By Friday, December 11
Read pages 303 (starting with Revelation) through the end of the section on page 310.
You are to answer (in a brief paragraph) questions centered on each of the following concepts Smith introduces:
1.In Judaism, what is the role of revelation?
Smith introduces this section by asking why it seems that the Jewish people were the ones to come up with the most profound meaning in life. The meaning of revelation is not discovery, but disclosure. God revealed the meaning of life through action, not words. This is why deeds and rituals are more important in Judaism than written text. Jewish people believe God was the reason for important historical events. Indeed, many biblical writers have stated that the Jewish people should have died off long ago, according to events and historical data. The Jewish people believed they have survived because of the love God has shown them. This love comes in the form of miracles. God controlled all events in history, and because God let the Jewish people live, it is their duty to act with gratefulness and worship him. God was also gracious in chosing to reveal himself to the Jewish people during Exodus. However, it took sometime for the Jewish people to realize that God's love is extended to all the peoples of the world. This God is different from the previous God's people have had in the past. Ancient peoples used to worship Pagan gods who were concerned with nature, and not human beings. This god is deeply concerned with human affairs, and for this the Jewish people thank him. This is why they must return the favor, and be concerned with what He wants for the human race. This is the root of the discovery
The meaning of life was given to the Jewish people by God himself. God offered a covenant to the Jewish people in that he would protect and watch over them if they promised to obey his voice. This is much like the covenant Abraham entered with God in that if Abraham promised to obey the covenant, all his ancestors would be blessed by the love and kindness of God.
2.What is the concept of the "chosen people" in Judaism?
In Judaism, the belief is that God chose them to be the chosen people, but unlike other religions where this means the religious group was given special privileges by God, in Judaism this means that the Jewish people were the chosen ones to suffer for everyone else. They had to obey all the Lord has spoken and do all He demands of them. However, even after this explanation, one could still argue that the Jews believe they were chosen because of national pride. This idea can be shot down because of the history of the Jewish people. Throughout their past, the Jewish people have been treated as slaves, and their country has been taken over multiple times. Also, something that is inexplicable is why the Jewish god, Yahweh is one of righteousness, instead of one of hatred or anger. This further proves that the Jewish people have an indestructible hope and devotion to their god. The Jewish people don’t know who to give the credit to that they have indestructible hope, so they gave all the credit to God. This shows they are a very selfless people. Also, Smith states that, “…this is a world of particulars…” and that for us to notice and remember something, it must stand out from things around it. This applies to special events, like the ones God made happen, because if they happen once, like miracles, they are more important than if they happen all the time. This concept of standing out also applies to people who God chooses. Throughout history, God has chosen people who stand out in one way or another to represent his task force.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Smith part 2
By Wednesday, December 9
Read pages 293 (starting with Meaning in Suffering) through page 303 (finishing the "Hallowing of Life")
You are to answer (in a brief paragraph) questions centered on each of the following concepts Smith introduces:
1) In Judaism, what is the meaning of suffering?
God used actions to punish rather than words because words do not always prevail in teachings of justice. God used Israel's own enemies to punish it. God uses punishment to teach a lesson. For example, when Israel was being taken over by Assyria and Babylon, the Israeli people were losing hope, and giving up on trying to find a meaning for all this. However, one prophet stated that if they give up searching for meaning, it means the Jewish people are admitting that the Babylonian god, Marduk, was stronger than their god Yaweh. This statement recaptured the determination of the Jewish people, and they knew they needed to learn something from their defeat. They needed to remain faithful to God throughout all their defeats and time of being captives. Since they were being held captive, they learned to appreciate freedom more, since they took it granted before this time. Those who remained faithful to God through these hard times were forgiven, and their suffering ended. The suffering that the Jewish people endured would serve as a lesson to all their future peoples, and would save their future peers from the same suffering. So as the rest of the world looks on to Israel with pity, they must realize that the Israelites spared them from the same level of suffering, and by doing so taught all mankind lessons they would carry on through all future generations.
2) In Judaism, what is the meaning in Messianism?
The meaning in the Judaism climaxed in the idea of Messianism.
