Midterm Exam

NAME: Gabriel Mares

USERNAME: Archangel703

2. Attendance: How many times late? How many classes missed? (be accurate) I was mostly, but never more than 10 mins late due to the time I get off of work and the time it took me to get home then to school. I have perfect attendance otherwise. No absences.

3. To read or not to read, that is the question: Be honest. Have you done all of the required course readings so far? I have not done all the required reading but I’d guesstimate about 70%-80% as of this point.

4. Have you watched the linked videos and films so far? Yes

5. Any extra credit that you like to list? If trying to free a friend from an apocalyptic cult counts as extra-credit I am listing it here =P. Side books that were not assigned that deal with what was discussed or assigned in class that have/am reading alongside the class are

Rapture: The end times error that leaves the bible behind: David B Currie
Mary Magdalene Amy Welborn
An exorcist tells his story: Gabriele Amorth
Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger: Gary G Michuta
The Mass of the Early Christians : Mike Aquilana
The Bible and the Quran: Jacques JomierInside Islam: Daniel Ali, Robert Spencer.

9. What are the seven dimensions to religion, according to Ninian Smart, and mentioned in Andrea Diem's book, WHEN SCHOLARS STUDY THESACRED? Ninian Smart Defined religion as an “organism with seven dimensions” meaning that religions is alive and active. The 7 dimensions are 1 Myths (Sacred stories, Historical myths filled with hagiography and symbolism. Purely symbolic myths. 2. Rituals: Activities that are repeated and connect one with the sense of the sacred. 3. Experiences: Religious experiences of the sacred. 4. Doctrines: The philosophy and belief system of the Religion. 5.. Ethics: The Moral code of the religion. 6. Social Aspect: The organizational form of the Religion. 7. Material From: The Sacred objects, items of the religion.

10. Apply those seven dimensions to Buddhism (taking any sect orgroup within that tradition) and describe, in brief, how they are incorporated within Buddhism as a whole Details are key.


Myths: Buddhas birth
Rituals: Yoga, different meditation practices, chants, sayings
Experiences: attaining enlightenment through meditation. Developing mastery over ones mind.
Doctrines: The 4 noble truths, 1.There is suffering, 2. Craving, The cause 3. There is cessation to suffering. There is a way to attain the Cessation of the suffering through the 8th Fold paths.
Ethics: The Eight fold Path, Prajna, Samadhi, Sila,
Social Aspect: Monks, different buddhist schools
Material Forms: Buddhist texts, symbols statues, Temples


11. Apply those seven dimensions to Hinduism (taking any sect orgroup within that tradition) and describe, in brief, how they are incorporated within that indic system. Details are key.


Myths: Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita
Rituals: Bhakti, Karma, Raja, Jnana, Yoga
Experiences: Different type of Yoga, Mantras.
Doctrines: Ahimsa the belief in the respect for all life because the divine permeates everything and everyone, human, animal and all things. Dharma (ethics and duties) Samsara (the cycle of birth, death and rebirth) Karma (cause of action and reaction)
Ethics: Ahimsa (non-violence) respect for all life. Vegetarian.
Social Aspect: Ashramas, divided into 4 stages, Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, Sannyasa. Varnas caste system: brahmins, (priests) Kshatriyas (warriors) Vaishyas (business class) Shudras (servants, slaves)
Material Forms: Temples, statues, idols, Vedas



12. Do you think that there should be more than seven dimensions inexplaining a particular religion? If not, why not. If yes, can youdetail which dimension you would add. Yes, I believe you can add more dimensions to religion. Two that I have thought of can be…

One, Religious experiences of the Diabolical which somewhat falls under the category of “Experiences” but since it is listed as only sacred it can be divided into good/bad experiences. An example of this would be Demonic possession or the feeling of being oppressed by a diabolical entity. This would involve paranormal activities and such that would also include dealings with the 7th dimension “Material forms” in order to prevent or provoke such experiences. Another Dimension would be “The study of Science/History in relation to the religion” This would include of course, the study of the natural sciences/history and how they prove/disprove the religion, how they are in harmony, not in harmony. The possibilities of one approving, or disproving the other. For example verifying the historical information regarding certain stories of the religion. Verifying miracles, or the possibility of them through science. These are just some examples. They are not entirely new dimensions rather sub dimensions but either way all 7 of Smart’s Dimension are intertwined just the same.

13. What was the secret that Faqir Chand realized in Iraq and howdoes it help explain religious experiences and beliefs other thanhis own? You can say that he realized that he didn’t know anything, or realized his own ignorance so to speak. The idea that the “guru” wasn’t doing anything rather it was the people projecting the ideas in their own minds onto the guru’s claiming it was the guru helping them, when all along it was them. They were projecting their beliefs onto the individuals. This can be explained when people “give” or “project” their religious beliefs onto their own prophets, pastors, gods etc..etc. in a way to make them real, when in fact it is the self projection of their own ideas.

14. In the Bhagavad Gita, briefly describe Krishna's advice toArjuna in terms of whether to fight or not to fight. Do you thinkKrishna's advice was wise? Why? Why not?

Krishna's advice to Arjuna is basically a teaching of thinking beyond the now and the human self but rather adhering to a much larger eternal and immortal life. Arjuna is hesitant on the grounds that he does not understand the meaning of what is about to take place. Krishna explains that his lack of will to fight is against and is blocking the Dharma of the Universe (Universal Harmony of things) Krishna does not deny the "flesh, Matter" so to speak rather shows that they are connected and inseperable and are required to maintain harmony. He reveals himself as both divine and material in order to get his point across. The war to be fought was a just war and fits into the ideals of the Harmony of the universe.

