2019 Studies-of-Religion-Prelim-Notes PDF

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2019 Studies-of-Religion-Prelim-Notes...

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Studies Of Religion 1 Notes Preliminary 2019   Syllabus key points summary 

Topic 1: The Nature of Religion  GLOSSARY:  Panatheisms: not identifying with any particular faith  Ethics: The system of explicit,philosophical and/or religious reflection on moral beliefs and practices to clarify what is right and what is wrong, and what human beings should freely do or refrain from doing  Immanent: An indwelling, constant reality of a divine being or spiritual forces as an intrinsic part of the world opposite of transcendent.

( reality/present day)  Transcendent: Ultimate reality that exists beyond our world and our experience ( supernatural )  Monotheism: the belief that there is only one God  Polytheism : refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it  Adherent: someone who believes in a particular faith 

● Religion as a world view that: 1.1 : Acknowledges the supernatural dimension - All adherents believe in a transcendent factor within their religion. - Uses the idea of a supernatural dimension and/or beyond human existence to answer life’s biggest questions eg. what happens when we die - Perceived that factors in this supernatural dimensions have control over humanity’s destiny and choices  Examples from each faith:  Buddhism: The purpose of life is to end suffering and the cycle of rebirth and to achieve Enlightenment (nirvana).

 Islam: The angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and delivered a message from the one true God.  Christianity: - Concept of salvation - Divinity of Jesus - Heaven and hell - Angels  Judaism: The Hebrews are a chosen people, cared for by God (for example, the escape from Egypt).

 Hinduism:

The importance of the Vedas ("Books of Knowledge"), a collection of sacred texts.

 1.2 : has a belief in a divine being or powers beyond the human and/or dwelling within the individuals  - Every adherent in a faith have different perceptions and rules towards these figure/s that they look up to as having divine being or powers - For example: Buddhists have no God, they are a Godless religion  Transcendent and Immanent: - Transcendent can be seen as ‘something beyond the ordinary’ - Religion helps in some ways to map a course through life’s obstacles and the limitations of human existence  - Some religions do not like to manipulate or depict these divine powers in any form of media. For example:  Why do Islam and Judaism oppose the image of God? - To avoid idolatry - Do not want to depict this image of God - They consider him part of the supernatural world, thus does not want to create this image of him - They consider this to be a sin or offence to the faith  As aherants of this faith, they believe this needs to be respected and that God is beyond comprehension with his divine powers. ( supernatural )

  ● Characteristics of Religion 2.1 : beliefs and believers  - Beliefs and believers ( adherent ) sustain all religions. Eg. the central beliefs of Christianity - Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God  - However beliefs and believers may often create different interpretations of these beliefs and has resulted into disunity.   .2: sacred texts and writings 2

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All religions have oral and/ or written sacred texts, writings , or other types of stories. For example, in Buddhism, these are the Pali Ganon. In Islam, it is the Quran. Sacred texts and writing interconnect the faith, as well as gives essential direction for their customs. 2.3 Ethics Can be understood as the explicit, philosophical and/or religious reflection on moral beliefs within a tradition The purpose is to clarify what is right and wrong within the belief What the adherents should freely do or refrain from doing

 2.4 Rituals and Ceremonies - Systems of actions and beliefs that each have a beginning, a middle and an end. ● 3.1 The contribution of religion 

Topic 2: Australian Aboriginal Beliefs and Spiritualities - The Dreaming  ● 4.1 The Nature of Dreaming Song line: is a way of telling a story about the land, survival, how to travel from one way to another - the dreaming is in the present, it is part of ongoing life. - aboriginal people see dreaming all around them, helps shapes their kinship and spirituality. It helps identify who they are. it is an ongoing living spirituality. - the dreaming is to do with everything about on going life : plants and life, relationships, mythology, art Where they've come from, how they live, where they're going, responsibilities on how kinship groups needs to be structured after they're dead Diversity: - there's not one language, there's not one song, not one sacred site within australia. All diverse.  Origins of the universe - - Aboriginals have their own lands, languages and customs.

