School For Ministry World Religions Dr. Regina Ballard Email: [email protected]

Text Book: Understanding World Religions: A Road for Justice and Peace, 2nd Edition by David Whitten Smith and Elizabeth Geraldine Burr

Suggested Reading: God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero World Religions: Guide to the Essentials, 2nd Edition by Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary P. Rodrigues

Dear students: Below, please find a study guide and homework questions for each of our six classes. I will give you the final project assignment at our first class meeting. I look forward to meeting all of you soon! Regina

** The following study guide is based on your text book.

Class #1 Introduction: The Study of Worldviews

Be prepared to describe or identify the following terms: categorical imperative numinous extrinsic motivation pan-en-henic great tradition shaman intrinsic motivation utilitarianism little tradition

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class:

Learn and be able to explain the seven dimensions of worldviews proposed by Ninian Smart.

What does the modern social scientist Fr. Andrew Greeley have to say about mystical experiences?

Why are sacrifices killed or burned up?

Why might I want to "give a gift to God"?

What three factors complicate our efforts to understand a particular worldview?

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #1. 1) How do the seven dimensions of worldviews apply to the worldviews your parents taught you as you were growing up? How did the world view relate to the larger society – was it dominate, influential, or marginal? 2) How do the seven dimensions relate to the official world view you currently hold (its great tradition)? How do they relate to the actual worldview you currently hold (its little tradition), including all the qualifications you make or disagreements you may have with the official worldview that you are associated with?

Class #2 Chapter One: Hindu Worldviews.

Be prepared to describe or identify the following terms: Advaita Gramdan scheduled tribes Harijan aryan jnana Shruti atman Bhagavad-Gita transmigration of souls Bhoodan untouchables (capital B) nonviolence of the strong brahman (lowercase b) nonviolence of the weak outcastes Vedanta caste reincarnation constructive program samsara Dalit theology satyagraha scheduled castes

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class: Explain the doctrines of karma and reincarnation. How do they explain what we see in the world?

How do the Hindu ideas of Heaven and Hell differ from the Christian ideas of Heaven and Hell?

Why must moksha be attained, if at all, by our actions during our life on earth?

What are the four major varna or castes? What sorts of occupations would the members of each caste engage in?

Does the doctrine of karma discourage from helping the poor and the oppressed?

What are the “four stages of life” that twice-born Hindus expect to go through?

In the , what three arguments does use to encourage Arjuna to fight? What three arguments did Gandhi use to overcome the objection that the Gita justifies war? What did Gandhi think was the central message of the Gita? If Krishna, an avatar or incarnation of the god Vishnu, urged Arjuna to go to battle, why did Gandhi dare to oppose war? Did he think he knew more than an incarnate god?

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #2 1) Gandi and Bhave strongly opposed war and embraced simple lives of poverty in order to help the poor. These are not typical Hindu reactions to the world’s suffering. Can you name some members of your own worldview who interpret your worldview in such striking and unusual ways? Are such people impractical dreamers, dangerous crackpots, or helpful models for the rest of us? Class #3 Chapter Two: Buddhist Worldviews

Be prepared to describe or identify the following terms: anatman dharma metta bhavana A. T. Ariyaratne dukkha Aung San Suu Kyi Engaged nirvana avidya enlightenment parinirvana bodhi sangha Bodhisattva Hinayana Theravada Buddha Jataka Tales Thich Nhat Hanh Dalai Lama Mahayana Vajrayana metta

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class: The central Buddhist doctrine or insight is called the four noble truths. List and explain them. Give enough detail so that they make sense.

If there is no eternal Atman, what gets “reborn”?

Distinguish three forms of Buddhism: Theravadan, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

How do the older Buddhist rituals differ from theistic rituals like Jewish, Christian, and Muslim rituals?

Why did Buddhism oppose war and political power (two reasons)?

Describe the quarrel between the Sakyans and the Koliyans, how Gautama Buddha responded to the quarrel, how the two sides responded to his intervention, and the long-term results.

