ROBERT E. VAN VOORST

178-1-111-72620-1-111-72620-5

90000

WORLD

Brief Contents

1 BEGINNING YOUR STUDY OF WORLD RELIGIONS 2

2 ENCOUNTERING INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS: WAYS TO TRIBAL L1FE 28

3 ENCOUNTERING HINDUlSM: MANY PATHS TO LIBERATION 58

4 ENCOUNTERING JAINISM: THE AUSTERE WAY TO LIBERATION 88

5 ENCOUNTERING BUDDHISM: THE MIDDLE PATH TO LIBERATION 104

6 ENCOUNTERING SIKHISM: THE WAY OF GOD'S NAME 134

7 ENCOUNTERING DAOISM AND CONFUCIANISM:TWO VIEWS OF THE ETERNAL WAY 154

8 ENCOUNTERING SHINTO: THE WAY OF THE KAMI 186

9 ENCOUNTERING ZOROASTRIANISM: THE WAYOF THE ONE WISE LORD 204

10 ENCOUNTERING JUDAISM: THE WAY OF GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE 224

11 ENCOUNTERING CHRISTIANITY: THE WAY OF SALVATIONIN JESUS CHRIST 254

12 ENCOUNTERING ISLAM: THE STRAIGHT PATH OF THE ONE GOD 290

13 ENCOUNTERING NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: MODERNWAYS TO ALTERNATIVE MEANINGS 324

BRIEF CONTENTS 111

Contents

Your Visit to the Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California 3

What Is Religion? 4

Defining Religion 4Notable Definitions of Religion 5

The Definition Used in This Book 5

A (loser Look: Is Religion a Dirty Word? 7

Why Study Religion? 7Studying the Persistence of Religion in the Modern World 7

What the Academic Study of Religion Can Offer You 9

Dimensions of Religion 9

The Cognitive Dimension 9

The Ethical Dimension 9

The Ritual Dimension 10

The Institutional Dimension 11

The Aesthetic Dimension 11

The Emotional Dimension 12

Ways of Studying Religion 12Theology and Religious Studies 12

History 13

Psychology 14

Sociology 16

Cultural Anthropology 17

Women's Studies 18

Biology 19

Conclusions 19

Special Issues in the Study of Religion Today 20Tolerance and Intolerance 20

Violence 22

Pluralism 23

A (loser Look: Statement on Pluralism by Harvard University'sPluralism Project 24

Religion and Ecological Crisis 24

New Religious Movements 25

Coming to Grips with Your Preunderstanding of Religion 27Wh at Is Preunderstanding? 27

