MIDTERM EXAM!

NAME: Jacqueline Chang

USERNAME: Ohhappydayyy

WEBSITE ADDRESS: http://mwr-jacque.blogspot.com

1. LIST ALL OF YOUR POSTINGS.

All postings can be found reposted on website:

http://mwr-jacque.blogspot.com

2. Attendance: How many times late? How many classes miss? (Be accurate.)

- Late: 2 times.

- Classes Missed: Never!

3. To read or not to read, that is the questions: Be honest. Have you done all of the required course reading so far?

Honestly I have not read all the required course texts, but I am catching up.

4. Have you watched the linked videos and films so far?

Not every last minute, but did skim through them.

5. Any extra credit that you would like to list?

Read "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse.

_______________________

(WHAT HAPPENED TO QUESTION 6-8?)

9. What are the seven dimensions to religion, according to Niniam Smart, and mentioned in Andrea Diem's book, WHEN SCHOLARS STUDY THE SACRED?

The seven dimensions to religion, according to Niniam Smart and mentioned in Andrea Diem's book "When Scholars Study the Sacred" is Ritual, Narrative/Mythic, Experiential/Emotional, Social/Institutional, Ethical/Legal, Doctrinal/Philosophical, and Material. The first listed which is Ritual bases on the ceremonies performed by a said religious group; whether the ceremony is private or public the performance is still considered a ritual. The second is Narrative/Mythic which tells the stories either orally or through text of different interpretations of the universe and the part a human plays within a universe. The third dimension in religion is Experiential/Emotional that puts feelings into play, focusing on what a single being feels while believing in said religion. (i.e.- devotion, ecstasy, awe, mystery.) Another key in the seven dimensions are Social/Institutional which is the general belief that is shared by a community/group and is practiced. In other terms the social/institutional dimension focuses on human participation in the religion. The next dimension found is ethical/legal which conducts the laws of human behavior. Although these laws are not necessarily written down, they are highly morally based on the human condition. The Doctrinal/Philosophical dimension is the systematic form of a specific religion. (The backbone of the religion.) The final dimension is Material which symbolizes objects in ordinary life that are considered sacred/supernatural to the religion. 

10. Apply those seven dimensions to Hinduism (taking any sect of group within that tradition) and describe, in brief, how they are incorporated with that Indic system. Details are key.

The seven dimensions can be very generally applied to Hinduism for the vast ranges/types the religion faces. When applied to ritual, the Hindu believe that the ceremony can take place in either the temple, at home, or just around a community. Where as visiting a temple, to just a simple bow to one another by putting their hands together can be considered a ritual on the same level. The Mythic (Narrative) portion is based off of Hindu tradition, which encourages Hindus to seek spiritual truth along with moral truth where it may be found. Where it is commonly believed that such realization of truth must be found through personal efforts and differs in method from one human being to another. The next dimension which is Experiential/Emotional (Otherwise known as experience.) can be gained during the period of time in which they are searching for enlightenment. Through this considerably lengthy process, Hindus are able to gain this experience and subconsciously use this knowledge to continue their path to realization and truth. Where as experience can also be gained in thought through yoga and meditation. The Hindu's socially have roughly 1 billion followers around the world and are considered the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. The Hindu's have several Ethical views, and believe that being carnivorous is morally incorrect. To be an ethical Hindu, one must considerably be a vegetarian. Another ethic that is widely believe by the Hindu's is the overall idea of Karma and has been a present factor since the beginning of the religion. An important doctrine in Hindu belief is the Baghavad Gita which is a riveting story of a hero experiencing the enlightenment through God and fighting the urges to take part in violent actions. The last is material, which focuses an object that is connectable to the religion. In Hinduism this object can be seen as the guru himself or herself that is the spiritual connection to the religion as a whole.

11. Apply those seven dimensions to Buddhism (taking any sect or group within that tradition) and describe, in brief, how they are incorporated within Buddhism as a whole. Details are key.

