ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS POSED BY PL 203 STUDENTS  SPRING 2009-01-29

What is the role of religion? Therapy? Salvation? (ETHICAL)

(The following two citations are from a google search: William James religion as therapy)

http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/perspectives_in_biology_and_medicine/v048/48.2miller.html

http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft0003/articles/james.html

 

When and how did liberalism (enlightenment thought) change religion? (ETHICAL)

Fisher, 7th edition, p. 21, 262-263, 342-343.

In The Game of Philosophy, Kantianism can be viewed as an example of liberalism associated with the enlightenment project. Within the communitarian traditions that I present in The Game of Philosophy, Aristotelian and Thomistic thought (Thomas Aquinas’) may be viewed as promoting a form of liberalism—even while themselves remaining in the communitarian or conservative traditions. The tendency to see the ordinary person as capable of fair-mindedness is detectable in these authors—a tendency that promotes a liberal rather than an aristocratic approach to decision-making.

What was the source of each religion? When did religion seek or take different routes? (ETHICAL)

This question can be divided into several questions.

1.       Was an original religion the source of other religions?

2.       Does each major religion come from a historical background that helps to explain its origin?

3.       What are some factors that have split religions into different sects?

 

Can one be faithful or religious without being part of a church or religious community—that is, joining with others to express one’s faith? (POLITICAL)

            In the section on absolutist and liberal interpretations (LR, 7th ed., 18-20), note the position associated with mystics. Mystical traditions are also discussed throughout the text. See, for example, the sections on the Kabbalah tradition in Judaism, Sufism in Islam, and medieval mysticism in Christianity.

            The comments on the question concerning spirituality and religion (in the Experiential section below) apply to this question as well.

Why do certain cultures allow religious law to permeate the culture (more than other societies or cultures allow it)? (POLITICAL)

                This question raises the issue of the relationship between politics (state) and religion (church). Some societies have made one religion the official state religion, while others have separated church and state. In some cases, the union of church and state has been described as theocratic rule and the form of government may be described as a theocracy. “Secular” states are so named because they favor the separation of church and state.

                Question 9 in the Preliminary Questions (see the link in the PL 203 Syllabus) asks whether a religion has been accepted as an official religion. You may examine answers to this question linked to each of the major religious traditions.

 

How does a person know that the written “Word of God” has been untampered with? If it has been tampered with, what can a person do about it? (POLITICAL)

            One of the more beneficial ways to study the history of a religion is to study the development of its sacred texts. I will make some general comments about the nature of religious texts as we go along during the semester and develop the ideas that 1) some traditions have seen much editing and re-editing of the books they regard as sacred; 2) as religious groups have divided into separate groups, each group has used its own re-edited version of the religious texts to distinguish itself from other groups; 3) some versions of sacred texts have been suppressed and even destroyed when religions have divided, sometimes to be re-discovered only after many centuries. 

If the followers of a religion wrongfully follow the religion, should the religion be blamed for the wrongdoing? (POLITICAL)

            This question points to some of the negative aspects of religion—namely, persons who act in the name of their religion but perform actions that run contrary to the principles or teachings of the religion. The history of religious traditions is filled with many such examples—from crusades to inquisitions to persecutions in the name of religion. Reforms sometimes follow atrocities performed in the name of religion.          One of the features that makes religion attractive to many people is the self-criticism that it encourages—one of the positive aspects of religion.

Should religious texts be taken literally or be interpreted? Is there a correct interpretation for such texts as the bible? (POLITICAL)

            You may begin to answer this question by examining the sections on pages 18-20 in Fisher, 7th edition. Absolutist and liberal interpretations differ in their approaches to the sacred texts, and the historical-critical study of scripture will introduce you to material in our study of each of the religious traditions that reflect these approaches.

Why do religions sometimes discriminate against certain groups—homosexuals and nonbelievers—when they aim to promote unity among people? (POLITICAL)

            Question #30 in the list of preliminary questions (connect through the link “preliminary questions” on my website) addresses whether a religion is exclusivist or universalist. Fisher discusses this issue for each of the religions that we study during the semester.

            You may begin with the letter from I.H. Azad Faruqi (on page 12 of Fisher, Living Religions) that addresses the question of exclusivism vs. universalism.

            You may also wish to check my response to Francis Collins (located toward the bottom of my website), in which I give an account of one source of exclusivism in religion.

 

What does it mean to be agnostic? (METAPHYSICAL)

You may begin to answer this question by examining the terms (including agnosticism) in the section “understandings of sacred reality” on pages 10-14 of Fisher, LR, 7th edition.

 

 Why are eastern religions so difficult to grasp for westerners? (METAPHYSICAL)

            As we look at the major eastern and western traditions, you may notice that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arose in response to specific practices of oppression in their societies. By contrast, several of the eastern traditions go back to time immemorial. People of India, for example, refer to their religion as the “Eternal Religion.” You may wish to reflect on this point of comparison as you search out an answer to this important question.

Is atheism a belief system? Is it possible for a human being not to believe in anything? (METAPHYSICAL)

            Marx provides an example of an author who developed a system of historical atheism. The impact of his system on various societies was extensive. While some interpret atheism as a rejection of all beliefs, others view it as a rejection of forms of theism that historically have collapsed into some of “the worst of religion”—crusades, inquisitions, and persecutions.

            The issue of salvation as a personal project or salvation as a pursuit of social justice is an issue that could help in pursuing an answer to the second question (Is it possible for a human being not to believe in anything)?

 

Why is Christianity the only religion that doesn’t end in “ism”? (METAPHYSICAL)

            “Ism” generally refers to an object of study. When a tradition or school of thought is referred to as an “-ism”, it is being examined as an object of study. When Westerners encountered the varied religions in the Indus Valley, for example, they classified these religions as Hinduism. The Westerners were observing or studying these religions “from the outside,” as it were. The people of the Indus Valley, however, referred to their traditions as “the eternal religion.”

 

 

Are some religions polytheistic? (INSTITUTIONAL)

            We will see that one of the issues that divide followers of religion is that of monotheism (one god) vs. polytheism (many gods). Note how Fisher addresses this debate as we study the Living Religions text: she takes religions that followers of monotheistic religions often view as polytheistic and points to a common thread between the monotheistic and polytheistic religions. In Hinduism, for example, the notion of Brahman encompasses several of the notions associated with monotheism.

 

What do religious people really worship: a creator God or a God who has the best interests of humans at heart? (EXPERIENTIAL)

            One of the forms this question will take in our study is the issue of whether God is  transcendent or immanent (see these terms in Chapter 1 of Fisher, p. 10). Does God stand apart from the universe as a great clockmaker stands apart from the clock he/she creates? Or does God have a personal relationship with humans that continues to influence their thoughts and actions?

            Another issue is whether salvation involves saving oneself or a commitment to social justice issues.

Which came first: the existential vacuum or religion? (EXPERIENTIAL)

            You might re-focus this question to ask whether religion is a response to the existential vacuum—or sense of meaningless. The various efforts to pursue meaning that we will examine in the course of the semester should provide a good deal of data as you strive to answer this question.

What is the difference between spirituality and religion? (EXPERIENTIAL)

To begin an answer to this question, see the discussion of the terms “spirituality” and “religion” in Fisher, 7th edition, pp. 1-2.

How can spirituality and religion complement each other? (EXPERIENTIAL)    

            The various mystical traditions (Kabbalah in Judaism, Sufism in Islam, Medieval Mysticism in Christianity, for example) may provide a number of examples to get you started in addressing this question.