Short answes -Final Flashcards
(24 cards)
How does practice of prayer in Islam help individual believers to understand the truths about Allah and to relate to him in a way that is proper and right ?
- Prayer regardless of place affirms the truth that the whole world is already Gods. God is everywhere
- Postures express the whole truth about God and humanity and the relation between them
- The physical way to stand before God properly is by lowering you head all the way to the ground and make sure your forehead touches the ground.
- shows devotion to God
1) why do Muslims call their God Allah?
“The God” all other Gods are human creation.
•Representational art is the easiest way to produce idols and therefore we are worshiping ourselves and other human creation.
•We are to worship God and Respect Him by not making images.
•God is the creator of all things so we have no right to represent thins in the world.
Two duties that a human have towards God? How does Abraham exemplify this ?
1) gratitude for life that has been received (pg 239)
2) effort to notice that surrender can mean wholehearted giving of oneself—to cause, or in friendship and love
•Abraham passed this test because he was willing to sacrifice is only son.
What are the greater and lesser jihads? How does the conflict with Mecca illustrate them?
Lesser jihad - the holy war-literally struggle. War in defense of the oppressed and the persecuted. Mohammad fled from his enemies in Mecca and led his followers to Medina, he then became the ruler of Medina
Greater Jihad - the struggle with in one self to clear out all idols and wholly submit oneself to God.
What is the goal of Sufism ? What image is used to illustrate it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Sufi way ?
•Mystical branch of Islam
•emphasizes Union with God
Images
•moths and flame -moths being the individual worshiper drawn to the flame and the flame is God, once the moth reaches the flame it becomes one with the flame
Advantages
•gives us intimate longing for God and passionate desire for God
Disadvantages
•”there is no God but God” so therefore there is nothing but God.
•we are all God, each of us is a God
•There is no distinction between the creature and the creator.
What is the Tetragrammaton ? Where does it originate from? Why is it not pronounced and what does it mean ?
•the tetragrammaton is the name of God
•4 vowels or letters YHWH
Originated from the encounters of Moses and God at the burning bush when God speaks to him saying YHWH which literally means “I am that I am”
Not pronounced
•Because it is out of respect and reverence for God
What does it mean
•Emphasizes Gods height and majesty and also our reverence and humility.
What is shalom ? How does it relate to the creation, the law, the Jews as a chose people and the Messiah?
Shalom
•shalom is peace , wholeness, or completeness
How does It relate creation
•relates to creation because God created the world in the state of peace.
How does it relate to the law
•we have disobeyed the commandments of God so the peace was shattered and the original state of shalom was destroyed
How does it relate to the Jews as a chosen people ?
•God brought to pass laws that in order to restore the peace upon the earth they had the Jews practice the law so they became the chosen people.
Messiah
•King or ruler; literal king
•Became the example in order to restore the peace.
What is a covenant ? What does Gods covenant with humanity tell us about both God and ourselves?
Covenant
•Agreement with God
•A contract with God
•Specified responsibility that both parties have to the other
Tells us about God and ourselves
•Tells us that we are partners with God in establishing Gods kingdom on earth.
•Humanity in some sense can justify the law and God will change it due to covenant made
What is the exodus ? Why is it important for the Jews ?
Gods activity on behalf of the Jewish people. God sends Moses to Egypt to save them, then God leads them to the wilderness passed the desert to the Red Sea while they were being chased by pharaohs and his horsemen, then God caused the sea to divide in half so the People could cross the sea and become saved
Why is it important ?
•The exodus sets the scene for the law
•raises people and establish the people of God
•God delivered them out from great suffering and slavery from Egypt
•shows something about God goodness, holiness and caring for them
•this is when the Jews became a part of the people of God
What are the two types of Torah in Judaism? Why is Torah study so important?
Written Torah and the Oral Torah
•Torah literally means the law (also the teachings)
Written Torah
•Five Books of Moses which is the first five books of the Hebrew studies
-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Oral Torah
•Legal commentary On the written Torah
•Commentary on the mishna (systematic codification of the Jewish laws)
Why is this important ?
•Even though God speaks to prophets he also continues through the Torah study
•Part of remembering the sabbath and keeping it holy is to study the Torah
•God is revealed through when he showed the Torah studies.
• Torah/law reveals the goodness of God
What is the shekinah ? How is it described in mystical Judaism? How does Hassidism think it can be reunited with God?
Shekinah- Gods glory fills all things and has been exile in the world.
