DOCSLIB.ORG

Comparative Study of Religions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES COURSE CODE: CTH 202 COURSE TITLE: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS 1 COURSE CODE 202 COURSE TITLE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS COURSE TEAM DR. P.A. OJEBODE (Developer FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (SPECIAL), OYO. COURSE TEAM Dr. P. A. Ojebode (Developer & Writer) Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo Dr. O. A. Adewale (Programme leader) NOUN Dr. J.A. Owolabi (Course Coordinator) NOUN Dr. Olu Akeusola (Acting Dean) NOUN NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA 2 CTH 202: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS. The comparative study of the nature, beliefs, sacred writings and practices of some major religions of the world: Christianity: Islam: Buddhism: Shintoism: the distinctiveness and importance of each of these religions. NB: For clarity sake the author grouped these ancient religions into three Modules: MODULE 1: ASIANITIC RELIGIONS Unit 1: Concept of Comparative Religion Unit 2: Hinduism Unit 3: Buddhism Unit 4: Shintoism Unit 5: Confucianism Unit 6: Zoroastrianism Unit 7: Taoism MODULE 2: ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS Unit 1: Judaism Unit 2: Christianity From Early Formation to the Church of the Early Middle Ages (474 – 800) Unit 3: Christianity From Protestant Reformation to Ecumenism Era (1521 – 79) Unit 4: Islam Unit 5: Bahaism MODULE 3: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE Unit 1: African Traditional Religion: From Early Formation to the Technological Development in the society Unit 2: Nature of African Traditional Religion Unit 3: Religious Dialogue 3 MODULE 1. ASIANTIC RELIGIONS This module examined the origins and activities of the religions traced to be originated from the Asian world. The module is divided into seven units. They include; 1. Unit 1: Concept of Comparative Religion 2. Unit 2: Hinduism 3. Unit 3: Buddhism 4. Unit 4: Shintoism 5. Unit 5: Confucianism 6. Unit 6: Zoroastrianism 7. Unit 7: Taoism Unit 1: CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION. CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main content 3.1 An overview of comparative religion 3.2 Approaches to the study of religion 4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary 6.0 Tutored Marked Assignment 6.1 Making Guides to TMA 7.0 References/Further Readings 1.0 INTRODUCTION The goal of every religion is man’s universal thirst for, peace and goodness. Man achieves this goal through many ways in which he expresses his beliefs and attitudes. No matter when or how man developed from the time he became man, his irresistible urge to worship has created and will continues to create endless forms of religious behaviour. This force is so powerful in man that it has produced a Mosaic kind of beliefs, attitudes and practices. And considering the fact that each of the world religions embraces varying beliefs and practices, areas of interaction and co-operation are necessary for peaceful co-existence. This is because religion whether Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism Taoism or African Traditional Religion, remains a potent factor to reckon with in the scheme of things the world over. However, one needs to be aware of the changes which particular religious traditions and institutions have under gone, that is, changes which are evident from historical comparison. The person who is more likely to be hostile to another mans religion is that man who knows no other religion than that of his own. The will attempt to make an impartial study of religious traditions by highlighting this historical records in terms of the ideas they teach, the types of personality they have and the kinds of societies where they were found. 4 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:- - Explain the goals of religion in man life. - Acknowledge the cause for many religions of the world. - Explain what comparative religion all about. - Imbibe the mechanism for studying religion. 3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 AN OVERVIEW OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION Comparative religion centered on the application of comparative or scientific method to the data provided by the religious of the world, past and present. This involved the assignment to each of a place within a scheme of progress development, or evolution, and the assessment of their value (Sharpe, 1987). To Kasiera (1990). Comparative religion is the study of the various religious traditions and of the inter-relation to the way in which religious themes and ideas are fused in these traditions. Tiwari (1983) also sees comparative religion as a comparative study of the important features of the different religions of the world in a perfectly scientific sprit. The purpose is not to assert the truth or falsity or relegate any religion or to in corporate value judgment about other religions, but to show that the religions of the humankind are similar in many ways and also different in significant ways (Dopamu 2000). Dopamu (2000) further studied that comparative religion is not restricted to comparism between religious but it involves comparison between concepts, themes, elements, topics or phenomena of different religions. The implication of Dopamu submission is that, religions are placed side by side for the purpose of underscoring their claims and values. Through comparative study of religion, scholars endeavors to evaluate the religion in order to show how they stood relative to another in term of their various levels of development. In this wise, religions are studied in an appreciative and non-judgmental manners. The aim of comparative religion therefore, as it is observed by Dopamu (2000) is to identify the point of similarities and differences between two religions or more. This course examines the various notable religions of the world. 3.2 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION Idowu (1973) accounted for the following approaches in the comparative study of religions. These include:- 1. Caution: - To study a religion other than ones own effectively, a scholar or religious investigator must exercises great caution. The scholar must not prove that he has known everything already about that religion even if he belongs to it. This is because religion is a divinely invented phenomenon that application of self mind cannot be easily comprehended, thus Job 11:7-9 query. “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens What can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the Grave –what can you know? 5 The above strengthening the words of Idowu which continues to say that one must rather learn slowly painfully and actively to ask new questions and to sense new visions cautions approach therefore will not make the study of any religion subjective but objective. 2. Openness: - The approach of openness in the study of religion implies that when we are studying other people’s religion we must enter into their feelings and aspirations. Religion cannot be properly studied unless it is studied from inside and only those who are prepared to allow truth to reveal itself to them and those who prepared to enter into the feelings of worshipers as soon as possible can make any profitable and objective study of religion. That one must not enter the field of studying religion with self imprisoned mind or misconception about any religion to be investigated. 3. Sympathy: - In studying religion we must have appreciation for understanding and sympathy. It is not what people say about religion that is of importance rather it should be what the religion says about itself. Religion is a sacred phenomenon therefore, the scholar must show sympathy and enter into the feeling of the people and see with their own eyes in order to grasp and possess the knowledge of what they actually know and believe about the spiritual world. 4. Reverence: - Religion is a sacred phenomenon and this should be studied with reference. Thus Psalms 5-7 inter-alia says: The arrogant cannot stand in you presence: You hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men The Lord abhors. But by your great mercy, will come into your house, in reference will I bow down toward your holy temple. (NIV Topical Study Bible). The above depict that to understand and established the mysteriousness of God or gods the religion is seeking to accounted for the researchers or scholars of religion need to go about with reference heart, and total sense of submission. 5. Interest: Absolute interest and honest is another key to obtain a meaningful result while studying religion. The sacred and the mysterious fundamentally endowed religious phenomenon calls for total interest of the religious scholars so as to obtain an objective result. 6. Adaptability: - To attain acceptable information about a religion being studied calls for adaptability of all purposes. The researcher should comply with the norms and traditions surrounding the subject of his or her investigation. This in returns will open ways for sense of belongings and remove fear on the path of the leaders and the individuals who suppose to assist and releases the needed information to the researcher. Association and interaction of all purposes are ingredients that can streamline the easy ways to the hidden information about the religion that the researcher sought to know. 6 4.0 CONCLUSION From the discussions so far you have learnt the following: - That religion came to being as a result of mans thirst for truth, peace and goodness - Religion remains a potent factor to reckon with in the scheme of things the world over. - That religions of the world are similar in many ways and also different in significant ways - Comparative religion aims at under scaring claims and values of religions of the world and not solely in comparing one religion better than the others. - Approaches the scholars of religion need to adopt while studying religion for the purpose of achieving the set goals.
Recommended publications
  • Global Persecution

