Introduction to Religion

For the syllabus, deadlines and study materials, see the course website at

http://phr120.wikispaces.com/

Philosopy & Religion 120

Why study world religions?

1. Pluralism: NJ has the full range of world religions. So will the places in which we work and live.

2. Conflicts often break down along lines of religion, ideology, tribe, language group etc.

3. Foreign affairs - international business4. Personal growth: wisdom, meaning, ethics, answers5. History: much of our present culture has religious roots.6. Its everywhere: we cant find a culture, time or place where

religion has not been a significant phenomenon.

Why study Religions? Creative spin-offs

ArtMusicArchitecturePoliticsEconomicsSciencePhilosophy

Methodologies to Study Religion

• Sociology & Anthropology• Philosophy• History & Archeology• Texts and stories• Theology• Symbols, rituals &

customs• Artistic expressions• Psychology

Religious Studies: the secular, objective study of religion as a phenomenon.

Religions often see a

split-level universe

God Ti’an (Heaven) Spirits The Dao Nirvana Brahman

The ordinary mundane world that we

experience every dayPhilosopher call this conditioned reality

Limited, finite Source of freedom (liberating)

Caveat: dualism

The divine world called Unconditioned Reality

Religion as a door/window

Unconditioned RealityConditioned Reality Revelations, gods, angels, saviors, prophets, prayers, trances, rituals,

meditations, art, scriptures, music, dance,

sacraments, ethics, theology

“Practicing religion” is making the connection, entering the doorway, looking through the window in a way that affects the way one lives. It may yield new ethics, clarity, purpose, virtue, grace or better relationships with other people, one’s self or with the Divine itself.

3 Forms of Religious ExpressionJoachim Wach (1898-1955)

Theoretical(what is said)

Examples: beliefs, stories,

theology, scripture, ethics, doctrine

Practical(what is done)

Examples:worship, meditation, prayer, pilgrimage,

praxis, art

Sociological(what groups/relationships are formed - organization)

Examples:leadership, institutions,

schools, sects, relationship to

outsiders

add: the mystical experience of some individuals

Why study Religions? a. To understand human beings: spiritual self-

transcendence seems to be built into human nature

b. To overcome our ignorance: of traditions other than our own

c. To comprehend our own culture and history.d. To achieve a global perspectivee. To help formulate our own religious belief or

philosophy of life. Studying religions inevitably leads one to evaluate one’s own values and beliefs

Why study Religions? Moral spin-offs

Ethical concepts historically have flowed from religious ideas and practices

Positive ideals of what a good life is.

Virtues: what traits and behaviors are positive and reinforce these

Prohibitions of that seen as incompatible (vice) with a good life

What is a good society, and how should people interact to create it?

Our approach• Descriptive. Observational.• Suspend temporarily our own personal beliefs

and/or personal skepticism.• Approach each religion as an outsider trying to learn

what an insider of that group sees and experiences in their experience of their religion “from the inside out”.

• Criticism, but with an attempt at empathy: religion impacts politics, economics, family life, relationships, legal systems and gender roles across 7 continents and thousands of years. When advancing a criticism of a religious practice try to identify what values and beliefs you are appealing to in advancing that criticism, and how other value systems, especially those of the believer, might cause the adherent to see it differently.