For the small gothic one...
Religion Speakers....They Be Here
Judaism
Rabbi Dan Selsberg
Story in the Talmud: (holy book in Judaism after the close of the Bible)
Begins with the Mishnah
AD=Anno Domino/the year of our lord
200CE is the time of the Mishnah
Following that is the Talmud
Both books claim to be ancient
Story is about a Rabi named Hillel. 1st Century BCE. Living in Israel. He belongs to one school of thought, and there is another contrasting house. Dude comes in and says teach me everything in your bible, while standing on one leg, and I'll convert…opposite school of thought beats him with a stick. Says the same thing to Hillel. He says "what you don't want done to you, do not do unto others. Everything else is commentary, now go and study."
He's not quoting the Torah, but this is his opinion.
Familiar to Golden Rule, but NOT quite (don't do, do do)
Don't think that knowing the one short version means you shouldn't keep studying
Intention is significantly less important in Judaism than in Christianity.
This is not to say that it is not important, but better to do it and not mean it, than to not do something good at all
Act remains the same despite your intention
BETTER TO DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS (leads to repeat actions!!!)
Mitzvot=Commandments (more than the 10, a complete series)
613 commandments
There are commandments for any aspect of life
Judaism speaks less in terms of rights and more in terms of obligations
Commandments imply you have a commander (God)
1) there is a god
2) God is one (monotheism)
3) that god cares about the world and has expectations for us in it
Out of appreciation, a sense of awe, or (in some beliefs) a sense of fear, we follow God
"here o Israel, the lord is god, the lord is one" central line in Judaism
Key concepts: God-Torah-Israel
Judaism is considered both a religion and an ethnicity
Ancient world your race defined who you prayed to
Although it's not like that anymore, Jews still retain this kind of classification
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Jews are not considered FULL CITIZENS until 1776
This is why you can find "Secular Jews" as opposed to "Secular Christians"
With advent of Jews becoming full citizens (the enlightenment) begins with Napoleon…with his "Ah, unite 'em under one government. Make them equal" but Jews seemed to be separate, with their own laws, etc. this leads to the Jews not evolving as a society, like others have been.
Napoleon asks Jewish leaders who they are loyal to
Jewish leaders said we have our religion, but if you want us to be, we will be loyal to France
"To the Jews as individuals: everything. To the Jews as a people: Nothing."
Many Jews leave Judaism because of that. Because they could be something else without being excommunicated.
Often called Jews because the largest tribe of Israelites is that of Judah
What's the difference between the three primary tribes of Judaism?
One group says we've got to stop people from leaving in such large droves. We should reform Judaism (therefore, Reform Judaism…duh) make it more palatable for modern society, lose some of the excessive rules (early 1800s)
Get rid of Hebrew in prayer
"we don't need to go home, we're happy here, our new home is…BERLIN!?!??!?!?!?"
One group says they're going to fast too far overnight. Judaism needs to change organically
Thus begins the orthodox movement (things need to freeze in place)
Keep these outside ideas outside
One group wants to be a middle ground group, this is the Conservative Judaism branch
Change what needs to be changed, keeping what needs to be kept
All groups see each other as Jews, one large group.
Sex before marriage: traditionally, Judaism frowns on it (carries consequences). Sex can be enjoyed…WITHIN the proper context.
Torah is supposed to apply to peoples lives (even in modern times)
Birth control is "permitted" depending on who you're talking to and the kind of birth control…"spilling of the seed" is frowned upon
With the inception of AIDS, it has become a different story.
It's forbidden to drive a car on the Sabbath, but if you NEED to get to a hospital….duh!
Zionism/State of Palestine
Jews began in the land between the Jordan river and the red sea
1947 UN decides to split this land between the Israeli and Arabs
After a war, Jews conquer some more of this area
Selsberg's feeling that there should be TWO independent states in that area
Alternative Lifestyles:
Polygamy banned for "1000 years" by a Rabbi
Some Jews mirrored Arab neighbours….Polygamy
The rest of Jews…no
Homosexuality: no male homosexuality.
Orthodox absolute prohibition
Reform absolute allowances
Conservative Middle
Some feel, like with sex, don't cancel urges, but channel urges
Therefore maybe not "no homosexuality" but many differing ways depending on your views
Jesus "WAS" a Jew
In Jewish thought, he was a teacher…no divine status
Thought of human being divine is alien to Jews
"Jews think about Jesus as much as Christians think about Mohammad."
