RELI 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Abrahamic Religions, Family Values, Microsoft Powerpoint
14 Jan 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
1
Agenda 00
Intro to Studying (These) Relgion(s)
~Jews, Christians, Muslims (JCM), Preface
~LISAR Undergraduate Journal 4 (2012), 2-3; 18-19
What factors contribute to a persons identity, and why might personal identity be an
important factor in studying religion(s)? [cf. power point slides]
Factors that contribute to a persons identity
• Gender
• Location
• Environment
• Family values
• Political context
• Language
• Religion
Why personal identity is an important factor in studying religion?
• People interpret their religion in different ways according to their personal identity
• Religion is an important factor itself!
What are some concepts or practices that might be associated with the kinds of religious
study on the two ends of the spectrum below?
Classrooms
Praying
Comparative studies
Music
Archaeologists of religion
Reciting holy books
Charity
Priest/Rabbi/Pastors/Preachers
Where do you think this course—Religion 1001—falls on this spectrum?
• Pretty close to the left
• Some people apply this information a little more to the right
What does that mean for the perspective, content, and tone of the course and our
discussions?
Religious
Studies/Study of
Religion
Theological
Formation/
Religious Practice
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2
• Focused more on studying religion from an outside perspective, focus on grade
rather than soul type thing
Can you the student apply the contents of this course in other ways beyond the classroom?
…goes back to the personal )D issue
…Like what?
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3
Seeing how todays readings address these questions:
• Title and structure of textbook
o Jews, Christians, Muslims: A Comparative Introduction to Monotheistic
Religions
o These religions are also called the Abrahamic faiths. Why?…
o )n my words in the Course Description in the syllabus, members of these
faiths are devoted to one and the same God
▪ A defensible statement?
▪ Why or why not?...
• The textbook definition of religion:
o p. vii: Religion, in a sense, is a question about the sufficiency of tradition to
give meaning to life, as much as it is a lived assent to that tradition.
▪ Thus religion or theology is a hermeneutical circle.
▪ This circle as described in Christianity:
• Anslem of Canturbury (11th century)—faith seeking
understanding
• Gustavo Gutierrez (1971)—critical reflection on historical
praxis
o Thus, the study of religion is:
▪ p. vii: an exploration of enduring ways of constructing and
representing meaning in human life, including…
▪ answers to questions about cosmic order, destiny, truth, and good
and evil…
o The text and this course view these three religions from two angles (p. viii):
▪ Historical
▪ Comparative
o The text and this course assume that the practice of these religions reaches
into every aspect of the manner in which men and women live, at an
individual, community, and global level (xi).
o Thus religious traditions develop in response to the surrounding culture, and
vice versa (again—personal ID)
o The text and this course also assume that these traditions have developed
and continue to develop in relation to one another, even if their earliest
figures, texts, and traditions begin at very different points in history:
▪ Judaism (__00 to 1000 BCE)
▪ Christianity (first century CE)
▪ Islam (7th century CE, Muhammad being born ca. 570)
• Side note on BCE/CE compared to BC/AD
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Document Summary
~lisar undergraduate journal 4 (2012), 2-3; 18-19 (cid:498)intro to studying (these) relgion(s)(cid:499) What factors contribute to a person(cid:495)s identity, and why might personal identity be an. [cf. power point slides: gender, location, environment, family values, political context, language, religion. Why personal identity is an important factor in studying religion: people interpret their religion in different ways according to their personal identity, religion is an important factor itself! Where do you think this course religion 1001 falls on this spectrum: pretty close to the left, some people apply this information a little more to the right. What does that mean for the perspective, content, and tone of the course and our discussions? (cid:523) goes back to the personal )d issue(cid:524) 2: focused more on studying religion from an outside perspective, focus on grade rather than soul type thing. Jews, christians, muslims: a comparative introduction to monotheistic.
