Sikihism is a monotheistic religion that developed out of the sant tradition in the Punjab. It is the youngest of the worlds Major religions, with over  twenty million followers. This religion   practices meditation, and satsang (which is a type of spiritual chanting ), in order to reach a higher consciousness of themselves and the world around them. Like Budhism they believe in reincarnation and the only way to escape this reincarnation is to dispell the outer self and the ego. They believe that you can each this also by following rituals such as daily labor, and the depiction of the holy name. Guru nanak believed that all people were equal and didn’t support the caste system. Also, he believed that god was neither a man nor woman, and believed in there being one universal god.

Guru Nanak was the unofficial first Sikh, who’s untraditional Sant practices turned into Sikhism. After Nanaks death the, the Guruship was passed down to from generation and generation in the same blood line after the third Guru Amar Das. Sikhism’s tenth and last Guru, Godind Singh’s sons were killed in war. Thus the Guruship was passed down to the book of sacred writings, Granth Sahib, leaving the teaching immoral and eternal. 

For my field trip, i visited the Sikh temple in Santa Ana with my friend Prabhjite whom normally attends service there. On my way there i actually learned that they are not called temples, their in fact called Gurdwara’s. As we arrived i was told that i had to cover my head with a dabata, which is basically just a scarf that goes over your head, but not all of your hair.  As for Prabhjite, he covered his head with a patka which he usually dose (though many of the older men were wearing turbans).  Then we walked in, and took off our shoes and gave a donation for the church. To my surprise i found that men and women had to take seats on separate sides of the room. Except for children, they could take a seat on whatever side they chose. As i sat there on the floor and i took in sounds and environment that was around me. Unlike the Christian churches my family grew up in with large status and religious art surrounding every inch of your being, this Gurdwara didn’t contain many pieces of religious art at all. We listened to prayers and readings from the Grath Sahib for about 2 hours. Though many of them i barely understood, i found the entire service to be a very moving experience.  After this, we went to another part of the Grudwara for languor. Langar is a free meal that they give you after the service. It was really delicious and spicy vegetarian indian food. Durring that time, we talked with Prabhjite’s family and i had some time to ask them questions about their fate and how they felt about it. What i found out is that the main reason why they really feel connected to the Sikh religion is because of its large sense of community. This became quite apparent to me as  i looked around and saw that everyone knew everyone who happened to sit down around us. Also, they had a change to share with me that even though september eleventh was nine years ago, they still are discriminated against on a weekly basis. Prabhjite and i had been friends since about 10 years ago and he recalled that in our class on the day of september 11th that all the kids had made fun of him.

In reflection, i found the whole experience to be very eye opening. It gave new light to what we have been studying in this term because to read about something is intellectual but to actually be able to experience it made it almost spiritual. The sense of community was the biggest thing i noticed and the way that all in attendance were respectfully dressed. But my favorite part was the Indian food! All in all i found that this fieldtrip made me better understand one of the more difficult religions to grasp, and had a wonderful and spiritual time while doing so.

Week FIve: Islam


1. Detail the life and teachings of Muhammad according to Smith.  Make sure to discuss the basic theological ideas, main practices, social teachings of this religion. 

Next, discuss the video that you watched on Islam (narrated by Ben Kingsley…part one). What did you learn from the film? Illustrate that it was watched in full.  Elaborate.

In Smith’s book, he gave us insight into the life of to the Islamic prophet Mohammed from the beginning of his childhood. Born into the Koreish tribe in 570B.C. Mohammed’s parents died while he was very young. Yet inspire of his hardships as a child, he was described to be kind, gentle and had a yearning for helping others. While growing up he worked hard, and eventually became a servant for a window named Khadija. It is said that during his time serving her, she as impressed by his strong morals, and eventually the two fell in love and married. Throughout his childhood and into his married years he often spent time seeking solitude. One day while seeking solitude in a cave the angel Gabriel appeared and spoke  a message that made him realize that Allah was the only true God. He was delighted in his revelation and started spreading the word of Allah to all the people of Meca. Even though he obtained only a small following in his first years, the Mecan leaders saw him as a threat to not only their beliefs but the wealth of the city since a lot of their revenue was coming from people coming to make a pilgrimage to one of their many polytheistic shrines. A few years past and Muhammad’s following grew as well as Meca’s leaders impatience with him. They finally sent out to kill him, but in divine fate, he was summed by Yatib, a city not far away, to become their leader and escaped just in time. As a leader of Yatib (later changed to Medina), he resolved fights between tribes, ruled justly, lifted the cities spirits and  the cities religion became that of Allah.  Years later conflict between Meca and Medina sparked a war. Medina won and as a sign of peace Meca rededicated the cubical temple Ka’ba, to Allah.

The main Islamic belief system revolves around the words of the Koran. The Koran is believed to be not words from Allah, but word that the angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammed throughout the years. It is very different then the holy books of other western religions because instead of teaching fate through miraculous stories and moral tales, it is primarily a proclamation of the unity, omnipresence, omnipotence and mercy of God.  As for theological concepts, its views parallel with Judaism and Christianity on many levels such as the belief of creation, God, human self, and most importantly day of judgement. Unlike Christianity’s view of the day of judgement, Islam believes that instead of being held accountable by Allah, you will be stuck with a great clarity of how you lived your life and have to answer to ones self. In addition, Islam also teaches that there are certin obligations one must fulfill in a life which are: 1. Graditude for life received 2. To surrender yourself to Allah. The second one means that if you surrender yourself to Allah, you will be able to escape other types of enslavement. 

To help fulfill these obligations Islam follows the 5 pillars, each of which are a guideline for living your life and dealing with God. The first pillar is the confession to fate, also known as Shahandah. This confession translates to “there is no God but Allah and Mohammed’s his prophet. The second pillar is the canonical prayer, which is meant to be said 5 times daily at fixed times to give gratitude to Allah. The third pillar is Charity. Islam believes that all of those who can give to the need should. The fourth pillar is the observation of Ramadan which is time of fasting and reflection. This fast symbolizes Mohammed’s migration from Meca. Lastly, the fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Meca. It is tradition that followers must come to show their commitment to God. This pilgrimage is done in plain clothes to show everyones community, and shares loyalty to God.


2. Discuss in detail the mystical form of Islam as presented by Smith. Follow this with Karen Armstrong’s position on this very topic and also what she finds appealing about Islam in general and its founder.

Sufism is described by Smiths book as a mystical form of Islam that was started as a statement against the new  world form of Islam characterized by lavish castles and silk clothing. But even though this sounds like a very orthodox lifestyle it is in fact not. Sufis often live a normal lifestyle, have regular jobs, marry and have families, it is just a more disciplined way to surrender to Allah. The movement toward Sufism’s goal was to be able to experience Allah while still alive. Also, in the interview with Karen Armstrong she explains to us that by encountering the divine the lines between each religions God loose distinction, and become one. To accomplish this goal sufis use one of three paths (also known as the three mysticisms). 

The first mysticism is Love. It is characterized by the emphasis on the hearts knowledge. Many people following this often have night vigils, and write poetry confessing their love for Allah, such as the poet Rumi. The Secound mysticism is Estatic. Estatics often go into deep trances where they see god. When they enter back into reality it is often with a message of the divine. This is also known as visual knowledge. Thirdly and most complex is intuitive discernment, which deals with mental knowledge. In intuitive discernment they focus on ignoring the things in the world around us visually and acknowledging that they are just a symbol and creation of God.

