Religion Exam

RELIGION THROUGH THE AGES

Theoretical models

• Ideas associated with animism

• Ideas about an afterlife

• Ideas about spirit ancestors

Animism in Hunter-Gatherer society

• Engagement with transcendent rather than realities

• Symbolised in rituals ( Animal skin/skulls, worship to animals)

Ancestors and the Gods

Animism worship of ancestor beings and interaction with the living

• Experts- decorated skulls of ancestors holding a place in homes

Symbolic revolution

Lie in spirituality, developed into religion during explosion of human creativity

• Symbols- translation of non-visible concepts into visible entities

eg. rock art, cave paintings

Art, Animal spirits, totems and temples

Mungo cremation- bird, Kujon pierced the rock with beak and pointed the human, spirit figures

• Art represents tradition stretching back thousands of years- referring to ceremonies & spiritual education

Portable religion

Form of religious figures, humans and animal or combining both

• promoting fertility for humans and animals

Located religion

Sacred promoted creation of special places that connected the individual and group to dimension beyond human

• Representing spirit being of significance

• Ritual worship practices- connected to power and authority

Gobekli Tepe

Carvings on stones: Animal bones depicted, no prey animals, only predators

• numbers of tribes contributed to building

Early mortality

Skull of an an old man indicated he had lack of teeth prior to death

• development of spiritual roles, indicating of compassion

Societies origins

• Chimpanzees, bonobos and humans branch from the same genetic ancestor between 13 & 16 million years ago

• Teach young survival skills, foraging bonding and respect

• Development of language- hand signs, sounds, facial expressions

• Symbolic revolution: 50000- 40000 years ago

Spirituality and religions possible origins

• Burials, graves, cave artwork, shrines, temples, buildings

• 10500-9500 years ago

• Environment changes- shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies

• Irregular food supply

• Religious sites to appease God’s, bring fertility

Axial age ( 800-200 BCE)

Religions, philosophies, Mathematics, science began to take shape and offered answers

• Earliest evidence ( space, place, artefacts), does not survive over many many centuries

• Some time around 4000 B.C ancient summerian culture emerged

• Literary tradition made leaps in agriculture, government and maths

Artefacts

Identify of focus for prayer ( plaster statues, beads, scrolls, clothing)

The symbolic revolution: 200000-40000 year ago

Thought that appeared 50000 years before the present times, seen in rock art, paintings, glyphs ( Japanese, Egyptian)

• Homo Sapiens appeared 200000 years ago

Art, animal spirits, totems and temples: 40000 years ago

• Gwoin Gwoin paintings

• Kujon who pierced the rock with his beak and painted the human- spirited figures

• Some refer to ceremonies & spiritual education

• Portable artwork such as small figures

Didgeridoo

During symbolic revolution, spiritual usage

• Used during ceremonies

Advent of writing

Getting enough food was vital

• assisted with development of writing

• Sacred writing

• Taxes to temples

Ancient summeria

King was divine

• Gilgamesh was Sumerian King, search for immortality

Beginning of Temples

• Society was structured

• Summerian society- connected 3 values important in socioeconomically complex society

  • Power, wealth, status

Society as a group adaption 1.8 milllion years ago

Ability to live in large groups, enabled role division and social order, allowing leaders to govern and enforce codes of behaviours

EARLY HISTORY AND THE AXIAL AGE ( 6500-2005 BCE)

• More evidence of settled occuption of land

• agriculture settlements

• promoted technical and environmental changes to assist food production

eg. redirecting rivers, clearing areas

• Domesticated animals

Use of fire

• Extended hours of activity

• Weapon

• Enabled cave art pursuits- see where you were going in dark caves

Spiritual and religious leaders

• Contact point for communication and meditation with spirit beings

• Interpreted meaning of events and experiences

• Relied to remember and record histories of their community

Writings and buildings

• Formalised record keeping and communication

• Number systems and writing developed

• Religious leaders become scribes

• Household sanctuaries- facilitate prayer

• Religious buildings and temples

Bronze age collapse ( 1200-1100 BCE)

• Characterised by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions

• Prominent cities destroyed

• Ancient empires attacked and taken over by other empires

Iron age ( 1200-500 BCE)

