Study Guide: Interfaith Dialog

Please use this study guide to acquire some basic understanding of key stories, concepts
and terms from Huston Smiths The Illustrated Worlds Religions: A Guide to Our
Wisdom Traditions.
There will be an exam on our first day of class.
You will have options from the questions in the following study guide. I will select a few
in each category below and you will then have a choice among those I select.
Huston Smith
The Illustrated Worlds Religions
Preface and Point of Departure:
1 What are the themes for this book?
2 What is he NOT going to address and why?
3 Why does he use art in this book?
Hinduism:
1 What two things do people want that will not ultimately satisfy us, according to
Hinduism? Why will these desires not be satisfactory?
2 What is the Path that Hinduism says people will eventually seek?
3 What are the Four Paths to the ultimate goal in? Describe each path briefly.
4 What is the Hindu view of other world religions, according to Smith?
Vocabulary:
moksha
Atman
Brahman
yoga
karma
jiva
Buddhism:
1 Briefly, tell the story of Buddhas life, as presented in the tradition.
2 What were Buddhas final words, according to tradition? Contrast with these with
traditional Christian notions of salvation.
3 Contrast Buddhism at its beginning with Hinduism.
4 What are the six regular features of religion according to Smith?
5 What are the Four Noble Truths? Describe, briefly.
6 What comprises the Eight-Fold Path?
7 What is presupposed as one walks the Eight-Fold Path, acceding to Smith?
8 Briefly, contrast Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism
9 Describe the Image of the Crossing on the ferryboat. What strikes you about this way
of seeing a religious tradition?
Vocabulary:

dukkha
tanha
anatta
Mara
nirvana
bodhisattva
Confucianism:
1 What was the problem that Confucius faced in his day?
2 Contrast the Rival Answers to the dilemma of Confucius day, and
why were these answers found wanting by Confucius?
3 What are the five ideals that structure Confucius thought, according to Smith?
4 How does Smith say that Confucianism is a religion as well as an ethic?
Vocabulary:
jen
chun tzu
li
te
Taoism:
1 Describe the Tao.
2 Describe the three approaches to Power of the Taoisms as presented by Smith?
3 Contrast Confucianism and Taoism.
4 Comment on this poem from the Tao Te Ching:
Those who would take over the earth
And shape it to their will
Never, I notice, succeed.
The earth is like a vessel so sacred
That at the mere approach of the profane it is marred.
They reach out their fingers and it is gone.
Vocabulary:
chi
wu wei
Islam:
1 Where in the Hebrew scripture does the story of Islam begin, according to the Koran?
2 Briefly tell the story of Muhammad, according to Muslim tradition.
3 Contrast the position of Muhammad in Islam with Jesus in Christianity.
4 How do Muslims view the Koran (Quran) in comparison to how Christians view the
Bible?
5 Discuss briefly the four basic theological concepts of Islam, according to Smith.
6 Briefly describe the Five Pillars of Islam.
7 Describe the three routes to Allah in Sufism.
Vocabulary:
salam
Allah

Judaism:
1 Discuss Smiths claim: The real impact of the ancient Jews, however, lies in the extent
to which Western civilization took over their perspective on the deepest questions life
poses.
2 Be prepared to discuss in detail three of these sections in Smith:
Meaning in God
Meaning in Creation
Meaning in Human Existence
Meaning in History
Meaning in Morality
Meaning in Justice
Meaning in Suffering
Meaning in Messianism
3 Discuss the meaning of revelation for Jews, as Smith presents it.
Christianity:
1 Describe how Smith sees the historical Jesus in relation to the Christ of faith.
2 Discuss the view of papal infallibility related to the Churchs role as teaching
authority as Smith describes it.
3 Discuss the idea of the sacraments in Smith.
4 Discuss the Eastern Orthodox view of the Church as corporate.
5 What are the two idolatries in Protestantism as Smith presents them?
The Primal Religions:
1 Why does Smith say that later does not mean better in relation to religious life?
2 Discuss the views of orality, place and time in primal traditions.
3 What does Smith mean by the symbolist mentality in the primal traditions?
4 Discuss: They (primal traditions) had what the world has lost: the ancient, lost
reverence and passion for human personality joined with the ancient, lost reverence and
passion for the earth and its web of life.
A Final Examination:
1 What are Smiths three answers to how the religions can be seen in relation to one
another?
2 What is Smiths summary of the worlds wisdom traditions in ethics, human virtues
and vision?
3 Why does Smith say we ought to listen to the worlds religious traditions?
Essay Questions:
1 Which of these religions seems most interesting to you and why?
2 Which of these religions seems least interesting to you and why?
3 Briefly compare and contrast your religious views with one of these traditions.
4 Can all of these paths of faith be true? Can any? Is only one true?