3. Many non-Muslims are unaware of the historical and theological connection between Islam and Judaism and Christianity. The historical connection is obvious: Muhammad grew up in Mecca, a city with strong Judeo-Christian ties.  For this essay discuss the “theological similarities” with Islam and Judaism and then with Islam and Christianity. How is Islam similar to Judaism and how is it different? How is it similar to Christianity and how is it different?

Hint:  Draw from the reading and not outside websites (you are encouraged to use the websites offered on the course syllabus however). There is a lot to discuss here. Discuss each separately. Do not just list a few ideas but develop a well thought out essay here. This is an important essay. Here is an example: Jesus is viewed as an important figure in all three religions…explain. 

Week Six: Judaism


4. YALE ONLINE LECTURE ON THE BIBLE:  You were assigned to watch ONE lecture by the Yale University professor on the Hebrew Scriptures. Which of the three lectures did you watch? Outline in depth the 45 minute lecture.

The Yale lecture on the bible that i chose to watch was Biblican Religion in Context.  She describes the bible as being a product of “the minds reaction to the world around it.”In this lecture she introduced us to the two very different views of how monotheism developed. The first view is that of evolution and the second view was that monotheism was a revolution from the pagan religions of the time.  The idea of monotheism being a natural evolution argues that over time pegan culture progressed and as it did, soon has lesser and lesser Gods. For instance, they started at polytheism(many gods), to Henotheism (one god)/ menology (one god better then the rest) and then finally to monotheism. 

 Supported by the fact that there are many stories in the bible that are very similar in other near eastern religions. The second view, of Yehezkel Kaufmann, strongly opposes that idea, and believes that monotheism is a revolutionary idea and could not have evolved from paganism.

In the lecture they go on to discuss the many pegan ideals and how monotheism was a revolutionary way of looking at things and could not have been a natural evolution. Pegan polytyisitc religions believe in a metadivine realm, which is a magical ungender/unhuman/formless realm that controls the fate of the universe as well as the other Gods lifes. Kaufman argues that since in monotheism God answers to no metadivine realm it must be revolutionary. Not only in this example but in many other pegan believes this is so. In polytheism, the universe is amoral (even though some gods may be) and there is no set law. Next, Cults can help the Gods by giving sacrifices are channeling them through an element. After that, salvation is escape,  meaning you are able to set a magical barrier between you and them.  Gods are born, and there are good and evil gods.

When looking at monotheism as a revolution you can see how it clearly dispels all these notions. First of all, God no longer is controlled by a metadivine realm. Secoundly, the line between God and human is clearly difined because he was not born nor dies nor has an age. Thirdly, he transcends nature, and instead of nature controlling him, he expresses himself through it. Fourthly, the cults have no power in controlling the fate of God, therefore powerless to fate. Sixth, there is no evil other Gods that try and battle God. 

These reasons along with a few others are mentioned as the difference as to why it could not have evolved from paganism because of its drastic differences.

5. A detailed website on Judaism was offered on the course syllabus week five. There were twelve sections on the religion, from customs to holy days to ethics, etc… Using your own words briefly discuss the key ideas in these twelve areas…do not just list things but briefly explain the Jewish view in these areas.

The first section is Judaism at a glance. This section discussed how Judaism originated in the middle east by Moses and Abraham. As well as gave us quick overview of basic jewish traditions such as the oral law, Rabbis and the Torah. 

The second section was Judaism’s main monotheistic beliefs. They strongly emphasize having a strong sense of religious community as well as family because following Gods rules for life means everything done in ones life can be seen as an act of worship. Even though this is so, they believe that personal responsibility to key because it effect Gods view of the group as a whole. 

The third section enlightens us on the four major Judaic customs:the observation of the Sabbath, the wearing of Tefilllin, Eruvs and Kippah/Yarmulke. The Sabbath is a weekly day of rest that spans from friday’s sunset to saturday’s sunset. This day serves as a reminder of Gods day of rest after creating the universe. Tefillin’s are black cubes containing text from the bible, often worn during prayer and before Mitzvah. Evras are spaces of land in which jews are allowed to carry or push items in public during the Sabbath (which is normally not allowed). They are created to allow the handicapped as well as those dependent on carrying items such as medicine to be able to celebrate the Sabbath outside of their homes. The last jewish custom is the kippah/yarmlke is a head cap or scarf worn during synagogue as a sign of respect and fear of God. 

Section four revolved around the history of judaism. This section shows that history is a key component in their religion because its all written in the bible. In addition to the history written in the bible the Jews history is evidence of them being the chosen people.  In-spite of enduring many hardships such as the holocaust, expulsion from england and the distraction of their temples, Judaism still remains one of the worlds largest religions. 

Along with that, chapter five was about one of the most tragic events in Jewish history, the holocaust. The holocaust was the mass extermination of the Jews, (along with other ethnicity’s other than Arian) by Nazi government in Germany. The holocaust had a huge effect on religious thoughts by jews, many wondered why God would do this to his people? Yom Hashoah, a day of remembrance landing on the 27th of the month NIssan in the jewish calendar, was developed in memorial for this event. 

Section six was on the Holy days: Days of Awe, Passover, Rosh hashanah, Savour, Tish B’av, Yom Hashoah, Hanukkah, Purim, Sabbath, Sukkot, Tu B’shevat and Yom Kippur. These holy days are set aside each year to commemorate separate parts of Judaic historical events, as well as to strengthen a sense of community and festival in families. 

Section seven contained the  Ethical views of Judaism such as: abortion, capitol punishment, contraception, genetic engineering, war, animals, circumcision, suicide and organ donation. In short, Jews do believe in abortion (but only if the mothers life is in danger), do not believe in capital punishment, allow genetic engineering only to heal the sick, permits war in certain circumstances, encourages organ donation,  believes suicide is murder, and believe that as a commandment by god all jewish boys must be circumcised (and only on the sabbath). 

In section eight, they discussed the important figures in the bible. Abraham, was the first to be discussed because he was the first teacher of the monotheistic judaic practices and was sent on a mission by God to purify the Judaic religion. Secondly, Isaiah was important because he was perceived to be authors of the prophetic books of the bible that laid out the by the theme of jesus being our “suffering servant”. Thirdly joshua, the famous warrior who lead the army who concurred Jericho as well as Canaan. Fourth, Moses, who’s intellect and essays started a major movement of jewish philosophical writing.  Fifth, David, the first kind of Jerusalem who in the story of David and Goliath shows how is you put you trust in gods words, everything will be well. Sixth, Joseph, who saved egypt from famine by predicting it and taking measures to ensure provisions to service. Lastly but most importantly, Moses, was proven to by god to create the 10 commandments for morality which are still in use today.

In section nine, we learned of Judaism’s baby rites and wedding rites. Jewish baby rites are different for males and females. Baby boys must be circumcised when 8 days old and at the same time given his name. While Females are given their name at the first Torah reading at Synagogue. As for Jewish wedding rites, there are many rules and traditions that must take place before, during and after a wedding ceremony. For example, on the wedding day the couple is supposed to fast to cleanse themselves. Jewish marriages must be seen by a rabbi but not necessarily performed by one. Then as the marriage is complete, it is traditional for them to break a plate or glass. 

In Section ten they discuss the many subdivisions of Judaism such as: Conservative, Liberal, Orthodox, Reform, Humanistic, Modern and Reconstructionist Judaism. There is a lot to discuss about each one, so i will discuss the oldest and the newest subdivision. The oldest, Orthodox jews are the most committed to the traditions set out in the ten commandments and torah. In addition they also conform to wearing traditional Jewish attire, wearing hats, and married men not shaving their beards for example.

