Reflections
In this class we have studied different religions with the help of Huston Smith's world religions book. Every week we would read texts from the book and discuss the texts for better understanding after every week we would be assigned a reflection essay based on topics covered the previous week. On occasion we would have guest speakers that are expirienced with the religion being studied at that time.
Judaism
Their sacred text is the Hebrew Bible. Judaism shares some beliefs with other world religions, like Christianity and Islam, but in other respects there are sharp differences between the faiths. It is important to understand that the term "Jewish" can be used to describe a race and a culture, rather than a religion, so some who identify themselves as Jewish may have little interest in the beliefs of Judaism. It is this belief that made the Jews unique among other ancient peoples and that became the legacy Judaism has passed on to the entire Western world. God's name in Hebrew is YAHWE, which simply - but significantly - means "I am." Many of the world's religions have hope in a future heroic figure who will rescue the righteous, judge the wicked, and restore peace to the world (Krishna in Hinduism, Maitreya in Buddhism and the Second Coming of Christ in Christianity). In Judaism, this figure is the Messiah. Jewish sacred texts and literature have little to say about what happens after death, which may seem surprising to non-Jews since the sacred texts of Christianity and Islam, both of which have their foundations in Judaism, elaborate rather fully about the afterlife. The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. These principles, which Rambam thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are:
1. God exists
2. God is one and unique
3. God is incorporeal
4. God is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected
People of the Jewish faith have ceremonies they go through according to Jewish law, at the age of thirteen a boy is no longer considered a minor and is responsible to fulfill all the Torah's commandments. The term “bar mitzvah” literally means “son of the mitzvah,” or one who is obligated in mitzvah observance. Thus bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah literally translate to "son of commandment" and "daughter of commandment". ccording to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become 13 years old, they become accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. A girl becomes a bat mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 according to Reform Jews. Prior to reaching bar mitzvah age, the child's parents hold the responsibility for the child's actions. After this age, the boys and girls bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics, and are able to participate in all areas of Jewish community life. Traditionally, the father of the bar mitzvah gives thanks to God that he is no longer punished for the child's sins. In addition to being considered accountable for their actions from a religious perspective, b'nai mitzvah may be counted towards a minyan (prayer quorum) and may lead prayer and other religious services in the family and the community.
Islam
·There is no official creed to which you have to recite to be considered a Muslim. All that is required is to believe and recite the Shahada "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet." Beyond this core belief, however, Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith."
· Belief in the Angels.
· Belief in Divine Books.
· Belief in the Prophets.
· Belief in the Day of Judgement.
· Belief in God
Many Muslims believe that you must adhere to the six articles to be considered a Muslim.
The most sacred place in Islam is the Ka'ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Ka'ba is a mosque (built by Abraham according to Muslim tradition) constructed around a black stone. The prophet Muhammad designated Mecca as the holy city of Islam and the direction (qibla) in which all Muslims should offer their prayers. The Ka'ba is believed to be the first place that was created on earth and the place at which heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly.