How could Buddhists be warriors? Where can we find examples of Buddhist warriors?

How did Nagarjuna say we should choose between or connect individual enlightenment and social action?

What are the four foundational principles of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Tiep Hien order?

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #3 1) Do you agree with the first noble truth, that all life is suffering – or perhaps that there is an element of dissatisfaction in every aspect of life? Do you agree that suffering comes when we try to hold on to impermanent things? Have you ever experienced relief when you let go of something you had been trying unsuccessfully to hang on to? 2) “Perfect Livelihood” is one component of the “eightfold path.” How well does your present or anticipated occupation meet its criteria?

Class #4 Chapter Three: Jewish Worldviews.

Be prepared to describe, identify, or explain the following terms and names. Note that the terms include both English and Hebrew names of some items, such as feasts (e.g., Sukkot = Tabernacles). Ahad Ha’am Hillesum, Etty Purim Amalek Holocaust Reconstructionist Judaism Ashkenazic Holy War Reform Judaism Baal Shem Tov ingathering religious Zionism Besht Kabbalah Rosh Ha-Shanah bi-national state Ketuvim Sephardic Buber, Martin kibbutz shalom Conservative Judaism Luria, Isaac Shavuot covenant Maccabees Shoah cultural Zionism Maimonides, Moses Suffering Servant Day of Atonement Mendelssohn, Moses Sukkot Days of Awe midrash Tabernacles Diaspora Mishnah Talmud Exile moshav Tanakh Exodus Neviim Targums Gemara Orthodox Judaism tikkun ghetto Passover Torah Haggadah Pentecost tzaddik Halakha Pesach yetzer ha ra’ Hanukkah. Philo Judaeus yetzer ha tov Hasidism pogrom Yom Kippur herem political Zionism Zionism Herzl, Theodor Promised Land Zohar

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class: Describe and distinguish the various Jewish holy books and traditions: Tanakh, Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim, Mishnah, Talmud, haggadah, halakhah, Targums, midrashim, Talmudic tales.

Describe the following concepts in Judaism and explain their relevance to issues of justice and peace: covenant, chosen people, promised land, holy people, sense of persecution.

Who were the Maccabees? What part did they play in Jewish history? What Jewish religious holiday is associated with them, and what is the connection?

Explain the transition from early first century Judaism (centered around Temple worship) to Rabbinic Judaism.

Be prepared to recognize and identify key Jewish beliefs, and to discern when they are being incorrectly described.

Be able to describe or identify major Jewish religious feasts: Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), Tabernacles (Sukkot), the High Holy Days: New Year and the Day of Atonement (Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur), Hanukkah.

Why do Jews (of the great tradition) keep the Law of Moses?

Distinguish the following Jewish groups: Hasidic, Orthodox, Reformed, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Ashkenazic, Sephardic. What gave rise to each? How do they compare with each other?

Distinguish political, socialist, cultural, and religious Zionism.

What are some limits to Holy War as we read it described in the Tanakh or Old Testament? Be prepared to recognize such reasons, and to discern when they are being incorrectly described.

Among persecutions of Jews, what was unique about the Nazi Holocaust? How did Christians respond to the tragedy that their Jewish neighbors were facing? Describe three Jewish theological explanations of the Holocaust (ultra-orthodox Jews, secular Zionists, modern Orthodox religious Zionists)? What conclusion do many modern Israeli Jews draw from the Holocaust Museum Yat va Shem? From the Holocaust experience, how do Zionists respond to Gentile criticism of Israeli policies?

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #4 1) Which of the theological responses to the Holocaust do you find most convincing? Which do you find most problematic, or even repellent? If you don’t like any of these described what theological responses would you propose?

Class # 5 Chapter Four: Christian Worldviews.