A very common ritual in Buddhism is meditation that allows one to achieve this enlightenment. This is highly believed for Siddhartha, commonly known as Buddha was able to achieve this enlightenment by meditating under a tree. The myth behind Buddhism begins with Siddhartha Guttarma, who is better known as Buddha and the "founder" of Buddhism. The story states that Siddhartha had given up his wealthy lifestyle in order to achieve enlightenment and lived his life quite peacefully as a monk. Many experiences in Buddhism is through meditation and finding peace with oneself; connecting with ones soul. Where as the social aspect of Buddhism shows that one is fairly reclusive and in cultural/sociological terms "anti-social". There has been a calculated amount of 500 million Buddhist throughout the world. Some ethical practices of the Buddhist are comparable to basic society where really using good moral judgement comes to place. (i.e.- do not lie, cheat, murder, steal, etc.) The key doctrine in Buddhism is "Samytta-Nikaya" which explains the Eight Fold Path. This doctrine basically defines key points in the quality of life; although this doctrine is not followed as strictly anymore. The last is materials in Buddhism which is the "Stupas" which are tall towers that contain important artifacts to the religion.

12. Do you think that there should be more than seven dimensions in explaining a particular religion? If not, why not. If yes, can you detail which dimension you would add.

In opinion, the seven dimensions in defining a particular religion are enough. The reason I support this statement is although the seven dimensions are incredibly vague and not very detailed. These stated seven topics allows the general insight of the religion. I believe that a religion can not be fully describe to its extent through dimensions, but rather must be experienced personally in order to at least attempt to grasp a greater understanding. The dimensions however give the public a general idea that can create subtopics that will allow the religion to be defined as accurately as possible.

13. What was the secret that Faqiur Chand realized in Iraq and how does it help explain relgiious expieriences and beliefs other than his own?

The secret that Faqiur Chand realized in Iraq was the real reason why people tend to believe in religion. This helps to explain religious experiences for Faqiur Chand realized that one has these "visions" (Such as himself.) that he or she may look to for advice. In definition Faqiur Chand believes these visions are really ones way of finding advice within themselves. By doing so he is able to portray that in any religion, one feels strongly pulled to his or her religion due to a sense of hope in order to move forward in life. This also helps many realize that we praise and give our God or Gods these holy titles for we believe in them to give advice that really comes from within.

14. In the Bhagavad Gita, briefly describe Krishna's adice to Arjuna in terms of whter to fight or not to fight. Do you think Krishna's advice was wise? Why? Why not?

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna briefly describes whether or not Arjuna should fight. Krishna's advice tells Arujuna to fight in an indirect manner. By doing so Krishna is seen as to giving Arujuna advice stating in a way that one should fight for what they believe in for it will cause no negative reaction.

15. Compare and contrast the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi with Charan Singh (as mentioned in the Enchanted Land).

Ramana Marharshi's teachings greatly stresses the idea of finding the reason why the world and one's ego seem to appear as permanent and realistic. This statement allows Ramana to argue that this feeling/experiences is Pure Awareness to true self of man. By living by this concept, he was able to find enlightenment at a young age. With his beliefs he was able to live his life free of violence and considered animals and humans to be on the same level, hence creating great compassion for his life and teachings. Charan Singh on the other hand believe that we were all a part of the Ocean of Love. By believing this we are to practice a form of yoga in order to tune out the world and finding our true self. Charan is comparable to Ramana for they were both able to find inner peace and live to be kind to every living creature whether it be man or animal.

16. Why do you think that Sikhism evolved from a non-militaristic religion into one advocating the bearing of arms? Be sure to back up your answer.

Sikhism evolved from a non-militaristic religion into one advocating the bearing of arms due to the rough transition from their fifth Guru to their sixth Guru. During the time of Guru Arjan (The fifth Guru of Sikhism.) India believed that Arjan himself was seen as a threat to the state and was executed in the year 1606. With this the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind came to place. When Hargobind was made the Guru he felt that in order to resist forms of opposition and oppression, they must bear arms and fight back. With this ideal they were able to win many battles and preserve their faith and lived peacefully until the Moghal Emperor, Aurangzeb who forced the Islamic faith on all people. With this Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth Guru of Sikhism was also executed in order to achieve an Islamic rule.

17. In what significant ways is Sikhism different Jainism? Be sure to substantiate your answer.s

Sikhism and Jainism significantly differ in many ways, especially in the belief of God. Sikhism is based off of a single God in which they base their entire belief system. By doing this, the Sikhs believe that their goal is to create a well bonded relationship with God and strive to connect spiritually in order to experience God. Jainism does follow the general belief system, but do not necessarily believe in a "God", but rather find themselves a divine being that is the center of their worship and belief. The Jainism view also focuses more on the idea of Karma and the road to achieve good karma, and ways to avoid the reapplication of bad karma.

