Great Religious Traditions

Understanding different explanations of the meaning of human existence

1. Religions which need visible idols to worship, primitive animism the lowestkinds of religion.

2. Religions which need incarnations (Vishnu and Christianity)

1. Religions which believe in a personal God- Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Hindu bhakti sects - superior religion)

4. Philosophic Hinduism – the most sophisticated religion invented by men, which believes in impersonal God (the highest)

Classification of religions by Dr. Sarvepalli Radakrishnan

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PLURALISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – 1

CORINTH

POSEIDON (NEPTUNE) – Isthmian Games Cenchrea & Lechaion

APOLLO (PHOEBUS) – Apollos, Phoebe

DIONYSIUS (BACCHUS) – Drunkeness 1Co.5:11

APHRODITE (VENUS) – Sexual Immorality 1Co.6:15-20

AESCLEPIUS (Healing) – 1Co.12:12-27

EPHESUS

CYBELE, ARTEMIS (DIANA) (“ololygia”) 1Co.13:1

– Refusing to marry Childbearing 1Tim.2:12,15 Acts 14:12

LYSTRA

JOVE (JUPITER) HERMES (MERCURY) – Barnabas, Paul

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PLURALISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – 2

ROME

MARS (ARES) – AREOPAGUS, Dionysius

CASTOR & POLLUX – Acts 28:11

TYCHE (Fortune) – Tychichus, Syntyche, Eutychus

(Cynic Philosophy) – Diogenes 1Co.6:13

Many areas mix folk religion with nominal Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity

• The world is full of spiritual forces, mainly hostile.

• These religious views colour the whole life of society

• There are prescribed rituals for every situation

• There are experts in the performance of these traditional rituals.

• There is a seasonal round of rituals and festivals

• There is usually a supreme God, who is not hostile

• There is usually much fear of spirits, especially spirits of the dead

• There are usually sacred places, things and words and taboos or forbidden things

• It is possible to covet and tap the power of others

• Even though the old religions have been supplanted by a universal faith the old folk beliefs tend to linger on, especially in relation to healing, sickness, childbirth and funerals.

(e.g. halloween, mistletoe, holly, Christmas trees, May Day hobbyhorses)

PRIMAL RELIGIONS, FOLK RELIGION & SYNCRETISM

all originate in Western Asia and believe in One Creator God revealing Himself

TEACHING HOLY BOOK GOD JESUS

JUDAISM 1400 BCE Moses/prophets Yahweh NOT Christ

Ethnic for Jews Hebrew language

CHRISTIAN 33 CE Old/New Testaments Father/Son Image of the

Universal for all nations Every Language Holy Spirit Invisible God

ISLAM 622 CE Qur’an Allah Great prophet

Aims to become Arabic Language

Universal. Muhammad is prophet of God whose teaching supersedes all other revelation.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THREE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS

Most religions would appear to be human inventions (following WW2 no less than 100 new religions were registered in Japan for Tax relief purposes) –shown in diagram starting on earth out into space. The Christian view however is that the unknown God revealed himself to the patriarchs, to Moses and the prophets and then supremely and finally through Jesus Christ. Christians accept the Law and Prophets (OT) as genuine revelation from God, but do not accept the Q’uran as genuine revelation – if we did we would be Muslims! Some human speculations are very old – but are equally not convincing as revelation. So in evangelism the issue is always: what do you think of Christ? Is He only a great prophet or, as Christian believe, the image of the invisible God?

Religion Date Origin “Gods” Salvation Scope

HINDUISM Ancient Anything Many Escape Rebirth Anyone Indian pan- a- (mukti)(Vedas) poly-

BUDDHISM 500 BCE Siddharta Total After many Bikku THERAVADA Gautama reality rebirths (monks) (Hinayana) (Sutras)

MAHAYANA Syncretism Boddhisatvas ‘instant’ Anyone

SIKHISM 1500 CE Guru Nanak Monotheist Harmony Punjabis (Granth Sahib) with God

THE INDIAN MONISTIC TRADITION

BRAHMINS – Aryan priests sacrifice, gods among men, recite vedas

KSHATRIYAS –Aryan warriors fight, nobles holding secular power

VAISYAS – other Aryans, peasant, landowners, merchants, bankers

SUDRAS – Dravidians serfs and artisans, and other servants

CASTE 4 varnas (colours) and castes (100s of jatis)

born into as result of karma (performance in earlier lives).