Your Preunderstanding of Religion 27

IV CONTENTS

Your Visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii 29

N ames for This Type of Religion 30Traditional Religion 30

Primitive Religion 30

Animism and Totemism 30

A (loser Look: Totemism in the Twilight Series 31Manaism 32

Shamanism 32

Small-Scale Religions 32

Nature Religion 32

Indigenous Religions 33

Challenges to Study 34Lack ofWritten Sources 34

Difficulty Discerning Continuity and Discontinuity 34

Mainstream Guilt 34

Misrepresentations in Popular Culture 35

Misuse of Indigenous Rituals 35

Common Features of Indigenous Religions 35A (loser Look: Movements toward

Indigenous Unity 37The Importance of Place 37

Global Distribution 39

Many Gods and Spirits 40

InAuenced by Other Cultures 40

Based on Orality, Story, and Myth 41

Oriented More to PracticeThan to Belief 41

In-Group Based 41

The Goodness of the World 42

The Role of Religious Specialists 42

A (loser Look: Debate onShamanism 43

Continuing Vitality 43

A Native American Religion:Lakota 44

Name and Location 44

Basic Features of Lakota Religion 44

Lakota Rituals 47

Culture and Religion 48

CONTENTS V

An African Religion: Yoruba 51High God and Other Gods 51

Religious Specialists 53

Spirits of the Ancestors 53

An Afro-Caribbean Religion: Vodou 53Location and Name 54

Divinities 54

Groups 55

Worship 55

A (loser look: Rev. Pat Robertson and Vodou 55Speil and Counter-Speil Rituals 56

Politicallnfluence in Haiti 57

Your Visit to Varanasi, India 59

The Name Hinduism 61A (loser look: Symbols of Hinduism 61

The Hindu Present as Shaped by Its Past 62The Vedic Period (1500-600 B.CE.) 62

The Upanishadic Period (600-400 B.CE.) 65

The Classical Period (400 B.CE.-600 CE.) 66

The Devotional Period (600 CE.-present) 67

Essential Hindu Teachings 70Main Deities in the Three Devotional Movements 70

Hindu Doctrinal Concepts 72

A (loser look: Popular Misunderstandingsof Karma, Mantra, Guru, andAvatar 74

Hindu Ethics and WaysofLife 75

The Caste System 75

The Four Stages of a Man's Life 77

The Four Goals of Life 78

A (loser look: Hindu Dress 79The Lives of Hindu Women 80

Hindu Rituals 80Images 81

Worship in the Temple and the Home 81

Pilgrimage 82

Funerals 83

Yoga 84

Hinduism in N orth America Today 84

VI CONTENTS

Hindu Movements in North America 85Hindu Migration and Life in North America 85A Closer Look: Hindu Faith and Indian Food 86

Your Visit with Jain Nuns 89

The Name Jainism 90A Closer Look: The Symbol of Jainism 90

The Jain Present as Shaped by Its Past 91Founding and the FirstThousand Years

(600 B.C.E.-c.400 C.E.) 91The Next Thousand Years (600-1600) 93Early Modern Times through Today (1600-present) 94

Essential Jain Teachings 95No Gods 95Time and the World 95Jiva and Ajiva 96Karma and Liberation 96Theories of Knowledge 97

Ethics: The Five Cardinal Virtues 97Do No Harm; Speak the Truth 98Do Not Steal; Do Not Be Possessive 98A Closer Look: Jainism and Food 99Be (haste 99

Jain Ritual and Worship 99The Life of Monks and Nuns 99Life of the Laity in Worship and Devotion 101Two Jain Festivals 102

Jainism in N orth America Today 102

Your Visit to a Zen Retreat Center 105

The Name Buddhism 106

Buddhism Today as Shaped by Its Past 106A Closer Look: The Symbol of Buddhism 107Gautama's Road to Enlightenment 107

Vll

Achievement of Enlightenment 109India, Sri Lanka, and Theravada 111The Riseof Mahayana: China and Japan 112Tibet and the Diamond Vehicle 115A (loser Look: Koans 115Buddhism in Modern Asia 117

Buddhism in North America 128Buddhism Comes to the Western World 128Early Buddhist Immigration to North America 129The Next Wave of Buddhist Immigration 130A (loser Look: 5tealing Buddha's Dinner: A Memoir 131

Conclusion 132

Essential Buddhist Teachings 118The Four Noble Truths 119The Noble Eightfold Path 120The Three Characteristics of Existence 120A (loser Look: Popular Misunderstandings of Karma, Nirvana, and Zen 121

Buddhist Ethics for Monastics and Laypeople 122General Buddhist Morality 122The Five Precepts 123Other Precepts and Moral Rules 123

Buddhist Ritual and Meditation 124Temples 124Images of the Buddha 125Prayer and Meditation 125Protective Rituals 127Funeral Rituals 127

Vlll CONTENTS

Your Visit to a Sikh Temple 135

The Name Sikhism 136A Closer Look: The Symbol of Sikhism 137

Sikhism Today as Shaped by Its Past: Two Key PeriodsThe Ten Gurus 137

Sikhism from British Rule until Today 140

Essential Sikh Teachings 142

The One God 142

A Closer Look: The Mul Mantar 142

Devotion to God 143

A Closer Look: Sikh Dress 144

Key Sikh Ethics 144

Rejection of Hindu Caste 145

Other Moral Rules 145

Sikh Ritual and Worship 146

The Gurdwara 147

The Langar 148

Sikh Life-Cycle Rituals 149

Other Festivals 150

Sikhism in North America 150

The First Wave (1900-1940) 151

Second and Third Waves (1965-present) 152

Sikhism in Post-9i11 America 152

Your Visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China 155

The Names Daoism and Confucianism 157A Closer Look: Symbols of Daoism and Confucianism 158