• Technology to smelt iron developed

• Empires that could smelt iron ( tougher then bronze)

Religious beliefs

Polytheistic societies

• Deities were connected by human activity

• Religious leaders mediated between Gods and Earth

Traditions: Egyptian polytheism, Vedic religion, Zoroastrianism, Judaism

MEDIEVAL TIMES

Started after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire- and ended with the start of the Renaissance

• 5th Century- 15th Century

• Period of ignorance- dominance of religious activities over rationalism

Sub-periods

• Early, Late, High middle ages

Fall of Roman Empire ( 476)

• Failure of the empire to implement its rule

• Began 376 and ended 4th century

• Major losses 376 with invasion of Goths and other Germanic tribes

• Fall of Western Roman empire such as barbaric incursions, corruption, economic problems

• Subsided and Roman Empire was unable to control it’s Western provinces

• Causes : Barbaric incursions, military rule, corruption, economic problems

• Society was rural, social structure as: Nobles & Peasants

  • King, Frief and Peasants, Knights, Peasants

Christendom

Society was almost rural, very simple structure: nobles at the top and peasants at the bottom

Feudalism

Political system that is based on bonds of loyalty that is between Lords and Vassals

• Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of individuals who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship

• Vassals served the lord- Provide protection and land

Roles

Monks and Nuns: Live isolated from the world to become closer to God

Monks: Provided service to the church by copying manuscripts, creating art, educating people and working as missionaries

Convents: Women recieve any sort of education or power

• As the church expanded it’s political role, began to question the peoples authority

• Holy Roman Empire tension between Popes and Emperors

Law of the church

• Created system of justice to guide people’s conduct

• Canon law or church law- violation resulted in excommunication and interdict

Structure of the church/ Daily life

• Power was based on status

• Different ranks of clergy- Pope headed the church clergy such as bishops and priests fell under authority

• Bishops supervised priests- lowest ranking

• __Achieve salvatio__n- administered sacrament or important religious ceremonies

• Church created system of justice to guide people’s conduct

• King and peasant - subject to canon law or church law

• Excommunication and interdict: violating canon law

• Middle ages revolved around church

• Church paid no taxed, supported by people of a town or city

• 10% of their income

• Tithes paid for ceremonies/sacraments

• Also, supported poor houses, orphanages, schools and religious orders

Muslim conquest of Spain 711

Launched by Muslim General- conquered most of Iberian Peninsula

• 30th April, 711

• Islamic rule contributed to society in form of schools, medicine and architecture

• Battle of Guadalete: defeated

• Spain reached cultural peak

Charlemagne was crowned as Roman Emperor in 800

• Ruled most of Western Europe, crowned by Pope Leo III in 800 CE for his contribution to restoring Roman Empire in the West

• Devoted Christian: protected church and Papacy. Also, promoted education and political stability

The Great Schism 1054

Separation of Eastern Orthodox from Western Catholic church over theological land and political differences

• Religious and political conflict

• Political: weather pope had authority over Patriarchs or not

Norman conquest of England 1086-

• Invasion and occupation of England by Normans, French etc ere led by Willian the conqueror

• Conquest- connected England more closely to Europe

• Brought an end to Anglo- Saxton aristocracy- reigned in Britain for centuries

  • English aristocracy was eliminated

• Military service were introduced and native were removed from high government positions

First Crusade 1095

• Wage War against Muslims and get back the Holy Land

• First crusade: 1095 to 1099 and launched by Western Europe

• Recapture parts of Anatolia and free Jerusalem from Muslim rule

• Crusade was fought to bring the Holy Land back under Christian control

• Recaptured Jerusalem and established crusader states

Overall, aim to recapture most parts of Anatolia and free Jersusalem from Muslim rule

Magna Carta 1215

• Document drafted bu the Archbishop in order to make peace between the English King and rebels

• Issued by King John of England

• Including protection of church rights, freedom of free trail and justice, declaration of human rights and protection from imprisonment

