Post 1. What Everyone Should Know About Religion
Get my notes on one of The Great Courses in religion.
Three reasons for learning more about world religions: 1. To better understand world events. 2. To understand our own country and neighbors. 3. Attain greater self-understanding. Whether you are an atheist, or deeply committed to a particular faith, knowing about world religions will help you understand world events, and your neighbors of differing beliefs.
I am taking Cultural Literacy for Religion: Everything the Well-Educated Person Should Know, by Professor Mark Berkson of Hamine University. It is one of The Great Courses. I’m going to give you my take on what I’m learning in a series of posts. I will continue to look for how our spirituality or lack thereof improves our lives.
How do we define religion? Professor Berkson goes through three different methods and gives strengths and weaknesses of each method. Rather than go through all three methods, I would like you to consider that it does no good to argue whether or not something is a religion. I once came up with a definition that was any belief held to with ardor and faith. A Buddhist wanted to argue that Buddhism was not a religion because they do not believe in God. I pointed to their rituals and said it looked like a religion to me.
Members of a religion may be more committed to traditions than agreements. Professor Berkson ends the first lecture by saying, “In fact, it makes more sense to think of traditions as ongoing conversations—often debates and arguments—about things to which all members are committed. Rather than think about agreements, think about those things that the members of the traditions care about and what matters to them.”
In the second lecture, Professor Berkson begins by covering three definitions: theists (those who believe in God or Gods), atheists (those who do not believe in Gods) and agnostics (those who are uncertain). I learned not to ask the yes or no question: Do you believe in God? It is too simplistic. Richard Dawkins has a seven-point scale ranging from 1) absolute certainty that God exists to 7) absolute certainty that God does not exist. The question is where are you on that scale?
Many Gods or One God?
It is interesting to look at what people believe about God. Some people are polytheists. They believe in many Gods. Each God may have a particular realm and may work together with other Gods or alone.
About 55% of the world’s population are monotheists. They believe in one God.
Pantheism is the belief that God is the same as the natural universe. God is everywhere and the universe itself is divine.
What does God look like?
Some give God human characteristics, a process called anthropomorphism. Some see God as a parent, often calling God father. Some see God as a ruler, judge or lord. Still others think of God as a child, with qualities of innocence and playfulness. Then there is the bloodthirsty or wrathful God. Some religions think of Gods as having animal or human/animal bodies. Finally, some see the sun, moon, etc. as Gods.
What about scripture?
What books are important for the religion? How are the books used? Who can interpret the meaning?
What about ritual?
Professor Berkson says, “In a religious context, rituals can be understood as the formalized movements and language that are given to us by our traditions and are carried out in contexts that are understood as sacred.”
Rituals can be categorized. Life cycle rituals mark life transitions from one stage to the next. Two examples are marriage and funerals.
Another category is based on nature. Passing of seasons are celebrated and a sense of gratitude and awe for a God sustaining the process is enhanced through ritual.
Historically based rituals commemorate important events in the religious tradition.
There are also daily rituals such as prayer before meals or before bed. Think of the rituals of how we meet strangers.
What about Good and Evil?
All religions have in common a belief that there is order in the cosmos.
Professor Berkson poses a problem for monotheists. “If God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnibenevolent (all good), why is there evil in the world?” Attempts to solve the problem use theodicy (the justice of God). Free will is theodicy that we were given free will and can choose to do good or to harm others. Another theodicy is that we grow through struggle. The last theodicy to solve the problem is that what appears to be evil is part of God’s plan and humans receive reward or punishment after death.
Some theologians settle the problem by believing God is not omnipotent. God may be a source of power that humans can use. Think of that explanation while reading some of my posts (for example).
Asian religions that are not theistic have problems with good and evil. The theodicy used is karma. Our good or bad actions affect this life or in a later life.
Virtue ethics is another aspect of religious traditions that we will compare. What is a good life? The religious tradition teaches one to be a good person and good actions will follow.
Lastly, Professor Berkson Mentions Soteriology
Soteriology is the doctrine of salvation. Every religious tradition believes that humans are in some initial state of dissatisfaction and can move to a state of experiencing ultimate reality. The differences between religious traditions are teaching how to achieve the final state.
With that as background, we can begin learning about religious traditions around the world.