In section eleven the two main text are addressed. First of all the Talmud . The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible (the old testament). The torahs words are meant to be from God and dictated to Moses on Mount Saini. Secondly, the Talmud is a list of Jewish laws written in the 2nd century CE by combining Halakhah which is the original oral law and Gemara which is the rabbinic discussions about the laws after they were written.

In section ten the place of worship is discussed. Synagogue is the Jewish place of worship. Its services are lead by Rabbis whom read from the Torah (more times then not, only in hebrew). In orthodox services its custom for everyone besides unmarried women to cover their head in some way. Also, men and women are to sit on separate sides of the room (except for children).
_____________

Choose between 6 and 7: 

6. Explain the main argument in FALSE TESTAMENT and offer several
(offer “four to six”) specific, detailed examples of why they call it “false
testament.” 
The main argument in the false testament was that Judah’s post exilic period scribes created these false stories in order to create a great past that would further them to become a major political power. By obtaining this power through creating stories of concurring lands and battling armies, they would then be able to have evidence when fighting for land rights. The story of king Josiah sharing the scripts not only with the priests and advisers, but with the entire people of Judah, opened up a sense of community and made the religion more appealing to the masses by allowing them to become an active part of the survival of religion. By each person pledging themselves to this covenant with God, it felt much more personal, and gave them reason to give up the polytheistic views and remain monotheistic. Then, like in the stories of exile, they showed that if you disobey Gods covenant the consequences you will endure will be tremendous.

Lazre offered us many examples of how his archeological research dispels tradition. For example, tradition says that the Israelites invaded canaan but research shows that there is no evidence of any invasion. It then goes on to show that Judaic monotheism grew from a small indigenous culture located along the river jordan 1200 B.C. Secondly, tradition states that the Israelites were exiled from Egypt and wondered in the desert for many years. In Lazares research, they found no camp site remains or evidence of there ever being an exodus. In addition, tradition states that they used many camels for traveling while in exile but in research they found that camels didn’t become a common animal for transport in that region until many years later.

Not only did he dispel traditional views but he also showed how early archeological were inaccurate and bias. Yigael Yadins research, he says, represents the politicalization of archeology because Yadin was military, pro bible, and pro jewishly bias in his research. 

Week Seven: Christianity:


8. Utilizing Smith’s material (chapter 8) on Christianity, outline in essay form
the history of Christianity, paying special attention to the
differing schools of thought/branches (Protestantism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, etc.) within it and how they developed.  

Next, discuss in depth the film from the History Channel. What did you get out of the video and find interesting and even challenging? Offer proof that it was watched. For example, explain what did Crossan say in the video, etc….? There are 12 parts…you were assigned 6 of these 12 parts…. you can either discuss each separately or the key ideas overall to show me that it was watched in full.

In the History channel video, they targeted the question of “who wrote the bible?” They also discussed how the bible changed over the years threw different translations and interpretations. Through the years historians have been able to conclude that unlike the entirety of the bible coming from one sole author, there are in fact four. These four authors are refereed to as Jay, Elohim, Priest, and David. By the method of documentary hypothesis, historians use the parallels of many of the stories in the bibles different accounts to identify the four writing styles. The hypothesis of why there are many different versions of similar stories in the bible starts off with King david appointing two high priests. Before his death, his sons run against each other for the throne, each with a different priest on their side. Solomon wins, and gets rid of the priest that was on his brothers side by banishing him from the kingdom along with his followers. Historians believe that Israel, along with the Priest that was banished who later became the priest of Judah, both produced their own retellings of the biblical stories. To support this theory Crossan calls our attention to the book of genesis, and how it favors the 2nd son in many stories. Judah, symbolically was Israel’s second son and indadvertedly wanted to portray that in their bible. 

9. Explain in depth what Gnosticism is. Why do you think that it failed and that Christianity succeeded? 


I do not know.

10. You were assigned material on the work of the biblical scholar J.D. Crossan, who paints a picture of who he thinks the “historical Jesus” was. 
First describe his specific “research methodology” and then, most importantly, his actual findings on the life and teachings of Jesus.  Discuss briefly the four very short films on him. And, finally do you like the philosophy of the historical Jesus as presented by Crossan?

The methodology described by Crossan seems logical, unbiased, and

centered around the truth. By taking into account several perspectives

on one subject he ensures that no one opinion formulated by other

authors can be the predominant authority in his personnal work. The

key focus of Crossan’s article is to identify that there are more

aspects to be accounted for than those written in common biblical

texts. Crossan invokes the reader’s attention to the acknowledgement

of texts that have not been widely published about Jesus that could be

considered slanderous to the way Jesus is depicted in the more widely

known and accepted biblical texts by Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Crossan asserts an idea that the four gospels named earlier wrote

works that met the standard of which a more miraculous Jesus existed.

By bringing into light the existence of other gospels such as the

gospel of Thomas which is simply a collection of sayings and does not

share the story like fashion of the “canonical foursome” Crossan

presents a theory that the four authors shared more than a fashion of

characterizing Jesus but also, had in part a way of censoring what the

public was to view in text of what Jesus’ work had been.

What Crossan is doing in his cross-examination of available texts

about the life and works of Jesus is painting an unbaised picture of

what is available to be understood of the life of Jesus. The

revelation that works have been censored throughout history about

Jesus do not prove that Jesus was any less remarkable a figure but do

bring into light the posibility that what the public has common

reference to about Jesus has been intentionally misleading since the

creation of the press. Crossan acts as a journalist seeking truth

trough multiple references and what he finds is very believable.

Week Eight: Future of Religion and Your Personal Perspective

11. Week 8 Video:

What is the future of religion? Discuss the Night line Debate and the different positions within it? Who do you think won the debate? Explain.

Taking into consideration the views of each party in this debate, i feel as if the future of religion is destined for its mysticism to be dispelled, and replaced with scientific fact. Not to say that it will become useless, it will be looked more upon as guidelines for living life as a good person to further society as whole, rather then to please a “god” or natures forces.

In the debate, Deepak Chopra and Jean Houston stressed the significance of the acceptance of scientific facts but made it very clear that there is in fact divine force as the meaning for these things to be true. Chopra also referenced the mysticism behind Quantum mechanics multiple times in his argument  saying that because it is difficult to explain, the only explanation must be God. In rebuttle to these points made, Michael Shermer and his debate partner Sam Harris stated that all of Chopra’s words are “woowoo science”. Meaning that, because some scientific phenomenon’s are difficult to explain, Chopra uses religious concepts that are also difficult to find meaning in as the only explanation for science.  One of Shermer’s main points was that all religious out of body of divine experiences can be recreated without religion. For example, out of body near death experiences or visions can be replicated when using deep depravation, oxygen depravation  or even by exposing the brain to certain sound waves. Then, Chopra rebuttled saying that magical feelings such as love cannot be explained. To that, Shermer informed us of Oxytocin the chemical in our brains that is created for bonding feelings only to be questioned by Chopra as to who created it.

In my opinion i feel as if Michael Shermer and Sam Harris won. They stated scientific explanations for each of Chopra and Houston’s religious explanations of events. Also, they were able to rebuttal Chopras argument using words and phrases that most of the audience understood. As for Chopra’s loss, it was most definitely due to his lack of clear explanation as to why such facts are true. Almost all religions involving God encourage a sense of “blind fate”. I think Chopra really tried to play into the audiences spirituality in his argument but was swiftly shot down by Shermer’s logical reason.

