Five Pillars of Islam

1.      The Shahada is the core belief of the entire Muslim belief system. It is central to their identity because a Muslim’s life very much revolves around practicing Islam and this saying is the center of all Islam.

2.      It mentally and physically helps them because the bowing helps them to fully submit to Allah and realize their nothingness. The praying also helps them to constantly realize who they have to thank for their lives.

3.      It makes them look like a very family-like community that takes care of each other. It’s obvious that they care about the poor and want all to have everything they need in life.

4.      It helps because it calls them back to times of frailty and dependence. It helps them recognize their dependence on God.

5.      It is a pillar because it is a requirement of the Islamic faith that all Muslims go on the Hajj and least once in their life if they are able. It is similar because all religions have some kind of requirement for their members. It is different because most religions don’t have a holy city and all don’t require a pilgrimage to it.

6.      Some of the challenges are having to pray five times a day in one direction which takes time, you have to be financially and physically able to travel to Mecca, healthy enough to fast, and it’s hard to give charity if you have little to yourself already.

The Ninety-Nine Names of God

            One name I marked as feminine was The Sanctuary. This name can be applied to God because he is the thing we turn to when we are in trouble. When we need help, we can turn to his sanctuary. He defends us against the evil of the world. God is our sanctuary against the temptations of the devil and sin.

            One name I marked as masculine was The Avenger. It can be applied to God because not only is he our sanctuary, he avenges us. It is believed that no one can harm a child of God without feeling the wrath of God. Avenging your people is part of being a god. One was God avenged his people was the plagues on Egypt.

            Another name I marked as feminine was The Most Kind. God is the most kind because no matter how many times we stray from him and how far, he always welcomes us back. In this way, our story is like the story of the Prodigal Son. The father had every right to disown his son but he instead threw him a big party when he came back. God is like that with us and that makes him the most kind.

            Another name I marked as masculine was The Lord. This name fits God because he is the ruler of all. He is the king and lord of every known and unknown thing. There is no one above him in rank or anything. He is lord because he rules and sets the rules.

            All of these names and attributes can describe one God because he can be anything he wants to be. God all-powerful and can have any and all attributes he wants. Plus it is very possible to have a kind, avenging lord that provides a sanctuary for all of his people. God also goes beyond any name we can give him. He has no possible name and every name.  

Islam

Task #1:

1.      What is highest estimate for the total number of Muslims that live in the world today? 2.1 billion

2.      List 10 countries who have a Muslim population of 86% or greater.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, and Iraq

3.      What country has the largest Muslim population? Indonesia

4.      How many Muslims are there in the United States? 2,595,000

Task #2:

Summarize each of the key beliefs below in a COMPLETE sentence.

1) They believe in one, unique, incomparable, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-hearing, all-seeing, and kind, loving God.

2) They believe that angels exist and are honored beings that worship, obey, and only act on the command of God.

3) They believe that God revealed books to the people to teach them about Himself.

4) They believe in the prophets and messengers of God and that Muhammad was the last one.

5) They believe in the resurrection of the dead where everyone will be judged.

6) They believe in Divine Predestination which includes believe that God knows everything, God has recorded everything that has and will happen, whatever God wills to happen happens, whatever He wills not to happen will not happen, and that God created everything.

TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD

Go to the following website and put 3 of Muhammad’s sayings in your own words.

1.     The best believers are those that have good morals and those with the best morals are good to their wives.

2.     You don’t completely believe until you love your neighbor like you love yourself.

3.     Those that show mercy are shown mercy by God.

Task #3:

1.      What does the Quran provide?  It provides guidelines for a good, just society, proper human interaction, and an equitable economic system

2.      In what language(s) does the Quran exist? Why? It exists in Arabic only because it was revealed from heaven in Arabic.

3.      During which month was the Quran sent down from Heaven?

It was sent down during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar.

4.      What did the angel Gabriel command Muhammad to do? What happened

next? He commanded him to spread the teachings in the Quran and he did and his followers were persecuted.

Task #4:

List and explain the 5 Pillars of Faith.

1.      Shahada (Shahaadah) – It is the testimony of faith. To perform the testimony of faith, one is required to say with conviction at least once in his or her life: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." 

2.      Salat (prayer) - Muslims pray five times daily, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night facing Mecca.

