Midterm

Major World Religions

Mid Term

1. Travis R. Taylor
2. TRT8605
3. TRT8605@aol.com
4. I posted “Post 1” to the message board on January 11, 2:56 pm. Post 2 on January 14, 4:59.  Post 3 on January 18, 8:46. Post 4 on January 18, 8:51. Post 5 on January 20, 1:46.  Post 6 on January 22, 8:36.  Post 7 January 24, 5:39.  As you can tell I did all seven post. 
5. So far I have read everything that has been assigned, it may have taken me a lot longer than I have wanted it to but I read it ALL.  Some of the books and articles that were assigned I found somewhat difficult to understand but then again I am easily distracted.  In week one I read two Internet readings on religion.  In week two I read The Enchanted Land, Chapter 2 on Hinduism (Smith), Jainism (Wikipedia), and  “Why I Don’t Eat Faces”.  I did not read the religious literature from the Gita.  In week 3 I read the Internet reading on Sikhism, Chapter 3 on Buddhism (Smith), Chapter 4 Confucius (Smith), and Chapter 5 Taoism (Smith).  I also read the Religious literature on Buda, Tao Te Ching, and Confucius. 
6. I also watched the all of the required films.  In week one I watched the majority of the film on Huston Smith.  In week 2 I watched the film on the Gurus, the Hinduism films from youtube, and the Jain film from google.  In week three I watched the Sikhism film from google, the films on Buda, and the Chinese religion film from google. 
7. In week 4 I went to the Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights.
8. So far I have not done any extra credit.

 

1. Imagine that you were asked to create your own "new" religion. How would you ensure its overall success?

                  If I were asked to create my own “new” religion I make sure that I would have all seven of Smarts requirements.  I would include myths of how my religion came to be.  I would create rituals in which my followers and I would take part in celebrating our relationships with God.  One experience that all of my followers would have is getting baptized by submersion in water.  I would have some sort of doctrine I probably would not write it (as you can tell by now I am not the best writer).  I would make sure that honesty, and generosity were a part of the ethics in which no one would want to violate.  Some of the social aspects would include a Sunday church like service where we would worship God through music and have a small short and sweet sermon, and there would also be a few small group scripture studies that would take place during the week.  People would show, and demonstrate love for God as well as for each other.  One of the material objects would include some sort of precious stone or metal that followers would wear on a daily basis. 

      Much like the theory of evolution the only way for my religion succeed is it must appeal to people and carryon to the next generation.  This is also known as Susan Blackmore’s memetic theory.  If this new religion has nothing to offer people and has no way of appealing to people the new religion has no hope of surviving. 

      Because my religion would be relatively new it would be considered a cult according to Melton.  My new religion or cult would not be in the news for bad things, but my cult will be well known for doing missionary work and service projects in our local communities as well as abroad.   I do not believe that Dick Anthony would consider my new religion to be problematic because I would not control anyone, and people would be free to make their own decisions and would be free to come and go as they please. 

 

2. Will religion die? If so, why? If not, why? Please detail your answers with specific references in this course.

      Religion will never die simply because science is not able to answer every question about life their for we rely on religion to provide us with those answers.  Different religions have been around for thousands of years if they were going to die they would have already done so by now.  Religion is part of who we are if we were to destroy it we would be destroying part of our selves a psychological as well as a spiritual part of us. 

      Religion naturally evolves it has to in order to survive.  For example the Catholic Church said for years that the Sun revolved the Earth and when astronomers proved the church to be incorrect they adapted and evolved, now recognizes that the Earth in fact rotates around the Sun. 

There are also many reasons for the origin of religion.  For example the Biological explanation is that religion works as a survival mechanism in which those with it are more likely to live longer lives.  The theological explanation is that religion came from God.  The anthropological explanation is that religion can be understood as source of nature.  The psychological explanation says that religion comes from the unconscious mind.  The sociological explanation means that religion comes from social backgrounds.  And the egotistical explanation comes from the creator praise or income. 

