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HU 320 Culture: Religion and Identity

Russell E. Fail, PhD

Contact Me

• rfail@kaplan.edu• We can set up a

time to talk via phone or Google Chat.

• I check my email throughout the day so that’s a good way to contact me.

• Google Chat

• By appointment

What this Class is about

• This will be an academic study of the world’s major religions focusing on their central beliefs and practices.

• It’s not necessary that you have a religious background.

• I’m not asking you to agree with or approve of the religious beliefs we study, I’m just asking that you understand what they are.

• If the beliefs seem strange to you, try to remember that they make sense to the religion’s followers.

My Background

• Protestant Evangelical Christian• MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics

from Biola University seminary• Graduate work in Religious Studies at

Boston University• I’ve taught about 30 sections of World

Religions • In my experience, students sometimes get

the idea that “all religions are basically the same” so I tend to focus on comparing religious beliefs to discover what makes each one unique.

Discussing Religion• Since religious views are sometimes held

strongly and deeply, I wanted to remind you of the importance of showing respect for others' views at all times during discussions.

To get the most out of our discussions, we need for everyone to feel comfortable enough to contribute and share their thoughts. So please be understanding and aware of the different backgrounds and points of view of the other class members.

Welcome to a Diverse World

• This course will take you on a journey around the world as you explore the beliefs, practices, and cultures of the world’s main religions.

– Readings • Chapters 1 and 2

– Discussion (2 questions)• Name several components of religious

culture that seem most important to you• Discuss an example of how an

indigenous religion has been represented

– Final Project Information– Seminar

Syllabus and Policies

Rubrics and Grading

Policies Late Policy

Projects Journals Quizzes

Seminar Participation is graded

Option 2 – This will be graded like a DB initial response (150 words, references to the reading, etc.)

Discussion Boards Attendance/

Tardiness policy Plagiarism Policy

Late Policy – Highlights from the syllabus

• Only partial credit can be given for late discussion posts.

• Late projects are subject to 10% deduction (one letter grade) per unit late.

• If an emergency comes up, please contact me so I can work with you.

• Final projects are not accepted late unless an incomplete has been granted or if some health or family emergencies occur.

• No late work after Unit 9.

Discussion Grade—For full points:

• Discussion counts for almost half of your total grade

• Are your responses on topic, original and contribute to the quality of discussion?– Original – don’t just copy and post a block of text

(even if you cite the source.) Summarize and paraphrase to make the content original to you.

– Be sure to answer all parts of the question. This applies to all assignments – follow the instructions carefully.

Discussion Grade – cont.• Have you made frequent responses using

informed references to course material? Include source.– This really applies to every assignment.

References to the textbook should be included.

– Don’t just “shoot from the hip”.

• Initial response: 1 per thread, 150 word minimum. (Word count excluding quotations.)

Discussion Grade—Cont.

• Responses to others: 2 per thread, 50 word minimum. Needs to advance the discussion by including something new.– Comments like “good post” “I didn’t know

that” “I’m learning a lot in this class” can be used, but they don’t count as advancing the discussion.

• Make it presentable, proofread, use paragraphs

• Some weeks have two threads, others only one. Respond to all threads.

Defining Religion

“Religion starts with the perception that something is wrong.”

~Karen Armstrong

• Religion - “A pattern of beliefs and practices that express and enact what a community regards as sacred and/or ultimate about life.”

A Pattern of Beliefs…

• …about ultimate reality:– Differing answers to existential

questions:• Monotheism• Polytheism• Hindu World Soul• Buddhist Nirvana• Confucian and Taoist – The Dao

… and practices …

• Express and enact what is sacred – what is most holy and important– Worship– Rites/ rituals of passage– Meditation

… ultimate about life…

• A principle• An impersonal force• A spiritual power hidden in

the world or beyond it

…a community of like-minded people…

• Social communities of shared belief and practice that persist through history

• Concerned with passing teachings from generation to generation

Religion in global/cultural issues

• Global conflicts cannot be understood without basic knowledge of religion.

• Increase of new religions• Religion as a main marker of

human identity

What the study of religion can do for you:• Offers training in both academic and

everyday skills:– Relation of religious thought and

practice to socio-cultural contexts– Understanding national conflicts– Appreciation of religious language

and values– Cultural intelligence; cross-cultural

competence• A foundation for a successful and

fulfilling career and personal growth

The Ethical Dimension

• Religions seek to correct what they perceive to be wrong in the world.– Personal and social ethics:

• Moral expectations

• Systems of social ethics can become national law

The Ritual Dimension

• Ritual – a symbolic action in worship, meditation, or other religious ceremonies– Prayer, sacrifice, chanting, pilgrimage, etc.

• Help to reenact and reapply deep truths of a religion to people in the present

The Institutional Dimension

• Religions more social than personal-– Give organizational structure to

religious community and wider society

– “Organized Religion”

The Aesthetic Dimension

• The sensory element of a religion that appeals to the rational mind, but holds a special appeal to human emotions.– Sounds and smells, spaces, holy

places and landscapes– Art, music, poetry, hymns

The Emotional Dimension• Includes particular emotions

and wider “moods” experienced in religion:– Sense of awe, fear, and love– Sense of hope surrounding death

• Confidence to cope with death, suffering, and evil

Religions of this Course

• Indigenous Faiths• Hinduism and Jainism• Buddhism• Daoism and Confucianism• Shinto• Judaism• Christianity• Islam and Sikhism• New Religious Movements

Conclusions

• The study of religion is multidisciplinary– Personal development, education,

and individual religious experiences affect adoption and use of particular methods of study.