Each year, thousands of Muslims from around the world join in a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj), in fulfillment of one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The importance of Mecca for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on Earth, pray five times a day in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. Few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the Hajj, as non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Medina. The focal point of Mecca is the Kaaba, the "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and which is covered in a gold-embroidered black fabric. Pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times. During the Hajj pilgrims travel to Mina, a small village, where the Devil, symbolized by stone columns, is ritually stoned. They then proceed to the hill Arafat (sometimes called a mountain), a site for prayers, where Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
Taoism
It is a religion of Chinese origin that prioritizes being one with nature and it has a deep respect for nature and preserving it. This is because I believe Taoists see nature as a force that has been before us and will be here long after we are gone. Taoism is different from Confucianism as it does not prioritize social order and most relationships that are not with nature. Taoism focuses on detachment from desires, naturalness and wu wei. Wei refers to any intentional or deliberated action, while Wu carries the meaning of "there is no ..." or "lacking, without". Common translations are "non-action", "effortless action" or "action without intent". The meaning is sometimes emphasized by using the paradoxical expression "wei wu wei": "action without action". This is often related to the element of water which holds great importance in Taoism as it’s a huge part of nature. Taoism proposes that the universe works in a harmonious way according to its own ways. If someone disrupts the cycles of change with their will against the earth it is believed that there will be some consequences that will result rather than the willed outcome. Taoism does not place ones will as the problem rather ones will must be in line with the universe. Another element of Taoism is Naturalness to achieve naturalness one has to free themselves from desire and appreciating simplicity. Lao-Tze is the Chinese Philosopher who founded Taoism. He wrote the Tao-Te-Ching, Lao-Tzu writes, “When we renounce learning we have no troubles…”. Referring more to the Tao-Te-Ching “The Tao [“way”] that can be spoken…” meaning that once you name it it loses value. The undefined is more valuable once you name something that gives you power over it as if you own it which is not the way of Taoism the aim is to be one with nature not own it. You create things by naming them, this is similar to Christianity as naming light created the world (God) Adam is given power by having to name everything creating by God. “Thirty spokes join…” when you clear your mind you can absorb more because you take all the materialistic things. “Get rid of learning and there…” if you accept that you have no control of it then you are not anxious. “There is something…” He speaks of a great energy that existed and exists like in class when we felt the presence of silence.
Buddhism
This is a religion that branched out of Hinduism. Buddha was a Prince and he was protected from the world and all the bad in it. Before he was conceived his mother had a dream that an elephant gave her a flower and elephants are believed to be symbols of wisdom so hence Buddha was destined to be a spiritual leader and a wise man. A little after he was older he left the palace to see the world and he saw things he had never experienced before he saw death, old age, poverty and a different Aura and world he had never experienced before. He then decided to leave the palace leaving behind his wife and child. On one of his trips he met a monk who had given up everything he owned to seek an end to suffering and decided to be like him. He began his spiritual journey and cut his hair to show he was disowning all earthly things. He wandered around from place to place, he was searching for something that was missing but he couldn’t find it. He studied with the best teachers of his time but none of them could end suffering and so he continued his journey on his own. He went to a temple and began practicing meditation but it wasn’t working so he decided to take a more extreme path to enlightenment. He began practicing severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment he sat in meditation and ate roots, leaves and fruit. He endured more hardships than anyone but this did not take him anywhere. He thought neither his life in the palace nor his suffering could bring him freedom so he ate. Also later decided to sit under a tree and not move until he reached enlightenment. During the night he was visited by Mara the evil one who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. Mara sent his daughters to tempt Buddha into pleasure but he failed next he sent rain and thunder and lightning to disturb Buddha and scare him away. When he failed his last attempt was to send his demon army with weapons and flaming rocks. One by one he met and defeated the armies and Mara asked him who said he could have ultimate enlightenment and he touched the earth as it was his witness and Mara’s army fled and Buddha was enlightened he became “the Buddha” the enlightened one.
Confucianism
The definition of religion is the belief in or worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or god’s therefore I would say Confucianism is or are ethics that were suggested by Confucius in order to help maintain order and peace after the collapse of the dynasty. Many of the beliefs of Confucianism are that people should maintain a sense of doing what is morally right, serve and listen to their elders diligently because they believe that older people are wiser such as the story of the man who was told he did not look a day younger than he is metaphorically meaning this man looked wise, also to be loyal to their superiors. Also it was encouraged or is to have an overall ruler. There are two basic principles which are “Li” to provide everyone with a moral campus and ‘’Jen” which is loving all humans and the environment. Confucianism is mostly practiced in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and China also in North America. Confucianism promotes the idea that people should live with moral virtue and honesty while striving for good social relationships. The other ideals taught in Confucianism are “Yi” which means righteousness and honesty, “Zhi” which means knowledge or wisdom and “Xin” which means sincerity and fidelity.