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The broad contour of beliefs, values and attitudes remains and persists into modern Aboriginal spirituality .The primordial spirits travelled about and in the course of their adventures they encountered one another and negotiated the terms of existence.The spirits of ancestors gave cach living species its own law, or design of life. They taught humans all the thing that are important for survival, including how to hunt, how to make fire and utensils and how to perform ceremonies.  S  acred Sites - The dreaming creation stories are described as the origin of important landscape features some of places where important events occured. These are known as sacred sites. They may be land, rock formations, parts of rivers or seas. They are used for different events, such as burial grounds, ceremonial meeting places, places of danger and significant places such as birthing caves. The custodians that have the knowledge on these sacred sites reveal little as possible. Sacred sites are used in ceremony and are connected by the Dreaming tracks. These are followed in Walkabout.

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Dreaming tracks establish a relationship between one place and another. These are the trails of the lives and movements of the ancestral spirits. They connect sacred sites and are sometimes known as ‘ songlines’’. They can be depicted in sand paintings, paintings, engravings and body paintings. They contain the spirit children of the ancestral spirits who are yet to be born either as a natural species of animal or plant or as a human. Walkabout use to be seen whites as no more than idle wandering around the countryside. Nowadays it is more widely appreciated as a deliberate pilgrimage along ritual paths which link the Aboriginal sacred sites . Going on walkabout is thus a spiritual journey which renews and develops the soul by cultivating higher states of consciousness and higher experiences of reality.  Diversity of the dreaming -

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Aboriginal spirituality is based on a variety of beliefs. Essential to all tribes is the belief of an ancestral creative spirit who came out of a darkened world and by the process of his travels created the landscape, significant landforms

the people, animals and plants etc. Particular plants and animals, are associated with this spirit and are the totems for people in that area. They have a kinship with that spirit. This encompasses the ownership of the Dreaming tracks and Sacred sites associated with that creative spirit and those Dreamings. This kinship and responsibility gives spiritual and temporal identity to the Aboriginal people

   Symbolism and Art

● Artwork could be about the dreaming, stories about the ancestors, spirits of the land. Also can be about song lines and survival.

● It is significant as there was no written language, artwork is the physical record. It is the equivalent of a written language. eg carvings in trees. ● It was the consist form of transmission in spiritual beliefs. Coveys rituals, stories and spiritual beliefs. eg where the kangaroos gather. Strengthen kinship ties. ● Can depict sacred sites that only men and women are to have knowledge of. ● Different artworks have different meanings. if this didn't exists, the transmission of the dreaming from one generation to the next, it would be really difficult to pass on the culture.  4.2 Inextricable connection to dreaming, land and identity. 

 ● Inextricable - cannot separate. eg . you can't unscramble an egg, its intertwined. The same can be said about an aboriginal person with the dreaming and their identity. ● They are one. “The land is alive with ancestral beings.” It is where they live. ● The land was shaped by ancestral beings during the dreaming. ● Certain landforms have meaning for aboriginal people. Eg. where they've been travelling, where they lived, where they were born. Totems ● Another way the dreaming, land and identity are inextricably linked is through totems. ● Aboriginal people identify with certain landforms or animals which are their totemic symbol. This is where ancestors reside, and where they lived before they were born and where they will return when they die ● Custodianship of these totems is critical to an Aboriginal persons life.

● The significance is custodianship, the responsibility to care for land, to care for animals.  