3.      Zakat (almsgiving) - Charitable giving, or Zakat, is a requirement of faith for all Muslims. Used to benefit the poor, Zakat represents a fixed portion of one's wealth and assets

4.      Siyam (Sawm) (fasting) - Sawm literally means any ritual fasting, but is generally understood to refer to ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan. From dawn to dusk for the entire month, Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual relations so they can focus on Allah.

5.      Hajj (pilgrimage) - During the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah, some two million Muslims ascend to the holy city of Mecca for the Hajj, or pilgrimage. Every able-bodied Muslim is required - if their finances permit - to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.

2) Why are they important? They strengthen their faith in and service to Allah.

3) Why is cheating on the 5 Pillars impossible? The Five Pillars are a matter between the individual Muslim and Allah: the community may well insist

on certain practices, but at the heart lies the relationship between a Muslim and Allah.

4) Compare the 5 Pillars with similar activities in other religions. Shahada is similar to the Apostle’s Creed in Christianity. Salat is similar to the Prayers of the Hour the monks of Christianity do every day. Zakat is similar to God’s call to love your neighbor as yourself and give to the poor. Siyam is similar to what Christians do during Lent.

Task #5:

1.     What is Ramadan? Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

2.     What restraints are placed on Muslims during Ramadan? They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning.

3.     What can destroy the good acquired during Ramadan? the telling of a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath, and greed or covetousness

4.     Why is the 27th day of Ramadan significant? Muslims celebrate the Laylat-al-Qadr(the Night of Power). It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran. And according to the Quran, this is when God determines the course of the world for the following year.

5.     What happens when Ramadan ends? When the fast ends (the first day of the month of Shawwal) it is celebrated for three days in a holiday called Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of Fast Breaking). Gifts are exchanged. Friends and family gather to pray in congregation and for large meals. In some cities fairs are held to celebrate the end of the Fast of Ramadan.

6.     What are the 3 reasons Ramadan is important? The Qur'an was first revealed during this month. The gates of Heaven are open. The gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained up in Hell.

7.     Why is easier to do good during Ramadan? They also believe that it is easier to do good in this month because the devils have been chained in Hell, and so can't tempt believers.

Task #6:

List 10 interest facts you learned from the websites above.

1.     The al-Burda, also called Qasida (hymn) Burda, is an Arabic poem honouring the Prophet Muhammad. The name means 'poem of the mantle' or 'of the cloak'.

2.     The Burda was also engraved on the Prophet's mosque in Madina. There it adorned its walls and reminded believers for centuries before being erased by people who could not comprehend it. There is still one line left that has not been removed.

3.     Historically, the veiling of the face was practised by many cultures before Islam and scholars say the adoption of its practice by Muslims was part of fitting into the society.

4.     Architecture is one of the greatest Islamic art forms. An Islamic style is seen in mosques but also in Muslim houses and gardens.

5.     Muslims regard abortion as wrong and haram (forbidden), but many accept that it may be permitted in certain cases.

6.     Islam allows abortion to save the life of the mother because it sees this as the 'lesser of two evils' and there is a general principle in Sharia (Muslim law) of choosing the lesser of two evils.

7.     Muslims believe that:

all living creatures were made by Allah

Allah loves all animals

animals exist for the benefit of human beings

animals must be treated with kindness and compassion

8.     Muslims are only allowed to eat meat that has been killed according to Sharia law. This method of killing is often attacked by animal rights activists as barbaric blood-thirsty ritual slaughter. Muslims disagree. They say that Islamic law on killing animals is designed to reduce the pain and distress that the animal suffers.

9.     According to Al Hafiz B A Masri, using animals for research may be permitted in Islam. The animals must not suffer pain or mutilation and there must be a good reason for the experiment.

10.                        The baby's first taste should be something sweet, so parents may chew a piece of date and rub the juice along the baby's gums. It was a practice carried out by the Prophet Muhammad and is believed to help tiny digestive systems to kick in.

Hasidim vs. Prophets

Though both try to follow G-d exactly as he teaches, Hasidim and prophets have a lot of differences. Despite these differences, they can still be considered prophets for the way they try to be examples of the true follower of G-d. They stick very closely to the law of G-d and follow every single one. They are exactly like prophets since they don’t go around preaching and trying to convert people. They are more like personal, internal prophets then social ones.

