Transcript Key Concepts - cloudfront.net

By: Kathryn McClymond
Religion in the Modern World
• Religious conflict
• Religion and politics
• Religion and science/
technology
• Religion and gender
• Religion and culture
Studying Religions Objectively
• History
• Key concepts
• Geography
• Contemporary
issues and trends
Judaism: History
• Abraham considered
forefather of Judaism
• God promised Abraham
descendants and land
• The covenant fulfilled
“I will maintain my covenant
between Me and you, and
your offspring to come, as
an everlasting covenant
throughout the ages.”
— Genesis 17:7
Judaism: History
• Descendants became slaves
• Moses was called to lead slaves
• First five books of the Bible: the Torah
Judaism: History
• King David
• Temple destroyed and rebuilt
• Diaspora
Judaism: Key Concepts
• The Torah, Prophets,
and Writings
• The “Shema”
• The Ten Commandments
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is
our God, the LORD is one.
You shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and
with all your might.”
Judaism: Key Concepts
• Dietary laws
• No work on the Sabbath
Judaism: Geography
• Synagogues
• A place to worship and gather as a community
Judaism: Geography
• Home is central
• Passover
• Hanukkah
Judaism: Geography
• The Promised Land
• Israel established as a Jewish nation, 1948
• Conflict in the Middle East
Judaism: Contemporary Issues
• Divisions of Judaism
• Reform
• Orthodox
• Conservative
• Reconstructionist
Judaism Today
• Most live in the
U.S. and Israel
• Others live in France,
Canada, the United
Kingdom, Russia, and
Argentina
Christianity: History
• More than 2,000 years old
• Jesus of Nazareth, “Christ”
Christianity: Geography
• The four Gospels
• Jesus was raised a Jew
• Condemned and crucified
Christianity: Key Concepts
• Human beings are sinful
• Humans can’t be released
from sin on their own
• Jesus was crucified as a
sacrifice, according to
God’s plan
• Jesus is the way to salvation
“This is therefore now no
condemnation for those
who are in Christ.”
— Romans 8:1
Christianity: Key Concepts
• Disciples carried on Jesus’ teachings
• Paul was the most influential teacher
• Spread Christianity to Gentiles and Jews
Christianity: Key Concepts
• Old Testament and New Testament
• The Bible is the guide to history, theology, etc.
Christianity: Geography
• Spread of Christianity
• Official religion of the Roman empire
• Church is “sacred space”
Christianity: Geography
• “Great Split”
• Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodoxy
• Protestantism
Christianity: Geography
Christianity: Contemporary Issues
• War
• Poverty
• Social injustice
• Gender roles
• Sexual identity
• Environmentalism
Islam: History
• Youngest monotheistic tradition
• Muhammad
• Qur’an
Islam: History
• Two major strains of Islam
• Sunni
• Shi’a
• Differences and debates
Islam population by country
Islam: Key Concepts
• Strict monotheism
• Shahadah (creed)
• Muhammad, the last
true messenger of
God’s teaching
“There is no god but God,
and Mohammed is His
Messenger.”
Islam: Key Concepts
• Confession of faith, and a commitment to
witness to that faith, are expressed in the
Shahadah
• Salaat (daily prayers)
Islam: Key Concepts
• Zakat (Almsgiving)
• Fasting
Islam: Key Concepts
• Hajj (pilgrimage)
Islam: Geography
• Mecca and Medina
• Local mosques
Islam: Geography
INDONESIA
Islam: Contemporary Issues
• Modernity
• Westernization
• Extremism
Hinduism: History
• No historical founder
• Roots in India
• Vedas (sacred texts)
Hinduism: History
• Sacrifices
• Offerings
• Reincarnation
Hinduism: History
• Ramayana focuses
on Vishnu
• Mahabharata focuses
on Krishna
• Bhagavad Gita
Hinduism: Key Concepts
• Henotheistic (worship many gods)
• Primary deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Devi
• Determined by family or region of India
Hinduism: Key Concepts
• Atman (soul)
• Samsara (cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth)
• Karma (experiencing the
effects of your actions in
this life, in your next life)
• Moksha (liberation from
the cycle of birth, death,
and rebirth)
Hinduism: Key Concepts
• Worship at home, shrines, temples
Hinduism: Key Concepts
• Many festivals
• Examples: Holi, Diwali
Hinduism: Geography
• India is a sacred land
• Temples
Hinduism: Contemporary Issues
• Caste system
• Social change
• Rural India
Buddhism: History
• Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
THE FOUR SIGHTS:
▪ A very old man
▪ A sick person
▪ A dead body
▪ A beggar
Buddhism: History
• Enlightenment
• “Middle Path”
• Taught the way to
enlightenment
Buddhism: Key Concepts
• Four Noble Truths:
– Life involves suffering
– Suffering originates in
our desires
– Suffering will cease if all
desires cease
– There is a way to cease all
desire: the Eightfold Path
Buddhism: Key Concepts
• The Eightfold Path
• Path results in nirvana
Buddhism: Geography
Buddhism: Geography
• Theravada (“Way of the Elders”)
• Southeast Asia
• Mahayana (“Great Vehicle”)
• Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea,
Mongolia, Vietnam, and Japan
Buddhism: Geography
• Originated in India
• Spread to Tibet
• Meditative practices, compassionate living,
and advanced mystical practices
Buddhism: Contemporary Issues
• Dalai Lama, best known
• Lives in the Himalayan
Mountains
• Travels widely
Buddhism: Contemporary Issues
• Act on meditation
• Worked with Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Engaged Buddhists
Other Religious Communities
Sikhis
m
• Founded in India,
~1499
• Monotheistic
• 5th largest world
religion, based on
population
Confucianism
• Five Key Relationships:
- Parent/child
- Older/younger sibling
- Husband/wife
- Older/younger friend
- Ruler/subject
Single click speakers to hear audio clips >>>>>
Daoism
• Comes from a Chinese word
meaning “the way”
• Laozi authored the
Dao De Jing in the
4th century BCE
“There is a thing confusedly formed,
born before heaven and earth, silent
and void. It stands alone and does
not change, goes round and does not
weary. It is capable of being mother
of the earth. I know not its name,
so I call it “the way.”
— Dao De Jing, Chapter 25
Zen
• Zen Buddhism has its roots in India, then China,
and eventually Japan
• The word “zen” comes from the word meaning “meditation”
• “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”
Shinto
• Shinto has no founder, no sacred texts, and no ethical code
• The name comes from “shin” (divine being) and “do” (way)
• Before entering a shrine, devotees purify their hands, face,
and mouth with water
Other Religious Communities
• Australian Aborigines,
Native American tribes,
African tribal groups
• Rich oral traditions
• Local gods
Other Religious Communities
• Christian Science:
• Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910)
Other Religious Communities
• Church of Scientology
• L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986)
• The Scientology symbol
includes the letter “S” and two
triangles, important symbols in
Scientology thought
Other Religious Communities
• Wiccan
• Small local communities throughout the country
Concluding Thoughts