Krishna's advice was wise, in the sense that he was teaching the importance of not forsaking the importance of the current situation. He teaches that they are both intertwined with the eternal and required to co-exist in Harmony.

15. Compare and contrast the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshiwith Charan Singh (as mentioned in the Enchanted Land).

16. Why do you think that Sikhism evolved from a non-militaristicreligion into one advocating the bearing of arms? Be sure to back upyour answer. They were threatened and evolved in such a way to defend their religion. Like Christianity which was founded on such messages as "Turn the other Cheek" and "Love your enemy" the Sikhs were forced to defend themselves when threatened

17. In what significant ways is Sikhism different than Jainism? Besure to substantiate your answers. Jainism does not believe in a god, Sikhism does. Jains are vegetarians, while Sikhs are not. Jains are passive non violent and though Sikhs claim to be, violence is acceptable in their religion in a form of defense.

18. How is the Sikh holy book, The Guru Granth Sahib, fundamentallydifferent than other religious scriptures, like the Bible or theKoran? The book was written mostly by the founders of the actual religion. The writers consisted of different faiths into one book of religious scripture. The book is considered the actual guru of the religion and is to be regarded as such by Sikhs. To put it in another understanding it would be as if the next Pope were to be the “Bible itself” or that maybe the next Mormon Prophet is the actual Book of Mormon. This in itself is unique to the Sikh faith, though the protestant notion of Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) is actually on target in comparison as it is regarded as the sole authority. The difference being that the Guru Granth Sahib was written by people of different faiths. The Bible is composed of Same faith writers, assuming Christianity is the continuation of Judaism.

19. Explain why speaking in tongues is not a unique religiousexperience only bestowed on Christians. How did your teacher relatesuch a phenomenon with sexual experiences? Clue: think neurology andthink cultural variabilities. Trying to speak when in an ecstatic state will yield similar results in people as can be shown in different faiths. The response is correlated to the actions of the reptilian brain stem. The “animal” portion of the human brain so to speak. Professor Lane discussed the reaction of trying to talk during sexual intercourse would be equivalent to trying to speak in an ecstatic state due to the mindset of the individual being in a similar situation in an ecstatic religious experience.

20. Imagine the following scenario: Buddha, Mahavira, Krishna, andGuru Nanak are asked about the religions founded in their name. Ifyou could show them how their religions evolved over time (centuriesafter their death), which specific parts do you think they would NOTrecognize or acknowledge. In other words, which part of theirreligions would they see as CONTRADICTING their original intentions.This is a speculative question, but be sure to ground it with somepertinent quotes/facts/ details.Detail your answer for each of them.

21. What are the common features in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, andSikhism? Be sure to be accurate here. The share similar beliefs regarding Reincarnation (eastern philosophy of the cycle of death and rebirth), Vegetarianism and Karma. According to wikipedia.org it states” All three traditions have notions of karma, dharma, samsara, moksha, and various yogas. Of course, these terms may be perceived differently by different religions. For instance, for a Hindu, dharma is his duty. For a Jain, dharma is his conduct. For a Hindu, dharma is piety. For a Jain, dharma is righteousness.” –wikipedia We see t hat, though the wording may be similar the actual understanding of the word can vary. They each believe in forms of meditation, reciting from sacred texts, singing songs, hymns and reciting prayers.

22. How does Darwinian evolution help explain why religions arose inthe first place? It leads to the primary objective, which is possibly to merely propagate the species. Religions arose probably because the human that was able to believe was able to live longer in different situations. Whether it was hunting in a dangerous scenario, living in a dangerous land. Religion both gave him a sense of fear, and a sense of awe in order to keep him going. Religion develops so that it creates order to keep the species alive longer so it can reproduce. Religion is a powerful Meme to ensure reproduction.


EXTRA CREDIT:

23. Why does Richard Dawkins think that believing in God is a delusion? Based on the evidence provided in science, evolution and the philosophy's of different religions across the world. He believes they can be explained like viruses of the Mind (Memes) The Hypothesis of God is inferior to the scientific theories of Natural selection and Evolution without God. He believes that believing in God is a delusion because the belief of something that isnt factually true and can not be supported by evidence is a "Delusion" He believes the evidence for God is not only lacking but improbable at best.

24. How would the theory of consciousness as a virtual simulatorhelp explain the belief in mysticism? Because the experiences aren’t mystical if it can be shown that it is your brain that is producing the images inside your head and that they are not coming from an outside mystical source. Out of body experiences and near death experiences can be explained by showing that it was the brain all along that was playing a “Movie” in your head just like dreams.

25. What is the most interesting thing you have learned so far in this class? Why? One of the most interesting thing that i have learned in this class was the idea that if God does exist it is possible that he does use our "Human" genetic make up to communicate with us. For example, a Speaking in tongues, ecstatic experience can be traced back to the brain, however there is nothing stopping the possibility that we were designed in such a way to be able to communicate with God. That is of course if we were designed at all. I also enjoy the emphasis on researching and studying for ourselves to find out what "is" and what "isnt" It's important not to swallow everything you are taught, read or learn. There is always another explanation and the same goes for what we are taught by the professor in class as he regularly explains not to "Buy his propaganda" or "Drink his Kool-aid"