WHAT ARE THE FORMS OF RELIGION? Don E. Peavy, Sr., M.Div.,J.D. Lesson 8.

WHAT ARE THE WHAT ARE THE FORMS OF FORMS OF RELIGION?RELIGION?

Don E. Peavy, Sr., M.Div.,J.D.

Lesson 8

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

• Whatever is God to a man, that is his heart and soul; and conversely, God is the manifested inward nature, the expressed self of a man, -- religion the solemn unveiling of a man’s hidden treasures, the revelation of his intimate thoughts, the open confession of his love-secrets.”

Ludwig Feuerbach

What Are the Forms of Religion?

• A. Individual.

• 1. Individual totemism.

• 2. Mystic.

• 3. Ascetic.

• 4. Naturalist.

• 5. Spiritualist.

B. Communal

• 1. Natural community.

• 2. Voluntary religious group.

• a. Founded religion.

• b. Church type.

• c. Denomination.

• d. Gnostic.

• e. Sect.

Contd.

• f. Cult

• g. Utopian.

• Readings: Lecture VIII, attached. Read the article about the Oneida Community at: http://www.nyhistory.com/central/oneida.htm. Read Peavy Chapter 7, attached.

• Film: “The Wicker Man,” starring Nicholas Cage.

Objectives

• 6. Classify religious communities by sociological type and stage of social growth and collect and account for instances of both harmony and tension between religion and other social institutions. 7. Identify the most influential global trends and challenges facing religion in the current century and assess their significance for the continued vitality of each major religious worldview.

For Discussion

• 1. What form of religion is depicted in the film for this week? How does the religion of the film allow the community to resolve a community problem?

Contd.

• In the news is the debate over whether or not Muslims ought to be allowed to build a mosque at Ground Zero. How does religious tolerance inform this debate? How does the chapter by Peavy address the issues raised by this debate?

A. INDIVIDUAL

• 1. Individual Totemism:a. “I will call the cult that each individual renders to his patron individual totemism. (Durkheim 162)b. “[T]here is no religion without an individual aspect. This general observation applies to totemism.” (D 158)c. The “it” is usually a definite tree, rock, or stone that plays the role of an individual as opposed to a species. (D 161)

2. MYSTIC

• “[P]ersonal religious experience has its root and centre in mystical states of consciousness.” (James L. XVI and XVII)

• Qualities of mystical states:1. Ineffability2. Noetic3. Transciency4. Passivity

3. ASCETIC

• The ascetic may withdraw from the world in a physical sense or may withdraw inwardly while still participating in the institutions of the world. (Weber 166)

• A key difference between the ascetic and the mystic is that the mystic sees activities in the world as diverting him from union with the divine whereas the ascetic finds “certification of his state of grace precisely in his behavior in the world.” (172)

4. NATURALIST

• One who worships phenomena in nature – “whether great cosmic forces, such as the winds, the rivers, the stars, the sky, etc., or the objects … [of the earth] such as plants, animals, rocks, etc.” (Durkheim 45)

• Some scholars “hold that the cult of nature was the starting point of religious evolution…” (D 46)

5. SPIRITUALIST

• “[S]piritualism meant a belief in and practice of communication with the spirits of the dead through the help of human mediums.” (Albanese 263)

• Two types:1. Mental – predicated upon psychic phenomena.2. Physical – Spirits acquired material form usually at a séance so they could be seen, heard and felt. (Albanese 265)

B. COMMUNAL

• 1. Natural Community – Little distinction between the religious and the sociocultural life of the community.

• Religion is interwoven into all areas of life.• One is born into or marries into the group.• Typically “natural religious groups are joined by

biological-blood relations … geography … or culture.” (Livingston 162-63)

2. VOLUNTARY RELIGIOUS GROUP

• Founded religion

• Church-type

• Denomination

• Gnostic

• Sect

• Cult

• Utopian

Religious Pluralism

• No single religion dominates the world• Boundaries between religions are hardening• Religions associated with national identities are

feeling threatened — which will receive state funding?

• Increase in fundamentalism which is often politicized and turned to violent ends

• Various religions claiming superiority — but difficult to reconcile with others’ claims

Interfaith Movement

• Rapid acceleration of interfaith dialogue• Many people of broad vision have noted that many of the

same principles appear in all traditions• Golden Rule—Do unto others• exercising control over the mind• setting aside one’s own self interests• harkening to the divine

• Contemporary scholars questioning absolute authority of scriptures, casting doubt on exclusive claims to truth

Responses to Other Faiths

• Three responses to contact between religions (Diana Eck)• Exclusivism —”Ours is the only true way”• Inclusivism —trying to create on world religion

or accepting the diversity of all religions• Pluralism —to hold one’s own faith but at the

same time ask people of other faiths about their path

Interfaith Initiatives

• 1986 Pope John Paul II invited 160 representatives of all world religions to Assisi to pray for world peace

• 1988 Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival

• 1990 assembly in Moscow• 1993 centenary celebrations of the Parliament of

the World’s Religions —Chicago

Interfaith Initiatives

• UN effort to draw up interfaith global standard for ethical national behavior• 2000 millennium World Peace Summit of

Religion and Spiritual leaders at UN and NY hotel

• Internet carries the efforts of many organizations to provide information on the various world religions

• Local interfaith initiatives

Religion and Social Issues

• Genetic engineering• Terrorism• Gap between rich and poor• Deterioration of natural environment

• 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro

• 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development

• Banning land mines• Racism and violence• Poverty and injustice

Religion and Materialism

• Universal spiritual principles swamped by expansion of capitalism

• Profit motive uppermost• Late twentieth century reconsidering how to

reconcile spiritual motives with earning a living

• Beginning of twenty-first century dominated by power-mongering, self-interest, and corruption

Religion and The Future of Humanity

• Increase in materialistic greed, crime amorality, terrorism —Darkness before the dawn?

• At the same time, global increase in interest in religion —Is the world ready to be cured?

• What do you see as the future of religion?

Conclusion

• I hope you have enjoyed this brief journey through the world of religious study.

• Religion is of vital concern to a lot of people around the world and you cannot know people who are religious unless you know something about their religion.

• Hopefully, as a result of this journey, you are a much better person.