Smith begins talking about the idea of improvement, which was invented in the West. Traditionally, views on the quality of life were determined by those who ruled you. For example, the literati in China and brahmins in India. This concept had an exception with the Jewish people in the West. They were an opressed group, but never lost hope. Usually, opressed groups want change because they are not satisfied with their current situation. This hope evolved into something more concrete which became known as the Messiah. The exact ideas of what the Messiah would entail differed between individuals, but the main purpose of it became clear: to give the Jewish people something to hope for. There are two parts of the Messiah, a politico-national side and a spiritual-universal side. The politico-national side represents the triump of the Jewish people over their enemies and the increase of Jewish importance of world affairs, and the spiritual-national side represents a moral advance throughout the world. There were several differing opinions on how exactly this Messiah would come about. One view was that God would bring about a holy being to instigate the Messiah, while another belief was that God would use a human to intervene directly with the happening of the Messiah. This view was called "the messianic expectation". In this scenario life would be perfect in every way for the human race. Another belief was Restorative Messianism, in which things would return to how they were in the old days and the Davidic rulings. However, conditions would improve and morals would be idealized. Yet another facet was whether the Messianic age would continue with the world, or restart the earth completely, bringing it back to its foundations. The main themes of the Messiah change depending on the current situation of the Jewish people. If the Jewish people have a lot of freedom, the themes of ethical perfection and earthly bliss are brought forth. The idea of a Messiah is shown in many forms throughout multitudes of religions and philosophies. In Chrisitianity it is portrayed as the Second Coming of Christ. It is human nature to always hope for something better. There is no better way to illustrate it in religion than through the idea of a Messiah, no matter what form it may take.
3) In Judaism, what is meant by the "hallowing of life"?
Smith begins the chapter by stating that in the Jewish religion, people are united more by what they do than by what they say. In this way, ritual is very important, and there is no official creed that one must agree to before becoming a part of the Jewish religion.
Ritual is highly important because of many reasons. The first being that it helps us avoid akward situations. Smith gives the example of meeting someone new. We wouldn't naturally know what to do when we meet someone new, so traditionally we shake their hand and it helps us avoid an akward situation. Rituals are also used in times of extreme emotion, when we wouldn't know what to do. For example, funerals. We plan a funeral and a service to channel our feelings into form. With death especially, religions help connect our loss with the loss of many others in the past. Another service rituals provide is in times of happiness. Rituals intensify happy feelings, like for example dinner time when the whole family can gather together and say a prayer, which makes the moment even more special.
When Smith starts talking about the actual hallowing of life, he states that in the Jewish religion all living creatures have a holiness like that in God. This is called piety. Piety prepares every living creature for when God comes an holiness reigns on earth. God is responsible for every pleasure we as humans experience on earth, whether it be a quiet stream, the warmth of the sun, or a delicious meal, we owe it to God for experiencing these things. Therefore, praising God is highly important. In the last few paragraphs of this section, Smith restates that of all religions, Judaism holds history the most important. This is because history reaffirms God's meaning in our lives, and this concept carries on throughout eternity.
Read pages 293 (starting with Meaning in Suffering) through page 303 (finishing the "Hallowing of Life")
You are to answer (in a brief paragraph) questions centered on each of the following concepts Smith introduces:
1) In Judaism, what is the meaning of suffering?
God used actions to punish rather than words because words do not always prevail in teachings of justice. God used Israel's own enemies to punish it. God uses punishment to teach a lesson. For example, when Israel was being taken over by Assyria and Babylon, the Israeli people were losing hope, and giving up on trying to find a meaning for all this. However, one prophet stated that if they give up searching for meaning, it means the Jewish people are admitting that the Babylonian god, Marduk, was stronger than their god Yaweh. This statement recaptured the determination of the Jewish people, and they knew they needed to learn something from their defeat. They needed to remain faithful to God throughout all their defeats and time of being captives. Since they were being held captive, they learned to appreciate freedom more, since they took it granted before this time. Those who remained faithful to God through these hard times were forgiven, and their suffering ended. The suffering that the Jewish people endured would serve as a lesson to all their future peoples, and would save their future peers from the same suffering. So as the rest of the world looks on to Israel with pity, they must realize that the Israelites spared them from the same level of suffering, and by doing so taught all mankind lessons they would carry on through all future generations.
2) In Judaism, what is the meaning in Messianism?
The meaning in the Judaism climaxed in the idea of Messianism.