            The things that make them internal prophets are their distrust of power, intolerance, and their agreement with the prophet Isaiah. Both prophets and Hasidim distrust political powers. This is shown by how strongly they opposed a Jewish state without having G-d physically there to build it. Their intolerance is shown when Daniel’s father excommunicates Robert because his father is advocating for a Jewish state in Palestine. They agree with the prophet Isaiah because they both are distressed when people looked to weapons instead of G-d, like again with the state in Palestine.

            They have certain differences from prophets too, like isolation, the gift of being guided, and influence. The Hasidic aren’t really isolated except maybe from people that aren’t Hasidic. They have huge communities where they stick together. They don’t have the gift of being guided like the prophets since they don’t stand in the presence of G-d. Another difference is the influence. The Hasidic don’t preach like the prophets did so they don’t have that kind of an influence.

            The Hasidic can be called modern day prophets but there are a lot of major differences. The similarities are enough to call them prophets though. Both groups have a distrust of power, intolerance, and agreement on certain matters. The major differences include isolation, the gift of being guided, and influence. I feel like they would make good social prophets if they tried though.

Blog Post 22

1)      Zoroastrianism began flourish in Iran during the Persian Empire in the fifth and fourth centuries BC.

2)       Zoroastrianism spread after Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great and it spread through that empire.

3)      When Zarathustra was thirty an angel called Good Thought came to him and brought him as a disembodied soul to Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. Zarathustra recognized him as the one true god.

4)      The oldest sacred text is the Avesta. The oldest texts in it are the Gathas, his seventeen hymns.

5)      His characteristics and actions were eternal, universal goodness, controller of the cosmos, and the destiny of human beings.

6)      Ethical dualism is the belief in universal forces of good and evil.

7)      Lie is an evil, cosmic force that opposes Ahura Mazda.

8)      They must choose between truth and Lie, between the beneficent spirit and the hostile spirit.

9)      His understanding of human destiny was that after death they were judged. The good go to paradise while the bad go to hell. He also believes in full bodily resurrection of everyone for judgment by fire and molten metal.

10)   The general ethical demands are caring for livestock and fields, always tell the truth, do what is right, and avoid evil people.

11)  The Parsis are Zoroastrians that now live in India.

12)  The Iliad and the Odyssey are commonly regarded as having been the Bible of the Greeks.

13)  It means that the gods had human attributes, none of them are all-knowing or all-powerful, and all have their own specific talents, functions, and limitations.

14)  Aeschylus’s main contribution was that he was mainly concerned with the ideal of divine justice. For example he portrayed Zeus as ruling with order and justice.

15)  An oracle is a mortal that the gods communicate their desires and intentions through. An oracle was a sanctuary favored by a particular god, who communicated in some manner to those who visited the site. The most famous one was the oracle at Delphi where people sought the wisdom of the god Apollo. She was consulted on issues ranging from private matters to far-reaching public concerns.

16)  The three basic aspects are that individuals had to choose to become initiates and went through a ritual, initiates experienced a personal encounter with the deity, and initiates gained spiritual renewal through participation in the religion and hope for a better afterlife.

17)  The Eleusinian mystery honored Demeter and her daughter Persephone.

18)  Dionysus is associated with fertility, vegetation, and the vine. He is often depicted with vines and grapes.

19)  The goal is have the soul escape the body and fully realize its divine, Dionysian nature.

20)  Plato’s theory of knowledge is that we know things in this life partly because we have experienced them in previous lives.

21)  Platonic dualism is the belief that wisdom lies in identifying oneself with the truth of the Forms, rather than with the changing and imperfect material world.

22)   Jesus seemed to have much in common because both were called Savior, and the intimacy of the worshipers’ relationship with Asclepius bore a strong resemblance to the relationship with Christ celebrated by Christians.

23)  Numina were supernatural powers each in charge of a specific function and were thought to inhabit Roman homes, towns, the countryside, fields, streams, trees, doorways, altars, and shrines.

24)  The most powerful Roman deity was Jupiter.

25)  The six planets are Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn.

26)  It was essential to ensure the peace of the gods.

27)  The main rivals were Mithraism and the cult of Isis.

28)  The Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris is that Osiris was killed and hacked into pieces by his evil brother, Isis searched far and wide, finally finding Osiris’s body parts. She mummified him, which brought him back to life and he became god of the underworld.

29)  Augustus encouraged worship of his genius or guardian spirit which was thought to guard the welfare of the entire state.

