Religion: Short Answer Questions - Assignment Example

Mandatory Questions 1. What are fundamentally important philosophical ideas established in the Upanishads for Hinduism? Many ideas are established in the Upanishads for Hinduism, but two of them are fundamentally important. These are atman and Brahman. A major concern of Upanishadic belief is to explore and explain their meaning as well as the mutual relationship that exists between them. The Upanishads suggest that the core of a person’s own self is not the mind or the body, but atman or “self”. According to this thought, atman is the core of all beings, their deepest essence. Atman can only be perceived by means of direct experience through deliberation. Thus, atman is when a person is at the deepest level of his or her existence. On the other hand, Brahman is regarded as the underlying substance of the world, or the unchanging supreme being that is the intangible quintessence of the entire existence. Brahman is also regarded to be the unchanging and undying seed that creates and maintains everything in the universe. It is beyond all intellectual understanding and description (Hawkins, 1999, pp. 32-33; Matthews, 2013, p. 80). The relationship between atman and Brahman as established in the Upanishads is that the two are made of a similar substance. When a person attains moksha or liberation, the atman is released and returns to Brahman, i.e. to the source, like a drop of water being retuned to the ocean. In other words, moksha is attained when atman or the “self” is released from the body so that it can join Brahman (Matthews, 2013, p. 80). 2. According to the teachings of the four noble truths in early Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism, how can a person attain Enlightenment (bodhi)? In early Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism, bodhi is a state of being enlightened or awakened. In this state, one is awakened to one’s own Buddha Nature, thus doing away with all delusions and afflictions. In the Theravada tradition, a person can attain this state by living up to the eightfold path. For one to live according to the eightfold path, he or she must have the right view, have the right thought, make the right speech, do the right action, have the right livelihood, make the right effort, have the right mindfulness and have the right contemplation. According to Theravada Buddhism, bodhi is the point at which one has cut off all illusory misconceptions and afflictions by realising the four noble truths. The four noble truths are: suffering exists, suffering emanates from attachment desires; suffering ends when attachment craving stops; and freedom from suffering can be attained by practicing the eightfold path. Hence, when a person realises the four noble truths and he or she strives to live according to the eightfold path, he or she is able to attain enlightenment or bodhi (Baroni, 2002, p. 26). 3. In what way and to what extent did Paul shape the Christian message? Paul shaped the Christianity message through his numerous writings and missionary activity that made a significant contribution to the formation of Christian theology. His missionary activity and the letters that he wrote to early Christian congregations undoubtedly shaped the emergence of Christianity from its Jewish backdrop into a new religious practice. At the start, Paul was a persecutor of Christians, but later he converted to Christianity and dedicated his effort to spreading the Christian message. Paul travelled widely throughout Greece and Asia Minor establishing Christian congregations, and in doing so, he also developed his theology by writing letters to various churches. This point is attested by considering that the New Testament of the Bible contains 13 letters that are traditionally ascribed to Paul. However, today, most conservative interpreters of the Bible agree that only 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon and 1 Thessalonians are indisputably written by Paul. In spite of the variations in terms of how many books were written by Paul, it is clear that the message as delivered by him through his writing was based on his own interpretation of Christianity. For instance, after he had initially fervently denied that a crucified man (Jesus) could be the Messiah, Paul later changed his mind and spread the message that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (Rodriguez, 1997, p. 496). 4. Describe the context from which Muhammad and the religion of Islam emerged. What does this suggest for the understanding of Islam? Islam began with the prophet Muhammad but its origin can be traced back to the beginning of the biblical period. For Muhammad’s period, it all started when while meditating on Mt. Hira near Mecca, the prophet experienced a vision of a heavenly messenger (angel) called Jibreel. The angel commanded him to recite the words that would be given directly to him. All he needed to do was submit to the will of God (Allah) so that Allah could speak through his (Muhammad’s) mouth. This formed the foundation of Islam because Muslims believed that in no way could a human being come up with the recitations on his own (Pratt, 1993, p. 116). Under Muhammad’s influence, there grew a community of Muslim believers who were referred to as ummah. Ummah believed in the oneness of God and in Muhammad as the last of God’s prophets. Their faith was demonstrated through the practice of praying five times a day, fasting from morning to evening during the month of Ramadan, helping the needy, and the establishment of the hajj – the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Pratt, 1993, p. 118). That Muhammad’s followers even attacked people in Mecca to ensure that all were converted offers some understanding of Islam. Both Muhammad’s actions (agreeing to be used by God to say the recitations) and his believers’ actions (going to war to convert others) help us understand that Islam is about submission and has a cause to enforce or ensure submission when necessary (Pratt, 1993, p. 119). Alternative Questions 1. Outline the worldview of the Upanishads The term Upanishad basically denotes the teaching relationship between a wise man and his/her student. One of the core themes the Upanishads is the notion that there is an everlasting round dance of birth and death. This can also be referred to as the doctrine of rebirth or reincarnation. The enduring cycle of birth and death is known as samsara. According to this worldview, it is the innermost self of a