"The righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come."
Judaism isn't evangelical, be what religion you are
Animal Sacrifices:
In torah, there is mucho animal sacrifice
"I will make these sacrifices in the place that I will show you" (Jerusalem)
When David moves the capital to Jerusalem…Sacrifices can't be performed outside of that specific spot, since the Romans destroyed that part, there are no more sacrifices…No Temple, No sacrifices
There has been no significant move to bring it back
Sacrifice=give something that is valuable to you to worship God
In place of that, there are prayer services, instead of the service of property, there is a service of the heart
Instead of sacrifices, they offer the words and acts of their hearts…through prayer, self reflection, and through acts of making this a better world
Hinduism
Dr. Mahendra Deonarain
Heart and mind: action and experience
Suffering is commonplace in our existence, but humanity is destine to transcend suffering
Basis of all religion
Human-power to think, existence, function and form
Being-formless, within, vibrates and transcends the form
Manifestation of the being-a sympathy for others
From form to formless-basis of all religion
Commonality lies within people
(Re=back, ligare=to link)=Religion
Link back to the source of our existence
Religion DOES NOT = an excuse to hurt others!!!!!
Hindu-people who line in Hindus valley
(Sanathan=eternal. Dharma=religion) they're not hindus, they're Sanathan Dharma
No founder in Hinduism, it's eternal
Hinduism, like many religions, was passed by word of mouth
Having a founder brings a lot of baggage
Total vegetarianism
They live this way to minimize harmful karma
Some hindus eat meat and fish
"why does he think Hinduism is the best path?" it's an INDIVIDUAL relationship
The Lord loves everyone equally
Your relationship with god is INDIVIDUAL and MUST NOT be taught…it is ingrained
Choose the path you're comfortable with
Suffering has a function
Why? Mankind has EGO (bad bad bad)
I.e. high marks shouldn't be the aim, but the result of learning
Satyam=Truth
John 18-I will never leave you comfortless
Gita-BOOK (bible)-by lord Krishna (6000 years ago)
"those who see everything in me and me in everything will not be lost in me, and I will never be lost in them"
(Prana=breath, Yama=Expansion)=Pranayama
Through your breath you can see god
Matthew-blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god
Meditation-close your eyes, and do Yoga
(Yug=meet/connect,) Yoga=connect with the inside
Strength is the resilience within
Atman=soul (source of energy)
Every living creature has an atman
When god created the world, god created souls and from one atman come as many as we need
Believing in reincarnation, one must respect ALL live (all 8.4 million species of it)
We know when an apple falls-it's gravity
But what keeps it connected to the stem?
The kingdom of god is in us
Man likes to represent things
I.e.: words=thoughts
There is something bigger than thoughts in you
Meditation-thoughts go faster than the speed of light
0.9999=close to 1
Multiply it by itself and it gets further from 1 (smaller)
1.1 equals close to one
Multiply it by itself and it gets further from 1 (Bigger)
A little evil (0.9999) and you'll eventually destroy yourself
A little good (1.1) will lead to awesome
You have to love, completely, god's creation
There may be clouds, but the sun is always shining
A true Hindu must understand this
significance of the cow-a symbol for a second mother…makes it hard to kill
Feminism is paramount to Hindu's-they pray to mother first and foremost.
Monotheism-there is only 1 god
Someone can be 1 person with many functions (jobs)
God is the same
Functions Name
Creator Brahma
Preserver Lord Vishnu
Destroyer Shiva
All together=Devi (mother)
Concepts of heaven/hell
Both are right here
Reincarnation-every action has a consequence
Karma is reactionary
When you do something bad and you feel awful, THAT is hell.
Sanskrit-the world's only complete language and first language
Each letter has ONLY one sound
Give away money? You've lost it
Give away love? You've got MORE
Homosexuality=tolerated?
Not looked down on
Maybe they need to exist how they are
Respect their perspective
Class system
Shouldn’t be consequential, but society used it
Caste is created by society, not god
In the house of god, there is no hierarchy
A true follower of TRUTH sees NO CLASS
Fundamentalism
Not many fundamentalist hindus
Closest thing may be Harry Krishna's
Most hindus don’t need to convert you
Hinduism is evolutionary, you don’t need to be labelled hindu
Buddhism
Buddhism falls under theology…NOT a religion by definition of religion
There is no dogma in Buddhism, seek your own answers
Everyone who practices Buddhism must make their own map
Precepts are guidelines, not blood oaths
You can be peaceful despite the world around you.
