Religions of the World 211 1) Religions of the World 211 - A Basic Introduction to the Religions of the World.

Course Description: This is an introductory course that surveys the major religions of the world, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It considers both common and distinctive spiritual practices and beliefs across the human family. The course focuses especially on what each religion diagnoses as the fundamental problems of the human condition, what faith assumptions it has, and what salvation it claims to offer to human beings. Comparative ethical analysis of religion and its political dimensions will be of particular interest. Me - Dr. Rowell 1) Dr. James Rowell A) From: Amherst, Massachusetts 1) I have taught at At Flagler Since 2006. 2) Broad interest - religion, ethics, politics, economics, science & culture. B) Education: 1) University of Pittsburgh, PhD., 1996-2002 2) University of New Hampshire, MA, 1993-94 3) University of Massachusetts, Two Bachelors Degrees in Political Science and Anthropology C) Interests / Background. 1) Married 2004. 2) Star Wars, Lord of the Rings enthusiast 3) Wrote creative fiction. 4) Patriots, Celtics & New Englander. 5) I believe the Los Angeles Lakers are evil! (Revelations, lost Chapter 23) Lets Make this Work Like a Team! 2) Teaching & Learning Give me your all; give me 50 (or 75) minutes of attention & effort! Getting Good Grades & Learning. Respect your peers! Be respectful of classmates ideas. No plagiarism! 2A) Coaching & Sports Coach wants you to play the whole game, and give it all. Winning Games and Scoring Points. Respect your teammates help them. No cheating! Office Hours and Contact 3) Office Hours and Contact Information: A) Kenan 234 1) Email: JRowell@Flagler.edu 2) Office Phone: 819-6497 3) Please contact me by Email instead of phone! B) Office Hours This Semester: Office Hours: MWF 11 to 12:35. C) If you cannot meet during these office hours, try first to contact me in class or by email; dont hesitate to ask questions.

Required Texts

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4) Required Texts for Course A) Christopher Partridge, Introduction to World Religions B) Plus One outside text / reading for Oral presentation. Assignments / Requirements 5) Course Assignments and Requirement: A) Three Exams = 20% Each; 60% total. B) Final Semester Essay = 20%. C) Oral Presentation = 20%. D) Attendance and Participation = 20%. The lowest Non-Zero grade will be dropped! Turn It In: If there is any paper assigned during the class, students will automatically be expected to submit it to Turn It In.Com. That should be fairly easy, and routine. No paper will receive any academic credit until it has been submitted to Turn It In, and will be marked as received beginning on the day and time submitted to Turn it In. The Turn It In Name for this class is Stated in the syllabus! ZERO IS GIVEN FOR ALL INCOMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS AND THEN THE NEXT GRADE UP WILL BE DROPPED! SO COMPLETE ALL ASSIGNMENTS NO EXCEPTIONS! Grading System? Grading System 7) My Grading System: A) Whole Semester is 500 Points: A: 93% or more. C: 73-75% A-: 90-92% C-: 70-72% B+: 87-89% D+: 67-79% B: 84-86% D: 60-66% B-: 79-83% F: 59% & Below C+: 76-78% WP / WF for those not meeting Flagler Attendance Requirement. B) Extra Credit is possible, but it is preferable to do good work! 1) Extra Credit - gives back from points lost / taken away. 2) So 10 Extra Credit points gives back 10% of grade. 3) If your average is 78% or 390 with 10% extra credit, you lost 110 points, so get 11 points back. 390+11 = 401. So a C + becomes a B-. My Attendance Policy 8) Attendance Policy: A) Flagler Allows No more than 20% Absences. 1) For MWF schedule: 8 absences is limit; 9 = withdrawal 2) For TuTh schedule; 5 absences is limit, 6 = withdrawal B) My additional policy: 1) Those with perfect attendance should receive a grade of 100%. 2) You will lose points for missed classes, and being late. 3) Be on Time! You will lose two points each time you are. C) How does extra credit work? 1) By giving back 1% of the points lost fore each extra credit earned. 2) Especially helpful if you are in the upper 8 or 9 %, such as 68%, 78%, 88%...

