relg 110 sg 5-6

Overview

Week Six Guided Lecture Notes

1. What is a ritual?

1. How do rituals connect people to the “sacred”?

1. Why is ritual the most “popular” part of religions?

1. What is the relationship between rituals and beliefs?

1. Define the following terms:

Technological ritual –

Therapeutic or anti-therapeutic ritual –

Ideological ritual –

Salvation ritual –

Revitalization ritual –

1. What is the “expressive function” of a ritual?

1. What is the “numinous function” of a ritual?

1. What is your reaction to the quote that “ritual is religion dancing”?

1. What usually occurs during each of these “seasonal rituals” (and when do they tend to take place)?

Mortification:

Purgation:

Invigoration:

Jubilation:

1. Describe what happens during the 3 phases of a Rite of Passage ritual:

1. Separation

2. Liminality

3. Incorporation

1. How are myth and ritual connected?

1. How does the Christian ritual of “communion” help the Christian connect with Jesus’ crucifixion?

1. How does the Jewish ritual of the Seder meal help Jews better understand “slavery” and “liberation”?

Religious Truth Claims

1. What are religious “truth claims”?

1. How might religious “truth” differ from other forms of “truth”?

1. What is a “missionary” religion?

1. What is a “non-missionary” religion?

Is Religion Just Belief?

1. Is “belief” the central aspect of all religions?

1. How did the Enlightenment influence our understanding of religion?

1. Which religions are not focused on belief? What do they focus on instead?

Religious Truth

1. What does Wilfred Cantwell Smith believe about the “truth” of a religion?

1. What is “the real” according to John Hick? And what is the relationship of each religion to it?

1. What is the relationship between religions and “truth”, according to John Hick?

Reactions to Religious Diversity

1. What is “exclusivism” in religion?

1. What is “inclusivism” in religion?

1. What is “pluralism” in religion?

The Baha’i Faith

1. When and where did the Baha’i faith start?

1. Who is Siyyid Ali-Muhammad and what did he claim about himself?

1. Who is Baha’u’llah?

1. Who is Shogi Effendi?

1. What are Abraham, Jesus, Buddha, etc. examples of, according to Bahais?

1. What do Bahais believe about the evolution of humanity?