Smith begins talking about the idea of improvement, which was invented in the West. Traditionally, views on the quality of life were determined by those who ruled you. For example, the literati in China and brahmins in India. This concept had an exception with the Jewish people in the West. They were an opressed group, but never lost hope. Usually, opressed groups want change because they are not satisfied with their current situation. This hope evolved into something more concrete which became known as the Messiah. The exact ideas of what the Messiah would entail differed between individuals, but the main purpose of it became clear: to give the Jewish people something to hope for. There are two parts of the Messiah, a politico-national side and a spiritual-universal side. The politico-national side represents the triump of the Jewish people over their enemies and the increase of Jewish importance of world affairs, and the spiritual-national side represents a moral advance throughout the world. There were several differing opinions on how exactly this Messiah would come about. One view was that God would bring about a holy being to instigate the Messiah, while another belief was that God would use a human to intervene directly with the happening of the Messiah. This view was called "the messianic expectation". In this scenario life would be perfect in every way for the human race. Another belief was Restorative Messianism, in which things would return to how they were in the old days and the Davidic rulings. However, conditions would improve and morals would be idealized. Yet another facet was whether the Messianic age would continue with the world, or restart the earth completely, bringing it back to its foundations. The main themes of the Messiah change depending on the current situation of the Jewish people. If the Jewish people have a lot of freedom, the themes of ethical perfection and earthly bliss are brought forth. The idea of a Messiah is shown in many forms throughout multitudes of religions and philosophies. In Chrisitianity it is portrayed as the Second Coming of Christ. It is human nature to always hope for something better. There is no better way to illustrate it in religion than through the idea of a Messiah, no matter what form it may take.
3) In Judaism, what is meant by the "hallowing of life"?
Smith begins the chapter by stating that in the Jewish religion, people are united more by what they do than by what they say. In this way, ritual is very important, and there is no official creed that one must agree to before becoming a part of the Jewish religion.
Ritual is highly important because of many reasons. The first being that it helps us avoid akward situations. Smith gives the example of meeting someone new. We wouldn't naturally know what to do when we meet someone new, so traditionally we shake their hand and it helps us avoid an akward situation. Rituals are also used in times of extreme emotion, when we wouldn't know what to do. For example, funerals. We plan a funeral and a service to channel our feelings into form. With death especially, religions help connect our loss with the loss of many others in the past. Another service rituals provide is in times of happiness. Rituals intensify happy feelings, like for example dinner time when the whole family can gather together and say a prayer, which makes the moment even more special.
When Smith starts talking about the actual hallowing of life, he states that in the Jewish religion all living creatures have a holiness like that in God. This is called piety. Piety prepares every living creature for when God comes an holiness reigns on earth. God is responsible for every pleasure we as humans experience on earth, whether it be a quiet stream, the warmth of the sun, or a delicious meal, we owe it to God for experiencing these things. Therefore, praising God is highly important. In the last few paragraphs of this section, Smith restates that of all religions, Judaism holds history the most important. This is because history reaffirms God's meaning in our lives, and this concept carries on throughout eternity.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
World Religions- Huston Smith
You are to read the chapter on Judaism with specific purpose and focus. For each of Smith's chapters he highlights sections with headings, such as "Meaning in God" or "Meaning in Creation".
By Monday, December 7th:
Read 282 (starting with "Meaning in History") and finishing on page 293 before starting "meaning in suffering".
For each you are not assigned to get everything discussed in each part of the reading but to focus on describing a main aspect of what Smith is presenting.
You are to answer (in a brief paragraph) questions centered on each of the following concepts Smith introduces:
1.In Judaism what is the meaning in history
Smith discusses the fact that in religions like Hinduism there is the idea of maya, which is the theory that the world is an illusion and it runs in a circular pattern, and humans are trying to escape into Brahma. Greek philosophers look at the world as a natural process which always recurs, however, a philosopher can escape by focusing on the absolute. In Judaism God is present in events of great importance, which do not repeat. Therefore in Judaism, history is of great importance, since these meaningful events where God is present do not repeat. Hence, since these events hold great significance, there are important lessons to learn from them. Lessons we can apply to our everyday life, and ones God believes are essential for us to learn. In the Hebrew Bible, context is also very important, because events wouldn't make sense if they were out of context. Also, working together is highly emphasized since many events occured because of cooperation on a large scale. Another theme Smith brings up is the concept of the "is" rather than the "ought". This is an idea in the Indian and Middle Eastern religions that is contrasted in Judaism. This is the theory that we need to accept what is rather than what should be. In Judaism, the belief is to focus on the "ought", and try to create a better world.