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No Late Assignments! 9) Hand in Papers on Time! A) Standard Late Penalty: 10% per day late, until after 10 days the assignment can receive no credit. B) Final Meltdown Policy: Grades due and not handed in by the semesters last day of class (I.e. beginning and through Finals Week) will melt down 5% per hour! C) Footnote all papers, unless otherwise stated! Academic Honesty Be honest! 10) Dont Plagiarize! - I have zero tolerance for cheaters! A) Academic plagiarism is: 1) Copying others work without giving them credit citation. 2) Claiming the ideas of others are yours. 3) Not playing by assigned rules for grading and / or testing. B) Plagiarists will be either: 1) Failed for the semester. 2) Fed to the Flagler College Zombie Hoard. 3) You must use Turn It In.com this Semester! My Lectures are Posted 11) My lectures are posted on the LMS! I write them myself! A) You dont need to write everything down! B) But print out the lecture! Write notes! C) Or type notes into a laptop. Use command F to find things in lecture! D) Distractions will not be tolerated! You will be fed to the zombies! Student Disability? Religious Studies Major / Minor 13) The Religion / Philosophy Major: 36 Credit Hours / 12 classes. 24 Hours Concentration in ether Philosophy / Religion. Or Equal concentration. 18 Credit hours @ 300 level. 9 Credit hours @ 400 level. Required Courses: Rel-Phil 470; Philosophy of Religion 317; Philosophy 103 or 104; Philosophy 208 or 223; Religion 211; Religion 101 or 102. The Religion Minor: 15 Credit hours / 5 courses, including: Religion 101 or 102. (New, Old Testament) Religion 211. 9 Credit Hours / 3 classes @ 200 level or above. At least 1 class 400 level. Religion 212, Phil. 317 recommended.

14) What will the finished notes look like when done? A) Full bibliographical heading at the top (useful for bibliography) Late Name, First Name, Title of Book, Place of Publication, Publisher, Date of

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Publication. B) Usually a brief paragraph summarizing the book after you finish it. Easiest to do this when you immediately finish a book most honest and brief insights and reactions. C) Follows by the notes. An example of my book notes follows: Note Taking 15) An example of my own notes: Polk, William K., Understanding Iraq, New York, Harper Perennial, 2006. First Read: August 12 to August 16, 2007. Review: This book is a good read for the average person wishing to brush up on the history of Iraq, and to understand why it is the U.S. occupying force has faced such difficulty (we should have learned from the British colonial occupation!). Written by an expert on Middle-Eastern affairs and a scholar of Arabic, it is both a concise history of Iraq from ancient times and a compelling criticism of the current U.S. occupation. Although Polk belittles the post-invasion presence of Al-Qaeda, and comes up short in terms of a comprehensive solution to the problem there (who currently doesnt?), this book is a recommended read for the introductory reader, written by a man of distinguished credentials. The primary weakness of the book is a lack of comprehensive footnoting and referencing, which would fully make transparent the authors sources. Preface) Quotes Hegel who said Peoples and governments never have learned anything from history or acted on principles deduced from it. (xii) Introduction) U.S. Image is badly tarnished by the war (1), and has eroded our national character in the worlds eyes (2) / Cites Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt who says that Iraq invasion had created a hundred bin-Ladens (4), and increased the reserve of terrorists (4-5) / Iraq was created post WWII by British Mandate (5) / Iraq size is slightly larger than California and not quite 2/3rds the size of Texas or 172,000 square miles (6) / Map on p. 7 of Iraq / Kurds & Kurdistan reviewed (8) / Author claims that Iraqi oil reserves are potentially the worlds largest (9) / (CONTINUES FOR 5 PAGES) METHOD II (LIBRARY BOOKS): A) PENCIL B) NOTEBOOK C) TAKE NOTES 2-3 EVERY PAGES (LIGHT NOTES 510 PAGES) B) Paper writing is much like jigsaw puzzle assembly - notes are need to support the overall picture. Pause, Break for Questions . 16) Questions? Concerns? 1) Why are you in this class? 2) Are you sure you want to be here? I hope so! 3) Do you have any major anxieties right now? Concerns I can help you with? 4) Six Reasons to be Interested in Religion: Grave, Political, Moral, Human, Cosmic, and Funny. 5) If no questions introduce yourself to you neighbor!

