Religion Discussion
Religion Discussion
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Religion Discussion
A. This week we are thinking about the fact that there are many different religions in the world. Consider this issue: given that there are so many different religions in the world, what kinds of problems and tensions is this responsible for causing in the world today?
B. In our reading from the Dalai Lama he says, “I generally believe that every major religion has the potential for giving any human being good advice; there is no question that this is so” (666). Explain what the Dalai Lama is saying here in your own words. Do you agree with it? Why or why not?
C. In our reading from Hick this week, he quotes Raymond Firth on the point that “religion is universal in human societies” (633). And he quotes Wilfred Cantwell Smith on the point that “In every human community there exists something that we, as sophisticated observers, may terms religion or a religion” (633). Provide at least two concrete examples from either the modern world or from your knowledge of past history that illustrate Firth and Smith’s points.
D. This week we talked about 4 different positions: 1) Strict Exclusivism, 2) Soteriological Inclusivism, 3) Religious Pluralism, and 4) Religious Skepticism. Briefly explain each of these positions in your own words. End by stating which one you think is the most plausible, and be sure to make your reasons for favoring that position clear
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Religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements. However, there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion.[1][2]
Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine,[3] sacred things,[4] faith,[5] a supernatural being or supernatural beings[6] or “some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life”.[7] Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Religions have sacred histories and narratives, which may be preserved in sacred scriptures, and symbols and holy places, that aim mostly to give a meaning to life. Religions may contain symbolic stories, which are sometimes said by followers to be true, that have the side purpose of explaining the origin of life, the universe, and other things. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, has been considered a source of religious beliefs.[8]
There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide,[9] but about 84% of the world’s population is affiliated with one of the five largest religion groups, namely Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or forms of folk religion.[10] The religiously unaffiliateddemographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics. While the religiously unaffiliated have grown globally, many of the religiously unaffiliated still have various religious beliefs.[11]
The study of religion encompasses a wide variety of academic disciplines, including theology, comparative religion and social scientific studies. Theories of religion offer various explanations for the origins and workings of religion, including the ontological foundations of