In this course we will study both Christianity and Buddhism as world religions, and, to complicate matters even further, we will see great variations in both.  The Baptist students, if asked, would most likely express a belief in the Bible as expressing the ultimate truth about the world such that they would argue that Darwin's theory of evolution is wrong because it conflicts with the story of creation as expressed in Genesis.  However, students attending other denominational colleges, such as the Catholic Loyola-Marymount in Los Angeles, would not have a problem with a different way of reading the Bible and so any conflict between religion and science disappears.  The Zen monks express one wing of the Buddhist tradition, but far more common would be the Buddhist groups (such as Nichiren Shoshu) that engage in practices not all that different from what we find with the Baptist students.

In your recommended textbook the authors begin with this definition of "religion": a system of symbols, myths, doctrines, ethics, and rituals for the expression of ultimate relevance.  This is an example of what is called a monothetic approach: there is supposed to be some one thing in common with anything we would call a religion.  My own issue with this is that the phrase "of ultimate relevance" creates a significant problem.  The Communist Party as we once saw it in the Soviet Union and would still see it today in North Korea is similarly such a system of symbols, myths, doctrines, ethics, and rituals, and certainly for the dedicated member of the Party all of this would be "of ultimate relevance."  Certainly, when a particular set of beliefs and practices is so important than an individual will live and even die for it, as would the followers of the dictator Kim Jong Il (photo to the left), we do have something "of ultimate relevance" unless we are just begging the question by saying that Communism as an atheist system could never be an example of what we mean when we talk of a religion. 

My own preference in this course is for a polythetic approach.  Here the parallel is with terms such as "game," where again it is not really possible to isolate common features that appear in everything we call a game (think of the differences between solitaire and basketball, for instance) yet would not include clear exampes of non-games.  Following the lead of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, let's talk about "family resemblances" that would allow us to see how individual instances belong together without there being that one common element (like looking at a photo taken at a family reunion).  Catholics and Baptists, Zen Buddhists and Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists--because of overlapping characteristics somehow we can see them all at the same party and know they belong together in a way that excludes the followers of Kim Jong Il.  Explaining how we are to do this, though, is not at all easy to do--and I do not think it particularly necessary.  We will consider something to count as a religion when its followers do so, as is the case with Scientology.  (Bottom line: you will never have an exam question from me dealing with how we define the term "religion.")

So with this out of the way, let's attempt to see just what we will be looking at with the seven major traditions for this course.  Do note that the recommended text, like many others, includes discussion of tribal religions as well as the beliefs and practices lumped together as Greek and Hellenistic religion, but this is not not something I have any intention of going into since we have enough to do otherwise. 

Let's review what we mean to accomplish together.  On the syllabus I set these goals for you as students:

There are seven major traditions discussed: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Other traditions may be discussed as examples of general points being made about how traditions appear or change.

1.   Demonstrate knowledge of the history and beliefs of the seven major religious traditions.
-- This includes both the actual history and the legends passed down as part of the tradition.  For instance, in the study of Islam we have the historical  facts about Muhammad and we have traditional beliefs that involve supernatural events, such as Muhammad's ascent into heaven at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

2.     Apply the historical/critical method to analysis of the seven major religious traditions.
--  What we attempt to do is look at religious traditions as cultural products so that the expectations of a particular time and place play an important role in understanding both the beliefs and the practices of each tradition. This also involves being able to study each tradition as a significant factor in the events of the cultures in which these traditions appear or where they have been adopted.  For instance, the history of Western Europe from the fourth century on was first shaped by the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire and then reshaped with the Protestant Reformation.  What we want to look at to some extent is the manner in which religions both change these cultures and are changed by them.  

    3.    Explain philosophical problems that arise within each religious tradition.

In addition, there are certain more specific objectives that I set for this course.  By the end you should be able to
--discuss the major divisions that exist within some of the traditions (for instance, what the difference is between Sunnis and Shiites in Islam)
--explain the key differences between Asian and Western religious outlooks
--compare and contrast traditions in which one originates as an intended reform of the other
--discuss whether all religions can be defined in terms of common elements
--explain the role of monasticism in those traditions in which it appears

Now let's talk about how we will work together to accomplish these goals.  In the lecture material and in this study guide I attempt to give you a start in understanding each tradition.  You may also choose to use the recommended text or find similar materials.  What I encourage you to do as you move forward is take good notes based on your reading, then attempt to put the material together for yourself in a set of study notes.   I'll also provide example questions taken from previous exams so that you have a better idea of how to direct your attention in preparing these study notes.  (Yes, these may be used during your exams, and I encourage you to do so.)

Since this is a course in what is called comparative religion, one thing I ask you to do is pay attention to similarities and differences among traditions (including major divisions inside these traditions).  Here is a ten-point check list of some of the things to consider with each tradition.  (Click on to print out as a worksheet to fill in as you move through the course.)


As an exercise for the class I am going to ask all of you to think about either the religious tradition in which you were raised or the one you are maybe most familiar with because of your family or friends.  First off, run through the check list and think what stands out from your own knowledge as either an insider or a close observer.  Then I am going to ask you to read my short description of an entirely imaginary religion that I call Martianism.   Click on for my description of the Martianites.  I'll repeat that this is an entirely imaginary group, although I have included elements from various existing traditions, but most likely it differs markedly from anything you are used to.  What I want you to be thinking about, then, is how much of what you are familiar with is essential to having something count as a religion.  In other words, how different could a tradition be and still count as something we should call a religion?