    Global Persecution

    GLOBAL PERSECUTION THE PRICE OF FAITH FOR CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE CONTENTS This Publication ................................................................. 1 Introduction...................................................................... 2 Cause for Concern .............................................................. 3 Evidence.......................................................................... 6 Conclusion..................................................................... 105 The Maranatha Community UK Office, 102 Irlam Road, Flixton, Manchester, M41 6JT England Tel: (0044) 161 748 4858 Fax: (0044) 161 747 7479 Email: [email protected] www.maranathacommunity.org.uk This Publication This factual Report is compiled out of profound concern for the vast numbers of innocent people worldwide who have suffered and who continue to suffer grievously for their beliefs and pay a very high price for their Christian faith. This Report is being placed before the following with an urgent appeal for support and action in the light of the desperate urgency of the situation. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations Organisation Mr. Baudelaire Ndong Ella, President, United Nations Human Rights Council Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP, Prime Minister Rt. Hon. William Hague MP, Foreign Secretary Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, Deputy Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Opposition Mr. Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland Mr. Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales Mr. Peter Robinson, First Minister of Northern Ireland Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Foreign Affairs Commissioner of the European Union The Leaders of the main political groups in the European Parliament His Holiness Pope Francis Rt. Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches Ephraim Mirvis, The Chief Rabbi Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari, Chairman of the Muslim Council for Great Britain Professor Fares Al-Mashagbah, President of Aal Al-bayt University.
  • Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged

    Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged

    Press summary March 2015 Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged: Key Findings from the 2014 General Social Survey Michael Hout, New York University & NORC Tom W. Smith, NORC 10 March 2015 Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged: Key Findings from the 2014 General Social Survey March 2015 Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Most Groups Less Religious ....................................................................................................................... 3 Changes among Denominations .................................................................................................................. 4 Conclusions and Future Work....................................................................................................................... 5 About the Data ............................................................................................................................................. 6 References ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 About the Authors .......................................................................................................................................
  • Religious Studies (RELS) 1

    Religious Studies (RELS) 1

    Religious Studies (RELS) 1 RELS 108 — Hinduism Course count: 1 RELIGIOUS STUDIES (RELS) An examination of Hinduism and the Hindu tradition from the Vedas to the present day. Among the subject considered: the Upanishads; RELS 101 — Intro to the Comparative Study of Religion Course count: 1 the Ramayana and Mahabharata; village Hinduism; Gandhi; and Introduction to the nature and place of religion in the human experience contemporary Hindu political thought. Evaluation will include both as critically understood through the modern disciplines of comparative examinations and essays. history, text criticism, and social science. Viewpoints covered include the psychoanalytic, philosophical, biological, artistic, and anthropological. GPA units: 1 Sources range broadly from the Bible to modern fiction, Lao Tzu to Celtic Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Studies in Religion myths. The course also examines the effects of modern change on Typically Offered: Annually religion in global perspective. RELS 114 — Introduction To Theology Course count: 1 GPA units: 1 Introduction to major claims in Christian theology through a close Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies, Studies in Religion examination of historical and contemporary Catholic and Protestant Typically Offered: Alternate Years theologies. Topics include: methods in doing theology and in biblical interpretation; images of God and of Jesus; the human condition; RELS 102 — Mary in Christian Theology Course count: 1 different marks and models of the church; and religious diversity. Mary, the mother of Jesus, has held great significance for Christians over Readings address the interplay in theological reflection between religious the centuries. This class will examine the following topics: Mary in the tradition and social location, and analyze the implications and challenges Scriptures, the development of Marian doctrines (the Virgin Birth, the of Christian claims in light of gender, race and poverty.
  • (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0278344 A1 XIAO (43) Pub

    (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0278344 A1 XIAO (43) Pub

    US 20140278344A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0278344 A1 XIAO (43) Pub. Date: Sep. 18, 2014 (54) ENGLISHTRAINING METHOD AND DEVICE (57) ABSTRACT (71) Applicant: Yunfei XIAO, Flushing, NY (US) The present disclosure provides an English training method, (72) Inventor: Yunfei XIAO, Flushing, NY (US) including the following steps: classifying and storing words (21) Appl. No.: 14/202,604 according to predetermined word classification rules; receiv ing a user command for extracting a corresponding word (22) Filed: Mar 10, 2014 according to a classification of the word, and extracting the corresponding word according to the user command and out (30) Foreign Application Priority Data putting the word in audio or video form; the word classifica tion rules including: combining two consonants with five Mar. 15, 2013 (CN) ......................... 2013 10084532.3 Vowels a, e, i, o, and u respectively to form words; or using a Publication Classification main word or a transformation of the main word as a main body, and combining the main body with 26 letters of the (51) Int. Cl. English alphabet in sequence to form words; or combining the G09B 9/06 (2006.01) five vowels a, e, i, o, and u with other letters of the English G06F 7/28 (2006.01) alphabet to form word roots, and combining each of the word (52) U.S. Cl. roots with the 26 letters of the English alphabet in sequence to CPC ................ G09B 19/06 (2013.01); G06F 17/28 form words; or matching a whole English sentence or a whole (2013.01) English paragraph with a Chinese song; or noting a pronun USPC .............................................................
  • Informal Religious Activity Outside Hegemonic Religions: Wild Traditions and Their Relevance to Evolutionary Models Pascal Boyera,B

    Informal Religious Activity Outside Hegemonic Religions: Wild Traditions and Their Relevance to Evolutionary Models Pascal Boyera,B