18. How is the Sikh holy book, The Guru Granth Sahib, fundamentally different than other religious scriptures, like the Bible or the Koran.

The Sikh holy book, The Guru Granth Sahib, are fundamentally different than other religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Koran for the holy book was written by its founder. Other religions based their scriptures off of stories that were told orally for years and have been obscured through personal perception of the stories.

19. Explain why speaking in tongues is not a unique religious experience bestowed on Christians. How did your teacher relate such a phenomenon with sexual experiences? Clue: think neurology and think cultural variables.

Speaking in tongues is not a unique experience bestowed on just Christians for it does occur within other languages. Although other religions do not considerably classify it as "speaking in tongues" the experience/overall idea is satisfied. The teacher was able to relate such a phenomenon with sexual experience as the peak. When having an orgasm during a sexual experience, one tends not to be able to speak clearly in a defined language yet mumbles a phrase upon reaching this peak. Where as speaking in tongues is reaching the peak of the religion where you scream out what you can, where as this is later described as speaking in tongues.

20.  Imagine the following scenario: Buddha, Mahavira, Krishna, and Guru Nanak are asked about the religions founded in their name. If you could show them how their religions evolved over time (centuries after their death), which specific parts do you think they would NOT recognize or acknowledge. In other words, which part of their religions would they see as CONTRADICTING their original intentions. This is a speculative question, but be sure to ground it with some pertinent quotes/facts/details.

In perspective, if many of the leaders listed are shown how their religion has evolved over the centuries after their death, they would find several contradictory aspects in the religions new form. In Buddha's case he would most likely come to disagree with the institution of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is considerably a new portion in the Buddhist religion and plays more on politics rather than the religions enlightenment goals. In Mahavira's term, he would most likely be unsatisfied that the universe is no longer considered an illusion. In many terms, Mahavira would have much preferred the idea of meditation and the ideals of good karma. Krishna in perspective would see very many contradicting terms in the Brahman. In example, the Krishna holy writing states that one should commit themselves fully to devotion and attempt to part with the material aspects of life. Guru Nanak would most likely find a problem in the 5 Ks which is a physical symbol worn by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa. This idea would defy Guru Nanak for he believed that people should not be distinguished by symbols that are physically worn, but believed one should be defined by specifics tasks carried out as an individual. Another upsetting aspect would be how the Sikhs have become gun-bearing and violent due to their overturning and violent past. In belief, Guru Nanak would have wanted the group to remain peaceful in their practices, rather than turn to violence in order to keep their religion alive.

21. What are the common features in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism? Be sure to be accurate here. 

Common features found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are the ideas of meditation/yoga in order to reach an ultimate realization or an enlightenment of an individual. The Hindus strive to achieve Moksha and devote themselves to Krishna. The Buddhist work to find enlightenment, and come to find peace with oneself. The Jains believe greatly on practicing good karma, and the Sikhs seek to create a very well bonded relationship with God (become one with God.) They all come from similar regions and believe that the experiences they face throughout their lifetime will allow them to have an absolute realization to the universe in their religions views.

22. How does Darwinian evolution help explain why religions arose in the first place?

Darwinian evolution is the scientific theory that in reality contradicts all religions in a sense. In aspect the Darwinian evolution explains why religions came to arose for science was not widely believed when many of these religions came to be. Rather than believe of an evolutionary process, due to stories/myths people were raised to believe that they were created by an ultimate being. Where as both evolution and the idea of an ultimate being were both hard to believe. Many were able to believe these explanatory topics where they could attempt to grasp a truth, where Darwinian evolution leaves many questions unanswered.

EXTRA CREDIT:

23. Why does Richard Dawkins think that believing in God is a delusion?

24.How would the theory of consciousness as a virtual simulator help explain the belief in mysticism?

25. What is the most interesting thing you have learned so far in this class? Why?

There are several interesting things I have learned so far in this class. Although I can not specifically place all the interesting things I have learned, the class itself opened my eyes to new ideas. The class taught me that religion is not learned but rather experienced. So although the teacher explains thoroughly to the best of his ability, the vast differences and experiences can only be gained first hand rather than learned in a class.