2.In Judaism what is the meaning in morality
Smith explains that morals are essential for human relations, and that in Judaism 613commandments were written to regulate human behavior. Though this is a lot, there are 4 main categories or "Danger Zones" of the 10 commandments that have influenced the Western world greatly. These four zones are: force, wealth, sex and speech.
For example, force if left unchecked, anger and hatred can destroy a community by spreading from just one act of violence. Revenge and historical feuds continue unless stopped in their tracks. As for wealth, sex and speech, the same thought applies, that one extreme act of any of these categories can spread throughout a community to levels that can not be handled. When a community leaves these for "danger zones" unchecked and lets all their people go free and do as they please, the society will self destruct. The Ten Commandments provide the minimum standards in these four areas, and are a natural written law that was made logically to help communities survive. Therefore, the Ten Commandments are essential to the survival of human kind throughout the ages, because they are a timeless and universal law, followed by all living creatures.
On another notes,Smith compares humans and animals to show that God gave humans an extra challenge of trying to keep all four of these "danger zones" in check, whereas animals have a natural order in which these four "danger zones" are automatically regulated in their behavior.
3.In Judaism what is the meaning in Justice?
To determine the role of justice, we must examine the roles of prophets throughout history as they were God's illustration and demonstration to humans of events that would teach mankind lessons essential for their survival and betterment as a race.
The original meaning of "prophet" is "someone who speaks for others". However, this definition has evolved into meaning "someone who speaks for God". In ancient Israel there was a prophetic movement composed of three stages. The first is the Prophetic Guilds. In this stage, prophecy was seen as a group phenomenon, where bands of prophets would create a large movement that would spur change. The thought was that if they worked together, they would lose their self-consiousness and become one divine force. The second stage was that of Pre-Writing Prophets, where ethics entered the arena. As an individual prophet, one could communicate with God more clearly, and the messages were not just those of emotional feeling, but of actual words and direction. These Pre-Writing prophets challenged individuals on their actions. Smith uses the story of Naboth to explain how a small peasant could tell the King that what he was doing was wrong, and be respected by the King, even though he himself had no official power to stand up. The third stage was that of the Writing Prophets. Writing Prophets challenged societal corruptions, rather than individuals as the Pre-Writing prophets did. This was much more difficult to do because the wrongdoings were concealed within an entire society, and were more subtle.
Danger played another role in the action of morals and justice. For example, when neighboring countries tried to conquer Israel, wars ravaged and it became difficult to stick to morals because the common belief of the time was that whoever fought better had the greater power. This simplistic belief didn't hold much meaning or opportunity for interpretation. The jewish people believed that every event had a meaning and interpreted their takeover as a message from God that they needed to clean up their acts and establish justice in their land, or be destroyed.
The main point here is that the way of nature does not let injustice prevail. God will make sure right and wrong are kept in check on the earth. God rules with a balance of mercy and justice, and this is because of His love. God shows that He loves us all equally through the diverse prophets he chose. The prophets were from all classes, and all held the same significance in the teaching of morals. All men, be they Kings or peasants, must follow the same morals set forth by the Divine Being which is God.
By Monday, December 7th:
Read 282 (starting with "Meaning in History") and finishing on page 293 before starting "meaning in suffering".
For each you are not assigned to get everything discussed in each part of the reading but to focus on describing a main aspect of what Smith is presenting.
You are to answer (in a brief paragraph) questions centered on each of the following concepts Smith introduces:
1.In Judaism what is the meaning in history
Smith discusses the fact that in religions like Hinduism there is the idea of maya, which is the theory that the world is an illusion and it runs in a circular pattern, and humans are trying to escape into Brahma. Greek philosophers look at the world as a natural process which always recurs, however, a philosopher can escape by focusing on the absolute. In Judaism God is present in events of great importance, which do not repeat. Therefore in Judaism, history is of great importance, since these meaningful events where God is present do not repeat. Hence, since these events hold great significance, there are important lessons to learn from them. Lessons we can apply to our everyday life, and ones God believes are essential for us to learn. In the Hebrew Bible, context is also very important, because events wouldn't make sense if they were out of context. Also, working together is highly emphasized since many events occured because of cooperation on a large scale. Another theme Smith brings up is the concept of the "is" rather than the "ought". This is an idea in the Indian and Middle Eastern religions that is contrasted in Judaism. This is the theory that we need to accept what is rather than what should be. In Judaism, the belief is to focus on the "ought", and try to create a better world.