What's important is family/friends, not possessions
Approximately 500 000 Buddhists
Buddhism is most popular in Asia
Nothing in Buddhism teaching against women monks…that's all cultural
Vietnamese is egalitarian
Buddhism is full of ceremony
At Buddhism's inception, women were rated barely above the family dog
Buddha denied women at first for their safety
Chanting is a form of meditation-for sound, not necessarily the words themselves
Buddha-one who is awakened
Buddha statues represent many things as well as ourselves
Bowing to statues=we too can achieve Buddhism
In Buddhism, we are taught to question EVERYTHING
Faith in Buddhism is faith in ourselves to achieve Buddhism
Find out for yourself, don’t take someone's word for it
Robes are colour of the earth
Sadartis was a hindu
Brahman has no attributeless, pure awareness
Concept of god is man-made
There is a cause and a way out of suffering
8 noble paths
Person's essence=emptiness
Teravaden is individualistic
Shamanism=>has many gods-Buddha took these beings and applied aspects to them (hatred, etc)
Nirvana=end of suffering
There is unhappiness/suffering…that's life, accept it
Reincarnation=again in the flesh (coming again)
We are constantly being reborn (cells dying, etc)
We are energy, we die and go back to the universe
Our strongest energy at death is state of mind
Precept=>no one judges you for breaking it
Ex. 1. A precept is to be truthful…if you lied:
Why? What were conditions?
Ex. 2. A precept is no sex outside of a long-term relationship
Inattention (awareness of) is as important as action…why?
Celibacy is no marriage
Monastic's are celibate because their entire goal is study and practicing and teaching
Monks are heavily screened…don't become a monk until you've lived your life
Buddhist perspective on homosexuality=>just make sure you go into a relationship to love, not to hurt
Everything is interconnected-a tapestry
Build a freeway through a wetland, you've pulled a thread
Everything is interconnected. Remove a link and the end result never happens
Buddhism and stem cells: different stances for different scholars
Main message of Buddhist writings: we understand emptiness and impermanence. This equals wisdom.
We are all the same
Regurgitating scriptures isn't as good as practice
Zen Buddhism is PRACTICE/experiential
3 refuges- Buddha-historical Buddha
Dharma-teachings
Sunga-community
Buddhist teaching is a map/drawing…following is up to you
Meditation: concentration and meditation
Concentrate on one thing: eg Breath
Meditate: bring the mind back (grabbing the puppy and sitting it down)
When the mind's not scattered, there's peace
Shaved head….why? Equality between monks and nuns:
Hair is a symbol of ego
Islam
Farzana Hassan
Main tenant-monotheistic
Espouses radical monotheism
God is above his creation
Nothing can share in god's divinity
"there is no god but god" initial saying of creed at conversion
"Mohammad is god's prophet" part 2 of the creed
5 pillars
Declaration of the creed
5 prayers-dawn, early afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, late evening
Done so that you will never forget god's commandments
Fasting-once a year for 30 days. Eat before dawn and after sundown
Test of piety
Zakat-annual charity to the very poor. Islam charity is institutionalized…2.5% of what they have
Annual pilgrimage-islam was born in mecca
Only for the financially and physically able
These 5 are mandatory
All kinds of secondary principles
Secular islam-separation of church and state
Progressive islam-women's issues
20th century saw advent of women philosophers
Modern
Orthodox
Ultra orthodox
Traditional
Sufi-mystical tradition
Universalistic-mosque is in human heart
Can involve traces
Whirling dervishes
Mohabe's-everyone must be Islamic
Sufi-we all are one
Secondary beliefs
Women should (maybe) cover hair (hijab)
Polygamy
Jihad-fighting for god's cause
Sufi-no jihad
Mohabe-yes jihad
Just because rule is 2.5% charity doesn't mean that this is the UPPER LIMIT of charity
Everything is based on intention
Lying for a good reason is forgivable
Muslim=someone who submits to god
Muslims have shoulder angels
Right records good
Left records bad
When you die, your good deeds should outweigh your bad deeds
Death for jihad
Virgins-comes from secondary source(possibly unreliable)
This life means nothing, afterlife is all
Ishmael was thirsty, rubbed his heels and up sprung a spring
Ishmael=Abraham and Hagger's baby
Conflicting account of Muhammad's wives as well as reasons for wive's
itsjihad-independent reasoning for things like conflicts between laws of land and Shariah law
Some believe itsjihad should only apply to some issues.