30)  Christian and Roman rulers clashed over emperor worship because Christians didn’t want to worship the ruler since it would go against their belief in one God. The Romans didn’t like this because it looked like the Christians did not support the state. 

Judaism

1.      The three functions of a synagogue are to be a place where Jews can meet, a place where Jews can learn and teach the Torah and other sacred texts, and a place where they can pray.

2.      When you enter a synagogue, on the eastern wall is the ark where the Torah scrolls are kept which is often covered by a parokhet and the Ten Commandments of the eternal light is above it.

3.      A rabbi is a man who leads and guides the Jewish community he serves. A man becomes a rabbi through rabbinical ordination by passing a test of knowledge of the Torah and Talmud. Most will study in a yeshiva, a Jewish institute of higher learning. He is different from other clergymen because he doesn’t wear anything special, doesn’t have the same restrictions like abstinence, and focuses on making people better by pointing out their good aspects. A rabbi’s role is answer questions, counsel, and inspire.

4.      The Sabbath is a day of joy and a gift from G-d. It is a day of rest and spiritual enrichment and occurs every seventh day.

5.      The Torah is the Old Testament, the entire Jewish bible, and is the body of their laws and teachings. The Talmud is the “Oral Torah” and which states what the scriptures mean and how to interpret them and apply the Laws.

6.      Orthodox Jews follow Jewish law laid down the Torah and Talmud and that G-d gave the entire Torah to Moses. Reform Jews focus more on moral law and monotheism. Conservative Jews believe that G-d wrote the Torah but that there was also a human component therefore it must adapt. Zionist Jews believe that anti-Semitism can be overcome through assimilation and calls for Jews to return to Palestine which is now Israel.

7.      Hebrew is the official language of Israel and it spoken by some five million people there.

8.      Yiddish is the language of Ashkenazic Jews in shtetl found in eastern and central Europe and mean “Jewish”.

9.      Mazal Tov means congratulations. Shalom means hello, peace, or goodbye.

10.  Brit Milah (Bris) is the ceremony of circumcision where a boy enter the Covenant on his eighth day of life. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is when a boy or girl reaches 13 years old and a day and is legally mature and assumes full responsibility for observing the commandments and for all his/her deeds. A Jewish wedding is done under a chupah (wedding canopy) which symbolizes the home the couple will make together. Afterward they sign a ketubah which is a legal lien on the husband's property which is given to his wife. Then they do Bedeken where the husband lifts the veil of his to-be-wife to see if she is the right person. Then the man arrives at the chupah first and the woman is escorted there by shoshvinim. Then the bride circles around the groom either three or seven times. Then there is a blessing over wine and Birchat Erusin (the betrothal benediction). Then the rings are presented, and the formula of kiddushin pronounced. Then the Sheva Berachot (seven wedding benedictions) which are about the joys of marriage. Then ceremony ends with the groom, or both the bride and groom, breaking a glass which has been wrapped in a cloth to prevent the fragments from hurting anyone.

11.  Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish new year and occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. It is one of their holiest days. Yom Kippur is the day set aside to atone for the sins of the previous year and occurs on the tenth day of Tishri. Hanukah is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. It is not very important and the main tradition is the lighting of nine candles. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan and is related to the Exodus from Egypt in the Bible.

12.  I knew about Passover and that the Torah was basically the Old Testament.

13.  The most surprising thing to me is that Jews don’t really care about Hanukah which I thought was related to our Christmas which would make it a big deal.

14.  One aspect I guess is a little related is going to church on Sunday.

15.  One tradition that is different is the Bat Mitzvah since the only thing I have is a sweet 16. 

Buddhism Questions

1.      Siddhartha Gautama

2.      The four passing sights were that of an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and an ascetic. The first three were important because they taught Gautama about the unavoidable suffering in life and the fourth is important because it gave him hope that there could be an end to despair.

3.      The doctrine of the Middle Way states that a healthy spiritual life depends on a healthy physical life and that you need a balance between the two.

4.      He was meditating under a fig tree and Mara sent every temptation he had at him, even his three daughters Discontent, Delight, and Desire. Gautama did not waver and touched the ground to call upon the earth to be a witness to his resolve.

5.      The Sangha is a Buddhist monastic community. The members are men and women who are called monks and nuns that follow Buddha.

6.      The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

7.      The features that are shared are that they both regard time as cyclical, they believe in many worlds with many gods and goddesses, both are considered eternal, and the doctrine of samsara.

