ReligionChapter 10

PolytheismBelief in many gods

Some gods were terrifying-Thor, wielding enormous power over humans

Others were good, Aphrodite brought Love to Earth, Apollo brought enlightenment

EgyptReligion and daily life were inseparable

(kings were worshiped as gods, built monuments to them)

Amenhotep IV declared the universe was ruled by one supreme god, Aton (sun)

King changed his name to mean son of AtonPharaohs were the earthly representatives of

Aton and commanded adoration and worship, even though they were no longer considered gods

Hinduism1500 B.C.E. beginning of the Hindu tradition,

because the Aryans (noble) took over, established national religion

Polytheistic, sacred document- VedasUsed sacrifice (human at first)

Almost all early religions required sacrifice, otherwise mortals would suffer terrible consequences

Hinduism continuedBrahman-Creator godShiva-the Destroyer, everything eventually

goes away and makes room for new (god of change, shown with multiple arms, learning to accept change is one of the fundamental goals of Hindu thought)

Vishnu-the Preserver, balances the forces of creation and destruction so that continuity exists (bringer of stability, failure to see the eternal nature of existence is the cause of human suffering)

Native American ReligionsUsually polytheisticSome contend that there is no “Native

American religion” that what is considered religious practice is actually just daily mode of existence with nature

Some believe in “Great Spirit” is a personal god in human form

HinduismDoes not believe in a personal god promising

freedom from painUniversal soul “Brahman” is not a conscious

being but a universal order.Strive to attain “moksha” or freedom from

pain/stressDifficult to reach, must transcend desire

Belief in Karma, takes many lives to transcend pain and reach “enlightenment”

Person who has achieved enlightenment without having to be reborn will be known as a buddha (enlightened one) occurs perhaps every 25,000 years

Led to New Religion…Someone 2000 years

ago claimed it was possible to reach enlightenment in a single lifetime

This person was hailed as the promised Buddha, accidently becoming the founder of a new religion

Now looked upon as a god

BuddhismSiddhartha Gautama Prince who felt uneasy, forced himself in

poverty to embrace a new way of lifeCreated meditationEventually attained enlightenment through

meditationMission was to help people find the middle

ground between extremes of self-denial and withdrawal from life

Eight Fold Path

TaoismThe Way is an impersonal divine order that

rules the universe. It is a religion only in the sense that the

followers are obligated to live their lives in accordance with this order

We are all part of society, with all of it’s prejudices and double-dealings, and teaches us to conduct ourselves honorably and ethically within it

Belief in continual action of opposites

Socrates and PlatoSocrates specialized in the dialect-analytical

method of thinkingAnalyze an idea by revealing the flaws of its

opposite They both referred to god and godsNothing about their thoughts suggest faith in

any force except the inherent rationality of the universe and in the individual willing to think.

Wanted philosopher kings, not god-king like Egypt

Aristotle’s Unmoved MoverBelieved the universe always existed, but it

was cold, lifeless and without motion.Logic states the whole thing must have been

set in motion, by something that was not in motion by itself

The idea of the “Unmoved Mover” (not a causer or creator, but a mover)

Moving closer to monotheism

JudaismFirst monotheistic religionHebrew Bible-collaboratively written over

many centuriesTorah-first 5 books of the bible, attributed to

MosesOver time, the portrayal of God softens, from

supreme ruler to father and comforterGod who is both awesome and wrathful (Job)Influenced much art, music, literature,

thought, drama

ChristianityBelieve Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the

prophetsSome hailed him as Messiah, others refused

to accept himConsidered a fanatic , troublemaker4 Gospels tell of his life (Matthew, Mark,

Luke, John)Lacks consistency among stories, not eye-

witness

AugustineMajor Christian philosopher of the early

Middle AgesUltimately concluded that philosophical

questioning and analysis could not take Christians where they needed to go. Analysis could only lead to a weakening of belief and even to atheism.

Why did God give us reason when it was no use trying to comprehend God or the universe?

The Concept of FaithHumans are fascinated by “good”

vs. “evil”Why do people sin?Augustine developed the idea of

free will and predestination An all-powerful God could choose to bestow

on humanity the gift of freedom. An all-knowing God could tell what our choices would be without having willed those choices.

IslamFounded by MohammedCommanded by angel Gabriel to deliver

God’s wordHis sermons were written down and

translated into the KoranIslam means “submission”Wanted to do more than preach, wanted to

create a society brotherhood, peace, and ethical dealings based on Allah’s law.

Still the basis for government of in Islamic nations

In the beginning, Mohammad allowed Christians and Jews to openly practice their faiths in Islamic communities.

They all worship the same God, entitled to heed the word as passed down in their own sacred books.

There are fundamentalists in every religion, who follow the exact letter of the law, and those that support flexibility.

Similarities and DifferencesAll 3 major religions have similar holy booksJudaism saw Jesus as a prophet, but not the

MessiahIslam recognized importance of Moses and

Jesus but Mohammed is the true prophet.Christians and Muslims believe in an ending

of the world, Judgment day, good will be rewarded with eternal life and bad will suffer-Heaven and Hell

Muslims and Catholics require confession

DoubtAgnosticism Atheist“unknown”, doesn’t

disbelieve God, but asserts that nothing about him(even existence) can be known for certain.

William James (father of modern psychology) states, “if religion is essential to happiness, who is to deny someone the right to believe?”

Bold negative stance, challenge believers, use their logic to prove nonexistence of God.

Pragmatists-more important that an idea be good instead of true

Nietzsche-God is dead