Copy of World Religions Vocabulary - Period 2

Please place the vocabulary words and definitions below:

Chapter 1 definitions

Transcendence - the overcoming of the normal limitations imposed by the human condition.

Cosmology - the understanding of the nature of the universe.

Monotheism - belief in one God.

Polytheism - belief in many gods.

Pantheism - the belief that the divine reality exists in everything.

Nontheistic - describes a belief system that holds that there is no divine being.

Transtheistic - describes a religion that allows for belief in the divine or semi divine beings without the belief in an essentially relevant god.

Revelation - the transmission of the divine will or knowledge to human beings, typically through myths or some form of religious experience.

Faith - experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and  sometimes emphasizing personal trust.

Mysticism - a category of religious experiences characterized by communing or uniting with the ultimate reality through inward contemplation.

Myth - a story (often recorded in scripture) that tends to answer questions of origins and serves as a source of sacred truth.

Ethics - a dimension of religion that deals with how we are to act while living in the world.

Ritual - formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth.

Empathy - the capacity for seeing things from another’s perspective, and an important methodological approach for studying religions.

Methodology - seven dimensions for comparing the world’s religions:

  1. Experiential
  2. Mythic
  3. Doctrinal
  4. Ethical
  5. Ritual
  6. Social
  7. Material  

Chapter 15 definitions

Modernization - the general process by which societies transform economically, socially, and culturally to conform with the standards set by industrialized Europe.

Globalization - the linking and intermixing of cultures.

Multiculturalism - the coexistence of different peoples and their cultures; an outcome of globalization.

Traditionalism - within religious traditions, a common reaction to rapid changes in the surrounding world, involving the maintenance of older forms of belief and practice regardless of new social norms.

Fundamentalism - in its strictest sense, an emphasis on a literal interpretation of a religion’s sacred texts and primary teachings - thus getting back to the “fundamentals.” In a more general sense, an intensely traditionalist form of religion impelled by reaction against modern forces and the religious reforms they encourage; it tends to reject diversity of interpretations in favor of an authoritarian approach that insists on one “true” interpretation.

Liberalism - within religious traditions, the counterpart to traditionalism, holding that a religion should adapt to society’s changes.

Secular humanism - the worldview that ultimate value is grounded entirely in the human realm, not in the divine or the supernatural.

Interfaith dialogue - an attempt to promote harmony between religions, first inspired by ecumenism (the promotion of Christian unity).

Postmodernism - a perspective that arose in the late 20th century, reflecting a critical reaction to the trends of the modern world.

Scientism - the worldview that science is the only valid method of acquiring knowledge.

Darwinism - the evolutionary theory derived by Charles Darwin, holding that human life originated from the simplest life-forms, that each generation of life passes on to the next generation the genetic traits that best enabled it to survive and reproduce, and that over time this process has led to a variety of increasingly complex life-forms.

Neurotheology - a relatively recent field incorporating psychological and biological studies of religion, focusing on the brain’s involvement in religious experience and ritual.

Big bang theory - an account holding that the universe was created through an explosion 13.7 billion years ago (although some scientists differ on the number of years) resulting in the rapid expansion of matter, energy, time, and space.

Quantum mechanics - a theory of physics, developed primarily during the middle of the twentieth century, holding that the laws of nature are not entirely certain, implying that analyses of nature ultimately can arrive at only probabilities and predictions.

HINDUISM, Chapter 3 -

  1. Reg Veda- A collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier; Hinduism’s oldest sacred text
  2. Moksha - Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life
  3. Monism- the doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence
  4. Brahman - The Eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought
  5. Upanishads- A collection of over 200 texts composed between 900 and 200 BC that provide philosophical commentary on the Vedas
  6. Atman - The eternal Self, which the Upanishads Identify with Brahmin; often lowercased to refer to the eternal self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman
  7. Samsara- the wheel of rebirth; the this-worldly realm in which rebirth occurs
  8. Bhagavad-Gita - A short section of the epic poem Mahabharata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna about bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism’s most popular sacred text
  9. Karma- the moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one’s incarnation
    1. Dharma - Ethical Duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life
    2. Caste System- Traditional division of Hindu society into various categories: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra; each contains numerous subgroups, resulting in more than 3,000 categories
    3. Brahmin - The highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests
    4. Kshatriya- the second of the 4 classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of warriors and administrators
    5. Vaishya - The third of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of producers, such as farmers, merchants, and artisans
    6. Shudra- the lowest of the 4 classes; traditionally made of up servants and laborers
    7. Sannyasin - A wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth and highest stage of life
    8. Ascetic- one who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachment for the sake of spiritual advancements; common in Hinduism and many other religious traditions, most notably Jainism
    9. Kama - Pleasure, especially of sensual love; one of the four goals of life
    10. Artha - material success in the social prestige, one of the 4 goals in life
    11. Karma Marga - One of 3 Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing performing right actions according to Dharma
    12. Jnana marga (jnana yoga)- one of 3 Hindu paths to salvation; emphasizing knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation
    13. Vedanta - A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, “The Path of Knowledge,” Holding that all reality is essential Brahman; most notable advocate is the medieval Hindu philosopher Shankara
    14. Maya- cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power
    15. Sankhya - A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, “the path of knowledge,” Asserting that reality comprises two distinct categories: Matter and eternal selves
    16. Yoga- a system of Hindu philosophy and one approach jnana marga, “the path of knowledge”, seeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood culminating in the experience of samadhi; sometimes lowercased to refer to physical and psychological techniques for spiritual advancement
    17. Samadhi - a trancelike state in which self-consciousness is lost, and the mind is absorbed into the Ultimate Reality; the culmination of the eight steps of yoga
    18. Bhakti marga (Bhakti yoga)- the most popular of the 3 Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing loving devotion to one’s chosen god or goddess
    19. Avatar - an incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to Earth to accomplish a Divine Purpose; Krishna and Rama are the most popular avatars
    20. Household and village rituals- ritual bathing, sacred fires, and daily devotional rites before shrines that represent the god or goddess they chose, community festivals
    21. Holy Places - A common forum of devotion where pilgrimages go to holy sites
    22. Cow veneration- protecting cows and worshipping them as they represent life protection of the creation of God