8.      The Buddha’s reaction was discontent with the speculative philosophy and sacrificial rituals of the Brahmin class and the rejection of the institutional structure.

9.      The Three Marks of Existence are anatta (no-self), anicca (impermanence), and dukkha (suffering). They are interrelated through change.

10.  Anatta is the doctrine of no-self. You have no self because you are constantly changing. It relates to Atman because it says that Atman does not exist.

11.  According to samsara your bundle of energy gets passed into the next life. The role of karma is the transference of personal identity.

12.  The ones that apply to everyone are do not take life, do not take what is not given, do not engage in sensuous misconduct, do not use false speech, and do not drink intoxicants. The ones for monks and nuns are do not eat after noon, do not watch dancing or shows, do not use garlands, perfumes, or ornaments, do not use a high or soft bed, and do not accept gold or silver.

13.  Possible English translations are suffering, frustration, dislocation, or discomfort. I would describe it as all the negative feelings that you have throughout life that you can’t really handle.

14.  Tanha is desire or craving. It is the cause of dukkha.

15.  The steps are right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation.

16.  The difference is that the Buddha achieved complete nirvana through death but enlightened people have only a foretaste of nirvana.

17.  An arhat is an enlightened person. They are free from suffering and desire, have fully realized no-self, have achieved spiritual perfection, are no longer attached to the affairs of the world, are friendly, joyful, compassionate, and even-minded.

18.  It literally means “blowing out” which helps explain how a person’s life energy is blown out like a candle.

19.  The three divisions are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

20.  The main focus is the teachings of Buddhism.

21.  The literal meaning is Great Vehicle. The implication is that it is better than Theravada Buddhism.

22.  It fights desire with desire by trying to stir up emotions within themselves through mandalas, mudras, and mantras.

23.  The Dalai Lama is the head of a clergy called lamas. They are chosen through rebirth originating with the incarnation of a prominent bodhisattva and it sought through supernatural and mundane ways.

24.  The primary geographical regions are Cambodia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand for Theravada; China, Japan, and Korea for Mahayana; and Tibet for Vajrayana. 

Compare and Contrast

There are similarities and differences between the experience of Buddhism and Christianity. These two men have greatly been affected by their respective religions and are trying to teach others of their experience. Both religions search for the same things but merely have different approaches. Three things that they have in common that are like this are their experience, their way to happiness, and their reason for loving others.

Both experience their leader in a certain way. The difference lies in the tense that you use. The Buddha was a human being and so is dead and is past tense. Jesus is God so he is present in our everyday lives today and is possible for every person to experience. However, since Buddha became one with the universe he lives in everyone and there is a Buddha in everyone.

Like most religions, through this experience they wish to reach happiness. Buddhism says that if you make others happy, you will be happy because your happiness and theirs are the same. Christians find happiness in the experience of God’s love and in his grace until you reach ultimate happiness in heaven. Buddhists don’t find happiness in nirvana because they become nothing. They also teach that you can’t be happy until you realize that you are nothing.

This leads me into loving others. As religions both Christianity and Buddhism give guides on how we should interact with the people around. They are generally the same but have different explanations. Buddhists believe that you should love everyone because they are all a part of you and you are a part of all of them. Christianity teaches that we should love everyone because they are our neighbor and Jesus is in everyone.

These two men spoke of many similar things with different approaches. These things included the experience they went through, happiness, and loving others. They have different teachings and methods that try to get to similar results. They both strive for the ultimate though they give it two different names. 

Buddhism

Siddhartha was a prince in India that was shielded from the bad in life like aging and sickness, by his father. After almost thirty years, Siddhartha left the castle to roam and he saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a spiritual seeker. He had a life of pure pleasure but now knew that there was suffering in the world that was inevitable and it troubled him. He left his wife and newborn son and became a spiritual seeker, trying to reach enlightenment. He tried everything all the way down to starving himself to near death for six years before he realized that it wasn’t working. Finally, while meditating under a tree, Siddhartha defeated the god of desire and reached enlightenment or nirvana. He then proceeded to teach others starting with his friends and eventually had many followers and created a community where monks could stay and learn.

Three Jewels:

1.      I take refuge in Buddha

2.      I take refuge in Dharma

3.      I take refuge in Sangha

4 Noble Truths:
       1. All is suffering (dukkha). 
       2. Suffering is caused by desire. 
       3. If one can eliminate desire, they can eliminate suffering. 
       4. The Noble Eight-fold Path can eliminate desire. 

