira

Final spiritual teacher of Jainism who established core parts of the religion.

Polytheism

Practice of worshipping multiple deities as natural and acceptable.

Revolutionary Monotheism

The belief in an exclusive and transcendent God, contrasting with polytheism.

Orthodoxy

Correct beliefs held by a religion, accepted as legitimate.

Orthopraxy

Correct practice of rituals prescribed by a religion.

Religions as Languages Metaphor

Viewing religions as languages that convey meaning to humanity, rather than mere belief systems.

Myth vs. History

A myth explains foundational truths; history refers to verifiable past events.

Insider-Outsider Dynamic

Debate whether religion is best studied from the viewpoint of a believer or a researcher.

Ritual

Symbolic actions expressing or reinforcing shared beliefs and values in a religious context.

Relationship between Ritual and Myth

Rituals reenact myths, bringing existential realities into being.

Calendrical Rites

Rituals performed at specific times tied to seasons or events.

Life-Cycle Rites

Rituals associated with significant life transitions.

Rites of Exchange and Communion

Sacrificial offerings made to the divine.

Plato’s Cave Allegory

An allegory highlighting the importance of self-reflection and realizing deeper truths.

Expectations of the World Religions Paradigm

Religions are defined, discrete, scriptural, and universality is emphasized.

Religions as Belief Systems

A focus on religious belief rather than practice.

Lived Religion

Focus on practices and behaviors rather than beliefs; highlights diversity within faiths.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious traditions.

Functionalism

Interpreting religious phenomena based on their role in fulfilling human needs.

Hermeneutics of Suspicion

A skeptical approach to interpreting religious claims, searching for hidden functions.

Key Impacts of Protestant Reformation

Individualism and scriptural focus, mass no longer conducted in Latin, faith and belief over ritual, religion separated from magic, deprived matter of spiritual power, separation of religion and politics

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher who argued for coexistence between science and religion.

Orientalism

Distinguishing the East from the West, often with negative stereotypes assigned to the East.

Origins of World Religions

Founded on 19th-century scholarly attempts to categorize diverse traditions, often reflecting Christian bias.

Friedrich Max Muller

Founder of comparative religion, emphasized the study of sacred texts and promoted distinct religious systems

Social Darwinism

A justification for imperialism, racism, and capitalism.

Hindu Demographics

Approximately 1.2 billion Hindus, 90% in India. 3rd largest religion

3 Scriptural Historical Layers of Hinduism

Vedic, Epic, and Sectarian layers, each with distinct contributions to Hindu beliefs.

Vedas

Eternal divine revelations focusing on ritual, dharma, and sacred sound.

Dharma

Moral duty that sustains the universe.

Brahman

The ultimate reality and source of all existence.

Atman

The true self or soul in Hindu philosophy.

Samsara

The cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

Karma

The law of cause and effect governing actions and consequences.

Moksha

Spiritual liberation from the cycle of samsara.

Upanishads

Philosophical texts focusing on core Hindu concepts like Brahman, Atman, Karma, Samsara, and Moksha

Bhagavad Gita & the Three Yogas

Paths to spiritual revelation: Karma yoga (Action; selfless service), Jnana yoga (Knowledge; meditation to realize Atman), Bhakti yoga (Devotion; emotional participation in a relationship with God

Ramayana

Ancient Indian epic narrating the life of Rama and his divine mission.

Three Main Streams of Theistic Devotion

Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi as central figures of worship.

Rama

An ideal man and avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism.

Krishna

The playful god and another significant avatar of Vishnu.

Puja

Worship or veneration rituals in Hinduism.

Murti

A physical representation or image of a deity.

Darshan

The experience of seeing the divine.

Aarti

A ritual of circling light in worship.

Prasad

Offering food that has been blessed during worship.

Tanakh

The canonical collection of Jewish texts.

Written Torah

The text equivalent to the Old Testament in Christianity.

Oral Torah

Traditions that aid in interpreting the Written Torah.

Pentateuch

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Mitzvah

A commandment or good deed in Jewish tradition.

Covenant

A sacred agreement between God and humanity.

Adam & Eve vs. the Israelites

Universal humanity vs. God's chosen people, illustrating sin.

Noah

The figure chosen to preserve life during the great flood.

Abraham

The patriarch who established a foundational covenant with God.

Jacob and the 12 Tribes of Israel

Jacob's twelve sons formed the ancestors of Israel's tribes.

Moses

The leader who liberated the Israelites from slavery and received the Torah.

Exodus

The biblical account of liberation from Egyptian slavery.

Ten Commandments

Key moral laws from God given to Moses.

Passover

A Jewish holiday commemorating liberation from Egypt.

King David

The second king of Israel who united the nation.

King Solomon

David's son, renowned for building the First Temple.

First Temple

The temple built by Solomon, destroyed by Babylonians.

Second Temple

Rebuilt temple, destroyed by Romans, leading to changes in Jewish identity.

Rabbinic Judaism

The belief in the dual-part revelation of the Torah.

Talmud

Written form of oral traditions, guiding Jewish practice.

Jewish Demographics

16 million Jews, divided mainly between secular and religious communities.

Shema Yisrael

Central prayer emphasizing God's singularity.

Amidah

The standing prayer in Jewish worship.

Judaism and Hinduism Parallels

Both traditions value orthopraxy and have sacred narratives.

Brahmins & Rabbis

Religious leaders guiding their respective spiritual communities.

Zionism

Political movement advocating for Jewish self-determination.

Hindu Nationalism

Ideology promoting Hindu supremacy in defining Indian culture.

Charisma

A special power of personality inspiring devotion.

Institutionalizing Charisma

Transforming charismatic authority into an enduring institution.

Role/Office, Scripture, Law, Materiality

Key elements in the establishment of a religious institution.

Routinization of Charisma

The establishment of a permanent structure of charisma.

Meister Eckhart

A mystic known for innovative ideas on God and inner divinity.

The Church and the Mystic

The relationship between formal religion and individual mystical experiences.

Miracles

Extraordinary events attributed to divine intervention.

St. Joseph of Copertino

A saint known for miraculous levitations.

Daniel Dunglas Home

A Scottish medium famous for supposed levitation abilities.