World Religion Unit 1 Key Terms

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Analogy

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refers to the direct comparison of the sacred with something that is familiar

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Sacred

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mysterious, indescribable force
(something beyond our ordinary world)

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apocryoha

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books that are not part of the official cannon of scripture, but which are still considered scared

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cannon

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an official list of sacred to be in a book (example: Bible)

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diety

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God

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exegesis

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interpretation of a specific passage of scripture
example: "Do not kill"

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fundamentalism

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often used to describe who follow an orthodox form of religion

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heretic

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people who publicly assert contorversial positions or disagree with orthodox forms of worship

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hermeneutics

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the method of interpretation that we bring to scripture

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liberal

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someone who takes a more flexible approach to their religious tradition

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exegesis

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interpretation of a specific passage of scripture
example: "Do not kill"

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fundamentalism

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often used to describe who follow an orthodox form of religion

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heretic

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people who publicly assert contorversial positions or disagree with orthodox forms of worship

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hermeneutics

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the method of interpretation that we bring to scripture

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liberal

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someone who takes a more flexible approach to their religious tradition

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metaphore

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a figure of speech, a symbolic expression

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mystic/mysticism

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another way to interpret scripture is to read it like a mystic/ mysticism tends to be an individual and personal experience

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oral scripture

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because they have not been written down, the sacred stories of the primal religions are sometimes called this

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orthodox

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people who try to follow an established religious tradition

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religion

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defined as a system of belief that includes sacred stories, doctrines, rituals, ethics, and a moral code and that attempts to connect people with the sacred.

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religious studies

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studies of different religions

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scripture

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is the sacred writings of a religion that are considered authoratative because people read scripture to learn what is right or wrong

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story

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all religions have stories that they consider sacred. These stories are the basis for the beliefs and practices of each religion

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apologetics

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the use of theology to defend a religion

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cosmogony

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or cosmology, is a story about the creation of the world

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cosmological proof

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the first arguement, developed by the Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas (1224/5- 1274)

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creed

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short simple statements that people can learn to recite as a way to profess thier faith

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doctrine

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special teachings about the sacred

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dogma

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an authoritative opinion based on sacred scriptures or the teachings of a religious group that is considered authoritative

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ethics

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moral codes that help them to distinguish between what is right or wrong

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faith

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the belief in religious doctrine

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First cause

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Aquinas believed this was God

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moral arguement

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the fourth proof for God's existence. developed by the theologian Anselm (1033-1109)
decided God is abeing than which nothing greater can be concieved

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norms

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standards(norms)

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ontological proof

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3rd proof for God's existence. German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) believed that we must assume the existence of a just God who will recompense humans for being good.

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philosophy

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the study of wisdom and knowledge, to defend the truths of a religion

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teleological proof

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the 2nd arguement theologians have used to prove God's existence- believed the design of the universe was visible proof of God's existence

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theodicy

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theological speculation about the problem of evil

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theology

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The disciplined study of religious questions, such as the nature of God, sin, and salvation.

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theologians

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religious scholars- usually wrote creeds

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agnosticism

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agnostics believe that we do not have sufficient proof either to doubt or affirm God's existence

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angel

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spiritual being

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animism

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the belief that the entire world is alive wit spirits

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belief

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the acceptance of factual statements

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deism

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the belief that God id distant and is not actively involved in the world

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dualism

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belief in the existence of lesser beings created by God but are not God
example: satan

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goddess

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a female God

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henotheism

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the belief that some gods are more important that others and only worship dieties

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humanism

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the belief that people are basically good and can save themselves

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immanence

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a doctrine that holds that the diety is in everything and is everything

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materialism

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the belief that nothing exists apart from matter

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monism

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the belief developed that God is many yet one; cross between theistic and non theistic religion; some scholars view it as a combo of monotheistic and polytheistic religion

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monotheism

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the belief in the existence of a single god

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nontheism

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the belief in a spiritual reality but not in the existence of a personal god

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ominpotent

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belief that God has total power over the universe

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pantheism

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one form of nontheistic religion-- this word describes the view that everything is God

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pantheon

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the arrangement of gods and ranking of deities

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Polytheism

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the belief in the existence of many gods

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satan

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the devil

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skepticism/skeptics

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those who do not choose to practice or believe in a religion- the doubt religious truth

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theism

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the belief that God is a personal, loving diety who responds to prayer

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thanscendent

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(God is) beyond our world and existed before creation- (God) exists outside of the material world

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myth

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the sacred stories that religions tell abut their past

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profane

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the opposite of sacred

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rites of passage

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rituals that accompany such events as birth, puberty, marriage, and death

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ritual

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actions that reenact the sacred stories of relgion

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clergy

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leaders of a religion

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divination

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Shaman frequently practice this ritual to predict the future through the help of a medium

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laity

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ordinary people who practice a religion

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magic

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Shaman frequently use magic to manipulate spirits- this may involve the use of ritual objects- sometimes they use magical sounds that imitate or mimic what they want- example: thunder and rain

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medium

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Shaman frequently practice divinasion by becoming a medium. the spirits enter the body of the shaman and the powers that the spirit pass to the shaman are then used to predict the future. They also believe that they have the ability t contract the dead in order to learn the future

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ordination

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a formal ceremony to mark the end of this period of instruction (ordination)

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priest

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a professional religious leader who performs religious rituals (sometimes called minister or pastor)

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prophet

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a messenger of deity

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psychic

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a person who possesses the ability to predict the future or contact the dead

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shaman

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similiar to a priest-intermediates between the community and the sacred and are common in primal religions

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moral codes

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rules that govern behavior to help people distinguish between right and wrong behavior

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morals

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principles about what is right and what is wrong

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morality

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refers to a set of codes or laws that are intended to guide behavior in sccordance with the sacred

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secular

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people who do not stress religious beliefs and practices

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tradition

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the sacred stories, beliefs, and practices of thier/a religion. morality in religion is based on tradition

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apocalyptic

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western religions are apocalyptic because they share a belief in the end of time and the days of judgement

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cyclical time

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belief that time is repetative with no begining or end

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Day of Judgement

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belief by western religions that this is the end of time- the judgement of God

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eschatology

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beliefs about the end of time

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indigenous

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Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment

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linear time

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belief by western religions that time has a begining and an end

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miracles

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western religions believe that god controls time and because He is not subject to time He can intervene in history and perfom miracles

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primal religion

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the beliefs and practices if the indigenous peoples around the world

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reincarnation

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the belief of eastern religions that after we die our souls move into new bodies and this cycle constantly repeats itself

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western religions

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Judaism, christianlity, and Islam

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Eastern religions

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(India) Hinduism and Buddhism
(China) Confucianism and Taoism

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ancestor veneration

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thw worship of deceased family members

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animism

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the belief that nature is alive with spirits

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animistic theory

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developed by British anthropologist Edward Burnett- he believed that religion developed from animisn

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magic theory

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James Frazer adopted the basic framework of Tylors model- he believed that religion began with magic

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materialistic theory

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that religion can be created, or used to manipulate people- materialistic view possessions and comfort as more important that religion

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nature worship theory

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Max Muller believed that ancient people personfied nature and created myths to describe dieties of nature

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original monotheism

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developed by Wilhelm Schmidt he thoughtthat the primal originally worshipped a single High God and monotheism therefore was the original religion

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psychological theory

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Developed by Feuerbach believed that the supernatural world does not exist- and that the dieties were simply projections or peoples fears and desires- that actually all religious statements about God are actually statements about humans

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sociological theory

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believe that societies were more important in creating religions that any founder of a religion- thought that religion was originally a celebration of the tribe by the tribe created to bring people together