Noble Eight-fold Path:

1. Right Views.

2. Right Intent.

3. Right Speech.

4. Right Conduct.

5. Right livelihood.

6. Right effort.

7. Right mindfulness.

8. Right concentration. 

Hinduism

1.      Moksha is the Sanskrit word for liberation or release. It is the release from the material world and becoming one with Brahman.

2.      This doctrine is monism. An analogy for this is how there are rivers, lakes, and oceans but they are all bodies of water which connects them and makes them one.

3.      Brahman is the eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe. Atman is the eternal self of soul of an individual that gets reincarnated from life to life. They are associated as being the same.

4.      Their function is to provide points of contact with Brahman who is unreachable physically or mentally.

5.      Samsara is the wheel of reincarnation. It is the worldly realm in which rebirth occurs.

6.      It is the Bhagavad-Gita.

7.      The two principles are karma and dharma. Karma is the moral law or cause and effect and determines the nature of each reincarnation based on how good you were in this life. Dharma is the law that karma is based on. It is the ethical duty based on the divine order of reality.

8.      The four classes are Brahmin who are priests, Kshatriya who are warriors and administrators, Vaishya who are producers like farmers and merchants, and Shudra who are servants and laborers.

9.      He encourages him because according to his dharma it is his duty as a warrior to fight in a just cause.

10.  The four stages of life are student, householder, forest dweller, and sannyasin. In the student stage the boy learns and studies the Vedas and other sacred literature. In the householder stage, which is marked my marriage, his goal is to have a career and raise a family. In the forest dweller stage, which is marked by the birth of your first grandchild, the goal is to retreat from worldly bonds in order to fully engage in a spiritual quest. In the sannyasin stage they return to society but remain detached from normal attractions and distractions of social life.

11.  The four goals of life are sensual pleasure (aim to have the utmost pleasure in life), material success (yearning for artha or maerial success and the social power and prestige that comes with it), harmony with dharma (desire to do your duty), and the bliss of moksha (becoming one with Brahman and escaping samsara).

12.  The three paths of liberation are the path of works (Karma Marga) which is for the active in things like raising a family and physical activities, the path of knowledge (Jnana Marga) which is for people with a talent for philosophical reflection, and the path of devotion (Bhakti Marga) which is for those whose emotional attachment comes naturally.

13.  The three most important schools are Vedanta, Sankhya, and Yoga. The task they have in common is the attainment of knowledge over the ignorance that binds the self to samsara.

14.  Three important gods are Vishnu, Shiva, and Kali.

15.  An avatar is an incarnation or living embodiment of a deity. Two popular ones are Krishna and Rama who are both avatars of Vishnu.

16.  That is the Bhagavad-Gita.

17.  Three aspects are household and village rituals, holy places, and cow veneration.

18.  He fueled Hinduism’s tendency to accept all wisdom as lighting the way to the divine.

19.  A significant change was that it was made illegal by the Indian government in 1948.

20.  Sati is the practice of burning a widow. It has been forbidden since 1829 though it does still rarely occur.

21.  A significant development was the separation of Pakistan from India to make a predominantly Muslim country. It turned bloody and a lot of people died on both sides. 

Aztecs/Mayans

Aztecs

Location:

Cosmology:

Creation began with two deities: Omerecuhtli (Lord of Duality) and Omecihuatl (Lady of Duality) who then had four sons Xipe Totec, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, and Huitzilopochtli. Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtil then created the world with fire and a half-sun being first, then the first man and woman, then the lord and lady of the underworld, then the calendar, then the heavens, waters, and land,  and then Tlaloc(rain god) and his wife. The Aztecs also believe that there were four ages before this one, each with its own sun: the Jaguar Sun, the Wind Sun, the Rain Sun, the Water Sun, and the Earthquake Sun. The name of each sun names what would or did destroy that age. Sacrifices of hearts and blood are used to nourish the sun. They also believed in there being nine levels of the underworld that the soul had to go through: river, clashing high mountains, obsidian mountain, icy winds, flapping flags, arrows, ferocious beasts, narrow passages between hard rocks, and darkness and rest. They believed in many gods and each had a certain thing that he/she controlled and looked after.

