Welcome to Seminar!
Thanks for signing up for the class
HU 320 Culture: Religion and Identity
Russell E. Fail, PhD
Contact Me
• rfail@kaplan.edu
• We can set up a time
to talk via phone or
Google Chat.
• I check my email
throughout the day so
that’s a good way to
contact me.
• Google Chat
• By appointment
What this Class is about
• This will be an academic study of the world’s major
religions focusing on their central beliefs and practices.
• It’s not necessary that you have a religious background.
• I’m not asking you to agree with or approve of the
religious beliefs we study, I’m just asking that you
understand what they are.
• If the beliefs seem strange to you, try to remember that
they make sense to the religion’s followers.
My Background
• Protestant Evangelical Christian
• MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from
Biola University seminary
• Graduate work in Religious Studies at Boston
University
• I’ve taught about 30 sections of World Religions
• In my experience, students sometimes get the
idea that “all religions are basically the same” so
I tend to focus on comparing religious beliefs to
discover what makes each one unique.
Discussing Religion
• Since religious views are sometimes held
strongly and deeply, I wanted to remind you
of the importance of showing respect for
others' views at all times during discussions.
To get the most out of our discussions, we
need for everyone to feel comfortable enough
to contribute and share their thoughts. So
please be understanding and aware of the
different backgrounds and points of view of
the other class members.
Welcome to a Diverse World
• This course will take you on a journey around the world as
you explore the beliefs, practices, and cultures of the world’s
main religions.
– Readings
• Chapters 1 and 2
– Discussion (2 questions)
• Name several components of religious culture that
seem most important to you
• Discuss an example of how an indigenous religion
has been represented
– Final Project Information
– Seminar
Syllabus and Policies
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Rubrics and Grading
Policies
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Late Policy
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Projects
Journals
Quizzes
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Seminar Participation is
graded
Option 2 – This will be
graded like a DB initial
response (150 words,
references to the reading,
etc.)
Discussion Boards
Attendance/Tardiness
policy
Plagiarism Policy
Late Policy – Highlights from the syllabus
• Only partial credit can be given for late discussion posts.
• Late projects are subject to 10% deduction (one letter grade) per unit
late.
• If an emergency comes up, please contact me so I can work with you.
• Final projects are not accepted late unless an incomplete has been
granted or if some health or family emergencies occur.
• No late work after Unit 9.
Discussion Grade—For full points:
• Discussion counts for almost half of your total grade
• Are your responses on topic, original and contribute to the
quality of discussion?
– Original – don’t just copy and post a block of text (even if you cite
the source.) Summarize and paraphrase to make the content
original to you.
– Be sure to answer all parts of the question. This applies to all
assignments – follow the instructions carefully.
Discussion Grade – cont.
• Have you made frequent responses using informed
references to course material? Include source.
– This really applies to every assignment. References to the
textbook should be included.
– Don’t just “shoot from the hip”.
• Initial response: 1 per thread, 150 word minimum.
(Word count excluding quotations.)
Discussion Grade—Cont.
• Responses to others: 2 per thread, 50 word
minimum. Needs to advance the discussion by
including something new.
– Comments like “good post” “I didn’t know that” “I’m
learning a lot in this class” can be used, but they don’t
count as advancing the discussion.
• Make it presentable, proofread, use paragraphs
• Some weeks have two threads, others only one.
Respond to all threads.
Defining Religion
“Religion starts with the perception that
something is wrong.”
~Karen Armstrong
• Religion - “A pattern of beliefs and
practices that express and enact what a
community regards as sacred and/or
ultimate about life.”
A Pattern of Beliefs…
• …about ultimate reality:
– Differing answers to existential questions:
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Monotheism
Polytheism
Hindu World Soul
Buddhist Nirvana
Confucian and Taoist – The Dao
… and practices …
• Express and enact what is sacred – what
is most holy and important
– Worship
– Rites/ rituals of passage
– Meditation
… ultimate about life…
• A principle
• An impersonal force
• A spiritual power hidden in the world
or beyond it
…a community of like-minded
people…
• Social communities of shared belief and
practice that persist through history
• Concerned with passing teachings from
generation to generation
Religion in global/cultural issues
• Global conflicts cannot be understood
without basic knowledge of religion.
• Increase of new religions
• Religion as a main marker of human
identity
What the study of religion can
do for you:
• Offers training in both academic and everyday
skills:
– Relation of religious thought and practice to
socio-cultural contexts
– Understanding national conflicts
– Appreciation of religious language and values
– Cultural intelligence; cross-cultural competence
• A foundation for a successful and fulfilling career
and personal growth
The Ethical Dimension
• Religions seek to correct what they
perceive to be wrong in the world.
– Personal and social ethics:
• Moral expectations
• Systems of social ethics can become
national law
The Ritual Dimension
• Ritual – a symbolic action in worship,
meditation, or other religious ceremonies
– Prayer, sacrifice, chanting, pilgrimage, etc.
• Help to reenact and reapply deep truths of
a religion to people in the present
The Institutional Dimension
• Religions more social than personal– Give organizational structure to religious
community and wider society
– “Organized Religion”
The Aesthetic Dimension
• The sensory element of a religion that
appeals to the rational mind, but holds a
special appeal to human emotions.