2.In Judaism what is the meaning in morality
Smith explains that morals are essential for human relations, and that in Judaism 613commandments were written to regulate human behavior. Though this is a lot, there are 4 main categories or "Danger Zones" of the 10 commandments that have influenced the Western world greatly. These four zones are: force, wealth, sex and speech.
For example, force if left unchecked, anger and hatred can destroy a community by spreading from just one act of violence. Revenge and historical feuds continue unless stopped in their tracks. As for wealth, sex and speech, the same thought applies, that one extreme act of any of these categories can spread throughout a community to levels that can not be handled. When a community leaves these for "danger zones" unchecked and lets all their people go free and do as they please, the society will self destruct. The Ten Commandments provide the minimum standards in these four areas, and are a natural written law that was made logically to help communities survive. Therefore, the Ten Commandments are essential to the survival of human kind throughout the ages, because they are a timeless and universal law, followed by all living creatures.
On another notes,Smith compares humans and animals to show that God gave humans an extra challenge of trying to keep all four of these "danger zones" in check, whereas animals have a natural order in which these four "danger zones" are automatically regulated in their behavior.
3.In Judaism what is the meaning in Justice?
To determine the role of justice, we must examine the roles of prophets throughout history as they were God's illustration and demonstration to humans of events that would teach mankind lessons essential for their survival and betterment as a race.
The original meaning of "prophet" is "someone who speaks for others". However, this definition has evolved into meaning "someone who speaks for God". In ancient Israel there was a prophetic movement composed of three stages. The first is the Prophetic Guilds. In this stage, prophecy was seen as a group phenomenon, where bands of prophets would create a large movement that would spur change. The thought was that if they worked together, they would lose their self-consiousness and become one divine force. The second stage was that of Pre-Writing Prophets, where ethics entered the arena. As an individual prophet, one could communicate with God more clearly, and the messages were not just those of emotional feeling, but of actual words and direction. These Pre-Writing prophets challenged individuals on their actions. Smith uses the story of Naboth to explain how a small peasant could tell the King that what he was doing was wrong, and be respected by the King, even though he himself had no official power to stand up. The third stage was that of the Writing Prophets. Writing Prophets challenged societal corruptions, rather than individuals as the Pre-Writing prophets did. This was much more difficult to do because the wrongdoings were concealed within an entire society, and were more subtle.
Danger played another role in the action of morals and justice. For example, when neighboring countries tried to conquer Israel, wars ravaged and it became difficult to stick to morals because the common belief of the time was that whoever fought better had the greater power. This simplistic belief didn't hold much meaning or opportunity for interpretation. The jewish people believed that every event had a meaning and interpreted their takeover as a message from God that they needed to clean up their acts and establish justice in their land, or be destroyed.
The main point here is that the way of nature does not let injustice prevail. God will make sure right and wrong are kept in check on the earth. God rules with a balance of mercy and justice, and this is because of His love. God shows that He loves us all equally through the diverse prophets he chose. The prophets were from all classes, and all held the same significance in the teaching of morals. All men, be they Kings or peasants, must follow the same morals set forth by the Divine Being which is God.
YOLB-Month 7
Answer the following questions on the blog or hand in a hardcopy by Friday, December 4th.
1.On Page 208 Jacobs is told to stop using the Bible as a "self help" book. Based on the the information given by his adviser Yossi what is the role of religion and why is Jacobs on "thin ice?"
The Bible is meant to help people worship God, not help themselves. People would be selfish if they believed the Bible was created only to help them. However, many people look at it as a "self help" book to find out how to be a better person, be happier and feel better about themselves. But Yossi says religion is about serving God, and not worrying about yourself. However, the nature of humankind is to be selfish, since everything we do is to help ourselves. Even if for example, we might be going to a homeless shelter to serve Thanksgiving dinner, we are doing it subconsciously because helping others makes us feel better inside. As much as we might try, we can not escape our selfish ways.