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/stross/ant322m_files/cosmology.htm

Sacred Symbols:

The only sacred symbols that the Aztecs use are the symbols used to tell the dates on their sacred calendar. It is a 260-day calendar called tonalpohualli and consists of two parallel and interlocking cycles. One cycle has 20 days (day signs) and the other has 13 days (coefficients). A date in the calendar has one day sign and one coefficient. The Aztecs had two other calendars but they were not sacred and not a commonly used. These are the day signs:

http://www.ancientscripts.com/aztec.html

Sacred Locations:

Aztec sacred locations were their temples though sometimes they had entire cities dedicated to religious activities. They called them Teocalli (God houses). The priests went there to worship and pray and make sacrifices. The temples were commonly giant pyramids with stairs on one side and a flat top. One of these temples is the Templo Mayor with was built to honor Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. It was the main temple of their capital city and had two shrines on top. Human sacrifices were the most common rituals done at this temple.

http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-temples.html

Major Gods:

The biggest major gods were Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl who were the parents of a lot of the other major gods. The represented the primordial forces of nature and duality. The next major god is Quetzalcoatl who was believed to be the creator of the humans though he was not the first. He simply recreated the humans each time an age ended and a new one began. He is represented be a feathered serpent. The next god is Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird of the South/Left) who was a warrior sun god. Many human sacrifices were made to him to help him fight the darkness and wars were fought with other peoples especially for their need to capture sacrifices. He was the most revered of the Aztecs. The next god is Xipe Totec (Flayed one) who was the god of the seasons and growing things and the patron of the gold workers. He was believed to have flayed himself to give humans food so sacrifices to him were flayed as well. The last major god was Tláloc who was the god of rain and water. He often had goggle eyes, fangs, and a curled nose. Children sacrifices were made to him since it was believed that children tears brought rain.  

http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-gods.html

Totems:

The Aztecs used art to pay tribute to their gods through pottery, sculptures, pictographs, masks, and warrior art.

http://www.aztec-indians.com/aztec-art.html

Fetishes:

The Aztecs got their protection from their sacrifices. The sacrifices were done to both please and replenish the gods. Anyone could give blood but there were different processes for each god for the sacrifices. For the maize goddess, young girls were decapitated. For the fire god, people were scorched then sacrifices. Every sacrifice had a purpose and was needed for the god to live. Victims were usually chosen a long time in advance and it was estimated that the Aztecs sacrificed 10,000 to 50,000 people a year.

 http://www.plu.edu/~bluchehn/sacrifice/sacrificial-victims.html

Taboos:

  

The Aztecs had many taboos but the most they had were for pregnant women. Pregnant women were forbidden to lift heavy objects, take excessive sweat-baths, engage in excessive sex (fetus would be glued to the womb), and have abortions since pregnancy was seen as a favor from the gods. The women were told not to go out at night without spreading ash, a pebble, or wormwood on her chest so women that died in childbirth would not haunt her child. They also should not look at a hanged person (fetus would be strangled by umbilical cord), should not look at an eclipse or rising moon (child would become hair-lipped), and in the last months she was not allowed to sleep during the day or look at anything frightening, offending, or red. There were also some for children like if you one-stepped over a child you had to step backward over them or their growth would be stunted.

http://malinche.info/blog/?p=81

Role of Shaman:

The priests were treated as nobles but their lives were stressful and hard. They had to watch the planets and stars to prophesize and sound the time, keep track of the eclipses and other events, name certain constellations, read the calendar, divine the incantations to the gods and horoscopes, divine horoscopes for newborns, check the horoscopes of engaged couples, make offerings and sacrifices to the gods, sacrifice victims on the sacrificial stone, and draw blood. The priestesses had many of these responsibilities as well.

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=you&id=429&typ=reg

Rituals:

Two Aztec rituals were the New Fire Ceremony and the Etzalqualiztli. The New Fire Ceremony occurred every 52 years and was their most important ritual since if it failed, the fifth age would end and everything would die. Every fire was put out and everyone would climb to the roof of their houses. The priests would dress as deities and climb the sacred mountain, Uixachtlan and make a sacrifice. After they removed the heart of the person they would light a fire in the chest and then light torches that would light every school, temple, and house. Etzalqualiztli begins with the priests going to Citlaltepec for reeds that they then use to decorate the temple. People avoided them while they were on their way back to the temple because they had a right to rob you of everything you had if you were caught by the priest. On this day the priests would beat any servant that did something wrong at the edge of the lake. This ritual was performed for the god Tlaloc to try to bring more rain and a better harvest.  

http://www.plu.edu/~seppibj/rituals/home.html

Art:

 

1)      Some forms of religion are called primal because they have been practiced since prehistoric times and tend to come before the popular religions of today. Some characteristics of a primal religion are that they provide special insight into the mythic and ritual dimensions of religion, it is the stem of all religions, generally are practiced by nonliterate people and don’t depend on scriptures or written teachings, and they tend to be the traditions of tribal peoples.