1. VEDIC PERIOD 2000-600 BCE synthesis of Aryan polytheistic sacrificial system with pantheistic monism

2. PANTHEISTIC PERIOD 600 BCE- 300 CE Reaction (Buddhism, Jainism) & Renaissance (Bhagavad-gita)

3. MONOTHEISTIC (Puranic) PERIOD 300-1200 CE development of Shaivistic & Vaishnaistic Bhakti movements

4. MEDIAEVAL Period 1200-1750 CE Moghul emperors (Muslims) in Delhi, attempted syncretisms of Kabir & Nanak (Sikhism)

5. MODERN PERIOD 1750- CEBritish in Delhi! (Christians in south 1500yrs) must come to terms with Christianity (i) refusal – Arya Samaj (ii) syncretism – Brahmo Samaj (iii) counter attack – Ramakrishna (1843-86); Vivekananda (1863-1902); Ghandi (1869-1948); Radakrishnan (1888-1975)

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HINDUISM

ABSOLUTE PANTHEISM – everything there is is God.

MODIFIED PANTHEISM – God is the reality behind natur e.

VEDANTISM: MODIFIED MONISM God is to nature as mind to body

ABSOLUTE MONISM – only God is a reality, all else is illusion (ADVAITA)

Sankara (9th C. CE) taught that Brahman=Atman, and liberation is through knowledge (jnana) Individual consciousness is illusion (maya) as also is worship of God (bhakti ) .

VISISHTADVAITA ( QUALIFIED THEISTIC MONISM

Ramanuja (11th C. CE) taught that Brahman does not equal Atman. Liberation comes from above by devotion and love for God (bhakti ) God is to the world and souls, what soul is to body. Salvation is by grace and surrender (prapatti ) baby monkeys have to cling to mother or fall off, while the baby kitten is carried by the mother.

Madhva (13th C. CE) taught that Brahman does not equal the world or Atman. Liberation comes through devotion (bhakti ) to Vishnu.

One wonders how much influence there was from Syrian Christians in the south of India.

HINDUISM is not a single coherent religious system but a collage of religious practices found anywhere in India. However the vedas and upanishads provided a source of religious speculation about the character of the universe and its relation to Brahma.

He challenged the priestly power of the Brahmins by advocating ahimsa(non-killing) thus making it impossible for them to offer sacrifices, so they became redundant as sacrificing priests. Gautama’s teaching spread throughout India.

The Bhagavadgitawas a successful Hindu counter attack: the prince Arjuna influenced by the Buddhist teaching of ahimsarefuses to fight as kshatriya’s were supposed to do. His charioteer who is Krishna in disguise argues him out of his pacifism. First, the enemy are only an illusion (maya) and in any case if they are killed they will be reincarnated and return to life. This was so successful that Bhuddism was almost entirely eliminated in India.

Siddharta Gautama(the Buddha) was born in a palace, as a kshatriya. (c.563-483 BCE)

Theravada mahasanghikas

“teaching of the ancients” “members of the great community”c.484 BCE c. 1st century BCE

Hinayana (derisory) mahayana

“small vehicle” “large vehicle”,

Elitist, exclusivist Universalist, popular

very few reach Nirvana very many gain Nirvana

one day monks may be saved Instant Salvation for lay people

BUDDHA- DHAMMA “ the eternal truth of the awakened one”

BUDDHA- DHAMMA – 2 “ the eternal truth of the awakened one”

� relentless self-effort Boddhisatvas share merit basic original ‘middle way’ developed rituals, mantras

� Gautama is a holy man Buddha is ‘God’

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Mahayana in China and Japan: celibacy and rejection of the world did not easily blend with ancestor worship (no descendants) or materialism (ascetic denial). N.B. Japanese forms of Buddhism arose first in China

Pure Land sects– Ta-riki salvation by confessing faith in Amida, lord of light. Honen (1133-1212CE) repeated Namu Amida butsuas many times as possible, Shinran (1173-1262 CE) said once was enough. Enter “right established state” (assurance, state of grace)

Zen – Ji-riki, no ‘hooben’ (accommodation) teacher-student,salvation by self effort – meditation (Chinese Ch’an) Koan-Riddles- clap with one hand, zazen – seated meditation.

Nichiren – nationalistic , gave rise to Sookagakkai (cf British Israelism). Lotus sutra – ‘namu kyoo renge kyoo’

THE VARIETIES OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

This diagram reminds you that basic beliefs are rarely simple, and that in the course of Chinese history there are many varied “religions”that have influenced Chinese thought.

The original basic worldview of the Japanese was Shinto (“way of the gods”), but the ethics and the philosophy which Shinto lacked were supplied by two Chinese imports –Confucianism and Buddhism.

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Great Religious Traditions

The End