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Studying the World’s Religions

Studying the World’s Religions. World Religions. The Nature of Religious Tradition. Religious Questions are inevitable Self-conscious Self-reflection Spiritual. Primary Religious Questions. What is the Human Condition? What is Spiritual Perfection? What is Our Destiny?

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Studying the World’s Religions

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  1. Studying the World’s Religions World Religions

  2. The Nature of Religious Tradition • Religious Questions are inevitable • Self-conscious • Self-reflection • Spiritual

  3. Primary Religious Questions • What is the Human Condition? • What is Spiritual Perfection? • What is Our Destiny? • What is the Nature of the World? • What is Ultimate Reality, and How is it Revealed?

  4. What is the Human Condition? • What is our essential nature? • Are we merely humans or more? • Usually set forth from human origins • Suffering

  5. What is Spiritual Perfection? • Almost every religion describes what is needed to achieve • Three questions about the way a religions defines perfection: • What is ethical? • How do we transcend the human condition? • How to we attain salvation?

  6. What is Our Destiny? • Where are we going? • Reward • Condemnation • Determined by degree of achieved perfection • More complex if religion believes in multiple lifetimes

  7. What is the Nature of the World? • Origins • Cosmology • Understanding of nature and the universe

  8. What is Ultimate Reality and How Is It Revealed? • Theistic • Belief in God or multiple gods • Teach theology or divine doctrine • Range of basic perspectives • Monotheism • Polytheism • Pantheism

  9. Seven Dimensions of Religion • Experiential • Mythic • Doctrinal • Ethical • Ritual • Social • Material

  10. Experiential • Religions begin with religious experiences • Examples: • Buddha • Muhammad

  11. Mythic • Myths convey important truths • Passed through generations by oral traditions

  12. Doctrinal • Most basic aspect is belief • Creeds, doctrines or other teachings

  13. Ethical • How do we act or should act while living in the world?

  14. Ritual • Worship • Familiar to us • Example- • Pilgrimage to Mecca

  15. Social • Involve communities • Belonging • Levels of Membership

  16. Material • Sacred architecture • Icons

  17. Challenges to Studying the World’s Religions • Two Approaches: • Approach as a comparative methodology • Religions should be approached with empathy

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