Introduction to Studying World Religions

1. Introduction to Studying World Religions From Within a Catholic Context

2. Catholic Social Teaching on World Religions • Catholics believe in their ownparticular truth known by faith in Jesus Christ • Church =spreads the message of Jesus • Catholics are obligated to bring the good news of God’s love to all of humanity by following in Jesus’ mission and example

3. Catholic Social Teaching on World Religions • The Church rejects no aspect of non-Christian religions that is true and holy • Encourages Catholics to find common ground and common truths (such as love) among the world’s religions in order to create a world of PEACE **Today Catholics are required to increase their respect for the truth found in non-Christian religions**

4. Why Study Religion? (John Haught) • 1. Studying religion can help us understand why others’ religions are important to them; resolve or prevent disputes • 2. Wanting to know how far our environment extends • Most religions posit that there is “another dimension” or “mystery” • Reality as something other than the immediate environment or world of appearances

5. Why Study Religion? (John Haught) • 3. Personal reasons, such as the search for identity and meaning • 4. Studying world religions helps us become aware of the limits of our own traditions and expand our knowledge/mindsets

6. Why Study World Religions? 1. We are all part of a Global Village 2. Religions offer responses to our questions of MYSTERY (Examples: Why is there suffering? What happens in the afterlife?) 3. There are many paths to the SACRED

7. Hinduism; The om symbol = the primeval sound through which the universe was created Islam; Best known symbol of Islam religion and Muslim identity Shinto; Represents a torii, or shrine gate Taoism; Represents the balance of the opposites in the universe

8. Christianity; The X and P are the first letters, Chi and Rho (XP) in Greek for the word “Christos,” or Christ "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ” Judaism; The Star of David – Symbol of both Jewish identity and religion Buddhism; The Wheel of Dharma – represents dharma, the Buddha’s teaching for the path to enlightenment Zoroastrianism; Fire is a symbol of goodness and purity

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qssvnjj5Moo • Describe a time when the ordinary became sacred to you.

10. Seven Dimensions of Religion • Experiential– Experiences of individuals • Mythic – Myths are sources of sacred truth and give meaning to life • Doctrinal - Beliefs • Ethical - Morality • Ritual – Customs and practices • Social - Community • Material – Examples: Statues of Buddha, crucifixes, temples, churches, books of scripture, sacred mountains

11. Religion and RESISTANCE • Religion is often an important tool of resistance for oppressed or marginalized groups and communities • Colonization - involves one group taking control of another group through the use of force or coercion • Involves the destruction and oppression of the colonized group’s cultural and religious practices • Resistance – refusing to comply with unjust and oppressive conditions; standing up for one’s rights and beliefs

12. Important Approaches for Studying World Religions • Use a comparative methodology • Approach study with RESPECT and EMPATHY (the capacity to see things from another’s perspective)

13. Essential Theological Terms • Cosmology – An understanding or theory of the nature, origin, development, and eventual fate of the universe • Transcendence – A state of being that has overcome the normal limitations imposed by the human condition of physical existence • (such as through meditation, prayer, and visions)

14. Nostra Aetete = “In Our Age” • Vatican II document • Vatican = Twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church (1962-1965) • Addressed relations between the Church and the modern world • NA Promulgated October 28, 1965 • Contains guidelines for Church relations with non-Christian religions in the modern world