In this class we have studied different religions with the help of Huston Smith's world religions book. Every week we would read texts from the book and discuss the texts for better understanding after every week we would be assigned a reflection essay based on topics covered the previous week. On occasion we would have guest speakers that are expirienced with the religion being studied at that time.
Judaism
Their sacred text is the Hebrew Bible. Judaism shares some beliefs with other world religions, like Christianity and Islam, but in other respects there are sharp differences between the faiths. It is important to understand that the term "Jewish" can be used to describe a race and a culture, rather than a religion, so some who identify themselves as Jewish may have little interest in the beliefs of Judaism. It is this belief that made the Jews unique among other ancient peoples and that became the legacy Judaism has passed on to the entire Western world. God's name in Hebrew is YAHWE, which simply - but significantly - means "I am." Many of the world's religions have hope in a future heroic figure who will rescue the righteous, judge the wicked, and restore peace to the world (Krishna in Hinduism, Maitreya in Buddhism and the Second Coming of Christ in Christianity). In Judaism, this figure is the Messiah. Jewish sacred texts and literature have little to say about what happens after death, which may seem surprising to non-Jews since the sacred texts of Christianity and Islam, both of which have their foundations in Judaism, elaborate rather fully about the afterlife. The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. These principles, which Rambam thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are:
1. God exists
2. God is one and unique
3. God is incorporeal
4. God is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected
People of the Jewish faith have ceremonies they go through according to Jewish law, at the age of thirteen a boy is no longer considered a minor and is responsible to fulfill all the Torah's commandments. The term “bar mitzvah” literally means “son of the mitzvah,” or one who is obligated in mitzvah observance. Thus bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah literally translate to "son of commandment" and "daughter of commandment". ccording to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become 13 years old, they become accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. A girl becomes a bat mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 according to Reform Jews. Prior to reaching bar mitzvah age, the child's parents hold the responsibility for the child's actions. After this age, the boys and girls bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics, and are able to participate in all areas of Jewish community life. Traditionally, the father of the bar mitzvah gives thanks to God that he is no longer punished for the child's sins. In addition to being considered accountable for their actions from a religious perspective, b'nai mitzvah may be counted towards a minyan (prayer quorum) and may lead prayer and other religious services in the family and the community.
Islam
·There is no official creed to which you have to recite to be considered a Muslim. All that is required is to believe and recite the Shahada "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet." Beyond this core belief, however, Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith."
· Belief in the Angels.
· Belief in Divine Books.
· Belief in the Prophets.
· Belief in the Day of Judgement.
· Belief in God
Many Muslims believe that you must adhere to the six articles to be considered a Muslim.
The most sacred place in Islam is the Ka'ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Ka'ba is a mosque (built by Abraham according to Muslim tradition) constructed around a black stone. The prophet Muhammad designated Mecca as the holy city of Islam and the direction (qibla) in which all Muslims should offer their prayers. The Ka'ba is believed to be the first place that was created on earth and the place at which heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly.