The hundred years- War 1337

• Series of conflicts fought between the Kingdom of England and France

• Fought for the throne in two kingdoms

• English gained more decisive victories over French

The black death 1348

Plague was an epidemic that spread across Europe from 1346 to 1351

• 30-60% of Europes population was killed

Fall of Constantinople 1453

• Victory the Byzantine Empire came to an end

• Ottoman army invaded the city and breached the ancient land wall of Constantinople

• Capture of the city ended the Roman Empire

• Opening ways for ottoman army to expand into Western Europe

• Changed geopolitical situation in the Mediterranean

MEDIEVAL CHRISTIANITY

Church was the single most dominant institution, it’s sacramental rituals marked important moments and it’s teachings about ethics and meaning of life/afterlife

The pope

• Chief residence, regarded as the successor of St Peter

• Christ appointed Peter Chief Apostle

• Western church maintained status and power of St Peter but the pope was rejected by Eastern church

The church system

Highly developed organisation, course of Middle ages developed system of governance, law and economy

• Church is divided into two parts:

  • Secular church: Regions governed by archbishops and was divided into diocese. Most medieval Christian, focused on parish church they attended

  • Regular church: Men and women who had sworn vows of obedience, celibacy and poverty. Also, livd in communities governed by a ‘rule’, a book of instructions ( Rule of St Benedict)

Religious orders

• Monastic orders, mendicant order and military orders

Monks and nuns: remove themselves from secular word with minimal contact

Mendicants: Orders who engaged with ordinary people by preaching

Military orders: Knights were participated in crusades, sought to capture Holy Land and convert Muslims to Christianity

Pilgrimages

• Holy places enabled the faithful to atone from sins, seek cures and experience the world

• May travel short distances to see and touch shrines of local saints or undertake more dangerous travels

Dissent

• Christians who disagreed with the church’s teachings were considered heretics and could be physically punished or even killed

• Jews lived within Christain territories, at best tolerated, through extreme anti-semitism

• The series of crusades against Non-Christains and heretics began 1095

DARWINS THEORY OF EVOLUTION: CHURCH RESPONSE

At first the church did not respond formally to Darwin’s theory

• Partial acceptance ( 1880, Encyclical on Christian marriage), but theory must not be used to attack authority or teaching

Early theological concerns with evolution

• Response to Darwins “origin of species”, theologians had differing ideas about how the theory fitted with Christian doctorine

  • Darwin explained away any design in nature could only lead to atheism

  • Darwins argument of common ancestry accepted but the idea of natural selected rejected

  • Conflicts with the idea that human beings are created in the image of God

Acceptance of evolution

Reaffirmation of Christian ethical codes: God is the creator however science needs religion to guide and use it’s findings

• Human evolution takes place under guidance of the creator, God is not removed from the process, soul is performed directly by God

Perspectives

• Reaffirmation of special relationship that exists between God and humanity- individual and in God’s image

• “Omega point”- process brought about by love

• Jesuit priest and palaeontologist worked to understand evolution and faith ( 1881-1995)

According to Pope Francis

Belief in both theories about the beginning of the universe and the birth of human kind are constant with the Catholic faith

Religion and science today: A vatican conference

May 2017- aims to show science and religion are not at odds but are united in the continuing search for truth in unlocking the mysterious of the cosmos

• “ We then recognise God is who is responsible for the existence of the universe and our science tells us how he did it”

THEOCRACY VERSUS THE SECULAR STATE

Major role in choosing the religious leaders, as a result religious leaders had great power, socially and politically

• Powerful secular rulers appointed family members to high church offices

Feudal fragmentation

Power fragmented amongst a multiplicity of feudal lords ( monarchs, Kings & emperors)- little authority over territories

• Within own territories could act as virtually independent rulers

• King managed to get most magnates on his side, if not could rebel, complicated situation

• Royal, noble, chruch

Church

• Catholic church extremely wealthy

• Peasants were required to pay taxes to the church called titches ( 10% of farming produce)

• Church constructed by fine craftsmen, with objects

Investiture controvery

Secular and ecciesiastical powers

Concordat of Worms- formalised secularism

Canon law

Devloped within christianity- Roman Catholicism, governing internal hierarchy and administration of the church