12. Of all of the religions we studied this term, which religion (outside of your own; Eastern or Western) impacted you the most and explain in depth why? Offer personal insights how this alternative philosophy changes your thinking in some way.

Between eastern and western religions i found the eastern religions to be much more spiritual and interesting. Out of all the eastern religions that i learned about in this course, i found Jainism to be the most eye opening for me. I was really excited to learn about this religion because it is like no other. The Jains show a truly unwavering commitment to the practice of ahimsa and to reach moshka (which is similar to Buddhism’s nirvana). Jains are strict vegetarians, don’t have sex, nor do they do any sort of drugs, all are ideas which in America seem completely blasphemous.  Similar to Hinduism, Jains also believe in Karma. This karma is used when trying to escape the never-ending cycle of births and deaths which can only be escaped by attaining moshka. Their goal in life is to eliminate all of their past negative karma through physical and mental purity.  I find it really refreshing to be able to release ones self from their past karma’s and impurities.

12 PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS: (answer these questions on the first page of your exam)

1. NAME (your official name that is in my roll book).

Ashley Alexandria Dutka

2. USERNAME on the discussion board—-exact username is required to enable
me to look up all of you posts and dates to the posts.

Ashley Dutka

3. EMAIL ADDRESS

ashleydutka9@gmail.com

4. How many posts did you complete for the term? Give the “exact dates” of posts when you posted them on the blackboard. (Make sure to copy/paste your post work onto your website; number and date them as well.)

10/15/10 1:08 AM

post 12

   10/11/10 1:03 AM    post 8

 October 4, 2010 11:59 PM Post 9

10/13/10 12:08 AM   post 10

5. What reading did you complete in full in this course thus far? Be specific? 
Did you read ALL OF THE ASSIGNED CHAPTERS in Huston Smith’s book? Which ones? Did you read  Crossan’s research? the Triumph of Christianity and False Testament articles? the Gnostic Mystery?
Explain in detail (give specifics) what reading you completed.

yes i read all REQUIRED reading material. Except the The Gnostic mystery, and the Chapter on Christianity

6. What reading did you NOT complete? Be very specific.

I did not read any of the unrequited material. In addition i did not read the Gnostic Mystery and Smiths chapter on christianity

7. Out of all the reading that you were assigned what reading would
you recommend for future world religions classes? be specific.
Which books? which articles? which chapters? is there reading that
you would absolutely not recommend? why? I am very interested in
your response to Huston Smith’s book….did this book work for you?

Huston smiths book i found the to be the most comprehensive of all the reading material assigned. For your next class i don’t think you should require The Gnostic Mystery to be read, its quite long. Also, more videos! Videos are a great way of learning because they incorporate multiple senses which allows us to have better memorization. 

8. Films: List all of the films you watched in week 5, 6,7, 8. Do you have a favorite and why? Did you skip any films and which ones? 

I watched all required films.

9. What field trip did you complete? Where and when? Did you attend a service there?

The two field trips i went on was to a Jewish temple in Beverly Hills and to a Sikh Temple in Santa Anna

10. Which Religious Literature did you complete this term? (make sure to have completed at least four total for the semester; place this on your website under religious literature; this will make up part of your course grade)

11. Did you complete any extra credit in the course thus far? Be specific. (Make sure to include all extra credit in the e.c. section of your website.)

yes, i completed an extra field trip to a Jewish Temple.

12. Please list what “grade” you received on your midterm examination. Was there any material you were asked to MAKEUP and did you? Include the makeup work on your website and clearly label it!

i received a B on my midterm examination.

POST 12
In Crossan’s artical Jesus is presented as a historical figure whos
death was conventional and predictable and could only be expected from
the work of a heretic who not only sought to question the common
beliefs of an apocolyptic GOD but also delved deeper into the normal
beliefs of the structered heirarchy of society. The religious leader
Crossan writes about is a man who questioned the way GOD was percieved
and presented to all people who would listen a simple debt that could
be repaid in no impossible means. If one was to truely recieve his
message and his miracles then all what was asked of them was they
present themselves humbly as he did and share with one another with
what they had.
In summation of Crossan’s article one is to infer that the works of
Jesus remain significant today not in direct relation to the
miraculous nature implied by biblical texts; moreover the significance
lies in the way Jesus questioned the “most basic level of
civilization’s eternal inclination to draw lines, invoke boundaries,
establish hierarchies, and maintain discriminations,” as stated by
Crossan. The author presents Jesus as a powerful historical figure and
does not undermine the importance of Jesus as a significant attributer
to the commmonwealth of the people of his day; however, in the
conclusion of his article the author comments on the  story of Emmaus
and makes it seem impossible. The story comes from a peasant couple
who found new hope in the Christian philosiphy through a meeting with
Jesus after his ressurection.
The Jesus Crossan depicts strikes me as a more believable character
than what is drawn up in biblical references. Coming from a backround
where Christianity is questioned beyond what the bibal states as fact
I take Crossan’s view of Jesus as further proof of what I have already
thought of as truth. The miracles told by others of what Jesus
performed may not have all been true but in no uncertainty was he an
inspiring figure that stands out throughout history for a specific
purpose of bringing joy and happiness to the world.

Post ten: discuss the main ideas in False Testament and compare this research to a more traditional religious perspective. Final/Personal reflection for post ten:What do you think about this kind of academic research? Do you find it enlightening or offensive? Why? Have this response as a separate paragraph at the end of the post.’
 Daniel Lazares’s article, False Testament, gives us a look into the immense historical inaccuracy of the testaments in the bible, as well as how and why these inaccuracies evolved. Given this unique view, we are able to reevaluate the oral traditions as well as the biblical history on which Judaism is based. The first historical inaccuracy that is reviled to us is the belief that Israelites were invaders into the land. Contrary to this Judaic historical belief, archeologists discovered that Israelites were an indigenous culture located along the river Jordan around 1200 B.C.. Along with that, we also learn that the chronological time spans given to in the bible or terrible inaccurate. For example, The Davidic Empire, did not even exist until 7/8th of a century later then mentioned. In addition, Judaism started evolving in the mid-first century instead of the second millennium B.C. Yet, the most shocking archeological find was that there were no evidence to even slightly suggest that there was ever an exodus from Egypt. Lazare also states that there was no amortize migration. He came to this conclusion by combining the facts that the animals mentioned in that part of the animals mentioned multiple times in those stories did not become common until hundreds of years later. Even more convincing, they have found no evidence of camp sites where the exiles would have lived. Instead he found that Israelites were natives. In traditional perspective, followers would blame these discrepancies on possibly the multiple authors or mistakes in the perception of time but Lazares blames these false stories on Judah s officials being in a quest for political power and rites to land ownership. By creating false stories of Gods ability to reword those who follow his word and punish those who stray they were able to encourage Jewish people from straying from monotheism. Lazares also goes as far as to dispel the past archaical research, done by Yigael Yadin, calling it bias (pro jewish, pro bible). 
 Personal Reflection:In my opinion i welcome this type of academic research. To my surprise i find that a lot of people take the bible quite literally, and to be completely true, which i think is completely ridiculous. Now, due to research like Lazare’s those people can look at bible in a more symbolic manner than literally. I find it quite enlightening to read, since i haven’t had the opportunity to find such a academic reviewing of the accuracy of these stories. But i have a strong feeling that most Jews and Christians will find this completely blasphemous, and insulting, considering it portrays religion as a result of power hungry politics.