Daoism and Confucianism Today as Shaped by Their Past 159

China before the Birth of Confucianism and Daoism (ca. 3000-500 B.CE.) 1

The Origins of Daoism (ca. 500 B.CE.-200 CE.) 161

A Closer Look: Religions or Philosophies? 163

Daoism from 200 CE. to 1664 CE. 163

A Closer Look: The Four Editions of the Daoist Canon (Daozang) 165The Near-Destruction of Daoism (1644-1980) 165

CONTENTS IX

Confucius and the Origins of Confucianism (551-479 B.CE.) 166

The Rise of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism(ca. 350 B.CE.-1200 CE.) 167

A Closer Look: The Confucian Four Books 167

The Modern Period of Daoism and Confucianism (1912-Present) 168

Essential Daoist and Confucian Teachings 170

AncientTeachings Common to Daoism and Confucianism 170

DaoistTeachings on the Dao 171

Chinese Traditional Deities 172

DaoistTeaching ofWu Wei 174

Daoist Views of Qi 174

The Daoist Quest for Immortality 175

A Closer Look: A Famous Conversation between Confucius and Laozi 176

Confucian Reformulations of AncientTeachings 176

Daoist and Confucian Ethics 176

Daoist Ethics 177

Confucian Ethics 177

Ritual and Worship 179

Daoist Temples and Worship 179

Confucian Temples and Worship 180

The Traditional Chinese Funeral 180

A Final Comparison of Daoism and Confucianism 182

Daoism and Confucianism in North America 182

Your Visit to Tsubaki Shinto Shrine in Granite Falls,Washington 187

Names 188

The Shinto Present as Shaped by Its Past 189

Before the Arrival of Buddhism (to 600 CE.) 189

Shinto and Buddhism Together in Japan (600-1850) 190

A Closer Look: The Symbol of Shinto 192

The Meiji Period (1850-1945) 193

Shinto in RecentTimes (1945-Present) 195

A Closer Look: The Yasukuni Shrine Today 196

Shinto Teachings 196

The Kami 197

Characteristics of Other Shinto Teachings 197

Shinto Ethics 198General Characteristics 198

Purity 198

Shinto Ritual 198

The Shinto Shrine 199

X CONTENTS

The Shinto Priesthood 199

Wish Plaques and Fortunes 200

The Wedding Ceremony 201

A Closer Look: A Shinto Prayer for the Blessing of the Crops 202

The Home Shrine 202

The Shinto Funeral 202

Shinto in North America Today 203

Your Visit to Yazd, Iran 205

N ames for Zoroastrianism andZoroastrians 206

Zoroastrianism as Shaped by Its Past 207

A Closer Look: The Symbol of Zoroastrianism 207The Birth of Zoroastrianism (ca. 630-550 B.CE.) 208

The Spread of Zoroastrianism in the Persian andSassanian Empires (550 B.CE.-650 CE.) 208

