RELS 108 Lecture 1: Intro and Short History of Religion
Document Summary
Phenomenological study of religion -- 4 steps outlines in text. A sense of ultimate sacred reality; that is connected to our human experiences;with impact on human culture;related to ordering and understanding our universe. Other than ordinary;set apart from the rest. Specially distinctive, set apart from all else. With a transcendent view of sacred reality, prayer & sacrificial ritual are attempts to influence the sacred, but there is also recognition that the sacred is not subject to the will or desires of human beings. Sacred reality has an impact on human lives. Proper determinative of various aspects of human existence. Order our lives in ways to consistent with sacred reality. Sacred reality transcends ordinary existence; beyond us, outside of us. Ex. judaism, christianity, islam: all knowing, all powerful god. Sacred reality is part of / within the natural world. N ex. hinduism, buddhism, taoism, confucianism, zen. Earliest sign of religious thought: evidence of humans intentionally burying their dead.
