Flashcards on Introduction to Religious Studies
Introduction to Religious Studies: A Student's Guide
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Religions and Religious Studies
26 cards
Card 1
Question: What is religious studies?
Answer: The science of religion that examines the origin, development, and operations of religions without evaluating or ranking them; it treats religions equ
Card 2
Question: How does religious studies approach the evaluation of individual religions?
Answer: It does not seek to evaluate individual religions or determine which is best; it treats religions equally.
Card 3
Question: Give a concise definition of religion from the content.
Answer: A set of beliefs and actions concerning something sacred and supernatural.
Card 4
Question: What is theism?
Answer: Belief in the existence of a God who is absolute, personal, living, and present in the world.
Card 5
Question: What is deism and what does it reject?
Answer: Belief in a creator God who made the world but no longer intervenes (a 'watchmaker'); it rejects miracles and divine intervention.
Card 6
Question: What is pantheism (as described) and which thinkers are associated with it?
Answer: View that God (eternal, absolute, impersonal substance) is identified with nature or the world—God is contained in everything (GOD = NATURE). Associat
Card 7
Question: What is atheism according to the content?
Answer: The position of not believing in the existence of God; thinkers mentioned include Marx and Nietzsche.
Card 8
Question: What is animism?
Answer: Belief that souls or spirits inhabit everything (rocks, plants, etc.), common in tribal societies and often involving shamans.
Card 9
Question: What is agnosticism?
Answer: The view that it is impossible to know or prove God's existence or non-existence.
Card 10
Question: How are tribal (traditional) religions characterized?
Answer: They are varied, confined to a place or tribe, passed by oral tradition, and found among tribes in Africa, Oceania, Asia, Native Americans, and pre-Ch