• Later codified- Roman Catholic Church’s 1983 code of Canon Law

Excommunication

• Exclusion from sacraments

• interdicts did not cut off members but did suspend

Medieval education

• Wealthy families

• Monastic and Cathedral schools, taught Latin and prepared for life in the church

• Knights received different kind of education

• Peasant children no formal education- expected to work on the farm

• “Universitas”- cirriculum based on seven areas, important for Catholic Church

Modern Theocracies

• Enlightenment marked end of theocracy but still remained

eg. Vatican City, Iran, Afghanistan

Vatican City ( 1929)

Theocratic elective monary that guided by the principles of a Christian religious school

• Pope supreme power- government follows the laws and teachings of Catholic religion

Secular

Not religious- not afficiliated with a church or faith called atheists or afnostics

• claim to treat all citizens equally regardless of religion and claim to avoid preferential treatment for citizen based on their religious beliefs etc

DARWINS THEORY OF EVOLUTION- A CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCH

Development of organisms advanced forms originating from the primal state of earth

• Based on two books: Origin of species ( 1859) and the Descent of Man ( 1871)

• Theories: Theory of Evolution and Natural selection

Natural selection

Common descent: Idea that all life on Earth is related, through gradual process of descent with modification over many generations

Descent with modification- offspring can vary from their parents due to random genetic mutations with modification

Only best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characters in increasing numbers those less adapted- tend to be eliminated

Lesson 7- Reformers:

Nicolaus Copernicus

• Revolutionized astronomy, made an observation that would anger the church

• Earth was not the center of the solar system, the center of the solar system was in fact the Sun. This was known as the heliocentric view of the solar system

Churchs Response: Church banned Copernicus “Des revolutionibus”.

• The church accepted his heliocentric theory before Protestant opposition led the Church to ban his view

Giordano Bruno ( Cosmological views)

• He extended Copernicus theory proposing that the stars were just distant suns surrounded by their own exoplanets.

• Universe is in fact infinite and could have no celestial body, accepted helio centric model but denied objects possess a natural motion, denied existence of a center of the universe.

• Overall, denying even the Sun’s place in the cosmos

Church’s response:

Was tried and charged with heresy, these charges including the denial of several core Catholic doctrines. Also, Inquisition found him guilty and was burned at the stake

Galileo Galilei ( Findings on celestial bodies)

• He developed the form of telescope.

• Noticed that the planets Mercury and Venus pass through phases just like the moon. Only way is if they circled the Sun and not just the Earth

• Discovered four moons around Jupiter, meaning that the Universe did not circle the Earth

• Claimed the Earth orbited the Sun

• With claims of attempting to reinterpret the bible.

• The church disapproved of this theory because the Holy Scriptures state that the Earth is at the center, not the sun.

Church’s response:

Sentenced to formal imprisonment by the Inquisition, commuted to house arrest.

• Forbidden to collaborate with any other scientists

• His scientific writings were banned and was not permitted to write anything else

Lesson 8- Darwins challenge to the church

What is it?

For Darwinism, the Theory of Evolution is that development of organisms advanced from forms originating from the primal state of Earth.

• Charles Darwin is credited

What is evolution

1. diverse groups of animals evolve from one or a few common ancestors

2. the mechanism by which this evolution takes place is natural selection.

Evolution is the theory that all the kinds of living things that exist today developed from earlier types

Natural selection

• Natural selection is a mechanism of evolution. (the process that allows the theory of evolution to occur)

• In natural selection, it's the natural environment, rather than a human being, that does the selecting.

• To adaptation and adaption of organisms

What leads to Darwin’s Discovery of Evolution?

Developed:

1. Origin of species

2. The Descent of Man

Experimenting on animals, more specifically pigeons by selecting features and crossing birds to genetic different offspring- to have exaggerated features

• Delayed publishing until he learnt of a young naturalist who had developed similar ideas- joined forces looking at the theory of natural selection

• Following year published “On the origin of Species”

Challenge 1: God the Creator

• No need for God to exist, life did not need a designer.

• Process of evolution was very random.

• Evolution theory opened door to atheism

Challenge 2: God revealed in scripture

• Evolution theory displaced Genesis account of creation, claiming it was false.