Post Nine: 

The Jewish religion is often coined by their quick unexplainable rise to a major world religion and are often refer to themselves  as “the chosen people”. Being the chosen people, they have not only held responcabilitys for themselves to god, but have also given themselves the responsibility to redeem the world in the eyes of Yahweh. A large amount of jewish beliefs lay in their practices, such as the sabbath supper, circumcision, and hallowing meals, marriages and other occasions. 

 The chapter on judaism as presented in chapter seven of the text mainly revolves around the idea that the ability to find MEANING in all aspects of life, is what sets the jewish religion apart from all others. Unlike most religions that serounded them at the time, jews  were monotheistic and believed in a divine god that not only cares for his people but for all people. contrary to other eastern religions that surrounded them who believed that  the material world holds you back from enlightenment; the jews believed that the material world was the place to find the true meaning to life. “Would god have created nature were it unimportant?” (pg. 186)

 Not only do the Jews attempt to find meaning in nature but also put great emphasis on the human experience. Yahweh views all his followers as children, who have their own freedom of choice in to follow his way or to not. Yet, when  they have chosen not to follow, they are faced with great consequences. Yet, just like children learn from their mistakes while growing up, Jews use the positive and negative lessons from their history to guide them in the right direction. They believe that god has a divine plan for them, but being humans with freewill, they have the ability to take a different plan.

 Along with these lessons they’ve learned through their history, they’ve found that things typically go well when they follow the ten commandments laid out for them by god and live their lives with moral. This includes not stealing, lying, murdering or committing adultery. On the other hand, Jews have also learned that when you decide to act immorally Yahweah will create justice. For example, when in war, the country that wins is the one who was most just in following God. 

 Lastly, even when things seem to all be going wrong, the Jews find meaning in their suffering. They take their suffering to be a sign from Yahweh for them to change their ways. For example, when they were held captive by Babylon. It was Yahwehs way of telling them that their freedom is not theirs, and to gain it back they had to change the way they lead themselves.

Final/Personal Reflection:

I believe that the state of Isteal has lived up to its moral obligations to its best abilities considering the current circumstances of the world around them. I believed they have lived up to most of their moral obligations besides that of Utopia.  They have had to withhold many rights from their people but only to protect their security which was one of the main reasons they established Israel. Though it may not be the best answer to their complex problems of terrorism, it is crucial that we realize that they have acknowledge their problem and are attempting to move forward to fix it.

Mohammad, the deliverer, was born in 570 B.C. into the tribe Koreish. When he was young his parents both died, yet dispute of that his demeanor was always kind, gentle and helping of others. As he grew up he had a few odd jobs until serving for a widow, Khadija. Through his time serving her, they fell in love and eventually married. While seeking solitude alone in a cave one day the angel Gabriel spoke to him ”                 “. It became apparent to him that one God stood above the rest, Allah. This is the event which inspired him to proclaim to all of Meca, Allah’s eminence. Unfortunately, though his intentions were to help others realize this, the population of Meca did not welcome his words with open arms, especially the leaders. Mohammads monotheistic message would not only go against the polytheistic beliefs of the city but also compromise the income made by those making pilgrimages into the city to worship one of the hundred of gods. Political leaders did everything in their power to dispel Mohammads words, and for the first few years this was effective. 

 Fortunately, this proved ineffective in the long run. By the end of the decade hundred apron hundreds of families began following Mohammads teachings. Mecan leaders began seeing as a major threat to the society as they knew it, and they set out to kill him. At the same time as this, Yatib, a city 280 miles away in social and political unrest, summoned Mohammad ( due to his just and kind demeanor) to become their new leader. He accepted and narrowly escaped Mecas death threat. Due to his new, yet very successful role as leader slowly the city of Yatib (later changed to Medina) converted to Islam. As a leader, he unified tribes, as well as raised the populations spirit for the commonwealth. Years later,  Medina won control of Meca, after the war for the mind of Arabia. After Medina won, Muhammad forgave Meca for all the threats and suffering they caused him. In addition, he also rededicated Abrahams cubical temple, Ka’ba, to Allah. 

 Islamic religion is coined by their main beliefs. The Koran is Islam’s  main religious text and guide for their beliefs. Unlike other religious texts, the Koran isn’t full of stories or gods direct words. Its full of mostly the words from the Angel Gabriel, proclaiming theunity omnipresence and omnipotence and mercy of God.  Secondly, Islam is coined by its theological concepts and thought they may seem similar to Christianity and Judaism in ways such as God, creation, human self, and day of judgement, their meaning is different. First of all, the main belief is in ones complete surrender to Allah. This surrendering is not to give up, but it is meant to be taken in the sense that if you surrender yourself to Allah, you will be able to escape other types of slavery. Unlike Christan/Jewish beliefs, Islam believes that on the day of judgement each soul will be held accountable for its actions not by Allah but by ones self.

 These theological concepts are informed by the 5 pillars, which are guidelines for living ones life with God. The first pillar is Shahadan. Shahadan  is the confession to fate, which directly translates into “there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” Second Pillar is Canonical prayer, which is the everyday prayer to Allah. Charity is the third pillar. It is encouraged that all that can give, should give to help others less fortunate. Fourth is the observation of Ramadan, in which one is not allowed to eat from sunrise to sundown as a symbolization of Mohammads migration from Meca. Fourthly, and most importantly is the pilgrimage to Meca. Durring this pilgrimage, followers leave their modern day clothes behind in exchange for white sheets to eliminate social classes and show ones commitment to Allah. 

 The last aspect of Islam that one must observe is their social teachings. In regards to economics the Koran says “wealth should be in vigorous circulation.” They believe that competition in business is healthy. In regards to the status of women, though many feel that Islam lowered women’s worth in society because men were permitted to have many wifes, it in fact gave them more rights. For example, with the spread of Islam women were able to only be married if they consented to it, they were insured a prenuptial agreement, and for daughters it promised them part inheritance from their fathers (which was never done before for daughters). Islam also widened the social acceptance of interracial coexistence in Meca. Though surprisingly, even though it is popular belief that the cloaking of women in the middle east is due to Islam, it is in fact only part of local customs.

 Even though Islam’s core beliefs mostly lay in its oral tradition and prayer, it also contains a mystical side. Sufism is what Islam’s followers refer to as its mystical diminution. Unlike most other Islam followers who believe that to reach the divine one must wait till their death, Sufis try to reach the divine while still on earth. These mysticism methods are broken up into three categories, love, ecstasy, and intuitive discernment. Sufis believe that by isolating ones self from Allah, then returning, you do not realize love until its gone and come to appreciate it. The second method of ecstatic, is to be able to stand outside ones self, and see the world around you, while in disconnection to it. Finally, Intuitive discernment is the method of mental knowledge and disconnecting ones self from the martial world to find that it only is a veil of god and to find god one must look into the spiritual world. 

Final/Personal reflection for post eight: 

The aspect of Islam that i found most interesting is the fact that its Holy book is not shrouded in complex stories in which one must find the moral in but it more directly states what you are and aren’t supposed to do on a daily biases. Im not quite sure if that is a positive or a negative, because in the upside you clearly know what to do to be a good person. But if you don’t follow them, it clearly cuts you out of the picture. I don’t personally feel as if any of this text resonates with me. I find Islam to be more of a totalitarian religion that feel much like hidden socialism to me due to its social views and strict rules. Clear instructions of how to get to heaven don’t entice me, id rather have my instructions be a bit blurry with some room for interpretation.  I can definitely see many similarities with Christianity and Judaism. Such as….. the creed, repetition of prayers, and belief in judgement day.

