HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 1
VOCABULARY WHAT IS RELIGION? Morality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality morality [ mralt, m- ] noun 1. principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. synonyms: virtue goodness good behavior righteousness rectitude 2. a particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially one held by a specified person or society: "a bourgeois morality" Morality (from the Latin moralitas "manner, character, proper behavior") is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are "good" (or right) and those that are "bad" (or wrong). [citation needed] Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc., or it can derive from a standard that a person believes should be universal. [1] Morality may also be specifically synonymous with "goodness" or "rightness." Immorality is the active opposition to morality (i.e. opposition to that which is good or right), while amorality is variously defined as an unawareness of, indifference toward, or disbelief in any set of moral standards or principles. [2][3][4]
Moral philosophy includes moral ontology, or the origin of morals, as well as moral epistemology, or what is known about morals. Different systems of expressing morality have been proposed, including deontological ethical systems which adhere to a set of established rules, and normative ethical systems which consider the merits of actions Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 2
themselves. An example of normative ethical philosophy is the Golden Rule which states that, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." [5]
Functional http://spatel93.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/substantive-definition-of-religion/ Functionalist definition of religion defines religion in terms of what it does and how religion contributes to the wider society. Nevertheless both substantive and functionalist definition about religion can be board, as long as you can relate anything considering religion. Substantive http://spatel93.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/substantive-definition-of-religion/
Substantive definition means that youre looking at religion as simply a type of philosophy in a system of belief. Hence substantive definitions are exclusive as they draw clear line between religious and non-religious beliefs. Religion A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. [note 1] Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning of life and/or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. From their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world. [1]
Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 3
Definitions There are numerous definitions of religion and only a few are stated here. The typical dictionary definition of religion refers to a "belief in, or the worship of, a god or gods" [22]
or the "service and worship of God or the supernatural". [23] However, writers and scholars have expanded upon the "belief in god" definitions as insufficient to capture the diversity of religious thought and experience. Peter Mandaville and Paul James define religion as "a relatively-bounded system of beliefs, symbols and practices that addresses the nature of existence, and in which communion with others and Otherness is lived as if it both takes in and spiritually transcends socially-grounded ontologies of time, space, embodiment and knowing". [24]
This definition has the virtue of taking into account the emphasis in the literature on the relationship between the immanent and transcendent without treating it in the modern way as a dualism of two separate worlds. There is no mention of 'God' or 'gods', allowing Buddhism, for example, to be considered a religion. Edward Burnett Tylor defined religion as "the belief in spiritual beings". [25] He argued, back in 1871, that narrowing the definition to mean the belief in a supreme deity or judgment after death or idolatry and so on, would exclude many peoples from the category of religious, and thus "has the fault of identifying religion rather with particular developments than with the deeper motive which underlies them". He also argued that the belief in spiritual beings exists in all known societies. The anthropologist Clifford Geertz defined religion as a "system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 4
formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." [26] Alluding perhaps to Tylor's "deeper motive", Geertz remarked that "we have very little idea of how, in empirical terms, this particular miracle is accomplished. We just know that it is done, annually, weekly, daily, for some people almost hourly; and we have an enormous ethnographic literature to demonstrate it". [27] The theologian Antoine Vergote also emphasized the "cultural reality" of religion, which he defined as "the entirety of the linguistic expressions, emotions and, actions and signs that refer to a supernatural being or supernatural beings"; he took the term "supernatural" simply to mean whatever transcends the powers of nature or human agency. [28]
The sociologist Durkheim, in his seminal book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, defined religion as a "unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things". [29] By sacred things he meant things "set apart and forbiddenbeliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them". Sacred things are not, however, limited to gods or spirits. [note 2] On the contrary, a sacred thing can be "a rock, a tree, a spring, a pebble, a piece of wood, a house, in a word, anything can be sacred". [30] Religious beliefs, myths, dogmas and legends are the representations that express the nature of these sacred things, and the virtues and powers which are attributed to them. [31]
In his book The Varieties of Religious Experience, the psychologist William James defined religion as "the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 5
consider the divine". [32] By the term "divine" James meant "any object that is godlike, whether it be a concrete deity or not" [33] to which the individual feels impelled to respond with solemnity and gravity. [34]
Echoes of James' and Durkheim's definitions are to be found in the writings of, for example, Frederick Ferr who defined religion as "one's way of valuing most comprehensively and intensively". [35] Similarly, for the theologian Paul Tillich, faith is "the state of being ultimately concerned", [36] which "is itself religion. Religion is the substance, the ground, and the depth of man's spiritual life." [37] Friedrich Schleiermacher in the late 18th century defined religion as das schlechthinnige Abhngigkeitsgefhl, commonly translated as "a feeling of absolute dependence". [38] His contemporary Hegel disagreed thoroughly, defining religion as "the Divine Spirit becoming conscious of Himself through the finite spirit." [39]
When religion is seen in terms of "sacred", "divine", intensive "valuing", or "ultimate concern", then it is possible to understand why scientific findings and philosophical criticisms (e.g. Richard Dawkins) do not necessarily disturb its adherents. [40]
Transcendence In religion, transcendence refers to the aspect of a god's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all physical laws. This is contrasted with immanence, where a god is said to be fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways. In religious experience transcendence is a state of being that has overcome the limitations of physical existence and by some Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 6
definitions has also become independent of it. This is typically manifested in prayer, sance, meditation, psychedelics and paranormal "visions". It is affirmed in the concept of the divine in various religious traditions, and contrasts with the notion of a god, or the Absolute, existing exclusively in the physical order (immanentism), or indistinguishable from it (pantheism). Transcendence can be attributed to the divine not only in its being, but also in its knowledge. Thus, a god may transcend the universe, but may also transcends knowledge (is beyond the grasp of the human mind). Although transcendence is defined as the opposite of immanence, the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Some theologians and metaphysicians of various religious traditions affirm that a god is both within and beyond the universe (panentheism); in it, but not of it; simultaneously pervading it and surpassing it. Immanence Immanence refers to those philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence in which the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, pantheistic, pandeistic, or panentheistic faiths to suggest that the spiritual world permeates the mundane. It is often contrasted with theories of transcendence, in which the divine is seen to be outside the material world. Major faiths commonly devote significant philosophical efforts to explaining the relationship between immanence and transcendence but do so in different ways, such as: casting immanence as a characteristic of a transcendent god (common in Abrahamic religions), subsuming transcendent personal gods in a greater immanent Vaughn Weston Fall 2014 MWF10:00-10:50
HUMANITIES 2120 Sacred Traditions Suzanne Jacob Page 7
being (such as with Brahman in Hinduism), or approaching the question of transcendence as something which can only be answered through an appraisal of immanence. Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals to a higher purpose, in particular divine beings, as an act of propitiation or worship. While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering (Latin oblatio) can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts. For offerings of liquids (beverages) by pouring, the term libation is used. Sacred Sacred means revered due to association with holiness. Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy (perceived by religious individuals as associated with divinity) or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers). From an anthropological or atheistic perspective, the religious view of the sacred is a emic perspective on a culture's collection of thoughts and practices that function as a basis for the community's social structure. Objects are often considered holy or sacred if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods. The property is often ascribed to people ("a holy man", a "holy prophet" who is venerated by his followers), objects (a "sacred artifact" that is venerated and blessed), times ("holy days"), or places ("holy places", "sacred ground").