The Coming of Islam and the Zoroastrian Dispersion(650 CE.-present) 212

Essential Zoroastrian Teachings: Monotheismand Moral Dualism 213

The One God, Ahura Mazda 214

The Spirit of Destruction, Angra Mainyu 214

A Closer Look: The Zoroastrian Creed 214

Moral Dualism 215

Supernaturallntermediaries 215

Judgment and the Final Victory of Ahura Mazda 216

Zoroastrian Ethics 216

Zoroastrian General Morality 217

A Current Ethical and Sociallssue: Marriage and Children 217

Zoroastrian Rituals 21 7Fires in the FireTemple 218

InteriorPlan ofthe FireTemple 218

Worship 219

Priesthood 219

Other Rituals 219

Funeral Rituals 220

Zoroastrianism in N orth America 221

A Closer Look: Thus Spoke Zarathustra 222

CONTENTS Xl

Your Visit to the Westem Wall in Jerusalem 225

The Name Judaism and Related Terms 226

A (loser Look: Symbols of Judaism 227

The Jewish Present As Shaped by Its Past 228

From the Creation to Abraham (ca. 2000 B.CE.) 228

The Emergence of Israel (ca. 1200-950 B.CE.) 229

The FirstTemple Period (950-586 B.CE.) 229

The Second Temple Period (539 B.CE.-70 CE.) 231

Revolts and Rabbis (70 CE.-ca. 650) 232

Jews under Islamic and Christian Rule (ca. 650-1800) 234

Emancipation and Diversity (1800-1932) 235

The Holocaust and Its Aftermath (1932-present) 237

Essential Teachings of Judaism 239

Foundation of JewishTeachings:TheTanak 239

One God 240

The Jews as God's Chosen People 241

Life after Death? 242

Essential Jewish Ethics 243

Ethics in the Image of God 244

The Torah 244

General Jewish Ethics 245

Modern Jewish Ethics 246

Jewish Worship and Ritual 246

Worship in the Synagogue 246

The Sabbath 247

Jewish Annual Festivals 248

KosherFood 248

Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant 248

Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah 249

Marriage 250

Funeral Rituals 250

The Kabbalah 251

Judaism in North America Today

Xll CONTENTS

Your Visit to St. Peter's in Rome 255

Names 256

A (loser look: Symbols of (hristianity 257

The Christian Present as Shaped by Its Past 257

The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (ca.4 ß.CE.-30 CE.) 257

The Earliest Church (30-100 CE.) 259

The Ancient Period (100-500 CE.) 260

ßyzantine, Medieval, and Renaissance Christianity (500-1500) 264

Reformation in the Western Church (1500-1600) 266

The Early Modern Period (1600-1900) 269

Modern Christianity (1900-present) 270

Christian Teachings As Reflected in the Nicene Creed 272

A (loser look:The Nicene-(onstantinopolitan (reed, 381 C.E. 273

God the Father 274

God the Son 274

A (loser Look:The Doctrine of the Virgin Mary 276God the Holy Spirit 276

The Conclusion ofthe Nicene Creed: Church, ßaptism, and ChristianHope 277

Christi an Ethics: Following the Way of Jesus Christ 278

Foundations in the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount,and the Letters of Paul 278

The Enactment of Moral Life in the Church 280

Christi an Worship and Ritual 281

Christian Worship before Constantine 281

A (loser look: An Ancient (hristian Service 282

Worship after Constantine 282

Christianity in N orth America Today 285

Overview 286

The Different Churches: Roman Catholic and Protestant 286

12. ENCOUNTERING ISLAM: THE STRAIGHT PATHOF THE ONE GOD

Your Visit to Mecca 291

The Name Islam 293

Islam Today as Shaped by Its Past 293

CONTENTS X111

A Closer Look: The Symbol of Islam? 293

Arabia at the Time of Muhammad (500s C.E.) 294

The Life and Work of Muhammad (ca. 570-632) 294

Islam Immediately Following the Death of Muhammad (632-661) 296

Islam from the Ummayads until Today (661-present) 298

Diverse Muslim Groups Today: Mainstream, Zealous, and Moderate 299

A (loser Look: IJlslamic Fundamentalism"? 304

Essential Teachings 305

God Is One 305

Angels and Spirits 306

The Qur'an 306

Prophets 307

"Peoples of the Book": Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians 308

Final Judgment 309

Islamic Ethics 309

The Hadith 310

Shari'a 310

Diet and Other Regulations 310

Marriage and the Status ofWomen 311

A (loser Look: Muslim Dress for Women and Men 312

Jihad 312

Worship: The Five Pillars of Islam 314

Confession of Faith 314

Prayer 315

Fasting 316

Almsgiving 317

Pilgrimage 317

Islam in North America 318

The Nation of Islam and the American Muslim Mission 318

A (loser Look: Difficulties of the Hajj for Muslims in Western China 319

Muslim Migration to North America 321

Muslim Life in the United States after 9/11 322

Your Visit to Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah 325

N ames for This Type of Religion 327

Common Features of New Religious Movements 328

New Religious Movements in the World Today: A SurveyNRMs in the Western World 329

Asian NRMs in the West 330

XIV CONTENTS

"Scientinc" NRMs:Christian Science, UFO Groups,and Scientology 332

Nature NRMs:Neo-Paganism, Wicca, and Druidry 333A (loser look: Druidry Gains Official Status 333NRMs in Asia 334

An NRM from Asia: F alun Gong 336History 337Teaching and Practice 337

A North American NRM: The Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints 338

History 338Scripture 340Doctrines 341institutions, Practices, and Structure of the LDSChurch 342

The Church of Scientology 343L.Ron Hubbard's Life and Teachings 343Organization of the Church 346Controversy and Present Status 346