Six Reasons Why

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Religion Matters 17) The Grave Reason! A) We all die! 1) Ever wonder where we go. If anywhere? 2) Ever care? B) We have loved ones die. 1) Religion is a way of expressing concern about the dead ... 2) as well as the living. C) Religion is a passionate wish for life, a wish to keep it, in spite of its loss. Six Reasons Why Religion Matters 18) The Political Reason. Or A Political Reason. A) Ever heard of 9-11? 1) Im sure you have! 2) 19 Islamists terrorists killed over 3000 people Sept. 11, 2001. B) Religion can be a cause of peace or major unrest. 1) It simply matters. 2) Whether we happen to be paying attention or not. Six Reasons Why Religion Matters 19) A moral reason major religious figures have impacted our world. A) Religious figures mattered in the 20th century: 1) Gandhi. 2) Martin Luther King Jr. 3) Mother Teresa 4) Dalai Lama 5) Pope John Paul II B) Religion has change the world, and the town you live in. Six Reasons Why Religion Matters 20) A human reason: why do we do this? What is religion? A) Some religious practices may seem bizarre. 1) Why do we believed some strange things? 2) What motivates us? B) Is religion just something that evolved? 1) Religion occurs all across the globe. 2) It varies immensely. C) Does it unite or divide us? Six Reasons Why Religion Matters 21) A cosmic reason! A) What does it all mean? The cosmos? Life, the universe? Everything! 1) Was it Created? Why? By whom? / What? 2) Did it just evolve? How did that happen? B) Albert Einstein. 1) Saw science connected to a cosmic reverence. 2) Not traditional religion but cosmic awe.

Six Reasons Why

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Religion Matters 22) A funny reason! A) Religion has been the butt of many jokes. 1) Often times for good reason! 2) Religion can be profound; but religious persons can also be absurd. B) Wonder what the comedians are making fun of? 1) Are they right? 2) Are they wrong? C) You cant really laugh, if you dont really care. Or can you? Why Study Religion or Philosophy? 23) Religion & Philosophy may seem immediately impractical. A) In a certain sense, the immediate and constructive sense they are not practical. B) You may not even need religion or philosophy to be a moral person.

But - religion and philosophy in the ultimate and moral sense are invaluable. C) They provide a moral compass D) But what kind of belief do you have? E) They instruct us in the stark contrasts of good and evil

World Religion 24) What is religion? A) How do you define the word - religion? 1) Belief in God? 2) Morality / immorality of humans? 3) Something Sacred? B) Our brief definition of religion: Religion is the belief in God (or Gods) or the Sacred. 1) Not all Religions have one God or any God. 2) The Sacred is a Spiritual Path or Ultimate Friendliness of the universe. Religion Definition,Websters Unabridged Dictionary, 1996: 25) Websters Defines Religion! A) Concern over what exists beyond the visible world, differentiated from philosophy in that it operates through faith or intuition rather than reason, and generally including the idea of the existence of a single being, a group of beings, an eternal principle or a transcendent spiritual entity that has created the world, governs it, that controls its destinies or that intervenes occasionally in the natural course of history, as well as the idea that ritual, prayer, spiritual exercises, certain principles of everyday conduct, etc., are expedient, due, or spiritually rewarding, or arise naturally out of an inner need as a human response to the belief in such a being, principle, etc. (Italics mine) B) A specific, fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects (e.g. the Christian religion). Belief - faith and reason. 26) The Question of Metaphysics brings us back to what it means to believe in religion A) A God or the Sacred is not a concrete, rational object it reaches into metaphysics B) Therefore it is problematic to reduce religious belief to rational terms.

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C) So Belief in God or the Sacred implies: 1) Faith emotional trust or confidence in the Sacred 2) Reason sufficient rational approval of the Sacred 3) To believe what is illogical, dangerous, unreasonable, or alien to ones sense of trust undermines faith. D) This faith is a sustained confidence, despite frequent hardship Religion - Sacred & Profane 27) Religion is the belief in God (or Gods) or the Sacred. A) Religion affirms something Sacred B) What is the difference in the Sacred and Profane? * Mircea Eliade was famous for discussing the distinction C) Sacred: Realm of extraordinary, or supernatural, or where The metaphysical has bearing/meaning on human existence. D) Profane: Realm of the everyday, ordinary, visible existence, or The metaphysical has no bearing/meaning on human life / we are just accidents of our existence. What is Metaphysics? 28) Metaphysics - what is it? A) Physics Is the generally tangible domain of matter & motion, i.e. the immediate world. B) Metaphysics Is the World Above and Beyond i.e. Heaven, the Cosmos, the Nature of God, or of Ultimate Reality. C) Belief in metaphysics may strike a balance between faith & Reason.