Be prepared to describe or identify the following terms: Addams, Jane Eucharist original sin Anabaptists Evangelicals Peace Churches Armageddon exaltation Peace of God. Augustine Fundamentalists Pentecost Calvin, John Holy Spirit Prosperity Gospel Catholic Worker incarnation Radical Reformation Christian Zionism indwelling rapture Christmas Inquisition resurrection conversion of the head inspired Sermon on the Mount conversion of the heart interim ethic social sin Crusades kerygma Son of God Day, Dorothy King, Martin Luther structural sin dispensationalism Lord’s Supper tribulation Easter Luther, Martin Truce of God Enlightenment Messiah epistles millennium

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class: What significance does the birth or incarnation of Jesus have for Christians? What significance does the death of Jesus have for Christians?

How did Christians take part in the victory Jesus won?

What do Christians mean by “original sin”? What do they think can be done about it?

What does the theologian Gorospe mean by “conversion of the head” and “conversion of the heart”? What two barriers does he see to “conversion of the head”? What two things does “conversion of the heart” require?

How did Christianity evolve from a seemingly pacifist religion to one that approved of “just war”?

Describe Luther’s reaction to the peasants’ revolt, showing how his reaction related to his attitude toward ruling elites and toward established order.

Name three positions held by the (Anabaptist) peace churches that are directly relevant to justice and peace.

Give some examples of how early Quakers lived out their pacifism.

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #5 1) Which of the following interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount comes closest to your own view? If none of the interpretations seems to reflect your view, how would you explain the Sermon on the Mount? Do you think any of the interpretations could produce bad effects?

Class #6 Chapter Five: Muslim Worldviews.

Be prepared to describe or identify the following terms: adl ihsan Night Journey Ahmed, Giasuddin iman Quran Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid Injil Qutb, Sayyid Muhammad Islam Rabia of Basra Al-Rumi, Jalal al-Din Jibril Ramadan Allah jihad, greater rasul Allah (hu) akbar jihad, lesser sadaqa amal Kaabah salaam Anno Hegirae Karbala salat Armenian Genocide Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan saum Caliph Khudai Kitmatgars shahada Crusades Mecca Sharia dervish, Medina Shia Dome of the Rock Mernissi, Fatima shirk Eid al-Adha minaret Sufiam Eid al-Fitr muezzin Sunna faqir (fakir) Muhaiyaddeen, M. R. Bawa Sunni five pillars Muhammad sura Hadith mujahid umma hajj mumin Wahhabi haq Muslim zakat Hasbuna Allah Muslim Brotherhood hijra Muzaffar, Chandra

Be prepared to discuss the following questions in class: What is the meaning of the common phrase: Allah (hu) akbar? Of the phrase Hasbuna Allah?

How did Muhammad come to know Islam?

How did Meccan leaders respond at first to Muhammad's preaching based on his visions?

Why did Muhammad go to Medina? What did he do there?

What is the principal disagreement between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims?

Are Islamic cultures poorly developed?

Why do Muslims insist on reading the Qur'an in Arabic rather than in a translation?

Learn the Five pillars of Islam. For each pillar, What do Muslims do? When? How? [Give some detail]: [You do not need to learn the shahada in Arabic, but please learn it in English. It is a mark of respect for our Muslim brothers and sisters to know it. Of course, such knowledge does not require one to profess it unless one really believes it.]

Distinguish the "lesser jihad" from the "greater jihad."

If “there can/should be no compulsion in matters of religion,” why do we hear of people being killed because they were converted from Islam to Christianity or some other religion?

Be prepared to recognize and identify the main Islamic principles of just war, and to discern when they are being incorrectly described.

Explain how Sayyid Qutb supports violent jihad against Western society, yet claims that he is not forcing anyone to accept Islam. Who or what is he attacking?

Written Work: Turn in at the end of class #6 1) How did Muhammad seek to reform the society in which he lived? What are some measures that he advocated to create a more just society? What obstacles did he face? 2) Many Muslims believe that one’s faith ought to influence one’s politics, and that a Muslim-majority nation ought to have a government based on Islamic law. They maintain that such a government would allow other faiths to practice their beliefs without interference. Do you know of examples that support this statement? Alternatively, on what principles should the laws of nations be based? Should a nation that is primarily Christian have a government based on Christian principles? What about a nation that is primarily Jewish?