Spirituality and Religion

Question 1

Where does spirituality come from?

Answer 1

external observation leading to introspection

Question 2

What is spirituality rooted in?

Answer 2

the need to explain reality and the reasoning behind events in our lives; the ability to explain and rationalize the world lead to feelings of control

Question 3

When did spirituality begin?

Answer 3

begins during civilization; during prehistoric times people were so focused on survival that there was no time for introspection

Question 4

Which came first, spirituality or religion?

Answer 4

spirituality; it started with questions and then proposed explanations (religion)

Question 5

What are four examples of pre-historical evidence of spirituality?

Answer 5

1. fertility symbols, e.g. Venus of Willendorf (meant to help humans)
2. cave paintings (humans are beginning to look outside of themselves)
3. the treatment of the body after death, e.g. removal of brains (humans are seeking an explanation of what happens after death)
4. burial customs (humans are more than a body - there is a soul too)

Question 6

What are the three priorities of Charaka?

Answer 6

1. the highest priority is maintaining life itself
2. gather what is needed to sustain life, e.g. food, shelter, water, safety
3. develop a spiritual life that transcends 1 and 2; death is inevitable so since 1 and 2 aren’t permanent there is this need for spirituality

Question 7

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 7

1. (bottom of the pyramid) physiological: air, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep
2. safety: health, employment, property, family, stability
3. love and belongingness: friendship, family, intimacy, connections
4. self-esteem: confidence, achievements, respect of others, connections, need for individuality
5. (top of the pyramid) self-actualization: morality, creativity, spontaneity, acceptance, purpose, spirituality, religion

Question 8

What is the modern inversion of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 8

There are many indigent and poverty-stricken people (i.e. haven’t satisfied their basic needs) but are still very religious and spiritual

Question 9

Define spirituality.

Answer 9

• spirituality encompasses and extends outside of religion

- social science definition: the search for the sacred

Question 10

Who established the sacred and profane dichotomy?

Answer 10

Emile Durkheim (French sociologist 1858-1917)

Question 11

What is the sacred?

Answer 11

set apart, forbidden, outside of worldly existence, collective

Question 12

What is the profane?

Answer 12

ordinary, mundane, individual

Question 13

Who was Mircea Eilade?

Answer 13

Romanian historian of religion (1907-1986); picked up where Durkheim left off

Question 14

What is hierophany?

Answer 14

manifestation of the sacred (i.e. the sacred appears in a profane setting, e.g. the burning bush)

Question 15

How does religion differ from spirituality?

Answer 15

religion is a more refined form of spirituality; it also asks and answers more specific questions than religion

Question 16

What questions does religion address?

Answer 16

• Who am I? (nature of the self)
• How did I get here? (origin story/creation)
• Who are you? (nature of others)
• What is al this? (the meaning)
• Where will I go? (explanation of death and beyond)

Question 17

Who is Sir James Frazer?

Answer 17

Scottish social anthropologist 1854-1941; wrote a book called The Golden Bough

Question 18

What was the main point of The Golden Bough?

Answer 18

Humans are mainly concerned with extending their mastery over their world and destinies; they do so through various successive means: magic (least rational, tribal) –> religion –> science (most rational); religion is a tool for humans to explain and control their world

Question 19

What is the etymology of the word religion?

Answer 19

re - again
legare - to bind/connect
–> religion: rebind, reconnect
==> reconnect the profane with the sacred

Question 20

Define religion (there are five elements).

Answer 20

Religion is any of the faith-based systems of beliefs and practices that

1. explains the nature of the self
2. describes the Divine/Ultimate/Sacred or at least takes cognizance of superior forces
3. presents mythology, often including a description of a state of person freedom (salvation or liberation)
4. employs ritual in order to bring forth a positive effect
5. recommends a code of ethics and behavior

Question 21

Define faith.

Answer 21

faith is the notion of belief that can neither be proven right or wrong because it cannot be proven; faith is outside of logic, proof; “putting your trust into something)

Question 22

What is the difference between faith and knowledge?

Answer 22

knowledge can be proven; faith is subjective

Question 23

How are religion and faith related?

Answer 23

religion relies on faith

Question 24

Contrast spirituality and religion.

Answer 24

spirituality is fluid, personal, and general; religion is organized and collective

Question 25

Be able to draw a diagram of religion and spirituality.

Answer 25

Spirituality is the bigger outer circle, religion is the smaller inner circle

Question 26

What are the three possibilities for the religion/spirituality diagram?

Answer 26

1. both spiritual and religious 2. spiritual but not religious 3. neither spiritual nor religious

Question 27

Give an example of something that is both spiritual and religious.

Answer 27

the Christian view of Jesus as a savior

Question 28

Give an example of something that is spiritual but not religious.

Answer 28

personal spiritual views

Question 29

Give an example of something that is neither spiritual nor religious.

Answer 29

a chair

Question 30

What are the varying views of the self?

Answer 30

- body only - body and mind - body, mind, and soul

Question 31

Explain the "body only" view of the self.

Answer 31

you're just your body, no soul or essential nature (believed by physicalists/materialists and many modern scientists)

Question 32

Explain the "body and mind" view of the self.

Answer 32

you consist of a body and mind (no soul) as separate but linked entities (Buddhists only)

Question 33

Explain the "body, mind, and soul" view of the self.

Answer 33

you have a physical body, a mind what makes up "you" and a separate, permanent soul (Hindus, Christians, Muslims, and Jews)

Question 34

What is the Divine?

Answer 34

refers to a God or Deity (Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism)

Question 35

What is the Ultimate?

Answer 35

refers to a non-personal, all-pervasive ultimate truth/universal force (Buddhism, Taoism)

Question 36

What is the Sacred?

Answer 36

refers to an entity that is set apart from worldly existence, considered great, sometimes forbidden (the Divine and Ultimate both fall under "the Sacred")

Question 37

What is a myth?

Answer 37

a narrative that explains the supermundane (what is beyond our ordinary understanding); accurate within groups but often seen as embellishment from the outside

Question 38

What are some examples of myths?

Answer 38

- origin of the world - origin of humanity - origin of other species - the end of the world

Question 39

Why did religions develop?

Answer 39

to explain death; religions are in opposition to death and seek to explain what comes after life (Taoism is sort of an exception); myths are meant to offer hope for the afterlife

Question 40

What are rituals?

Answer 40

religious behaviors that have a symbolic element and are performed within a sacred context; rituals seek to bridge the gap between the profane and sacred (get us closer to the Divine/Ultimate)

Question 41

What is an example of ritual?

Answer 41

Protestant communion (NOT Catholic communion because it is transsubstantiation)

Question 42

What are ethics?

Answer 42

guidelines for what is right and wrong, e.g. the Ten Commandments or Noble Eightfold Path; offer practical advice on how to act to achieve personal freedom and access to the Divine or the Ultimate

Question 43

In Confucianism, what is wisdom?

Answer 43

knowing the difference between right and wrong

Question 44

Why is science not a religion?

Answer 44

it is not faith-based and it does not practice ritual