Mystical Judaism is the idea that the knowledge of the hidden meaning of the Torah allows one to liberate the spark and reunite them with God
Hasidism think that we liberate divine sparks by relating to things rightly thus hollowing all of life( making life holy) relating to things rights for example, a place, if a place is unholy and you cannot pray because it is too loud, uncomfortable and you are distracted, you can make a place become holy by praying in there.
•if there is a evil place, it can be redeemed through us
How is the doctrine of the Trinity related to the Christian claim that God does not just love but is love ?
Christianity claim that God does not just love but is love.
•For the Trinity this cannot be unless there is a lover a beloved and the relationship between them.
•One God cannot love for there is no one else to love
•If there is two they would love each other and no one else
•if there is three then it becomes a community of love.
What is the doctrine of the incarnation? Why is it important for Christians? What does it ultimately tell us about God?
Where God the son enters history as a human being in order to reunite us with God affirms the mystery that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully Human.
What are the four ways the Christians have explained the atonement ? What are their advantages and disadvantages ?
- The moral example- Jesus is te perfect moral example who shows us how to live
- Christus Victor ransom- Christs life, death and resurrection is a victory over the devil which frees us from his powers
- Penal Substituonary Theory- Human being sin before God and therefore God becomes angry with us but Jesus died on our behalf and saves us.
- Recapitalization - God became human so that human could become God
Disadvantage
•God doesn’t have to become human being in order to save us
How is the Christian ethic of love radical ? Why is belief in the resurrection of Jesus important for practicing this ethic?
- Not only is the ethic of love saying that it is our duty to love one another he also command his disciples to love not just their but also their enemies.
- This love is dangerous, naturally leads to pre-resurrection and violent death
- The resurrection gives them assurance that hatred and violence cannot overcome love
What are the sacraments and why are they important to the Roman Catholics ? What is the central Sacrament ?
•Visible signs of invisible grace
•Baptism, confirmed, holy matrimony(joined with human companion) dedication to God in Holy orders, the sacrament of the sick, reconciliation (repeated frequently)
Important because……..
•Associates us with God.
•Body and Blood of Jesus aligns us with God
•we become a part of Gods body
Central Sacrament………
•The central sacrament is the mass known as the holy Eucharist, Holy Communion or the Lords Supper.
What is theosis ? And why is it important for the Orthodox Christians? can it be experienced even now ?
- Union with God or Becoming one with God
- advance towards increasing participation in the trinity are we able to love God with our whole heart souls and mind and our neighbor as ourselves.
- we can experience this now by becoming a part of a divine community
Are faith or works more important for Protestant Christians? What is the Protestant principle and how is it an example of this ?
- Faith Alone. If one really does have faith, good works will flow from it naturally. God has done everything on our behalf all we have to do is receive his atonement. Christ has completely stoned for our sins.
- Protestant principle is that every human is distrusted. Reformed and constantly reform and seeking ways to update the way of worship.
Why is participation in rituals more important than worship for primal people ? How does this relate to their view that their is only one world ?
Rituals are important because the attune us to the world that we already inhabit (but are ignorant of) and make us participants in that world.
•for primal people there is only one would and that world is spiritual and everything is United with people
What is animism? How does it relate to the respect that primal people Affords to all objects and places?
•The view that all existing things possess a souls or a spirit so therefore everything is sacred and should be treated the same way
•ex a rock has a spirit and a soul so therefore we should respect it because it has a living soul.
Primal people respect……
They respect every existing thing because it has a soul and they also relate everything to religious reverence
Why are primal religious traditions primarily oral traditions? How are oral stories superior to written ones?
Everything that their ancestors learned with difficulty from healing herbs to stirring legends is now stored in their collective minds
Children are educated by listening and watching without writing
Do primal people believe that humans are a part of nature or separate from it ? Give some examples to support your answer ?
•Human are a part of nature
•Live from nature and natures process keeps us alive
Examples……..
•corn is sacred- nature itself depends on sacred rituals
•totem animal bonds human members of its clan distinctively to one another while acting as their mate friend…
Why is the shaman important for the primal people ?
There is a hidden dimension to all reality and the dreaming allows us to see this aspect of existence that we miss in our everyday experiences
What is the natural history of religion and why would someone offer one ? What are some of the natural histories of religion that have been put forward ?
Seek to explain the phenomena of religion in terms of purely natural causes
1) biological -new atheists-evolutionary
2) psychological-fear as a motivator-religion brings peace a Protection
3) sociological- God keeps us in check which promotes community
•primal religion contains the seed of all religion so the essence of religion can be discovered here:
The world is mysterious and there is more going on in it than we typically perceive and participation in its hidden spiritual order allows out live to go best