2)      They established the landscape, various life forms including humans, tribes, territories, language, social rules, and customs.

3)      The spiritual essence of the Ancestors survives in the symbols.

4)      A totem is a representation of something like ancestors. Taboos are things that are forbidden to do.

5)      Rituals are essential because it is only through rituals that the sacred power of the Dreaming can be accessed and experienced.

6)      They originated with the very first humans.

7)      The purposes are to awaken young people to spiritual identity, redefine their social identity within the tribe, and help them learn the essential truths and their world and how they are to act within it.   

8)      Two acts are the two lower middle teeth being knocked out and buried and having the boy’s neck and back struck with wounds.

9)      The Yoruba live in the western regions of central Africa in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.

10)  It has always been the center because it was there that the god Orisha-nla first began to create the world.

11)  They believe that reality is divided into heaven and earth with the gods and ancestors in heaven and the humans and deviant forms of humans on earth.

12)  Olorun is the primary, original source of power in the universe and all life forces owe their existence to him.

13)  The orishas are the lower gods and deities under Olorun and serve as the mediators between Olorun and human beings.

14)  Orisha-nla created the earth and Ogun is the god of iron and war.

15)  A trickster figure is a mischievous supernatural being that goes between heaven and earth because it contain both good and evil aspects.

16)  The two types are family and deified. The family are only worshiped by the family and the deified are worshiped by everyone.

17)  Their role is to mediate between the gods and ancestors in heaven and the human beings on earth.

18)  It is learning your future. It is regarded as essential because they believe that it is necessary to determine how to proceed with your life.

19)  They believe that they came twenty thousand to thirty thousand years ago from Asia by the Bering Strait.

20)  It is of vital interest because this religion serves as the model of pan-Indian religion, a recent popular movement uniting many tribes from across North America.

21)  Wakan Tanka is the name for the supreme reality.

22)  Inktomi is the trickster figure of the Lakota.

23)  They believe that four souls depart a person at death. One goes along the “spirit path” of the Milky Way and meets an old woman who decides whether it goes to live with the ancestors or goes back to earth as a ghost. The other souls go into unborn children.

24)  They try to gain access to spiritual power that will ensure greater success in activities such a hunting, warfare, and curing the ill.

25)  The structure is a dark, airtight hut made of saplings and covered with animal skins. The function is to purify the person body and spirit.

26)  A typical vision is a message coming from a spirit in the form or an animal or some other object or force of nature.

27)  A woman of outstanding moral character presides.

28)  The axis mundi is the axis or center of the universe. In the Sun Dance it is the cottonwood tree set upright in a certain spot.

29)  They do this because they feel that their body is the only thing can sacrifice because it is the only thing they truly own.

30)  Aztecs were a highly developed civilization and the people were urban, city dwellers. It is like other primal religions in its emphasis on the interrelationship between myth and rituals and how it predated Catholicism.

31)  It included most of Mexico and extended southward to Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

32)  Quetzalcoatl created and ordered the world. Teotihuacan was the origin of the cosmos.

33)  He was a priest-king. He provided the Aztecs with the perfect model for their own authority figure.

34)  They called their present age the fifth age and anticipated that it would end.

35)  The Aztecs understood the spatial world as having four quadrants extending outward from the center of the universe which connected the earthly realm to the heavenly realm above and the underworld below.

36)  Each human being was regarded as a sort of axis mundi because of the potency of the divine force in the head and the divine force in the heart.

37)  They were able to communicate with the gods and make offerings through language instead of sacrifices.    

38)  The coincidence that Cortez was wearing a feathered hat so the king at the time thought he was Topiltzin because he was supposed to come back that year.  

39)  It shows it because it joins the living and the dead through festive and spiritually meaningful rituals like the Aztecs did every year for the same basic purpose.

40)  The three themes are the thin and often crossed boundary between the supernatural and the human world, the all-encompassing nature of religion, and change.