            Recently as America has become even more of a melting pot we are seeing different trends taking place that have a large influence on religion.  For example there has been an increase in cults, as well as an increase in fundamentalist groups.  Secularism is on the increase while liberal Protestantism is decreasing.  And one of the biggest trends in religion has to do with the baby boomers that have been coming back to their religious roots or becoming part of new religions. 

 

4. How are we as scholars of religion suppose to study religion?

            There are several was of studding religion, and some ways are better than others depending on your intentions.  One way to study religion is the theological approach where you study a different religion from what you believe and you compare the two or more religions and you try to come to the understanding on why other religions have their beliefs.  Another way of studying religion is through religious studies where you do not show bias to one religion over another you simple look at religion from an academic point of view there is no attachment to one religion you just want to learn about it.  The phenomigical approach is when you study the religion by putting yourselves in the shoes of the followers of the religion that you are studying.  The sociological study of religion refers to the social approach of religion and how a particular religion has influenced a culture.  The psychology of religion is the study of how religion effects the development of the human mind.  The history of religion tends to focus on the role of religion by studying history. Anthropology of religion is studying humans and the roles of religion in their development. 

            Scholars of religion are supposed to study religion by the religious studies method of learning about religions.  A scholar would use this approach because is does not show any bias you just simply study the religion for what it is. 

According to Smart there are three different approaches for studying religion: Antipathy, Sympathy, and Empathy.  Antipathy is having a negative approach when studying religion.  Sympathy is having a positive yet bias stance when it comes to studying religion.  Empathy is a form used usually giving a neutral attitude used in order to get a greater understanding in the religion you are studying. 

Berger’s also has three approaches when it comes to studying religion; reduction, deduction, and induction.  Reduction is taking religion back to its social origins.  Deduction is assuming that religion reveals the truth.  Induction is the attempt to take believers experiences seriously. 

Capps makes a claim saying that the academic study of religions creates new religions.  Capps argues that the way scholars put materials together can influence how the religion is studied. 

5. Sikhism

            Sikhism is one of the most interesting religions.  It originated out of India and has spread across the globe. It was founded buy Guru Nanak who was apposed to the cast system that was present in India as well as in the Hindu religion.  Sikhs believe that since the same god created everyone that everyone should be created equally as well as fairly, including women.  Following Nanak was Angad, then Amar Das, following him was Ram Das, then Arjan, following him was Har Gobind, and then Har Rai followed by Har Krishan, then Tegh Bahadur, and finally was Gobind Singh.  Under the sixth guru Hara Gobind, the Sikhs were the first group in India that was able to organize an army in order to defend themselves from the Muslims. 

            Sikhs were able to spread across the world when the British started to colonize India.  With this happening Sikhism was able to spread to the United Kingdom, Canada, as well as the United States. 

            There are many different denominations of Sikhism.  Khalsa Sikhs or the most orthodox of all the different Sikh groups.  Amritdari Sikhs are very similar to the Khalsa Sikhs but tend to be a bit more liberal.  Keshdari Sikhs are not baptized in Khalsa and follow the five k’s.  The five k’s are means that the males are not allowed to cut their hair or shave their face; they must also wear a turban.  They are to wear a metal bracelet that represents strength.  They are to carry a comb in their turban.  They were to carry swards and be ready to protect their people.  And the last thing is males are to wear short cotton briefs.  Mona Sikhs also follow the five K’s but are not associated with the Khalsa Sikhs.  The 3HO Sikhs stand for healthy, happy, and holly Sikhs they also follow the 5 k’s and are very strict vegetarians.  Nirankari Siks follow Balak Sing Khalsa and his teachings.  Namhiari Sikhs follow Balak Singh Khalsa.  And finally there is the Undasis Sikhs who trace the image all the way back to Nanak’s Sir Chand. 

