Sor prelim help (nature of religion) (1 Viewer)

[Taurau]

Hey Guys!

I'm really stuck on this assessment, these are the questions:

With reference to religion as a worldview, DESCRIBE the transcendent and immanent dimension of religion.

The syllabus names the four characteristics of religion as being Beliefs and Believers, Sacred Texts and Writings, Core Ethical Teachings and Rituals and Ceremonies.
Using one religious tradition as an example, DEMONSTRATE the characteristics of religion.

EXPLAIN how TWO characteristics interact to create living dynamic religious system for adherents
of one religious tradition.


Any help will be appreciated! Thank you in advance.

 

[studygirl118]

Transcendent- they believe the God is outside the world (Christianity, Islam etc)
Immanent - they believe the God dwells within the individual ( Hinduism, Buddhism)
As for characteristics, if yo use Christianity as an example, you could talk about the bible for sacred texts, communions and confirmations for rituals etc. in not too sure in the last question


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[student1007]

For the last question: eg Christianity uses ethics (10 commandments, beatitudes, golden rule) as a set of guidelines to live by helping adherants make decisions on contemporary ethical issues. They also use the Bible, reading the gospel stories at chuch, and use a homily to communicate how the story is relevant today. Through this they are a dynamic living religion showing its relevance in modern society

 

[phat_tar]

For the last question: eg Christianity uses ethics (10 commandments, beatitudes, golden rule) as a set of guidelines to live by helping adherants make decisions on contemporary ethical issues. They also use the Bible, reading the gospel stories at chuch, and use a homily to communicate how the story is relevant today. Through this they are a dynamic living religion showing its relevance in modern society

Never ever use the term 'golden rule', the marking centre absolutely hates it and you will lose marks. Refer to it a Jesus' Commandment of Love or as the central ethical paradigm/teaching of Christianity, it will make you lose a lot of credibility very quickly which is something you don't want in a essay.

Also - Immanent doesn't necessarily just mean dwelling in the individual, but amongst humanity in general e.g. Jesus

 

[dan964]

Transcendent- they believe the God is outside the world (Christianity, Islam etc)
Immanent - they believe the God dwells within the individual ( Hinduism, Buddhism)
As for characteristics, if yo use Christianity as an example, you could talk about the bible for sacred texts, communions and confirmations for rituals etc. in not too sure in the last question


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Christianity holds that God is transcendant as mentioned, but also the idea of God being with us (immanent) (hence why we celebrate Christmas for instance), and God dwell in people (doctrine of the Holy Spirit).

In terms of sacred text: you have the Scriptures (aka the Bible), but you can go into details it is split into about sections:
- New Testament writings (gospels + apostolic letters incl. Revelation)
- Old Testament writings (collectively these are the Jewish scriptures)
Law (Torah)
Prophets
Psalms & Writings

In terms of the last question, thinking ethically there are actually a couple of different approaches:

- Deontological - more rule based. e.g. the law says don't speed
- Teological - goal based, e.g. purpose of humanity to glorify God. So what is good, is what brings glory to God, which is consistent with what is revealed in Scripture and exemplered in the character of Jesus.

For evangelicals, the Gospel message about Jesus is what drives ethics to love, show hospitality because the news changes lives, kind of idea.
It is case of where ones beliefs for instance that God is love, driving Christians to love; or for instance "be holy because I holy" kind of idea.
Christians aim to have lives that reflect their Creator BECAUSE of what God did in saving them. In a nutshell
(Christianity very wide spectrum).

 

[dan964]

Christianity:

Transcendence
Best way to think about this is that God is above all, as a creator kind of figure. For Christians, his transcedence, is key to asserting that his nature, authority is above ourselves, and that he is revered above others.

Immanence
For Christians, the idea of God's presence in the person of Jesus and then through the Holy Spirit. Ideas of God accomodating himself and relating to his creations in a personal way (rather than simply a removed way).

In terms of how that drives ethics:
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Corinthians 6:16

" You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you...Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it." - Romans 8:9, 12

Because Christians are said to have God's spirit dwelling within them, Christians are called to live a life consistent with the Spirit, to do good works prepared us by God. The motivating reason is the core beliefs of:
- What God has done (saved us by Jesus death on the cross and forgiven us, so that we are declared innocent by this)
- What God is doing (changing people by the Gospel i.e. the word, as they believe to reflect more like Jesus/God)

 

[dan964]

More generally

Religion's sacred writings are often important because they are what is called "revelation" in some religions (Christianity, Islam are noticeable examples), in other cases they are laws, rules or guidance (again Islam, Judaism, possibly Confucianism and other Eastern religion). They reveal truths about spiritual reality whether it be God or Brahman or something like that, and stipulate that because of that reality, certain obligations to be kept.

Some religions, argue those obligations cannot be met, e.g. evangelical Christianity, and the sacred text reveals not just who God is but also what he has done (Judaism also has the latter, Islam to some degree).

Others have a range of different teachings depending on sect, about which practices are to be upheld (different rabbinical schools of Judaism, different sects in Islam, Catholicism vs. Protestantism on the presence of Christ in the Lord supper.