The nature of religon

Question 1

What are the reasons for studying religion?

Answer 1

1. it’s dangerous
2. is the inspiration for many great works in art, poetry, music, architecture, spiritual exploration and discovery
3. People can find rest in religion and the afterlife
4. Understand our multicultural society

Question 2

What is a transcendent dimension?

Answer 2

The divine world beyond Earth and the materialistic world, examples of Religions with a belief predominantly to do with a transcendent dimension is Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Question 3

What is the order of the major religions?

Answer 3

Hinduism 2000bc
Judaism 1850bc
Buddhism 500bc
Christianity 4bc
Islam 622ad

Question 4

What is the name for people who believe in one God?

Answer 4

Monotheism

Question 5

What is the name for people who believe in many Gods?

Answer 5

Polytheism

Question 6

What is the name for people who don’t believe in a God or Gods

Answer 6

Atheism

Question 7

What is the supernatural dimension?

Answer 7

The supernatural dimension is above or beyond what is natural and cannot be explained by known natural laws. It exceeds the power and capacity of human nature or any created natural reality.

Question 8

What does divine mean?

Answer 8

of or pertaining to a God, especially a supreme being

Question 9

What is the immanent dimension?

Answer 9

The presence of God or Gods within human existence, in the day-to-day, concrete, ordinary concerns of life, rather than above and beyond. A belief in a divine being or power dwelling within the individual. An example of a religion with these beliefs is Buddhism or Hinduism.

Question 10

What are some of the great questions of human existince?

Answer 10

Why am I here
How did creation begin
Is there a purpose of life
Why is there evil, pain and suffereing
What happens when I die
Is there a supreme being

Question 11

What are the characteristics of religon?

Answer 11

Beliefs and believers
Sacred text and writings
Ethics
Rituals and ceremonies

Question 12

What makes a religon dynamic and alive?

Answer 12

The four characteristics interact to keep the religion alive, for example, the homily at Christian Saturday/Sunday worship incorporates the four characteristics of religion.

Question 13

What are some of the sacred texts of Buddhism?

Answer 13

Tripitaka, tibitin book of the dead

Question 14

What are the sacred texts of christianity?

Answer 14

The old and new testement

Question 15

What are some of the sacred texts of hinduism?

Answer 15

The vedas, The upanishads, the epics

Question 16

What are the sacred texts of islam?

Answer 16

Qur’an and hadith

Question 17

what are the sacred texts of judaism?

Answer 17

tecnach and talmud

Question 18

What does dreaming literally mean?

Answer 18

It means to be grounded in eternity (Metatemporal)

Question 19

What is the dreaming?

Answer 19

The central spiritual dimension of reality. The Dreaming is the essence of Aboriginal beliefs and creation.

Question 20

Where does the dreaming occur?

Answer 20

Exists within and beyond the ordinary world. (Immanent & transcendent)

Question 21

Who are spirit ancestors?

Answer 21

They are the first beings, and they arose from the Earth out of their eternal sleep to create the features, etc, of the earth we now know.

Question 22

Why are sacred sites sacred?

Answer 22

Features of the landscape like waterholes and rock formations from which the spirit ancestors emerged and/or returned are considered sacred sites.

Question 23

Explain how spiritual ancestors link natural species with humans?

Answer 23

Each spirit founded a line of descendants comprising a natural species and its corresponding human group, which are linked as a single totem.

Question 24

Why do descendents regulary visit sacred sites?

Answer 24

Because the creative force continues to remain, providing a link to the dreaming.

Question 25

How does creation reinforce the belief of dreaming being past, present and future?

Answer 25

Creation and life are integrated and ongoing, with no distinction between supernatural and natural; the land and people are one.

Question 26

Why would the story of kangaroo man be so important to a kid with a kangaroo totem

Answer 26

Because he is taught to see himself as an incarnation of the kangaroo dreaming spirit. The kangaroo man is his role model, his hero, who he would aspire to be like

Question 27

What are sacred sites?

Answer 27

Places where important events occured during dreaming or where significant events occur

Question 28

Why is so little known about sacred sites?

Answer 28

To protect its secret/sacred nature

Question 29

What are dreaming tracks?

Answer 29

Dreaming tracks or song lines connect sacred sites. They are the trials and movement of ancestral beings.

Question 30

What two factos make up the sacred geography of Australia?

Answer 30

Sacred sites Dreaming tracks

Question 31

What is walkabout?

Answer 31

A deliberate pilagramage along ritual paths which link aborignial sacred sites.

Question 32

What are six forms of aborginal art?

Answer 32

Body art bark painting Tree carving Funerary pole Turjunga

Question 33

Describe what the role of an artist and their artwork is?

Answer 33

Renew the dreaming Used to teach Custodian of specific knowledge Is one with the ancestral spirit

Question 34

What are four uses of art?

Answer 34

A styilistic map For rituuals essential bush survival skills knowledge of sites, food and water.

Question 35

How can the diversity of dreaming exist?

Answer 35

Dreaming is universal for all aborignial people, but each tribe has their own creative spirit and therefore their own dreaming storie, songs, dances and artworks. No central authority and so every tribe has their own unique practice of ceremony, etc.