Hassan believes it should apply to EVERYTHING!!!
Dr. David Galston - Christianity
Disinterest-you can't approach a subject with a set of assumptions
Ask questions as if it means nothing to you
Separate mythological layers from the historical layers
25-30 gospels found
Christianity-born in 1st century Roman Empire
Roman empire had NO SCIENCE-myths and facts blend together
Don't suppose facts are readily available
Bible not written as science, but a story
Studying religion academically is separating fact and fiction
Allegory-story that represents truth
No way to fully know where Jesus was born
Quite a few virgin births in ancient world
Mary's birthing most likely an allegory
Gospel of Matthew doesn't say VIRGIN birth, but UNKNOWN birth
Jesus foresight was most likely the author's hindsight-anachronism
Gospels originally didn't have names
Christ=the anointed (chosen one)
Resurrection is a SPIRITUAL reality-a power, an energy
Originally meant the RELIGION would live on
There is no evidence, but it is possible that Jesus was married
Books not included in the bible
Easy answer-those in charge of Christianity chose what was "acceptable"
Complicated Answer-when Christianity was illegal, many different people had different interpretations
Gnosis=knowledge-Gnostics
Assumption is god was always there (eternal)
Creation=breath of god
Breath=spirit=opposite of chaos
Christians just took over pagan holidays
Jesus DIDN'T erase torah rules
Judas might not be a literal person, but a concept
Christianity's focus on worship-over time evolved as a confession religion
Diablos=Accuser
Lucifer=Bearer of Life
Illustration to someone who has great power and met their end
Transmission of text-earliest bible from 3-4th century-rewritten-mistakes!!!
There are about 75 000 "Relatively Significant" mistakes
Ie woman who committed adultery
There's no original bible (many small books)
When Greeks said bible, it was a word (Ta Biblia) that actually meant an entire library (many MANY small books)
Christianity being illegal, had no official scribes
Paper was expensive…had to be economical
Scribes removed spaces and punctuation….harder to translate
Everythingwasmushedtogether
Hell-originally "the underworld"
EVERYONE went there
Later on, a division happened: good and bad underworld
Judaism
Rabbi Dan Selsberg
Story in the Talmud: (holy book in Judaism after the close of the Bible)
Begins with the Mishnah
AD=Anno Domino/the year of our lord
200CE is the time of the Mishnah
Following that is the Talmud
Both books claim to be ancient
Story is about a Rabi named Hillel. 1st Century BCE. Living in Israel. He belongs to one school of thought, and there is another contrasting house. Dude comes in and says teach me everything in your bible, while standing on one leg, and I'll convert…opposite school of thought beats him with a stick. Says the same thing to Hillel. He says "what you don't want done to you, do not do unto others. Everything else is commentary, now go and study."
He's not quoting the Torah, but this is his opinion.
Familiar to Golden Rule, but NOT quite (don't do, do do)
Don't think that knowing the one short version means you shouldn't keep studying
Intention is significantly less important in Judaism than in Christianity.
This is not to say that it is not important, but better to do it and not mean it, than to not do something good at all
Act remains the same despite your intention
BETTER TO DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS (leads to repeat actions!!!)
Mitzvot=Commandments (more than the 10, a complete series)
613 commandments
There are commandments for any aspect of life
Judaism speaks less in terms of rights and more in terms of obligations
Commandments imply you have a commander (God)
1) there is a god
2) God is one (monotheism)
3) that god cares about the world and has expectations for us in it
Out of appreciation, a sense of awe, or (in some beliefs) a sense of fear, we follow God
"here o Israel, the lord is god, the lord is one" central line in Judaism
Key concepts: God-Torah-Israel
Judaism is considered both a religion and an ethnicity
Ancient world your race defined who you prayed to
Although it's not like that anymore, Jews still retain this kind of classification
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Jews are not considered FULL CITIZENS until 1776
This is why you can find "Secular Jews" as opposed to "Secular Christians"
With advent of Jews becoming full citizens (the enlightenment) begins with Napoleon…with his "Ah, unite 'em under one government. Make them equal" but Jews seemed to be separate, with their own laws, etc. this leads to the Jews not evolving as a society, like others have been.
Napoleon asks Jewish leaders who they are loyal to
Jewish leaders said we have our religion, but if you want us to be, we will be loyal to France
"To the Jews as individuals: everything. To the Jews as a people: Nothing."