6. Hinduism

Hinduism is for me by far the most interesting religion that we have studied so far.  It is so different from what westerners believe I have little prior knowledge about the religion.  One of the major concepts or theories of Hinduism is reincarnation.  Simply but when you die you do not go to heaven or hell; you are born as another human or a different creature.  Hindus believe that there is a difference between chronological and psychological age, for example two people may be or their bodies may be twenty years old but one of them can have a mind of a forty-five year-old.  Hindus strongly believe that live over multiple lifespan. 

In Hinduism there are four different cast systems in witch you are born into and where you will live your whole life in.  The caste consist of four, first are the Brahmins or Seers who are the spiritual leaders they are at the very top of the caste system.  Following them are the born administrators or organizers.  Below them are the vocational workers for example farmers.  At the bottom of he caste system is the followers or the unskilled workers.   With in each caste system they treated equally but caste levels are treated anything but equally. 

Hindus believe in multiple gods who are in charge or responsible for various things.  They also believe that there are innumerous galaxies out there, as well as the belief in karma or what comes around goes around as we say in America. 

Hindus have various ways of worshiping and honoring the gods.  One of the most popular forms of worship is through yoga, which is an exercise that requires you to focus on your inner self.  There are several different types of yoga and depending on where you are in your spiritual walk determines which yoga class you take part it.  Hindus also worship and pray in temples.  Many Hindus begin their day with bathing because according to the video it helps cleans the body as well as the spirit.  Hindus often pray before idols it is important to note that they are not praying to the idols themselves but to what the idols represent. 

Hinduism has many traditions both new as well as old, there are so many that not every Hindu follows all of them.  Which lead to the question is there a thing as Hinduism?  One thing that Hindus believe is that there are several roads, which lead to the same god.  So they believe that god created several different religions so that more people would be able to reach him.  There is such a thing, as Hinduism if there weren’t there would not be as many worldwide believes as there are. 

7. Buddhism

Within Buddhism there is different schools, which look at things differently.

The first group tends to be more fundamental and according to Smith, think of Buddhism, as a full time job and that people who are serious about the religion should become monks, this group came to be known as Hinayana or the little raft but they refer to themselves as Theravada.  A second group called Mahayana is more popular with laypersons and professionals it is considered Buddhism for the people.  The name means large raft because more people fall in to this category it is know as the large or great raft. 

            In Theravada Buddhism it is up to the individual to progress they also believe that every individual is in their own universe, they also do not believe that there are gods who help them in troubled times, it is not so when it comes to Mahayanists.  The Theravada’s strongly believe enlightenment brings wisdom, and it helps them follow the Four Nobel Virtues. 

The Mahayana’s do not believe that passion is an automatic byproduct and like wisdom it must be activated.  This is also considered a religion for laypersons; their monks for the most part get married and make their sermons their priority. 

Theravada Buddhist believe that monks should receive the up most respect and it would be unusual for them to marry.  The biggest difference between these two schools is that the Theravada’s believe that Buddha is a saint, and the Mahayana’s believe that Buddha is their savior. 

A third school of Buddhism is the Vajrayana or the diamond school.  Diamonds represent strength as well as beauty, which stand for Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.  

The small raft, the large raft, and the diamond raft all have a few things in common.  According to Smith they all have the same founder and they all share the common metaphor of a ferry helping people cross a river.  In the past prior to the construction of bridges one would take a ferryboat to cross a river.  The Theravada Buddhist would create their own boat while the Mahayana Buddhist would just keep walking until they found a ferryboat down stream. 

8. Jainism

Jainism is the smallest of all the major world religions, it originated in India, where it is said to have 4.2 million followers.  Jains strongly believe in Karma they believe that if you do bad things, bad things will come your way, and if you do good things, good things will come your way.  One thing that I admire about this religion is its nonviolent philosophy.  Jains do not whatsoever believe in violence, they even feel that having violent views is bad. 