• A great number of scripture stories were now being studied to see their validity.

Challenge 3: God revealed in church tradition

Church doctrines and traditions were challenged therefore the authority of the church and church leaders was questioned.

Challenge 4: God as all-loving

• God made the world in perfect order with no suffering or death

• The theory of evolution, however, claims that the world was not perfect in the beginning.

Challenge 5: Incarnation

If Genesis stories of creation are myths and not factual the justification for Jesus’ incarnation, suffering and death become uncertain.

Challenge 6: Love God, love neighbour

Evolution theory proposes that the death of the weak is necessary and good

• What may be a cruel outcome for an individual when they have lost the battle for survival is very good for the species as a whole.

Challenge 7: Spirituality and religious experiences seeking the kingdom

In brief: The predisposition to be religious is no more profound than any other human characteristic or any characteristic of any other species that helps it survive according to the theory.

The concept that religion stalled human progress became easy to accept because it was religion that had blocked scientific progress so many times by explaining the unexplained with God.

Challenge 8: Human beings as the pinnacle of creation

• Evolutionary theory claims that humans are in essence the same as other life-forms

• The view that we are closely linked to all other life-forms has lead to some people feeling a spiritual link with nature that may lead to positive environmental outcomes.

Lesson 9: The Church’s Reaction to Science and the Roman Inquisition

Roman Inquisition

The Inquisition was a powerful office set up within the Catholic Church to root out and punish heresy throughout Europe and the Americas.

• Beginning in the 12th Century and continuing for hundreds of years, the Inquisition was infamous for the severity of it’s tortures and its persecutions of Jews and Muslims

The Inquisition through the Reformation

• Rome renewed its own Inquisition in 1542 when Pope Paul III created the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition to combat Protestant heresy

• This Inquisition is best known for putting Galileo on trial in 1633.

If you were prosecuted, what happened?

• Typically, the Pope appointed on cardinal to preside over meetings of the Congregation. Through often referred to in historical literature as Grand Inquisitors

• There were usually ten cardinals who were members of the Congregation, as well as a prelate and two assistants all chosen from the Dominican Order

• This panel and the Congregation would oversee local trials.

The Forbidden Book List

• There was a list of books forbidden by the Inquisition.

• It was created by the Roman Inquisition to deal with the onslaught of books — many of them advancing ideas the Church didn’t like — made possible by the printing press

The Inquisition Ends

The Vatican’s Congregation of the Inquisition was formally abolished in 1908 — but it may be more correct to say it was renamed. It was turned into the Holy Office, which in the 1960s became the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

• still the department that keeps an eye on what theologians write, sometimes calling them on the carpet.

How did the Church first respond to the challenge of Darwinism

1. Initial Silence (Syllabus of Errors, 1864): The Church initially remained silent in response to Darwinism and did not issue any official statements on the matter

2. Partial Acceptance in the case of man- The Church began to show some acceptance of evolutionary ideas, specifically concerning the evolution of human beings.

3. Caution against attacking Church authority : The Church warned against using the theory of evolution to challenge or undermine the authority and teachings of the Church.

4. Flexible Understanding of Scripture: The Church adopted a more flexible interpretation of Scripture to accommodate scientific discoveries, including evolution.

Part 2 : Early theological concerns with evolution

Part 3 Acceptance of evolution

Lesson 10: Religion Vs Science

According to Pope Francis

• Belief in both theories about the beginnings of the universe and the birth of humankind are consistent with the Catholic faith

Can Religion and Science co-exist

• According to Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the central difference between science and religion is that the claims of science relying on experimental verification

Can Religion and Science co-exist

According to Richard Dawkins, "not only is science corrosive to religion; religion is corrosive to science.

• It teaches people to be satisfied with trivial, supernatural non-explanations

• It teaches them to accept authority, revelation and faith instead of always insisting on evidence."

Can Religion and Science co-exist?

Some that argue that science provides many opportunities to look for and find God in nature and to reflect on their beliefs.

• Kenneth Miller argues that since evolution made the brain and since the brain can handle both religion and science, there is no natural incompatibility between the concepts at the biological level.