Many Jews leave Judaism because of that. Because they could be something else without being excommunicated.
Often called Jews because the largest tribe of Israelites is that of Judah
What's the difference between the three primary tribes of Judaism?
One group says we've got to stop people from leaving in such large droves. We should reform Judaism (therefore, Reform Judaism…duh) make it more palatable for modern society, lose some of the excessive rules (early 1800s)
Get rid of Hebrew in prayer
"we don't need to go home, we're happy here, our new home is…BERLIN!?!??!?!?!?"
One group says they're going to fast too far overnight. Judaism needs to change organically
Thus begins the orthodox movement (things need to freeze in place)
Keep these outside ideas outside
One group wants to be a middle ground group, this is the Conservative Judaism branch
Change what needs to be changed, keeping what needs to be kept
All groups see each other as Jews, one large group.
Sex before marriage: traditionally, Judaism frowns on it (carries consequences). Sex can be enjoyed…WITHIN the proper context.
Torah is supposed to apply to peoples lives (even in modern times)
Birth control is "permitted" depending on who you're talking to and the kind of birth control…"spilling of the seed" is frowned upon
With the inception of AIDS, it has become a different story.
It's forbidden to drive a car on the Sabbath, but if you NEED to get to a hospital….duh!
Zionism/State of Palestine
Jews began in the land between the Jordan river and the red sea
1947 UN decides to split this land between the Israeli and Arabs
After a war, Jews conquer some more of this area
Selsberg's feeling that there should be TWO independent states in that area
Alternative Lifestyles:
Polygamy banned for "1000 years" by a Rabbi
Some Jews mirrored Arab neighbours….Polygamy
The rest of Jews…no
Homosexuality: no male homosexuality.
Orthodox absolute prohibition
Reform absolute allowances
Conservative Middle
Some feel, like with sex, don't cancel urges, but channel urges
Therefore maybe not "no homosexuality" but many differing ways depending on your views
Jesus "WAS" a Jew
In Jewish thought, he was a teacher…no divine status
Thought of human being divine is alien to Jews
"Jews think about Jesus as much as Christians think about Mohammad."
"The righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come."
Judaism isn't evangelical, be what religion you are
Animal Sacrifices:
In torah, there is mucho animal sacrifice
"I will make these sacrifices in the place that I will show you" (Jerusalem)
When David moves the capital to Jerusalem…Sacrifices can't be performed outside of that specific spot, since the Romans destroyed that part, there are no more sacrifices…No Temple, No sacrifices
There has been no significant move to bring it back
Sacrifice=give something that is valuable to you to worship God
In place of that, there are prayer services, instead of the service of property, there is a service of the heart
Instead of sacrifices, they offer the words and acts of their hearts…through prayer, self reflection, and through acts of making this a better world
Hinduism
Dr. Mahendra Deonarain
Heart and mind: action and experience
Suffering is commonplace in our existence, but humanity is destine to transcend suffering
Basis of all religion
Human-power to think, existence, function and form
Being-formless, within, vibrates and transcends the form
Manifestation of the being-a sympathy for others
From form to formless-basis of all religion
Commonality lies within people
(Re=back, ligare=to link)=Religion
Link back to the source of our existence
Religion DOES NOT = an excuse to hurt others!!!!!
Hindu-people who line in Hindus valley
(Sanathan=eternal. Dharma=religion) they're not hindus, they're Sanathan Dharma
No founder in Hinduism, it's eternal
Hinduism, like many religions, was passed by word of mouth
Having a founder brings a lot of baggage
Total vegetarianism
They live this way to minimize harmful karma
Some hindus eat meat and fish
"why does he think Hinduism is the best path?" it's an INDIVIDUAL relationship
The Lord loves everyone equally
Your relationship with god is INDIVIDUAL and MUST NOT be taught…it is ingrained
Choose the path you're comfortable with
Suffering has a function
Why? Mankind has EGO (bad bad bad)
I.e. high marks shouldn't be the aim, but the result of learning
Satyam=Truth
John 18-I will never leave you comfortless
Gita-BOOK (bible)-by lord Krishna (6000 years ago)
"those who see everything in me and me in everything will not be lost in me, and I will never be lost in them"
(Prana=breath, Yama=Expansion)=Pranayama
Through your breath you can see god
Matthew-blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god
Meditation-close your eyes, and do Yoga
(Yug=meet/connect,) Yoga=connect with the inside
Strength is the resilience within
Atman=soul (source of energy)
Every living creature has an atman
When god created the world, god created souls and from one atman come as many as we need
Believing in reincarnation, one must respect ALL live (all 8.4 million species of it)
We know when an apple falls-it's gravity
But what keeps it connected to the stem?