person (atman) that is reborn to facilitate the eternal cycle. According to some Upanishads, the self is an undying substance that can be distinguished from the conscious ego or “I”. However, this notion has been criticised by Buddha as being based on presumption (Skirbekk & Gilje, 2001, p. 23). Another central assumption of the Upanishads is the point that the atman is the same as Brahman. Although the precise translation of Brahman is not available, the concept can be used to mean ‘the absolute’, ‘the divine’, or ‘the all-encompassing’ (Skirbekk & Gilje, 2001, p. 23). In this sense therefore, the Upanishads imply that atman is identical with Brahman and so the self (atman) is identical with the divine or absolute (Brahman). The relationship between the atman and Brahman can be interpreted as emphasising the concept of reincarnation. That is, when the self becomes identical with the absolute or the divine, the occurrence can be described as that of the self having been reincarnated (Skirbekk & Gilje, 2001, p. 23). 2. Explain the Buddha’s teachings of not-self (or no self) (anatta) One of the doctrines of the Buddha’s teachings is that there is no self (anatta). This is because every doctrine of the self results in suffering, and for this reason people must abandon all these doctrines that relate to the self if they are to attain Nibbana (the highest and definitive objective of all Buddhist desires). The Buddha argues that the idea of self or “I” is a false conceptual construct of the mind. That is, when people refer to themselves or others as “self”, they mis-describe the self because people appear to be what can be described as “self”, yet the belief that the “self” exists is just an illusion. This scenario can be likened the perception that the sun rises in the morning in the east, moves in the sky during the day and sets in the west in the evening, yet unbeknown to ordinary experience, the sun appears to be moving only because the earth rotates. Therefore, the Buddha teaches that what people call self, ego, personality, soul and so forth are simply conventional concepts that do not pertain to any real, independent being. According to the Buddhist thought, there is no reason to accept as true the view that there exists an everlasting soul that is created by itself or that comes from heaven and that will transmigrate to another place upon death. That is, according to the Buddha, there is not anything in the world that is unchangeable or eternal (Hick, 1994, p. 332). 3. Explain the idea of the covenant A covenant is an agreement between two parties and encompasses promises made by the parties to each other. The notion of the covenants between God and His people is one of the core subject matters of the Bible. In the context of the bible, a covenant denotes much more than a simple agreement made between two parties. The Old Testament offers an additional overview to the meaning of the idea of the covenant, which is a word rooted in Hebrew tradition. It means the process of people passing through sliced animals after arriving at an agreement. A ceremony of this nature was always involved in the making of a covenant. There are numerous examples of covenants in the Bible. Abraham and his children were instructed to undergo circumcision as a symbol of a covenant between them and God. At Mt Sinai, Moses poured blood of slaughtered animals on the altar and on people who made a covenant with God. It is also indicated in the Bible that covenants should be made with God’s approval. For instance, Isaiah rebuked the scoffers of Jerusalem for making an alliance with Egypt. The Israelites were relying on the might of the Egyptians to keep off the threat from the Assyrians. However, Isaiah called the alliance a “covenant with death” and warned Israelites of the impending judgement (Colver, 2009, p. 8). 5. Explain the Moslem doctrine of God The doctrine of God in Islam and as indicated in the Quran is meticulously monotheistic: that is, God is one and unique. According to this doctrine, God has no equal or partner. This is in contrast to trinitarianism as practiced in Christianity, where it is taught that God consists of three persons of the same substance. From the perspective of tawhid (the oneness of God), Islam does not agree that there is another supreme being that resembles God (like Jesus in Christianity). It is stated that nothing may look like Allah, no thing or individual can be associated with Allah, and no person or thing is equal, or by any means, resembles Allah. In Islam, any association of a person or thing with God is regarded blasphemy (Pratt, 1993, p. 256). The Quran explicitly states in Surah Al-Shura 42:11 that God surpasses human experience or understanding, is beyond the sense of human perception and that nothing is able to symbolise Him. Further, Surah Al-An`am 6:103 indicates that no vision can grasp Allah, although His grasp is over all vision, and He is above comprehension. Surah Al-Ichlas 112:1-4 also highlights the oneness of God by stating that “He is Allah, the One and Only” (Subandrijo, 2008, p. 361). What all these verses emphasise is that according the Moslem doctrine of God, there is only one supreme being called Allah, and that there is no other thing or person that can stand to represent him or act on his behalf. References Baroni, H. J. (2002). The illustrated encyclopaedia of Zen Buddhism. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Colver, R. (2009). Bible covenants. Lulu.com. Hawkins, B. K. (1999). The roots of Buddhism. In B. K. Hawkins (ed), Buddhism (pp. 28-44). London: Routledge. Hick, J. (1994). Death and eternal life. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox Press. Matthews, W. (2013). World religions (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Pratt, D. (1993). Islam: Expression phenomena. In D. Pratt, Religion: A first encounter (pp. 255-269). Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul. Pratt, D. (1993). Islam: Foundation phenomena. In D. Pratt, Religion: A first encounter (pp. 112-124). Auckland, N.Z.: Longman Paul. Rodriguez, J. P. (1997). The historical encyclopedia of world slavery. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. Skirbekk, G. & Gilje, N. (2001). A history of western thought: From ancient Greece to the twentieth century. London: Routledge. Subandrijo, B. (2008). Affirming Christian identity within Indonesian society. In E. Van der Borght, Christian identity (pp. 357-372). Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV. Read More