Problems with Defining Religion? 29) But what of people who sacrifice themselves or others in name of religion? What of 9/11 vs. Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr.? What is religion? World Religion 30) Religion is complicated: A) We should take a complex chemical understanding of religious belief: B) Oxygen can combine with Hydrogen or combine with itself: 1) H2O - Water 2) O2 - Oxygen C) Oxygen can also combine with lethal combinations of carbon and sulfur: 1) CO2 - Carbon Dioxide 2) CO - Carbon Monoxide 3) H2SO4 - Sulfuric Acid D) So religion can combine with different political and social dispositions. 1) Good religion: Benevolent, loving, trusting. 2) Bad religion: Absolutist, untrusting, violent.

World Religion

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31) Psychological Dispositions (Chemical Complexity) towards Religion: A) Humility and Tolerance 1) Sensing, revering the Absolute. 2) But also willing to admit a very partial, and limited conception of it. 3) Negotiable, open to dialogue & difference. B) Adamancy or Militancy 1) Sensing the absolute, Absolutely! 2) Affirming an unwavering absolutism. 3) Non-negotiable and perhaps militant. C) Balance - Willingness to be open to other ideas. Curiosity about other belief systems. D) Or Imbalance - intolerance, psychological problems. World Religion 32) Expression of religious belief varies in many types of human behavior: A) Three Aspects: 1) Symbols 2) Myth 3) Ritual & Worship B) Symbols or Symbolism: images, icons, expressions of the divine. 1) Anthropomorphic - man-like God 2) Abstract - beyond comprehension 3) Not concrete / pedestrian: e.g. Stop Sign, Speed Limit. World Religion 33) Myth: Narrative stories, often using symbolism, told to relay meaning. Three view of myth common: A) Primitive Myth (Atheist / Secular) 1) Myth is primitive, for simpletons or a simpler era 2) Myths are just false fairy tales. B) Literal / Anti-Myth (Fundamentalist; Ultra-Conservative or Orthodox) 1) Myth is a misnomer; Biblical stories are true. 2) Symbolism present, but factual too. C) Allegorical Myth (Liberal / Conservative View) 1) Myth is told for meaning of human nature. 2) For example: Adam & Eve suggests deep roots of sin.

World Religion 34) Religious expression is also marked by ritual and worship: A) Worship: to show reverence for, and remembrance of the divine. 1) Prayer 2) Fasting 3) Meditation B) Ritual: repeated practices to show devotion or connection to the Sacred. 1) Repeated, rhythmic - regular calendar days. 2) Orthodox practice - to show unity, regularity of worshipful intent. 3) Also to show identity of believer.

Pause, Break for Questions .

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35) Questions? 1) Lingering questions? 2) Dont hesitate to ask! 3) Think about the 6 Reasons why religion matters. Which ones are most significant to you? Recommended Readings / Bibliography Readings / Bibliography - some introductory books in World Religions: Aslan, Reza, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006. Armstrong, Karen, Buddha, New York, Penguin Book, 2004. Boulton, Wayne G., Thomas D. Kennedy, and Allen Verhey, From Christ to the World: Introductory Readings in Christian Ethics, Grand Rapid Michigan, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. Fischer, Louis, Gandhi, His Life and Message for the World, Mentor Books/ New American Library, New York, 1982 Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Change the Bible and Why, New York, HarperOne, Date. 2005 Fisher, Mary Pat, Living Religions, Seventh Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 2008. Partridge, Christopher, Introduction to World Religions, Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2005 Prothero, Setphen, God Is Not One, (New York, HarperCollins, 2011) Rodrigues, Hillary P., Introducing Hinduism, (New York, Routledge, 2006) Smith, Huston, The Worlds Religions, Harpercollins Books, New York, 1991. Wylen, Stephen, Settings of Silver: An Introduction to Judaism, (New York/New Jersey, Paulist Press, 2000)

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