The kingdom of god is in us
Man likes to represent things
I.e.: words=thoughts
There is something bigger than thoughts in you
Meditation-thoughts go faster than the speed of light
0.9999=close to 1
Multiply it by itself and it gets further from 1 (smaller)
1.1 equals close to one
Multiply it by itself and it gets further from 1 (Bigger)
A little evil (0.9999) and you'll eventually destroy yourself
A little good (1.1) will lead to awesome
You have to love, completely, god's creation
There may be clouds, but the sun is always shining
A true Hindu must understand this
significance of the cow-a symbol for a second mother…makes it hard to kill
Feminism is paramount to Hindu's-they pray to mother first and foremost.
Monotheism-there is only 1 god
Someone can be 1 person with many functions (jobs)
God is the same
Functions Name
Creator Brahma
Preserver Lord Vishnu
Destroyer Shiva
All together=Devi (mother)
Concepts of heaven/hell
Both are right here
Reincarnation-every action has a consequence
Karma is reactionary
When you do something bad and you feel awful, THAT is hell.
Sanskrit-the world's only complete language and first language
Each letter has ONLY one sound
Give away money? You've lost it
Give away love? You've got MORE
Homosexuality=tolerated?
Not looked down on
Maybe they need to exist how they are
Respect their perspective
Class system
Shouldn’t be consequential, but society used it
Caste is created by society, not god
In the house of god, there is no hierarchy
A true follower of TRUTH sees NO CLASS
Fundamentalism
Not many fundamentalist hindus
Closest thing may be Harry Krishna's
Most hindus don’t need to convert you
Hinduism is evolutionary, you don’t need to be labelled hindu
Buddhism
Buddhism falls under theology…NOT a religion by definition of religion
There is no dogma in Buddhism, seek your own answers
Everyone who practices Buddhism must make their own map
Precepts are guidelines, not blood oaths
You can be peaceful despite the world around you.
What's important is family/friends, not possessions
Approximately 500 000 Buddhists
Buddhism is most popular in Asia
Nothing in Buddhism teaching against women monks…that's all cultural
Vietnamese is egalitarian
Buddhism is full of ceremony
At Buddhism's inception, women were rated barely above the family dog
Buddha denied women at first for their safety
Chanting is a form of meditation-for sound, not necessarily the words themselves
Buddha-one who is awakened
Buddha statues represent many things as well as ourselves
Bowing to statues=we too can achieve Buddhism
In Buddhism, we are taught to question EVERYTHING
Faith in Buddhism is faith in ourselves to achieve Buddhism
Find out for yourself, don’t take someone's word for it
Robes are colour of the earth
Sadartis was a hindu
Brahman has no attributeless, pure awareness
Concept of god is man-made
There is a cause and a way out of suffering
8 noble paths
Person's essence=emptiness
Teravaden is individualistic
Shamanism=>has many gods-Buddha took these beings and applied aspects to them (hatred, etc)
Nirvana=end of suffering
There is unhappiness/suffering…that's life, accept it
Reincarnation=again in the flesh (coming again)
We are constantly being reborn (cells dying, etc)
We are energy, we die and go back to the universe
Our strongest energy at death is state of mind
Precept=>no one judges you for breaking it
Ex. 1. A precept is to be truthful…if you lied:
Why? What were conditions?
Ex. 2. A precept is no sex outside of a long-term relationship
Inattention (awareness of) is as important as action…why?
Celibacy is no marriage
Monastic's are celibate because their entire goal is study and practicing and teaching
Monks are heavily screened…don't become a monk until you've lived your life
Buddhist perspective on homosexuality=>just make sure you go into a relationship to love, not to hurt
Everything is interconnected-a tapestry
Build a freeway through a wetland, you've pulled a thread
Everything is interconnected. Remove a link and the end result never happens
Buddhism and stem cells: different stances for different scholars
Main message of Buddhist writings: we understand emptiness and impermanence. This equals wisdom.