According to Theravada Buddhism, bodhi is the point at which one has cut off all illusory misconceptions and afflictions by realising the four noble truths. The four noble truths are: suffering exists, suffering emanates from attachment desires; suffering ends when attachment craving stops; and freedom from suffering can be attained by practicing the eightfold path. Hence, when a person realises the four noble truths and he or she strives to live according to the eightfold path, he or she is able to attain enlightenment or bodhi (Baroni, 2002, p. 26). 3.

In what way and to what extent did Paul shape the Christian message? Paul shaped the Christianity message through his numerous writings and missionary activity that made a significant contribution to the formation of Christian theology. His missionary activity and the letters that he wrote to early Christian congregations undoubtedly shaped the emergence of Christianity from its Jewish backdrop into a new religious practice. At the start, Paul was a persecutor of Christians, but later he converted to Christianity and dedicated his effort to spreading the Christian message.

Paul travelled widely throughout Greece and Asia Minor establishing Christian congregations, and in doing so, he also developed his theology by writing letters to various churches. This point is attested by considering that the New Testament of the Bible contains 13 letters that are traditionally ascribed to Paul. However, today, most conservative interpreters of the Bible agree that only 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, Galatians, Philemon and 1 Thessalonians are indisputably written by Paul.

In spite of the variations in terms of how many books were written by Paul, it is clear that the message as delivered by him through his writing was based on his own interpretation of Christianity. For instance, after he had initially fervently denied that a crucified man (Jesus) could be the Messiah, Paul later changed his mind and spread the message that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (Rodriguez, 1997, p. 496). 4. Describe the context from which Muhammad and the religion of Islam emerged. What does this suggest for the understanding of Islam?

Islam began with the prophet Muhammad but its origin can be traced back to the beginning of the biblical period. For Muhammad’s period, it all started when while meditating on Mt. Hira near Mecca, the prophet experienced a vision of a heavenly messenger (angel) called Jibreel. The angel commanded him to recite the words that would be given directly to him. All he needed to do was submit to the will of God (Allah) so that Allah could speak through his (Muhammad’s) mouth. This formed the foundation of Islam because Muslims believed that in no way could a human being come up with the recitations on his own (Pratt, 1993, p. 116). Under Muhammad’s influence, there grew a community of Muslim believers who were referred to as ummah.

Ummah believed in the oneness of God and in Muhammad as the last of God’s prophets. Their faith was demonstrated through the practice of praying five times a day, fasting from morning to evening during the month of Ramadan, helping the needy, and the establishment of the hajj – the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Pratt, 1993, p. 118). That Muhammad’s followers even attacked people in Mecca to ensure that all were converted offers some understanding of Islam. Both Muhammad’s actions (agreeing to be used by God to say the recitations) and his believers’ actions (going to war to convert others) help us understand that Islam is about submission and has a cause to enforce or ensure submission when necessary (Pratt, 1993, p. 119). Alternative Questions 1.

Outline the worldview of the Upanishads The term Upanishad basically denotes the teaching relationship between a wise man and his/her student. One of the core themes the Upanishads is the notion that there is an everlasting round dance of birth and death. This can also be referred to as the doctrine of rebirth or reincarnation.

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