Religious Diversity(Midterm)
Saturday
NAME:
Jason Wandel
USERNAME: jcwandel32
WEBSITE ADDRESS:
1. POSTINGS:
2. Attendance: I did not miss any classes but I was late for 2 classes
3. 1st Digital Film: My first film is called Octopussy
and it was 2 1/2 minutes long.
I used Ulead to edit the video and it was posted on
March 29th. The film is about a
octopus which I filmed at the
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=iF9OccoYWbY
4. To read or not to read,
that is the question: Be honest. How much
ofthe following book did you read? World Religions in
5. Give an example of a "consilience"
explanation to one specific
religious phenomenon (e.g., why do people worship snakes, etc.). Be
sure to choose your own example.
Consilience is a process of
taking a theory or a phenomenon and breaking it down through sciences to create
a common groundwork for explanation. A good example of consilience is that in
Catholicism people can be possessed by the devil or by demons. Through
Catholic belief, certain symptoms of demonic possession are when a subject has
no control over the possessing entity and so it will persist until forced to
leave the victim, usually through a form of exorcism. Some scientific
explanations of this behavior can be traced to the same behavior for epilepsy “(sometimes
referred to as a seizure disorder) which is a common chronic neurological
condition that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic
seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms due to
abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.”
6. How can the theory of memetics
help in understanding WHY certain
religions are more successful than others (in terms of popularity) in
the
“A meme is a unit
of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is
transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.”
Religions which practice memetics
as a tool for recruiting new followers are more successful than others are
because a meme acts like a virus or plaque that infects every one that it comes
in contact with. For example, parents will pass down religious beliefs to their
children therefore causing the virus to spread. The mind of a child at an
early age acts like a sponge which absorbs any information that is provided
repeatedly, which causes the virus to spread from generation to
generation. The difference between a meme and a gene is that genes can be
identified to a single molecule.
7. Describe how
evolutionary theory (via natural selection as
first presented by Charles Darwin and later by Richard Dawkins) helps
in understanding human migration, cultural development, and social
identity. (Think of evolutionary psychology).
Natural selection is one
of the key components that drives evolution which results from the difference
in reproductive success between individuals in a population. The main idea of
natural selection is to produce more offspring that can possibly survive to
carry on from generation to generation. With this in mind, humans
will migrate to areas which they feel have a higher survival rate for their
offsprings to survive. The idea of cultural development as it relates to
natural selection is that in a culture, traditions, beliefs, and ideas are
passed on from generation to generation and therefore those components make up
a culture. As for social identity, it is a way for humans to identify a
group and fulfill their need of belonging to help them survive.
8. Describe the differences between Islam and Christianity. Be
specific. You may wish to use an outline format and references to
other websites.
|
Islam |
Christianity |
|
Muslims do not believe
in the separation of 'church from state' (i.e. secularism). However, it is
permissible to separate the functions of government (politics) from religion
and be undertaken by different individuals -- politics would still be subject
to religion. |
Almost all Christian
countries have secular governments. |
|
The Muslim daily
rituals and practices are clear and detailed (e.g. proper way to use the
washroom, specifics of purification for prayer, inheritance, details of Zakat, prescribed punishments,
etc.). |
Lack the details that
Islam holds. |
|
Prayer is very
specific and exactly the same no matter which country the Muslim happens to
live in. There are five prescribed prayers per day at set times according to
the rotation of the earth around the sun. All of these prayers are obligatory
on every Muslim. The prescribed prayers are recited in Arabic and are recited
exactly the same in all countries of the world. The culture of a person does
not influence the performance of prayer (salat). It is the exact prayer that Muhammad, p.b.u.h. taught us to do. |
With a few memorized
exceptions, like the 'Our Father' and the 'Apostle's Creed,' prayer is an
improvised conversation with God; there is no prescribed time for nor daily number of
Christian prayers. |
|
Actions may be haram (forbidden), halal (allowed), fard
(obligatory), sunnah
(following the ways of the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.) and so on. |
Don't have any
specific categories of actions as seen in Muslim law. |
|
Funeral prayers, the
birth of a baby (adhan),
donations to charity (i.e. Zakat)
etc. are ritualized and clearly set out no matter which culture a Muslim
belongs to. |
Certain rites called
sacraments are performed: i.e. Baptism, Confession, the Eucharist, etc. |
|
Hymns and devotional
services of worship and supplications are an integral part of all Muslim
forms of worship. Zikr
ceremonies (chanting a name of God), and sama (religious music) are practised more often among the more devout groups
of Muslims such as the Sufis. |
Hymns and devotional
music play a big role in Christianity. |
|
In Islam, there is no institutionalized "church" nor
its hierarchy. There are no monks in Islam either. Religious leaders are not
obliged to remain celibate. |
Certain sects (i.e.