They believe that every living creature has a soul; there for you should not harm anything, and their fore the Jains are very strict vegetarians who will not eat any meat whatsoever.  Many of them refuse to wear shoes, and they choose to sweep the floor before their feet so that they do not accidentally step on any creature. 

The Jains follow a very basic ethical code one of non-violence, telling the truth, non-stealing, purity of the mind as well as the body, and non attachment to material possessions.  Some of the monks take the last one so seriously that they refuse to wear clothing in fear of becoming attached to a worldly thing. 

Jainism has quite a few things in common with Hinduism, they both originated in the same country,  India.  They both are very strict vegetarians, and neither one of the two religions want to become attached to material objects. 

Just as these two religions have similarities the also have quite a few differences, for example the Jains do not use yoga as a form of worship.  They also do not believe in god the creator, and finally Jains tend to be wealthier then their Hindu neighbors, and often opens up schools, hospitals, and animal shelters.  

9. Taoism and Confucianism

Taoism dates back to before Christ it originated in China where it still to this day has a major impact on Chinese culture.  There are three different schools of Taoism, Philosophical Taoism, Taoist Hygiene and Yoga, and Religious Taoism. 

Religious Taoism deals with a lot superstitions, along with producing, releasing, and receiving energies.  Their documents are filled with rituals, and are performed with magical effects.  Taoism has a great appreciation for art as well as for nature.  In many of their landscape painting humans are usually hard to find and are rarely the center of focus in the paining.  Anther important value in Taoism, is the yin yang which symbolizes the opposites complementing each other the examples that Smith gives are, “life- death, male- female, - day- night.”  

            Confucianism is another really old religion that comes from China.  It has also had a huge impact on the Chinese culture.  Confucius is considered one of China’s greatest teachers of all time.  He was able to travel the country with his disciples preaching his message for all to hear.  Confucius enjoyed government and had plans and strategies to govern the country well but was never given the opportunity in his lifetime. 

             Confucius has five ideals that structured his philosophy: 1 is “Jen or the virtues of goodness is the ideal relationship between individuals.”  2 is “chun Tzu which is the term of jen in relations” The third ideal is “le” which means a form of property for example if you are a teacher you are to teach others and they are to learn though you, you must care for their well being and they shall respect you.  The fourth ideal is “te which means power.”  And the fifth and final ideal is “wen which refers to the arts of peace.”  He also encourages his followers to build relationships with other.  His theory was if we were to surround ourselves with different types of relationships we would be able to discover new things about our selves. 

            Confucius believed in loving others and treating others how you would want to be treated.  He also emphasis on how we should get to know others.

            When comparing the two religions you can see how Confucius focuses on relationships with others while Taoism goes beyond that.  Both religions have had an enormous impact on the Chinese culture as well as heritage. 

10. Of all the religions that we have studied so far I have to say that Jainism has to be

the religion that I am most attracted to.  I love the fact that they are non-violent, and how they follow very strict guidelines when it comes to their diet.  By reading about them you can really tell that they care for and love all creatures.  The fact that some of them sweep the floor in front of them in order to prevent stepping on the smallest of creatures sows their love and appreciation for other living things.  After watching the video on of the man talking about Jainism and him saying that it is horrible to even think of doing a violent act.  This shows that these people have an enormous amount of love for the world around them. 

            Another thing that I like about them is the fact that they are the minority in India; only about one percent of Indians are Jains.  One of their beliefs I find the most interesting is their belief in Karma.  Just the thought of, if you do bad things, bad things will come your way, and if you do good things, good things will come your way.  This concept makes a lot of since to me, and it would persuade me to do good things. 

            I also like the fact that Jains avoid becoming attached to material things.  Looking at American society you can see how material driven society we are.  And yet there is a culture out in the world where some men chose not to wear any clothing in fear of becoming attached to a material possession.  The fact that they take something that we over look so much so seriously shows you where their hearts are, and I love that about them.