Topic 3 [core]: Christianity  Outline the Social and cultural context of Christianity (1 Paragraph) In the proceeding 2000 years before Jesus was born, different cultures and empires had come in and invaded and taken people away for slavery. Occupation of land by the Greeks and taking control. At the time there was a distinct Jewish religion, he was born into a time where

there have been a period of occupation and displacement by the Assyrians, Egyptians, babylonians, Greeks and Romans. Additionally, there was an Messianic expectation that a Messiah was going to come and fix this. However Jesus came and was revolutionary, he had preached the message of peace. Therefore, the cultural context was developed as the Jews had recognised him as the Messiah. 1.1 Principal Beliefs: THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES - what is the “early church”  ● Jesus establishes a form of “ church” - a gathering of people. ● The word ‘ekklesia’ used in Matthew means “ assembly, congregation, council” so the context wasn’t “ Church” like it is today ● In Ephesians, written 50 years after Gospel, and early writers began to refer to Christian communities as a Church. ● Jesus preached the gospel to all, knowing only some would adhere and spread the word. So audience wasn’t limited. His concept of ‘church’ wasn’t ours. ● Communities developed in Antioch, Ephesus, Rome, Corinth ( think of “ paul's letters to..” ● Women were also given key roles in the leadership of the early Church, eg, Phoebe ( given same status as Timothy), Chloe ( leader at Corinth ), Tabitha ( mourned after death), Mary Magdalene THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES - some early figures  ● Simon became a leader. Jesus gave him the name “rock” which translated to “petros” ( Greek ) which is Peter. ● Peter left Jerusalem to move to Antioch, then was leader in Roman Church ● James became leader in Jerusalem ( later put to death 62 CE ) ● Saul ( later Paul ) undertook many missionary journeys and wrote extensively contributing heavily to New Testament  PG 45 - THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES - stages in early Christian development ● The development of Christianity was more complicated than it seemed ● Jesus chose 12 from among his disciples. All acknowledge that Simon from Galilee was the leader of the group.

● Peter however was forced to leave Jerusalem and moved his centre to Antioch, and is said to have gone to Rome and become the first Bishop ● Due to this, James became the undisputed Christian leader in Jerusalem. However was put to death in 62 CE by a Jewish group attached to the Temple. ● Therefore to summarise; There were two early Christian leaders - Peter, who was the leader of the 12, and James, whose group had its base in Jerusalem. ● Another significant figure in this formative period was Saul. A roman citizen in modern day Turkey. He was well trained in Jewish learning and awaited the coming of the Messiah. ● Saul was converted to Christianity and took a new name - Paul. PG 45-46 : THE STAGES IN EARLY CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN FOUR MAJOR STAGES :  - STAGE 1 : Jesus’ death and resurrection is announced to the Jews and others at Pentecost - STAGE 2: The Church leaders its first lesson about expansion. The first break - the gospel message is not tied to Jerusalem - STAGE 3: The Church learns about a second valuable lesson. Expansion and disagreement- you need not be a Jew to be Jesus’ disciples - STAGE 4: The Church expands through Paul’s missionary journeys.  PG 46 : EARLY CHURCH COMMUNITIES AND FOLLOWERS - ‘assembly , congregation, council’ became the term used to express the concept of united Christian Church. 

 PG 51 THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST  ● From early Christian belief, they had believed in the resurrection of the body; that he was divine, yet this raised questions about the nature of Jesus and the nature of God. ● They asked in what sense was Jesus both truly divine and truly human. ● They had begun to understand that he was human, although at the same time he was also mysteriously the divine Son of God. ● The gospels affirm that Jesus not only rose from the dead but also was seen by many of his followers. ● It gives every Christian hope that if they rely on Jesus and repent and turn themselves to God

● At the council of nicea it was the understanding of jesus being divine and human was resolved- the questioning of people at the time about the divinity and nature of Jesus.  PG 52 THE NATURE OF GOD AND THE TRINITY ● God is One and the Creator of all things. ● This same God is also known as three persons: Father or Creator of all, Jesus the son of God, and the Holy Spirit or Sanctifier. ● This is known as ‘the mystery of the holy or Blessed Trinity’ ● This is the central dogma and mystery of the Christian faith ● When one person in the Trinity acts, so too do the other two persons. Each person is distinct but down to act in isolation from the others. ● The trinity traditionally has been described in relation to three key functions: → Creating ( bringing God’s new life to all creation) → Sanctifying ( blessings and making holy all creation) → Redeeming ( turning all creation from sin and darkness and more fully towards God) PG 52/53 REVELATION 

