Introduction to the Study of Religion Assignments for week 1: Read Section 1 (Chapter 1) in Invitation to World Religions Chapter 1 Selected Readings from the World’s Religious Traditions
38518Answer any 3 of the following Week 1 essays :
Prompts for week 1 questions:
You may use any resources at your disposal. List your sources at the end of each essay. Not all the answers to these questions are directly addressed in your text. Appropriately cite any sources if you are quoting or closely borrowing from an author’s text (physical or electronic). Suggested length is 2 or more pages per question (450 to 800 words).
1. Why do you think people believe in God ? (This may pertain to people today or in the past). You might start by making a list of reasons for belief. The parameters of a definition for God in this first question can include the notion of a higher power, ultimate reality, universal source (force), supreme entity, or spirit(s). Why do people belong to organized religions? How about the whole issue of disbelief? What are the reasons for people not believing in “the divine” or some type of ultimate reality? Could some of the reasons (and reasoning) for belief be similar to those who opt for disbelief (atheists) or for skepticism (agnostics)? Under what circumstances would the reasons for faith or disbelief be different?
2. Discuss some of the sociological, anthropological and psychological theories for the development of religion or belief systems proposed by 19th and 20th century thinkers such as:
Mircea Eliade Herbert Spencer Emile Durkheim E.B. Tylor Rudolph Otto James Frazier Arnold Van Gennep William James John Lubbock Sigmund Freud Rudolf Bultmann Friedrich Nietzsche
Did the gods create people or did people “create” their impressions of God(s)?
(Most of these theorists are in your textbooks but the information is scattered about in various places. You might choose to research 3 to 5 of the scholars listed above and present some of their ideas.)
3. How might you define the terms religion, myth, and scripture? What are the definitions used by scholars? ( For religion see Chapter 3 of Embarking Upon the Study of Religion . ) When you think of terms like sacred or holy, what type of things come to mind? Again, it might help to make a list. Do you think people are becoming more or less “religious” in today’s modern world. Why?
4. What are the differences between Theology, Philosophy and The Study of Religion ? (See Chapter 4 of your text Embarking Upon the Study of Religion.)
5. Look at the origin of the academic study of religion by Christian scholars. Trace some of the early history and reasons for the scholarly pursuit. Why did this come about in a Christian context in Western Europe? Look at some of the developments in the field of Philosophy in the 1700’s & 1800’s that led up to the ways we began to look at our own religion as well as the religions of others. (See Chapter 1 & 2 of your text Embarking Upon the Study of Religion.)
6. Why do you think the early academic study of religion in the 1800’s was multidisciplinary? Write about how his came to be and give some of your own opinion on studying religion in this manner. (Chapters 2 & 5 of Embarking Upon the Study of Religion.)
Essays for weeks 1 through 3 are due by Monday October 24th (11:59 p.m.)
Be sure to number your questions, put them in order, and identify the week. Don’t forget to include your sources or bibliography.
Please submit all essays together in just one attachment. Do not create an attachment or folder for each question or week.
When sending work include your name, course and section number as well as the week or topic of the assignment. Please make sure to send all work in a Microsoft Word (not Works or PDF) format.
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Week 2 October 9th – 15th
Primal Quest for the Sacred
African & Native American Religions
Meso-American Religions
for week 2 read: Chapters 2 & 3 in Invitation to World Religions
Chapters 2 & 3 Selected Readings from the World’s Religious Traditions
Obviously, you will not have to do each and every one of these readings below to answer the required questions, and certain questions may require additional outside research. These links provide a good cross-section of Native religious tales which evolved from oral tradition. Other sacred texts are in your reader.
In Sacred Readings:
Truth of a Hopi HOW THE MOCKING BIRD GAVE THE PEOPLE MANY LANGUAGES
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/hopi/toah/toah05.htm
Myths of Ífè THE BEGINNING
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/ife/ife3.htm
You might also consider looking at the following web articles and accompanying links for help with your essays: Follow links to articles and bibliographies
African Traditional Religion
http://www.studiesincomparativereligion.com/Public/articles/What_is_African_Traditional_Religion-by_Joseph_Omosade_Awolalu.aspx
See other links under the Additional Resources Tab on Blackboard
Answer any 3 of the following Week 2 essays:
Prompts:
You may use any resources at your disposal. List your sources at the end of each essay. Not all the answers to these questions are directly addressed in your text. Appropriately cite any sources if you are quoting or closely borrowing from an author’s text (physical or electronic). Suggested length is 2 or more pages per question (450 –800 words).