    RRBB1678518 Techset Composition India (P) Ltd., Bangalore and Chennai, India 11/8/2019 RELIGION, BRAIN & BEHAVIOR https://doi.org/10.1080/2153599X.2019.1678518 5 Informal religious activity outside hegemonic religions: wild traditions and their relevance to evolutionary models Pascal Boyera,b 10 Q1 aDepartment of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; bDepartment of Psychological ¶ & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Q2 Evolutionary approaches to religious representations must be grounded in Cultural evolution; 15 ¶ a precise description of the forms of religious activity that occurred before evolutionary models; the emergence of state societies and doctrinal religious organizations. religions; shamanism These informal religious activities or “wild traditions” consist of services provided by individual specialists, with no formal training or organization, who generally specialize in palliating or preventing misfortune. The anthropological and historical record show that (a) such 20 traditions are present in almost all documented human societies, (b) they have important common features, and (c) they reappear despite the political dominance of doctrinal organizations. The form of religious activity that humans spontaneously create, or re-create in the face of political suppression, comprises no stable doctrine, faith, or community Q3 of believers. In light of these facts, important corrections should be 25 ¶ made to current models of the evolutionary underpinnings of religious thought and behavior, in particular, by taking into account the great importance of political coercion and the minor role of doctrines in the QA: Coll: spread of religious concepts and practices. 30 Q4 Evolutionary perspectives in the study of religious representations aim to describe the kinds of men- ¶ tal capacities or preferences that (a) occur in human minds by virtue of natural selection and (b) influence the acquisition and transmission of what we usually call “religious” thought and behavior.
  • Theory in the Study of Religion

    Theory in the Study of Religion

    Chapter 3 Theory in the Study of Religion Donald Wiebe My aim in this paper is to assess the role of theory in ‘religious studies.’1 The task is a general one and will not concern itself with evaluating any specific theory or theories of religion but rather with the appropriateness of the very notion of ‘a theory of religion.’ It will not, however, be an easy undertaking, not only because of its generality but also because of its paradoxical character. To admit of the existence of theories of religion and yet raise the question of the ‘possibility’ of such theories is somewhat odd to say the least. The history of the study of religion, I suggest however, forces us both to the admission and to the question. 1 The Place of ‘Theory’ in Religious Studies The place of theory in ‘religious studies’ has had a rather chequered history. Theory, it seems, lies at the centre of the formation of this so-called ‘new sci- ence’ in the form of what Eric Sharpe in his history of the ‘discipline’ refers to as the ‘Darwinian-Spencerian theory of evolution.’ In concluding a survey of the antecedents of ‘comparative religion’ (i.e. the ‘new science of religion’ of Max Müller) he writes: … with Comte, Darwin and Spencer we have come to the threshold of the hundred years of comparative religion which we are to survey. We have seen something of the variety of approaches to the religions of mankind which could be held before the coming of evolutionism: the Christian 1 My attention in this paper will be focused primarily on the emergence of the study of religion as an academic discipline (i.e., a ‘university subject’) with the rise of the ‘phenomenologists.’ The ‘phenomenologists,’ I would argue, constitute a dominant tradition in the history of the scholarly study of religion.
  • Studies in Central & East Asian Religions Volume 9 1996

    Studies in Central & East Asian Religions Volume 9 1996

    Studies in Central & East Asian Religions Volume 9 1996 CONTENTS Articles Xu WENKAN: The Tokharians and Buddhism……………………………………………... 1 Peter SCHWEIGER: Schwarze Magie im tibetischen Buddhismus…………………….… 18 Franz-Karl EHRHARD: Political and Ritual Aspects of the Search for Himalayan Sacred Lands………………………………………………………………………………. 37 Gabrielle GOLDFUβ: Binding Sūtras and Modernity: The Life and Times of the Chinese Layman Yang Wenhui (1837–1911)………………………………………………. 54 Review Article Hubert DECLEER: Tibetan “Musical Offerings” (Mchod-rol): The Indispensable Guide... 75 Forum Lucia DOLCE: Esoteric Patterns in Nichiren’s Thought…………………………………. 89 Boudewijn WALRAVEN: The Rediscovery of Uisang’s Ch’udonggi…………………… 95 Per K. SØRENSEN: The Classification and Depositing of Books and Scriptures Kept in the National Library of Bhutan……………………………………………………….. 98 Henrik H. SØRENSEN: Seminar on the Zhiyi’s Mohe zhiguan in Leiden……………… 104 Reviews Schuyler Jones: Tibetan Nomads: Environment, Pastoral Economy and Material Culture (Per K. Sørensen)…………………………………………………………………. 106 [Ngag-dbang skal-ldan rgya-mtsho:] Shel dkar chos ’byung. History of the “White Crystal”. Religion and Politics of Southern La-stod. Translated by Pasang Wangdu and Hildegard Diemberger (Per K. Sørensen)………………………………………… 108 Blondeau, Anne-Marie and Steinkellner, Ernst (eds.): Reflections of the Mountains. Essays on the History and Social Meaning of the Cult in Tibet and the Himalayas (Per K. Sørensen)…………………………………………………………………………. 110 Wisdom of Buddha: The Saṃdhinirmocana Mahāyāna Sūtra (Essential Questions and Direct Answers for Realizing Enlightenment). Transl. by John Powers (Henrik H. Sørensen)………………………………………………. 112 Japanese Popular Deities in Prints and Paintings: A Catalogue of the Exhibition (Henrik H. Sørensen)…………………………………………………………………………. 113 Stephen F. Teiser, The Scripture on the Ten Kings and the Making of Purgatory in Medieval Chinese Buddhism (Henrik H.
  • Interrogating the Comparative Method: Whither, Why, and How?1