large sects like the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches) condone monkhood. Catholic monks and
priests are obliged to remain celibate. Protestant ministers are not obliged
to remain celibate. |
|
Muslims are forbidden
to put pressure, either directly or indirectly, on another person to convert
to Islam. Efforts in this regard have to be through persuasion (i.e. without
involving any kind of pressure). The Qur'an
clearly lays down the law that the duty and function of all the Prophets and
all Muslims is only to convey the message of God. Period. |
Christians have an
obligation to proselytize. Missionary work is considered very important. |
|
Homosexuality is
considered to be a perversion and is forbidden. |
Since the prohibition
on homosexuality is found in the Old Testament only, some Christian sects say
it does not apply (i.e. the |
|
Interest (riba) is forbidden to Muslims
who live in Islamic countries. |
Interest used to be
forbidden in Christianity, but it seems that this is no longer the case. |
|
Polygamy is allowed to
Muslims. There are strict limitations and prohibitions concerning it so it
does not become a method to dominate women. |
Polygamy used to be
allowed by the Church, but now it is forbidden to all sects but the Mormons. |
|
All games of chance
and gambling are forbidden in Islam. |
Some sects are very
strict about gambling, but others are not strict at all. |
|
Only females are
allowed to wear gold |
Males and females are
allowed to wear gold. |
|
|
|
http://muslim-canada.org/islam_christianity.html
9. Why is the notion of
"race" biologically obsolete, yet
culturally viable? (hint:
difference between "nature"
and "nurture"... or biology vs. sociology)
The notion of race
is biologically obsolete because today all humans are mixed with different
races. According to evolution we evolved from strands of DNA.
Although race is obsolete, it is necessary for humans to use race for
identification purposes and fulfill the need to belong to a certain group.
10. Susan Blackmore argues
that religions serve as meaning
memeplexes. Why, then, does
she argue that there is no real or
permanent "self"? How do her views dovetail with Buddhism?
Susan Blackmore argues that everything
that we as humans have learned is a series of memes. Thus, all humans are
a series of memes that were created to be passed on from person to person
through everyday activity. She also argues that religion serves as a
meaning memeplexes, which
means that humans need to believe in something because life as we know it is
very depressing. Thus, if religions did not exist we would find something
to believe in to provide that sense of fulfillment day to day for survival.
Susan Blackmore’s views are similar to
the views of Buddhism because Buddhism also argues that there is no such thing
as a permanent self or soul. 'Consciousness is not self. If consciousness
were the self, this consciousness would not lend itself to dis-ease. It would be possible (to say) with regard
to consciousness, "Let my consciousness be thus. Let my consciousness not
be thus." But precisely because consciousness is not self, consciousness
lends itself to dis-ease.
And it is not possible (to say) with regard to consciousness, "Let my
consciousness be thus. Let my consciousness not be thus."
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/anatta.html
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/journalism/NSmeme%201999.htm
11. Explain how a
religious idea/ritual/ practice gets
transformed in
American soil. For ex: I described how circumcision evolved from a
religious ritual (from Egyptian to Judaic to Islamic) into a
routinely performed medical procedure. This is a tougher question
than you might suspect. Think before you leap. You want to describe
how a religious idea/ritual/ practice CHANGES in a North American
environment. You can draw from ANY religion for your developmental
example. Be sure, though, that it is YOUR example.
For this particular question I
chose easter, since it is coming up in a few days. “Easter is the Sunday of the
Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian
liturgical
year, observed at some point between late March and late April each
year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which his followers
believe occurred on the third day after his death by crucifixion
some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Easter also refers to the season
of the church year, called Eastertide or the Easter Season,
lasting for fifty days, from Easter Sunday through Pentecost;
and, in the Roman Catholic Church, to the eight-day
feast beginning on Easter Day called the Octave of
Easter” Today on American soil, Easter has been transformed
from a day with religious meaning into a day filled with colorful egg hunts and
bunnies, which does not even go together.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
12. Explain Peter
Berger's concept of the "heretical imperative"
(hint: think of class lecture: deductive, reductive, inductive) and
how it applies to religious pluralism in general.
