Religion chapter one

Belief

conviction of the truth of religious assertions such as a tradition's creeds, doctrines, or teachings.

Cosmology

The understanding of the nature and the universe (creation stories)

Empathy

The capacity of seeing things from another's perspective

Ethics

A basic element of religions that deals while how we should act while living in the world

Faith

An experience of the divine or holy presence; faith is characterized by its spontaneity and its self-evident truth for the individual.

Monotheism

A belief on only one divine being

Mysticism

A category of types of religious experience characterized by
communion or union with the divine through inward contemplation.

Myth

A story that is passed down orally ( sometimes in scripture) that tends to serve as the questions of origins and sacred truths

Pantheism

The belief that the divine reality exists in everything

Polytheism

a belief in many gods

Revelation

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

Ritual

formal worship practice, often based on the re-enactment of a myth. A prescribed way of carrying out a religious activity, such as prayer. An act of worship or sacrifice.

Worship

Celebrations that include: food, sacrafices, dancing, prayers etc. to help express ones faith

Salvation

the general deliverance from the shortcomings of the human condition; (for some religions, salvation is gained through a form of transcendence in this life, and for other religions, it comes through attaining a good destiny in the afterlife)

Transcendence

salvation in this life, which enables us to live fully in the human condition, with all its joys and sorrows, while maintaining an underlying state of joy and tranquility.

Amulet

(charm, fetish, tailsman) object venerated as the dwelling place of a spirit.

Animism

A belief that nature is in habited by spirits (Pocahontas)

Venerate

to regard or treat with reverence and respect, and honnor

Atheist

denies the presence of god

Ancestors

the deceased, who can assist the living while requiring religious devotion. (Australian Aborigines used the uppercase A to mean the supernatural beings that emerged and roamed the earth during the time of the Dreaming)

Axis Mundi

common to many religions, an entity such as a mountain, tree or pole that is believed to connect the heavens and earth, and is sometimes regarded as the center of the world.

Divination

the use of various techniques, such as throwing bones or shells and then interpreting the pattern in which they fall, for gaining knowledge about an individual's future or the cause of a personal problem.

Diviners

ritual practitioners who specialize in the art of divination.

Taboo

A system of ordering, which dictates that specific objects due to their sacred nature, are set aside for specific groups and are strictly forbidden to others.

Totem

a natural entity, such as an animal or a feature of the landscape, that symbolically represents an individual or group and that has special significance for the religious life of that individual or group.

Trickster Figure

a type of supernatural being who tends to disrupt the normal course of life.

Vision Quest

a means of seeking spiritual power through an encounter with a guardian spirit or other medium, usually in the form of an animal or other natural entity, following a period of fasting and other forms of self-denial.

What issues do people usually address when they ask the questions about the human condition?

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How does the spiritual transformation or fulfillment relate to the quest for salvation?

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Briefly explain how religions differ over the question of destiny.

Religions such as Hinduism, Buddism, and Jainism teach that humans live more than one life. The question of destiny is important to these religions because how you live in one life can affect one's future.

Name some ways religions perceive the nature of the world?

some religions accept the scientific theories of evolution, while others are more skeptical of science

Describe the difference between theistic and non theistic or trans theistic religions.

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How do most religions teach the the ultimate reality is usually revealed?

Many religions teach that the ultimate reality usually is a revaluation that happens listening to stories, myths, or in different religions experiences.

Describe in general terms the religious experience of the theistic religions. Then briefly compare it with the religious experience of the non theisic or trans theistic religions

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Briefly explain the concept of myth.

The concept of myth is usually not familiar to us because we no longer see it a world view. The western culture tends to base our different perspectives on science and history. Because myths are nonhistroical and non rational, they are often used as sacre

Identify at least two dimensions of religion, in addition to the mythic, doctrinal, and experiential.

Mythic- Using stories to convay certain important truths
Experiential- religions experiences can be apart of anyone's religious life, and not nessisarily result in a new religion.
Doctrinal- The belief aspect of a region is cats focused as the doctrinal d

What is one benefit of using a comparative approach to study the world's religions?

Studying many religions should enable us to understand each one, including our own more precisely.

What is empathy, and how is it applied to the study of world religions?

Empathy- the capacity for seeing things form another persons perspective. Empathy is a tool used to provide onsite to the lives of others, this helps especially in the study of world religions.