1. Name (your official name that is in my roll book).
Ashley Dutka

2. Email address
Ashleydutka9@gmail.com

3. How many posts did you complete? Give the “exact dates” of each when you posted them on the discussion group. (Make sure to copy/paste your post work onto your website; number and date them!!!)  Include the interactive posts here as well!

I completed ten posts in total. 

9/19/10  7:05 PM Post 1 (late)

9/7/10 8:03PM Post 2

9/7/10 10:37 PM Post 3

9/7/10  10:51 PM  Post 4

9/13/10 6:45 PM Post 5

9/13/10 7:32 PM Post 6

9/19/10 7:01 PM Betsy Torres Response

9/19/10  7:40 PM Charles Norman Repsonse

9/19/10  7:49 PM Response to Rosamaria Alfaro

9/19/10 8:16 PM Religious Lit. Buddhism 

4. What reading did you complete in full in this course thus far? Be specific?

So far in this course i have completed all the required reading for weeks 2 through 4.

Enchanted Land: A Journey with the Saints of India by D. Lane

Huston Smith’s book: chapter 1 (intro) and chapter 2 (on Hinduism)

Website: (Wikipedia : Janism)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism

WHY I DON’T EAT FACES by D. Lane

The Lions in the Punjab by D. Lane

 Wisdom of the Buddha….The Dhammapata

Religious Lit. Buddhism 

5. What reading did you not complete? Be very specific.
I did not complete any of the optional reading.

6. List all of the films you watched in week one, two, three, four. Do you have a favorite and why?

Story of India: Michael Wood on Jainism and Buddhism (10 min)

BBC VIDEO on the Life of the Buddha (49 min)

Introduction you to Buddhism (less than four minutes)

The Sikh Religion, part one&two

Baba Ji Explains Jainism

The JAIN sect of INDIA : The torchbearers of Non-Violence

REL298: Jainism

Inner Visions and Running Trains: Faqir Chand’s Revelation in Iraq in 1919

Ramana Maharshi and Indian Philosophy

Hinduism- 1-2-3-4-5

My favorite film that i’ve watched so far is the 45 minute film on Buddhism.  It was my favorite because i found the topic of Buddhism quite interesting. I also found it particularly  astounding that unlike many other religions books, the story of Buddha has actual proven historical fact behind it. 

7. Did you skip any films and which ones?

Unfortunately, i skipped all of the ‘un-required’ videos.

8. What field trip do you plan to complete? Where and when? (Remember that week five-six you should be working on your field trip to an Eastern religious center and attending a service of some kind.)

The field trip that i plan on completing is to a Buddhist temple. The temple that i plan on visiting is the one located in Hacienda Heights. This will most likely happen with-in the next week.

9. Which Religious Literature did you complete thus far? (make sure to have completed at least two or more for the midterm; four total for the semester; place this on your website under religious literature; this will make up part of your mid-semester grade)

Unfortunately i only completed one Literature Assignment this term, i completed the Buddhist Readings.

10. Did you complete any extra credit in the course thus far? Be specific. (Make sure to include all extra credit in the e.c. section of your website.)

So far, i have not completed any extra credit, but i plan on completing an extra-credit assignment in the near future.

11. In all honesty, how many hours do you think that you put into this class each week thus far? Week one? Week two? Week three? Week four?

Each week i put in around 12 hours of work into my assignments. It was honestly a lot more work then i believed it would be.

12. Having studied Hinduism with its various schools of thought, Buddhism with its various divisions, Sikhism and its various branches, Jainism, and Chinese religions, reflect on which religion thus far and, more specifically, which “school within it,” has most impressed you. Explain why? Note: This is not meant to be an opportunity to discuss the “faults” of these religions or to discuss your own religion but to emphasize what you personally found attractive and WHY!! Offer depth and insight as much as possible. This question allows for a lot of personal reflection and creativity. There is much you can do with it!

So far the Zen Buddhism has been my favorite. The thing about it that i found so attractive was the way that the zen Buddhists spoke to each other. I also found it really attractive that they were very light hearted about their love for one another and the universe and showed it outwardly instead of through meditation only.

1. If I was going to create a religion it would have a seven dimensional organism. This is because it conforms to the rules discussed by Smith. That helps keep religion sustainable cause the seven dimensions are the characteristics that create a religion: myths, rituals, religious experiences, doctrines, ethics, social aspects, & material forms of religion. 

My religion would be close to the Catholic religion. Nevertheless I would overall keep the 7 dimensions the same except make a couple of changes to the rituals  and have a more broader look on the doctrines. 

Myths: would be the story of ‘Adam and Eve”, and would have symbolisms such as the truth. And holy water and so forth.

Rituals: would be going to church every Sunday but you wouldn’t have to dance and sing instead there would be meditation.

Religious Experiences: you would be able to reach these by having an out of body experience in  which would happen with meditation. This would be important in my religion because it will help you believe and understand there is a higher power.

Doctrines: would be the the Bible. A reading  with mythical stories and a philosophy of this religion.

Ethics: murder,stealing, and lying wouldn’t be allowed and would be a sin. There would be a set of rules in which if you follow it will lead to good karma and if broken bad karma and consequences.

Social Aspects: there would be a church which you can visit any time of the day or night but there would be a mass every Sunday.

2. Material Forms: rosarys, crosses, anything that has been blessed with holy water, church and the bible.

  A meme is  when you imitate someone or something else and it is passed on and it continues.

 The memetic theory helps explain why and the memetic factors determine if something will evolve and how it would. All religion comes from a meme. They are all copied from one idea. They all lead to something new and different but come from the same source.Successful religions modify from the original idea. We are also allowed to make scientific conclusions from the memes.It allows us to see which and what generates from the original meme and through popularity is how well its idea propagates.Fundamentalist Groups , cults and secularism are offering a greater insight on religion and its only going to progress.There are two types of cults; magic cults and religious cults.Cults weren’t always considered a religion until it had its own membership. Religion originated from cults and they have a lot in common.They both have a social network and have some kind of material form and these are some of the basics humans need.As long as religion is changing we will have cults and are found in history.Cults also give people  a meaning to life. Secularization  helps the growths of cults and new movement in religion.The argued thesis is that secularization will eventually loose its power. People have battled  of a “Third Awakening”  happening for America.Baby Boomers are those  who are born from the years of 1946-1964 from rich people to poor people, people of all kind. The image and the way god is viewed  has changed.According to this reading the typical baby boomer characteristic are there interest in improving ones self  by eating right, exercising etc, a broader view of the universe, an easy going outlook and more attracted to a religious experience.With those four reasons gives us the opportunity for a better understanding on religion.Since the boomers have more of an open mind there is more knowledge  there is a belief that some aspects from every religion could be true. Religion wont die because we have a certain perfect of our loyalist, dropouts and returnees. Furthermore religion is apart of social groups, help groups, and as long as one is going to be alive so is religion. It may not remain the same but will have room for transformation with the more knowledge we obtain.

3.Sociologist fight for the “social function” of religion.A couple of the socialolist that support this are,Simmel,Wilson, and Weber..I will give short examples to explain three claims.

Georg Simmel: theorizes nature,fate and society are part of humans religious spirit.Also that  religion lets people in society function correctly.Without religion we wouldn’t exist  and it also allows laws to be made so there will be something to follow and obey.For example: people would love and live peacefully because of rules and a belief in god would give someone a reason to look forward to the future.He also argued that religion has a role in a humans mind.