1. Compare and contrast various aspects of Native American and African belief systems. How are their mythologies similar? What are some of the problems inherent in the study of indigenous religion?
2. Answer any 2 questions from the Indigenous North American “Review Questions” or “For Further Reflection” questions from page 55 (2nd edition) or 57 of Invitation to World Religions.
3. Outline some of the aspects of Meso-American polytheistic belief. How might you explain the propensity for human sacrifice among the native religions of Mexico? (you might need to do some outside research here)
4. Describe one particular religious practice or element among African, Native American or Meso-American cultures. Examples might be drawn from the following list: vision quest, peyote, ancestor cults, village gods, ancestor or power figures, use of masks, Meso-American temples, burial practices, rites of passage, witches, twins in African lore, role of African kings, shamans, Meso-American gods, medicine, creation myths.
6. Answer any 2 questions from the Indigenous African “Review Questions” or “For Further Reflection” questions from page 85 (2nd edition) or 87 of Invitation to World Religions.
Essays for weeks 1 through 3 are due by Monday October 24th (11:59 p.m.)
You should send them directly to the professor through Blackboard. Please attach the week 1, week 2, and week 3 essays (9 total essays) in a single Microsoft Word file using the Assignment Submission tab within the Assignment section of the blackboard menu. Be sure to number your questions, put them in order, and identify the week. Don’t forget to include your sources or bibliography.
Please submit all questions together in one attachment. Do not create an attachment or folder for each question. Number them, separate them by week and put all three weeks in one single attachment.
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Week 3 October 16th – 22nd
Hinduism
Jainism
for week 3 read: Chapters 4 & 6 in Invitation to World Religions
Chapters 4 & 6 Selected Readings from the World’s Religious Traditions
Obviously, you will not have to do each and every one of the readings below to answer the required questions, but certain questions may require additional outside research. These are a good cross-section of Vedic texts. Other sacred texts are in your reader.
In Sacred Readings:
Vedic Hymn to Vishnu http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01154.htm
Vedic Hymn to Agni http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01026.htm
Rig Veda Charm for Gambling http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av04038.htm
Jainism – Acarangasutra, The Third Lesson
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe22/sbe2222.htm
Shinto Rituals
http://sacred-texts.com/shi/yengi.htm
Answer 2 Hindu and 1 Jain essay for week 3:
Prompts:
You may use any resources at your disposal. List your sources at the end of each essay. Most of the answers to these questions are directly addressed in your text. Suggested length is 2 or more pages per question (450 to 800 words).
1. Address some of the major themes and ideas that appear in the early Hindu Scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas). How are the Vedas different from the Upanishads? What are some of the concepts addressed in the Laws of Manu, Mahabharata, Ramayanna, Bhagavad-Gita and Puranas? Why are each of these works considered to be important? (You don’t have to write about all of them.)
2. Generally outline several of the following basic notions in the Hindu world-view such as: karma, dharma, samsara, caste, moksha, atman, ahimsa, Brahman and maya. Provide an explanation of your own understanding of these concepts (some or all) and how they ideologically fit into the lives of Hindus.
3. Discuss some of the aspects of Hindu worship and devotion such as puja and the yogas. How was Hindu practice reformed during the 19th and 20th centuries? What are some of the practical differences between “folk Hinduism” (a literal belief in the many gods and goddesses) and those who espouse a more “monistic” or “henotheistic” approach to the “Brahman” or ultimate reality. Your book also addresses the notion of “personal” and “impersonal” understandings of the sacred. How does this apply?
4. A few of you may have some interest in the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. You could write an essay on the role of particular divinities represented in Hindu tradition and some of their ascribed attributes.
5. Discuss Jainism along with its ideologies, scriptures and practices. Compare it to the Hindu culture from which it evolves. How is Jainism similar and dissimilar to Buddhism?
6. Answer Review Questions 2 and 4, and Further Reflection question # 3 on page 214 (2nd edition) or page 219 at the end of the Invitation to World Religions chapter on Jainism.
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