-deduction, which involves a
reaffirmation of the authority of a religious tradition in the face of secular
authority
-reduction, which attempts to
reinterpret a religious tradition in the terms of secular authority
-Inductive approach is characterized by an attempt to
uncover and recover the original experiences of a particular tradition
According to Berger, modern society is dominated by
many different institutions, ideas, and choices. With this diversification of
institutions and choices, comes uncertainty, unstable, and unreliable
structures; most notably the plausibility structures of religion. “Religion
itself becomes a matter of choice; of necessary choice insofar there are few
taken-for-granted religious “facts” to fall back upon. In other words, religion
becomes a “heretical imperative.” (The English word “heresy” derives from the
Greek verb hairein, “to choose.”)”
http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/exp/resources/reviews/review_berger02.htm
13. Take ONE new
religious movement (any religion founded after the
16th century CE) and describe, in brief, its influence in
America
14. How would Nietzsche
describe the "death" of God and the rise of
new religions?
Nietzsche describes the “death” of god in reference to
realization that there is no sure foundation, that there is no God to tell us
what to do and there are no rewards if we do follow. He is saying that we have to make our own
decisions and live with them. On the
other hand Nietzsche explains that people need something to believe in. If there were no religions in the first
place, we would create one for moral and political decisions. Without religions
and things to believe in the world would be total chaos. People will react to their impossible
situation by using violence and being self-destructive.
15. In what ways is the Radhasoami faith a TRANS-national
movement?
Radhasoami faith has become a trans-national movement b being a
good faith to be copied because the religion is open to everyone and most
people are not aware that they exist. “There are now several popular religious movements
in
All of these new panths,
though, have one thing in common: they give significant emphasis to the Shabd,
the transcendent power which is believed to be the creative and sustaining
force of the universe (it is also known as the "Audible Life Stream"
or the "Music of the
Spheres").”
And though there are groups which speak of this
"Sound Current" which are both anterior and exterior to the Radhasoami tradition, all of the new movements under
discussion have based their knowledge and writings on Radhasoami's
own particular interpretation of Surat Shabd Yoga, the practice of uniting the soul
with the internal sound energy.
http://www.ex-premie.org/papers/shabd.htm
16. Why does religious
"diversity" almost always start with its
founder? Explain in detail your answer.
Religious diversity
almost always starts with its founders because it is usually the founders that
experience a phenomenon. The stories for
which the founders have experienced are what intrigues most people to
follow. People need something to believe
in and stories which are not of the normal sense make people believe that there
is something greater in this world. If
the founders have experienced these phenomenons, than people feel like they
have been chosen by something greater.
What I am trying to say is that some people experience things that may
or may not be explained. These
experiences are then told and people are fascinated, hence the creation of a
religion because people need to believe in something, so we create.
17. How did Eckankar evolve
out of Radhasoami? In
addition, please
explain genealogical dissociation and how it relates to the
emergence of new religious movements.
“Eckankar emerged during the
Cultural Revolution of the 1960's during a time in which the youth
counter-culture promoted ideals of ancient eastern wisdom. Eckankar has
strong ancient roots and the founder, Paul Twitchell,
merely helped introduce these teachings to the modern world. Scholars claim
that Eckankar repackages ancient beliefs and
practices of the Radhasoami tradition with new "Eck"
vocabulary . This interesting mixture of
ancient wisdom and new terminology invites comparison of Eckankar
to Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy.”
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/ecka.html
17a. Describe two
religions that were founded in
are related to the Indian spiritual movement of Radhasoami. In what
ways do these religions DIFFER?
The two religions I have
chosen for this question is Eckankar and MSIA
MSIA does not have a initiation for their members while Eckankar
requires a one year initiation process.
Eckankar- teaches simple spiritual exercises to experience the
Light and Sound of God.
MSIA(Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness)-
teaches Soul Transcendence, which is becoming aware of yourself as a Soul and
as one with God, not as a theory but as a living reality.
Eckankar- Teachings were exploited
MSIA- Should be exploited
by Lane.
17b. Is this MIDTERM your own
work? Yes