Bryan Wilson:  his attention from religion is its social gain. For example: religion gives significance  to society which controls society and allows people to do good deeds. He believes  that without accustomed religion that the future looks hopeless.

Max Weber: he rejected the doctrine of the catholic church and  started looking into the inner worlds principles. He believed that inner worlds ascetism can lead to social advancement which would then lead to capitalism.He saw a future in this.He combines theory with a practical context and his studies are considered a classic because it was still used decades later.

5.  In the Hinduism pleasure, world success and duty are the things in life that each one of us think we want and are encouraged to avidly peruse with in moderation. Despite that, the thing we all truly really want is ‘Liberation’ (moksha). This liberation that we crave is to be free from all the things that hold us back from infinite being, awareness and bliss. Yet, thought we may not be aware, we already have it. Everyday distractions, selfish instincts, and societies delusions hold us back from realizing our the infinite light hidden inside ourselves.

The Hindus concept of self, unlike western religions concept of self, revolves around the idea that our soul is infinite and we are constantly being reborn into new bodies with the same soul. At the same time, throughout these changes of bodies, our goal remains the same, to reach our uncover our infinite being.

  “Many paths to the same summit” refers to the four paths one can follow to achieve enlightenment. The path of love, knowledge, work and phycophysical exercise. To reach enlightenment throughout knowledge means knowing the difference between how your perceived by others (ego, body image, ect.) and who you really are (infinite being inside of you). Thus, possessing the knowledge to know the real you and to realize that you are not who you are on the surface, nor are you the language you speak, you are an infinite being. The ideas of reaching god through love, can be divided into who different perceptions, who both practice in forms of yoga praising god. It is viewed by the bhaka, who deeply loves god, but realizes that god is another entity then ones self, with an infinite personality. On the other hand, the Japams deeply love god, but also identify with on a personal level, and feel that he is a has a definite personality.  Reaching god through work  deals greatly on the principles of karma. It states that if you give of ones self without want for notice or repayment, that your reward will be enlightenment because you are dispelling your ego or the other 4 wants, which only hold you back from liberation. The way to reach god through physophysical exercise one uses roja yoga. Roja yoga is a means of breaking through ones layers while in a hypnotic state, inverting ones thoughts to a calmness. 

   According to Hindu beliefs, ones life can be broken up into various stages. Though every one person is different, they all pass through the same stages in some way or another. The stages are as followed: Student, householder, adult education, retirement and renunciation. Because not all people are alike, each person can experience these stages while in different stations in life (caste system). The various stations in life are : Brahmins, administrators/organizers, producers, and followers. Both stages and stations both deeply relate to enlightenment. The caste system is the real life reincarnation of people who have reached different stages in the path of enlightenment. The Brahims,  being the students who need to learn, and the renunciation being those who are on the threshold of enlightenment.

6.  Jainism is the belief that every living organism contains a soul and their main goal in life is to achieve liberation of the soul, and break the cycle of births and deaths.    they follow five vows (mahavratas), that they pledged to follow . The mahavratas are  non violence, non-attachment to possessions, not lying, not stealing, and sexual restraint. Many jains believe that jainism has always existed, this may or may not be true. What we do know is that the earliest record of Jains in history is between ninth and sixth  centuries BC. 

Similarities:

 1. Ahimsa -Jainism is similar in many ways to Buddhism due to its bases in the belief of ‘ahimsa’.  Ahimsa is not only the practice of nonviolence but it goes even further to take that non violence to a  mental level. This means that they practice not thinking any negative thoughts towards anyone, or wishing bad thoughts upon any other living beings. 

2. Karma- Both Jain’s and Buddhists both believe in the laws of Karma. Buddhists believe that every action has a reaction of a consequence, and so do Jains. This law of Karma is one of the main reasons for Jains belief in Ahimsa. Why hurt other living beings when you yourself would not want to be hurt? 

3. Nirvana- Jains and Buddhists both same one common goal, nirvana. Though their interpretations of nirvana maybe different.

4. Equality- Both Jains and Buddhists both believe in the equality of all living things, including, man, woman or animal.

5.Yoga - Most importantly both religions practice some form of yoga which helps them in their way to enlightenment.

Differences :

1. Founders- Buddhism was founded by Buddha himself. Jains on the other hand, believe they were never founded and have always existed. One of the first widely noted jains was Guru

2. Path to enlightenment - Buddhists follow an eight fold path to enlightenment, while jains solely practice different forms of yoga, to accomplish moksha.

3. Number of followers- Jainism is in fact, has a significantly smaller following then almost all world religions with only five million. While buddhists on the other hand have around 300 million.

4. Years - Jainism is drastically older then Buddhism with its roots in 870 BC. Buddhism began in 500 BC.

5. Asceticism - Even though the buddah did practice asceticism at once time in his life, he found it not to be the way to enlightenment. This however is not true in Jainism, extreme asceticism is the biases of their way towards enlightenment.  

7. In tradition, followers believe in that the Sigh Sabha was the true origin of Sikihm.  Opposing that is the views of the Schlor W.H. Mcleod. His research concluded that Skihism was developed from the Sant tradition. Sikhisms history shows a great evolution of the main beliefs in the community and shows that politics and military concerns truly were the cause of this evolution. The first Sikh Guru was Nanak, though he did not formally start this religion, his own unique beliefs and practices, along with Sant tradition (ahimsa, genderless god, equal rights for male/female, shabd yoga) became the building blocks of which Sikhim was built. After his death he appointed his disciple, Angad, to cary on the guruship. With the Third Guru Amar Das, the Sikhs grew in numbers and started evolving from a select few followers to an entire community. Amar Das helped this process creating the manji system, established festival days, and encouraged a caste-free dining system. Durring the time of Ram Das, the fourth Guru, he further established and organized the Sikhs by setting up the city of Amristar as the groups center, after the land was given to the Sikhs by Emperor Akbar. Unfortunately, this center was not enough, the Sikhs craved fro a greater sense of community and a communal place of worship. This need was acknowledged and met by Arjan Das, the fifth guru. He organized the construction of the temple of the gods (which was  later distoyed by multiple muslim empires). Around 1603 Sikhs got their first taste of persecution while Guru Har Gobind was appointed. He organized a sikh militancy, in response to the growing number of jats (a farming cast with strong military). This was not enough, Gabind and his followers had to seek refuge due to this persecution by shah jahan. They spent many years peacefully in the foothills surrounding the himilayas where they first sought refuge. The threat of the Mughals receded with the 8th guru, and with the 9th guru Tegh Bahadur everything changed. They were forced to fight for their religion again emperor Mughal, who authorized a policy to ban all other religions other than Islam. Tegh Bahadur,  was beheaded and this sparked a spectacular feeling of dharma to fight in the religion.  They once again started to build up their military as Godbind Singh, the 10th and last guru took over.  He reestablished old traditions in a new community of the pure called Khalsa. Before he died, he passed the role of guru down to the sacred writing themselves, to ensure that they will never die.In 1880 the Singh Badha movement followed the khans but encouraging all seeks to revert back to orthodox beliefs. 5 years later the british took control of the punjab. The british made many improvements to the seeks way of life, by building roads, canals, hospitals, and schools but their presence was not fully welcome. In 1925 famine, debt and plagues came apron the punjab with no response from the british. At this time, many sikhs felt unsafe and decided to take political refuge in countries such as the United States and Canada. There, tough at first facing discrimination, have today become a very welcome part of mainstream culture.