Each year, thousands of Muslims from around the world join in a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj), in fulfillment of one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The importance of Mecca for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on Earth, pray five times a day in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. Few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the Hajj, as non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Medina. The focal point of Mecca is the Kaaba, the "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and which is covered in a gold-embroidered black fabric. Pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times. During the Hajj pilgrims travel to Mina, a small village, where the Devil, symbolized by stone columns, is ritually stoned. They then proceed to the hill Arafat (sometimes called a mountain), a site for prayers, where Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
Taoism
It is a religion of Chinese origin that prioritizes being one with nature and it has a deep respect for nature and preserving it. This is because I believe Taoists see nature as a force that has been before us and will be here long after we are gone. Taoism is different from Confucianism as it does not prioritize social order and most relationships that are not with nature. Taoism focuses on detachment from desires, naturalness and wu wei. Wei refers to any intentional or deliberated action, while Wu carries the meaning of "there is no ..." or "lacking, without". Common translations are "non-action", "effortless action" or "action without intent". The meaning is sometimes emphasized by using the paradoxical expression "wei wu wei": "action without action". This is often related to the element of water which holds great importance in Taoism as it’s a huge part of nature. Taoism proposes that the universe works in a harmonious way according to its own ways. If someone disrupts the cycles of change with their will against the earth it is believed that there will be some consequences that will result rather than the willed outcome. Taoism does not place ones will as the problem rather ones will must be in line with the universe. Another element of Taoism is Naturalness to achieve naturalness one has to free themselves from desire and appreciating simplicity. Lao-Tze is the Chinese Philosopher who founded Taoism. He wrote the Tao-Te-Ching, Lao-Tzu writes, “When we renounce learning we have no troubles…”. Referring more to the Tao-Te-Ching “The Tao [“way”] that can be spoken…” meaning that once you name it it loses value. The undefined is more valuable once you name something that gives you power over it as if you own it which is not the way of Taoism the aim is to be one with nature not own it. You create things by naming them, this is similar to Christianity as naming light created the world (God) Adam is given power by having to name everything creating by God. “Thirty spokes join…” when you clear your mind you can absorb more because you take all the materialistic things. “Get rid of learning and there…” if you accept that you have no control of it then you are not anxious. “There is something…” He speaks of a great energy that existed and exists like in class when we felt the presence of silence.
Buddhism
This is a religion that branched out of Hinduism. Buddha was a Prince and he was protected from the world and all the bad in it. Before he was conceived his mother had a dream that an elephant gave her a flower and elephants are believed to be symbols of wisdom so hence Buddha was destined to be a spiritual leader and a wise man. A little after he was older he left the palace to see the world and he saw things he had never experienced before he saw death, old age, poverty and a different Aura and world he had never experienced before. He then decided to leave the palace leaving behind his wife and child. On one of his trips he met a monk who had given up everything he owned to seek an end to suffering and decided to be like him. He began his spiritual journey and cut his hair to show he was disowning all earthly things. He wandered around from place to place, he was searching for something that was missing but he couldn’t find it. He studied with the best teachers of his time but none of them could end suffering and so he continued his journey on his own. He went to a temple and began practicing meditation but it wasn’t working so he decided to take a more extreme path to enlightenment. He began practicing severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment he sat in meditation and ate roots, leaves and fruit. He endured more hardships than anyone but this did not take him anywhere. He thought neither his life in the palace nor his suffering could bring him freedom so he ate. Also later decided to sit under a tree and not move until he reached enlightenment. During the night he was visited by Mara the evil one who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. Mara sent his daughters to tempt Buddha into pleasure but he failed next he sent rain and thunder and lightning to disturb Buddha and scare him away. When he failed his last attempt was to send his demon army with weapons and flaming rocks. One by one he met and defeated the armies and Mara asked him who said he could have ultimate enlightenment and he touched the earth as it was his witness and Mara’s army fled and Buddha was enlightened he became “the Buddha” the enlightened one.
Confucianism
The definition of religion is the belief in or worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or god’s therefore I would say Confucianism is or are ethics that were suggested by Confucius in order to help maintain order and peace after the collapse of the dynasty. Many of the beliefs of Confucianism are that people should maintain a sense of doing what is morally right, serve and listen to their elders diligently because they believe that older people are wiser such as the story of the man who was told he did not look a day younger than he is metaphorically meaning this man looked wise, also to be loyal to their superiors. Also it was encouraged or is to have an overall ruler. There are two basic principles which are “Li” to provide everyone with a moral campus and ‘’Jen” which is loving all humans and the environment. Confucianism is mostly practiced in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and China also in North America. Confucianism promotes the idea that people should live with moral virtue and honesty while striving for good social relationships. The other ideals taught in Confucianism are “Yi” which means righteousness and honesty, “Zhi” which means knowledge or wisdom and “Xin” which means sincerity and fidelity.