We are all the same
Regurgitating scriptures isn't as good as practice
Zen Buddhism is PRACTICE/experiential
3 refuges- Buddha-historical Buddha
Dharma-teachings
Sunga-community
Buddhist teaching is a map/drawing…following is up to you
Meditation: concentration and meditation
Concentrate on one thing: eg Breath
Meditate: bring the mind back (grabbing the puppy and sitting it down)
When the mind's not scattered, there's peace
Shaved head….why? Equality between monks and nuns:
Hair is a symbol of ego
Islam
Farzana Hassan
Main tenant-monotheistic
Espouses radical monotheism
God is above his creation
Nothing can share in god's divinity
"there is no god but god" initial saying of creed at conversion
"Mohammad is god's prophet" part 2 of the creed
5 pillars
Declaration of the creed
5 prayers-dawn, early afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, late evening
Done so that you will never forget god's commandments
Fasting-once a year for 30 days. Eat before dawn and after sundown
Test of piety
Zakat-annual charity to the very poor. Islam charity is institutionalized…2.5% of what they have
Annual pilgrimage-islam was born in mecca
Only for the financially and physically able
These 5 are mandatory
All kinds of secondary principles
Secular islam-separation of church and state
Progressive islam-women's issues
20th century saw advent of women philosophers
Modern
Orthodox
Ultra orthodox
Traditional
Sufi-mystical tradition
Universalistic-mosque is in human heart
Can involve traces
Whirling dervishes
Mohabe's-everyone must be Islamic
Sufi-we all are one
Secondary beliefs
Women should (maybe) cover hair (hijab)
Polygamy
Jihad-fighting for god's cause
Sufi-no jihad
Mohabe-yes jihad
Just because rule is 2.5% charity doesn't mean that this is the UPPER LIMIT of charity
Everything is based on intention
Lying for a good reason is forgivable
Muslim=someone who submits to god
Muslims have shoulder angels
Right records good
Left records bad
When you die, your good deeds should outweigh your bad deeds
Death for jihad
Virgins-comes from secondary source(possibly unreliable)
This life means nothing, afterlife is all
Ishmael was thirsty, rubbed his heels and up sprung a spring
Ishmael=Abraham and Hagger's baby
Conflicting account of Muhammad's wives as well as reasons for wive's
itsjihad-independent reasoning for things like conflicts between laws of land and Shariah law
Some believe itsjihad should only apply to some issues.
Hassan believes it should apply to EVERYTHING!!!
Dr. David Galston - Christianity
Disinterest-you can't approach a subject with a set of assumptions
Ask questions as if it means nothing to you
Separate mythological layers from the historical layers
25-30 gospels found
Christianity-born in 1st century Roman Empire
Roman empire had NO SCIENCE-myths and facts blend together
Don't suppose facts are readily available
Bible not written as science, but a story
Studying religion academically is separating fact and fiction
Allegory-story that represents truth
No way to fully know where Jesus was born
Quite a few virgin births in ancient world
Mary's birthing most likely an allegory
Gospel of Matthew doesn't say VIRGIN birth, but UNKNOWN birth
Jesus foresight was most likely the author's hindsight-anachronism
Gospels originally didn't have names
Christ=the anointed (chosen one)
Resurrection is a SPIRITUAL reality-a power, an energy
Originally meant the RELIGION would live on
There is no evidence, but it is possible that Jesus was married
Books not included in the bible
Easy answer-those in charge of Christianity chose what was "acceptable"
Complicated Answer-when Christianity was illegal, many different people had different interpretations
Gnosis=knowledge-Gnostics
Assumption is god was always there (eternal)
Creation=breath of god
Breath=spirit=opposite of chaos
Christians just took over pagan holidays
Jesus DIDN'T erase torah rules
Judas might not be a literal person, but a concept
Christianity's focus on worship-over time evolved as a confession religion
Diablos=Accuser
Lucifer=Bearer of Life
Illustration to someone who has great power and met their end
Transmission of text-earliest bible from 3-4th century-rewritten-mistakes!!!
There are about 75 000 "Relatively Significant" mistakes
Ie woman who committed adultery
There's no original bible (many small books)
When Greeks said bible, it was a word (Ta Biblia) that actually meant an entire library (many MANY small books)
Christianity being illegal, had no official scribes
Paper was expensive…had to be economical
Scribes removed spaces and punctuation….harder to translate
Everythingwasmushedtogether
Hell-originally "the underworld"
EVERYONE went there
Later on, a division happened: good and bad underworld