– Sounds and smells, spaces, holy places and
landscapes
– Art, music, poetry, hymns
The Emotional Dimension
• Includes particular emotions and wider
“moods” experienced in religion:
– Sense of awe, fear, and love
– Sense of hope surrounding death
• Confidence to cope with death, suffering, and evil
Religions of this Course
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Indigenous Faiths
Hinduism and Jainism
Buddhism
Daoism and Confucianism
Shinto
Judaism
Christianity
Islam and Sikhism
New Religious Movements
Conclusions
• The study of religion is multidisciplinary
– Personal development, education, and
individual religious experiences affect
adoption and use of particular methods of
study.
Seminar Question
• In your opinion, what is the value of
religion in culture today? Is it a positive or
negative force? Why?
Traditional Religion
• Religions present in various societies prior
to European and American expansion
– Traditional in comparison to newer, imported
religions
– All religions are traditions:
• comprehensive ways of life from the past that are
passed on to the future
Primitive Religion
• “Primitive” and “primal” – describe
religions not derived from other religions
– Can imply that they are underdeveloped,
unchanging, outmoded, or simple
Animism & Totemism
• Animism – belief that individual spirits
exist in all aspects and expressions of
nature
• Totemism – religion based on the idea
that the spirit of one primary source in
nature provides the basis of human life
– Manaism – belief in impersonal spiritual
power and energy that permeates the world
as a whole
• Shamanism -Shaman: tribal member with
special abilities and authority to act as an
intermediary between the human and
spiritual realms
• Small-Scale Religions – anthropology
term referring to religions held by smaller
numbers of people
Nature Religion
• Indicates a stronger connection to the
natural environment than is seen in other
world religions
– No distinction made between “natural” and
“supernatural”
– Humans are not seen as superior, to or
standing apart from nature
Indigenous Religions
• Indigenous – native, intrinsic to an area
– Strong sense of belonging religiously to a
certain place
– Often implies lack of political power in wider
society due to invasion and assimilation by
other groups
– Reflect European names and colonialist
mentality
• Columbus and the “Indians”
Challenges to Study
Lack of Written Sources
• Cultures are almost exclusively oral:
– Stories, beliefs, and rituals not written down
• Most writing done by anthropologists
• Scant archeological evidence
Continuity and Discontinuity
• Scholars uncertain about “pre-contact”
versus “post-contact” beliefs and practices
Mainstream Guilt
• Genocide – the killing of an entire racial,
ethnic, and/or religious group as invaders
take over a territory
– Descendants of European invaders
experience guilt for actions of ancestors
• Guilt can distort the careful study of cultures and
religions.
Misrepresentations in Popular
Culture
• Bipolar and distorted representations of
indigenous peoples and practices
– Dances With Wolves; Avatar – the “noble
savage”
– Apocalypto – religion as dangerously exotic
– Afro-Caribbean religions as violent:
• Voodoo and zombie lore
Misuse of Indigenous Rituals
• Combining elements of indigenous
religion with other religions or beliefs
– Removes rituals from cultural context and
changes meaning
– Endangers long-term spiritual and cultural
health of indigenous groups
Common Features of
Indigenous Religions
The Importance of Place
• Usually see themselves as created in their
own place
– Place is a matter of personal and tribal
identity.
– Stories of the land deal with tribal myths of
origin, ritual, and patterns of life
– Sacred place as personal status
– People and place meant to live together in
harmonious balance
Global Distribution
• Indigenous religions are widespread across
the globe
– Often display characteristics of other
religions that have sought to proselytize,
oppress, or destroy them
Many Gods and Spirits
• Not typically focused on one deity
– High gods beyond everyday religious life
• Deities or spirits not worshiped in a
detached way
– Invoked and engaged as inhabitants and
agents of the world
• Native religions are more about
relationships than human figures, gods, or
rituals.
Influenced by Other Cultures
• Almost all have had to deal with being
surrounded and suppressed by alien
nation-states with alien religions
– Culture-contact changes
Based on Orality, Story, &
Myth
• More room for adaptive changes in orality
– Skilled, compelling storytelling
– Individual lives enter larger story that reaches
backward and forward in time
• Myths and rituals maintain good
relationships between all sacred beings in
the universe
Types of Myth:
• Cosmogonic – explain the origin of
existence
• Etiological – explains how things have
come to be as they are now
• Semi-historical – elaboration of an
original happening
Oriented More to Practice
Than to Belief
• Not belief-based; no formal “teachings”
for religious/theological reflection
– Belief in gods/spirits part of the fabric of life
• Emphasis on practices:
– Personal, group, and cosmic balance
maintained through ritual actions
– Rituals meant to control the power of the
world
In-Group Based
• Few seek converts or allow full entry by
those not of their group
• Ethnicity based
• Life-cycle rituals to initiate children into
membership
• Closed to outsiders
– Religious knowledge held as secret
The Goodness of the World
• Every part of nature has a spiritual aspect
that makes it live and gives direction to its
life.
– All are related to humans in a natural cosmic
balance
– Traditions do not deal with “salvation,”
“enlightenment,” or “eternal life.”
– Not typically future-oriented
Role of Religious Specialists
• “Holy men,” “medicine men,” “healers,”
“priest/priestess,” etc.
• Tricksters – gods, humans, spirits, or
animals that behave against conventional
norms of behavior
• The Shaman – spiritual leader of the
tribe
Continuing Vitality
• Numbers and cultural influence has risen
in recent generations.
• Indigenous cultures flourishing:
– Banned ceremonies now protected by law
– Return of native human remains and
religious/ cultural items
– Afro-Carribean religions blended with
Christianity regaining their voice