    Interrogating the Comparative Method: Whither, Why, and How?1

    religions Article Interrogating the Comparative Method: Whither, Why, and How?1 Barbara A. Holdrege Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3130, USA; [email protected] Received: 15 January 2018; Accepted: 26 January 2018; Published: 12 February 2018 Abstract: This essay seeks to illuminate the problematics, methods, and dynamics of comparison by interrogating how certain analytical categories in the study of religion, such as scripture and the body, can be fruitfully reimagined through a comparative analysis of their Hindu and Jewish instantiations. I consider a range of issues that are critical to any productive comparative study, and I reflect more specifically on the principal components of my own comparative method in light of Oliver Freiberger’s analytical framework: the goals of comparative analysis; the modes of comparison; the parameters that define the scope and the scale of the comparative inquiry; and the operations involved in the comparative process, beginning with selection of the specific traditions and analytical categories to be addressed and formulation of the organizational design of the study and culminating in the re-visioned categories and models in the study of religion that constitute the fruits of the comparative inquiry. Keywords: comparative method; analytical categories; models of religious tradition; Hinduisms; Judaisms; Hindu-Jewish comparative studies; scripture; body; Veda; Torah Jonathan Z. Smith, in his 1982 essay “In Comparison a Magic Dwells,” surveys and critiques four basic modes of comparison—ethnographic, encyclopedic, morphological, and evolutionary— together with their more recent variants, and concludes that none of the proposed methods is adequate. Yet he suggests that the comparative enterprise should not thereby be abandoned, for the process of comparison is a constitutive aspect of human thought and is critical to the task of the scholar of religion.
  • Statement on Diversity: As a Subfield of Religious Studies, the Study of Comparative Mysticism Has Been Dominated by Male White Western Scholars Since Its Inception

    Statement on Diversity: As a Subfield of Religious Studies, the Study of Comparative Mysticism Has Been Dominated by Male White Western Scholars Since Its Inception

    California Institute of Integral Studies EWP9566: ADVANCED Ph.D. SEMINAR: COMPARATIVE MYSTICISM Spring 2014 (3 units) Thursdays 3:00pm-6:00pm (Jan 30-Mar 13; Mar 27-May 1); Saturday 10-5pm (May 10) Instructor: Jorge N. Ferrer, PhD. Tel. (415) 575-6262; email: [[email protected]]. Course Description: In the spirit of dialogue and inquiry, this advanced seminar provides an in-depth exploration of the field of comparative mysticism. After discussing the various meanings of the term “mysticism,” an overview of the field of comparative mysticism and its methodological foundations will be offered. We will discuss the major horizons of the field, as well as the main families of interpretive models in the field: typological, perennialist, constructivist, feminist, neo-perennialist, evolutionary, contextualist, postmodern, pluralist, and participatory. Topical sessions will address five contemporary areas of inquiry in the study of mysticism: (1) the intermonastic dialogue, (2) mysticism and gender, (3) embodiment and erotic mysticism, (4) the ethics of mysticism, and (5) psychedelic research and mystical experience. Students select two mystical traditions, authors, notions or phenomena and compare them applying one of the models studied or their own comparative approach. Students are encouraged to approach the study of mystics and mystical texts from an empathic, participatory, and contemplative perspective. Summary of Educational Purpose: The main purpose of this course is to deepen students’ knowledge of classic and contemporary approaches to the study of mystical phenomena and comparative mysticism. An additional objective is to guide students in the selection of the most appropriate comparative approach for their research interests. Learning Objectives: After completing this course, students will be able to: 1.
  • 1 Regulatory and Policy Framework for Religion During The