Yossi says Jacobs is on thin ice because he is almost heading in the wrong direction with religion. He is looking at the Bible as a self help book, on how to become a better person. And he has trouble with glorifying God. Yossi believes this situation should be flipped. Jacobs should not read the Bible to help himself, and he should glorify God because God wanted to help humans become less selfish. But in a way...this brings this whole topic back to selfishness because then, according to Yossi, people would glorify God to become less selfish, and become a better person. It just goes in circles.
2.On page 219 - 220 Jacobs describes his experience of being "hit" with a realization like a punch in the stomach and then he "praises the Lord." What was his realization and how does this reconcile a problem he previously had in his search of religion?
Jacob realizes that when he is proud of an article he wrote for Esquire, God should be proud for a lot more. God created the entire world, all the animals, plants and landforms, and all Jacobs did was write an article for a magazine. Jacob's previous problem was not being able to praise God because he thought worshiping and saying things like "...He who has greatness beyond our comprehension (220)." was way over the top and cheesy. He also didn't understand why God needed praising because God shouldn't be insecure about himself if he is the ultimate being. Jacob's realizes that the reason people praise God is they appreciate all he created in the world, and all he did for humankind. But, the praise isn't for God to feel better about himself, it is to help us as humans. It is to take us out of our selfish minds, and thank someone else.
Personally, I am the same way. I believe praising the Lord with fancy words is a bit over the top, but now reading his take on it, it makes more sense why people would worship the Lord. However, I still believe that many people don't understand this and don't have as much excitement to worship the Lord, as they would if they read this passage. However, after reading this I still wonder, if God wanted us to worship something/someone to take us out of our selfish minds, why would he choose himself? Is that not selfish in itself?
1.On Page 208 Jacobs is told to stop using the Bible as a "self help" book. Based on the the information given by his adviser Yossi what is the role of religion and why is Jacobs on "thin ice?"
The Bible is meant to help people worship God, not help themselves. People would be selfish if they believed the Bible was created only to help them. However, many people look at it as a "self help" book to find out how to be a better person, be happier and feel better about themselves. But Yossi says religion is about serving God, and not worrying about yourself. However, the nature of humankind is to be selfish, since everything we do is to help ourselves. Even if for example, we might be going to a homeless shelter to serve Thanksgiving dinner, we are doing it subconsciously because helping others makes us feel better inside. As much as we might try, we can not escape our selfish ways.
Yossi says Jacobs is on thin ice because he is almost heading in the wrong direction with religion. He is looking at the Bible as a self help book, on how to become a better person. And he has trouble with glorifying God. Yossi believes this situation should be flipped. Jacobs should not read the Bible to help himself, and he should glorify God because God wanted to help humans become less selfish. But in a way...this brings this whole topic back to selfishness because then, according to Yossi, people would glorify God to become less selfish, and become a better person. It just goes in circles.
2.On page 219 - 220 Jacobs describes his experience of being "hit" with a realization like a punch in the stomach and then he "praises the Lord." What was his realization and how does this reconcile a problem he previously had in his search of religion?
Jacob realizes that when he is proud of an article he wrote for Esquire, God should be proud for a lot more. God created the entire world, all the animals, plants and landforms, and all Jacobs did was write an article for a magazine. Jacob's previous problem was not being able to praise God because he thought worshiping and saying things like "...He who has greatness beyond our comprehension (220)." was way over the top and cheesy. He also didn't understand why God needed praising because God shouldn't be insecure about himself if he is the ultimate being. Jacob's realizes that the reason people praise God is they appreciate all he created in the world, and all he did for humankind. But, the praise isn't for God to feel better about himself, it is to help us as humans. It is to take us out of our selfish minds, and thank someone else.
Personally, I am the same way. I believe praising the Lord with fancy words is a bit over the top, but now reading his take on it, it makes more sense why people would worship the Lord. However, I still believe that many people don't understand this and don't have as much excitement to worship the Lord, as they would if they read this passage. However, after reading this I still wonder, if God wanted us to worship something/someone to take us out of our selfish minds, why would he choose himself? Is that not selfish in itself?
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