Through out their evolution, Sikhs have been notorious for changing the way their history has been written in order to further help their political needs of the time. A great example of this is the Jaman Sakhis, which has little historical accuracy but is one of the biggest biographies  written of the religion between the 17th and 18th century. Some of the things changed in the history was saying that Nanak was a meat eater and practiced asceticism. They also stressed the fact that he wanted to reconcile with hindus and muslims and had respect for all other religions. These facts were changed because during the 17th and 18th century, the Sikhs were in need of reconciliation with the other larger religions in the Punjab. Also, he was described as being a meat eater when he wasn’t because of the need for strength in the Sikhs military at the time.

8. Buddhism evolved around the story of the “man who woke up”. Literally, the main who woke up was Buddha’s realization of his need to find the path to enlightenment, and the answer to lifes’ suffering. He discovered that on the path to enlightenment one must realize the four noble truths. The first truth is that life is dukkha. But that this Dukkha (suffering) was not permanent and we could do things to alleviate ourselves from it.The Secound noble truth is that Tanha is the cause of Dukkha. Tanha (desire for selfish fulfillment), The third truth is that one can remove dukkha by vanquishing tanha from themselves. Finally, the fourth truth gives us the remedy to cure lifes suffering and the minds selfishness. The eight fold path is our remedy. This path consists of  right knowledge, right aspiration, right speech, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right absorption.

After buddhas death, the school split into two.The reason for this split was simple timely questions such as, “what is the best part of the human self, the head or the heart?” , “is the universe friendly?” and “do people create their destiny? or is it predetermined?” The Hinayana, was the first school of Buddhism. They believed that Buddhism is a full-time job, and if you really wanted enlightenment, you could commit your entire life to it and become a monk. The second school, Mahayana, also known as Buddhism for the people believes that Buddhism was for everyone, even those who did not study it incisively.  Yet after some time, the Mahayana started, unlike the Hinayana, to split up once again. These many splits produced the, the pure land school, ti-en tai, and the school of zen.  

9.   The exact translation of the world Tao, means the path. The three main meanings of Tao are, the way of ultimate reality, the way of the universe, and the way of human life.  These meanings take into account the true meaning of how the words in the Tao are meant to be used or seen in life. There are three main approaches to the Tao. First of all is the philosophical approach. Philosophical Taoism focuses on self help and conserving the te’ within oneself by making it more efficient. They can increase this by living more wisely so not to waste anything. The second approach is Augmented power. This power was believed to be the life force, and through matter, movement and mind, they attempted to find ways to increase the amount of chi available in ones body. The third approach is through vicarious power. Vicarious power is deriving power from someone elses stronger power. 

These are used everyday in modern times. These terms are relevant when speaking of how one uses their own resources, such a money. Some find ways to cut budgets, and buy sparingly in order to conserve their money with having to do as little work as possible. Secoundly, there are those who find ways to make more of the money so they can be stronger then others. Thirdly, there are those who are simply given money by others who see that they are in need of it.

10. Hinduism:

The video, the story of india by Michael Wood, was a very in-depth historical account of the evolution of india, and its origins. India is very unique in the fact that its one of the only countries to stay true to its ancient traditions and beliefs. Up to today, Brahmans still perform  the same rituals, and drink the soma of the gods, which was used in 2 million BC.  The strong oral tradition behind these rituals, performed by Brahmans, are songs that are not relevant to no language in history. Another example of the unchanging tradition of india is the form of marriage that is still performed in many of the smaller villages. It is in their custom to mary only their first cousins in order to keep their families genes exclusive. 

In 1700BC, citys became to arise, the two largest of them being Harapa (3500 thousand) and Mahenjo Daro (5 million). These cities were built along the Indis river, a trading post for many countries. In 1500 BC, literature and language first started to become a large part of Indian society. Their language was Sanskrit, which is no longer spoken, but is the root of all modern Indian languages today. Strangely enough, though Sanskrit was their first language, it did not originate there. It can be traced back to the Arian tribes from the black desert. As for literature, the Rig Veda was one of the first pieces of literature to arrive out of india. In this book they spoke of a sacred drink of the gods called soma. Soma is not natively grown in India but actually is grown in the black desert, where the arians originated. 

Buddhism: 

The BBC’s Life of Buddha discusses in-depth the events of Buddha’s  childhood, as as well as the events that lead to his quest for enlightenment and the history of his teachings after reaching it. In addition, they also discuss the historical facts behind the Buddhas story. The Buddhas story starts at his birthplace in Lumbini, a city in the foothills of the Himalayas, where he was born as a prince. At his birth, the 32 marks of a great person were found on his body and he would either become a great world leader or a spiritual leader. His father did everything in his power to convince his son into wanting to take over the kingdom, instead of becoming a spiritual leader. He spent his childhood in a palace in Kapilavastu, and at his fathers request, never left the kingdom. One day, his father finally allowed him to leave the palace and he saw pain and suffering for the first time in his life. This suffering and pain, was the inspiration for him to start his quest for enlightenment. He then went on 4 different outing out of the palace walls and learned 4 different types of suffering in life. Then, after marrying and having a child, he left them after having a vision, and wondered into the country to find answers to his questions. He tried finding answers to these questions by extreme fasting, meditation without breathing, and not washing. He tried these things but they didn’t bring him any closer to his answers, so he went to find a new path. Inspired by a trace he went into in one of his outings as a child, he tried to reach extreme states of calmness, happiness and concentration. Once he was almost at his highest state of enlightenment he was mentally attacked and tempted by the demon mara. He overcame the attacks and temptation and found was finally able to reach enlightenment. His enlightenment was realizing that Mara wasn’t actually a demon, but a accumulation of the wickedness inside everyone (ego, selfish desires, self-pleasure). After this he returned to him family, and came up with the four noble truths to teach others how to reach enlightenment.

In the second video, The Discovering Buddhism, they discuss Karma, and what buddhism represents to its followers. Karma is the answer to why things happen, and how every action in the world has a reaction in some way or form. What buddhism means to most of its followers is a way to better ones self and change your life for the better. Some obtain this through enlightenment, helping others, labor or love.

Chinese Religions :

In the video, “THREE TEACHINGS” video on China. They discuss the three main teachings in that country. The first teaching is Confucianism. Confuious, the founder lived around the time of 500 BC.  He expressed the need to have good social harmony, as well as self cultivation. He also believed in social duty, meaning that each person should be given his place in society based apron his abilities. Secondly, Taoism was discussed. Taoist’s believe in the importance of health in the human body and harmony in the environment. They are coined as being the inventors of traditional medicine, while experimenting to find ways to maintain the body in good health. Lastly, they discussed Buddism. BUddhism did not originate in china, but today is one of the largest religions in the country.  They believe in achieving enlightenment throughout good physiological health. They also emphasized in finding harmony with all things in the universe. Though all three of these teachings have their differences, they also have some similarities. They all believe in the concept of tao, which is means “the path”. As well as they all use the yin an yang symbol. 

Charles Norman, i really enjoyed your insight into what you thought the other reasons for these supernatural claims. Before reading your personal reflection i hadn’t actually considered that this supernatural realm they may be tapping into could be caused by other reasons other than enlightenment. I feel now after reading this that Buddahs days leading up to enlightenment could have just been a delusional state he was in from starving himself for so many days and staying in one position. But before i had thoroughly read your post i automatically was going to disagree with you and tell that enlightenment was a true  skill and sometimes things don’t need to be explained. Im not realizing that in many religions super natural occurrences, can be explained with natural reasoning.