Seminar Question

• In your opinion, what is the value of religion in culture today? Is it a positive or negative force? Why?

Traditional Religion

• Religions present in various societies prior to European and American expansion– Traditional in comparison to newer,

imported religions– All religions are traditions:

• comprehensive ways of life from the past that are passed on to the future

Primitive Religion

• “Primitive” and “primal” – describe religions not derived from other religions– Can imply that they are underdeveloped,

unchanging, outmoded, or simple

Animism & Totemism

• Animism – belief that individual spirits exist in all aspects and expressions of nature

• Totemism – religion based on the idea that the spirit of one primary source in nature provides the basis of human life– Manaism – belief in impersonal

spiritual power and energy that permeates the world as a whole

• Shamanism -Shaman: tribal member with special abilities and authority to act as an intermediary between the human and spiritual realms

• Small-Scale Religions – anthropology term referring to religions held by smaller numbers of people

Nature Religion

• Indicates a stronger connection to the natural environment than is seen in other world religions– No distinction made between

“natural” and “supernatural”– Humans are not seen as superior,

to or standing apart from nature

Indigenous Religions

• Indigenous – native, intrinsic to an area– Strong sense of belonging religiously

to a certain place– Often implies lack of political power in

wider society due to invasion and assimilation by other groups

– Reflect European names and colonialist mentality• Columbus and the “Indians”

Challenges to Study

Lack of Written Sources• Cultures are almost exclusively oral:

– Stories, beliefs, and rituals not written down

• Most writing done by anthropologists• Scant archeological evidence

Continuity and Discontinuity

• Scholars uncertain about “pre-contact” versus “post-contact” beliefs and practices

Mainstream Guilt

• Genocide – the killing of an entire racial, ethnic, and/or religious group as invaders take over a territory– Descendants of European invaders

experience guilt for actions of ancestors• Guilt can distort the careful study of

cultures and religions.

Misrepresentations in Popular Culture• Bipolar and distorted

representations of indigenous peoples and practices– Dances With Wolves; Avatar – the

“noble savage”– Apocalypto – religion as dangerously

exotic– Afro-Caribbean religions as violent:

• Voodoo and zombie lore

Misuse of Indigenous Rituals

• Combining elements of indigenous religion with other religions or beliefs– Removes rituals from cultural

context and changes meaning– Endangers long-term spiritual and

cultural health of indigenous groups

Common Features of Indigenous Religions

The Importance of Place• Usually see themselves as

created in their own place– Place is a matter of personal and

tribal identity.– Stories of the land deal with tribal

myths of origin, ritual, and patterns of life

– Sacred place as personal status– People and place meant to live

together in harmonious balance

Global Distribution

• Indigenous religions are widespread across the globe– Often display characteristics of

other religions that have sought to proselytize, oppress, or destroy them

Many Gods and Spirits• Not typically focused on one deity

– High gods beyond everyday religious life

• Deities or spirits not worshiped in a detached way– Invoked and engaged as inhabitants

and agents of the world

• Native religions are more about relationships than human figures, gods, or rituals.

Influenced by Other Cultures

• Almost all have had to deal with being surrounded and suppressed by alien nation-states with alien religions– Culture-contact changes

Based on Orality, Story, & Myth• More room for adaptive changes

in orality– Skilled, compelling storytelling– Individual lives enter larger story

that reaches backward and forward in time

• Myths and rituals maintain good relationships between all sacred beings in the universe

Types of Myth:

• Cosmogonic – explain the origin of existence

• Etiological – explains how things have come to be as they are now

• Semi-historical – elaboration of an original happening

Oriented More to Practice Than to Belief• Not belief-based; no formal

“teachings” for religious/theological reflection– Belief in gods/spirits part of the fabric of

life

• Emphasis on practices:– Personal, group, and cosmic balance

maintained through ritual actions– Rituals meant to control the power of

the world

In-Group Based

• Few seek converts or allow full entry by those not of their group

• Ethnicity based• Life-cycle rituals to initiate

children into membership• Closed to outsiders

– Religious knowledge held as secret

The Goodness of the World• Every part of nature has a

spiritual aspect that makes it live and gives direction to its life.– All are related to humans in a

natural cosmic balance– Traditions do not deal with

“salvation,” “enlightenment,” or “eternal life.”

– Not typically future-oriented

Role of Religious Specialists• “Holy men,” “medicine men,”

“healers,” “priest/priestess,” etc.• Tricksters – gods, humans,

spirits, or animals that behave against conventional norms of behavior

• The Shaman – spiritual leader of the tribe

Continuing Vitality

• Numbers and cultural influence has risen in recent generations.

• Indigenous cultures flourishing:– Banned ceremonies now protected

by law– Return of native human remains and

religious/ cultural items– Afro-Carribean religions blended

with Christianity regaining their voice