    1 Regulatory and Policy Framework for Religion During The

    1 FREEDOM OF RELIGION Regulatory and Policy Framework for Religion During the Commission’s 2015 reporting year, the Chinese gov- ernment and Communist Party continued to restrict freedom of re- ligion in China. China’s Constitution guarantees ‘‘freedom of reli- gious belief’’ 1 but limits protection of religious activities to ‘‘normal religious activities.’’ 2 This narrow protection contravenes inter- national human rights standards. Article 18 of the Universal Dec- laration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 18 of the Inter- national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)—the lat- ter of which China has signed 3 and stated its intent to ratify 4— recognize not only an individual’s right to adopt a religion or belief, but also the freedom to manifest one’s religion in ‘‘worship, observ- ance, practice and teaching.’’ 5 The Chinese government continued to recognize only five reli- gions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, and Taoism. The 2005 Regulations on Religious Affairs (RRA) require groups wishing to practice these religions to register with the government and subject such groups to government controls.6 The government and Party control religious affairs mainly through the State Ad- ministration for Religious Affairs (SARA) and lower level religious affairs bureaus under the State Council,7 the Party Central Com- mittee United Front Work Department (UFWD),8 and the five ‘‘pa- triotic’’ religious associations—the Buddhist Association of China (BAC), the Catholic Patriotic Association of China (CPA), the Is- lamic
  • Reading List in Theory and Method for Religious Studies 12.15.09 Asad

    Reading List in Theory and Method for Religious Studies 12.15.09 Asad

    Reading List in Theory and Method for Religious Studies 12.15.09 Asad, Talal, Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and reasons of power in Christianity and Islam (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993). Bell, Catherine, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992). Berger, Peter L., The Sacred Canopy: Elements of sociological theory of religion, (Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1969). Doniger, Wendy, The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998). Douglas, Mary, Purity and Danger: An analysis of the concepts of pollution and taboo (London; New York: Routledge, 1994). Durkheim, Émile, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, trans. Carol Cosman (Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 2001). Eliade, Mircea, Patterns in Comparative Religion, trans. Rosemary Sheed (Cleveland, World Pub. Co., 1966). Freud, Sigmund, The Future of an Illusion, trans. and ed. James Strachey (New York: Norton, 1961). Freud, Sigmund, Totem and Taboo: Some points of agreement between the mental lives of savages and neurotics, trans. James Strachey (London: Routledge, 2001). Geertz, Clifford, The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (New York: Basic Books, 1973). Hewitt, Marsha. Critical Theory of Religion: A Feminist Analysis (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1995). James, William, The Varieties of Religious Experience (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1985). Levy-Strauss, Claude. Tristes Tropiques Lincoln, Bruce, Theorizing Myth: Narrative, ideology, and scholarship (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999). Luckman, Thomas. The Invisible Religion (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1967). Malinowski, Bronislaw, Magic, Science, and Religion, and other essays (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1954). Marx, Karl and F. Engels, Marx and Engels on Religion (Moscow, Foreign Languages Pub.
  • Title: Comparative Study of Hinduism and Christianity Subject Areas

    Title: Comparative Study of Hinduism and Christianity Subject Areas

    Michigan State University Fulbright-Hays Group Study Abroad 2009: Nepal in the Contemporary World Lesson Plan Martha Cain Berkley High School, Berkley Michigan Title: Comparative Study of Hinduism and Christianity Subject Areas: World History, World Cultures, or Comparative Religion Grade Levels: 9 – 12th grade Length of Lesson: 3 -4 traditional schedule class periods (or 2+ days for block scheduling plus time outside class for the editorial. Summary/Overview: When asked, most people would state that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion but is it? How did it get that label? Why do we consider Hinduism with Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma (all part of the absolute god; Brahman) a polytheistic religion and Christianity with the Holy Trinity (father, son and holy spirit/ghost) a monotheistic religion? This lesson will explore both religions and ask students to compare the two belief systems. - Assessment: The students will be assessed both formally and informally throughout this unit. There will be a brainstorming session, formative assessments throughout the power point presentations and finally, a written assessment to gauge their overall comprehension of the material. The calumniating assessment is to have the students write an editorial to a newspaper responding to the headline of “The Mono’s Have It: Hinduism Reclassified as a Monotheistic Religion”. The students, using Christianity as their model of comparison, will agree or disagree with the new classification while supporting their argument with evidence. Primary Objectives: - The students will be able to define in their own words what constitutes a world religion. - The students will be able to apply their prior knowledge of mono and polytheistic religions to Hinduism and Christianity, using evidence from each religion and applying it to their classification.