→ definition : revelation is the transmission of knowledge from the divine to the hyman that is ongoing throughout human history. Includes; biblical revelation as well as revelation that is evident throughout the whole human history. → THE MAIN CHRISTIAN REVELATION Christians believe that revelation is not only God’s self-communication to human beings but it is also loving and utterly free invitation to join in friendship with God. → THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENERAL AND SPECIAL REVELATION General revelation – knowledge of God through nature, philosophy, reasoning, human conscience, etc ○ Special revelation – knowledge of God can be discovered through supernatural means, eg, miracles and Scriptures. Anything other than “man” PG 53 SALVATION  ○ Agnus Dei – Lamb of God – Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice ○ Christian Salvation: ○ Deliverance from sin – shown through reconciliation ○

Resurrection to afterlife – possible after death for those who are forgiven ○ Healing through God – eg, miracle events like Lourdes water ○ Salvation recognises the past forgiveness of sins, the present living as a saved person, and the future afterlife Salvation is the belief that human beings require deliverance by God from the power of sin and darkness. Yet it is also the process or way in which humans are saved or brought to fullness of life in God. SALVATION HAS THREE MAIN FEATURES : → the initial fruits of salvation: may be experiences now in this present life. → people cannot achieve salvation by themselves. It is only through grace of God that humans can attain salvation → Jesus Christ is the central to salvation, for it is through his life, death, and resurrection that God has offered salvation to all humanity. Some believe that those who strive to do God's will as it is made known to them in conscience can be saved,even if they are not members of that particular Church. → salvation is more concerned with the all-powerful and all-knowing love of God who is Mystery and beyond all human understanding. → Christians believe that to experience God’s love is to experience the essence of salvation’s meaning and mystery.  PRINCIPAL BELIEFS IN THE BIBLE ○

Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14 Jesus was referred to as “the Word”, ie, Word of God, showing the divinity of Jesus. The passage also states that the “Word became flesh”, ie, Jesus becoming part human. He lived among humans, and people have witnessed his glory. Consequently, this reflects the Christian belief that Jesus was part human, part divine.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three eternal and equal entities that coexist, and are at work in the world, yet God is all these entities. 

Salvation

Jn 3:16 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in

Whoever believes in God shall not perish and will instead have eternal life, because God sacrificed His Son for his love of the world.

him shall not perish but have eternal life.  TEN COMMANDMENTS → The commandments provide a moral structure in which Christians live their lives, as well as a guidance on how individuals share their lives with other people in society → Even with the use of language like ‘thou shalt not’, we always as Christian adherents attempt to perceive that it is out of love, in order to encourage it with all interactions → The first three commandments of the Decalogue refer to the worship of God, while the rest refer to obligations to one’s neighbour and society. → The commandments should be viewed as life principles to be internalised by the human heart - not avoided because of perceived punishment and damnation by God. → Overall, the ten commandments call Christians back to loving God alone and loving their neighbors as themselves. 1. You shall not murder 2. You shall not steal 3. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour

BEATITUDES fulfil the promise made to Abraham ●

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They mostly speak of rewards for the aforementioned behaviours, with rewards including finding forgiveness (Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted) and a promise of the heavenly kingdom (Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven) This comes into contrast with the attitude shown in the Old Testament, where the focus was placed mostly on the actions or behaviours we must not follow. The Beatitudes, on the other hand, focuses on rewarding behaviour that should be followed.

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Matthew's gospel communicates the aspects of Happiness In Luke’s version, Jesus blesses his listeners for conditions of real poverty, hunger and bleakness by promising them future rewards from God.  JESUS’ COMMANDMENT OF LOVE  

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Moral compass - Christ...