World Religions Study Guide
A standard undergraduate comparative survey of the world's religious traditions: the academic study of religion, indigenous and primal traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, Confucianism and Daoism, Shinto and Japanese religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, new religious movements, and religion in the modern world.
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12 Topics Covered
Theories and Methods in Religious Studies
Foundational approaches: Durkheim, Weber, Eliade, Geertz, Smart's dimensions; insider/outsider perspectives; defining religion academically.
Indigenous and Primal Religions
Oral traditions, animism, shamanism; Yoruba orishas, Native American practices, Aboriginal Dreaming; colonial distortions and revitalization movements.
Hinduism
Vedic origins through bhakti; Brahman/Atman, karma, moksha; major deities, philosophical schools, caste system, contemporary diaspora.
Buddhism
Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path; Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana traditions; key texts, meditation practices, engaged Buddhism.
Jainism and Sikhism
Jain ahimsa, anekantavada, tirthankaras; Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth Sahib, Khalsa, langar; distinct South Asian paths.
Chinese Religions: Confucianism and Daoism
Confucian ethics, ren, li, filial piety; Daoist wu wei, Dao; Neo-Confucianism; popular religion and syncretism.
Shinto and Japanese Religious Traditions
Kami, purity rituals, shrine practice; Shinto-Buddhist syncretism; State Shinto's nationalism; Japanese new religious movements.
Judaism
Covenant, Torah, Temple periods; rabbinic tradition, Talmud; Kabbalah, Hasidism; modern denominations, Holocaust, Zionism.
Christianity
Jesus, Paul, early councils; Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant branches; Reformation theology; modern movements and global Christianity.
Islam
Muhammad, Qur'an, Five Pillars; Sunni-Shia division; sharia, Sufism; reform movements and contemporary global Islam.
New Religious Movements
Mormonism, Baha'i, Wicca, Scientology; causes of emergence; 'cult' debates; Pentecostalism's global expansion.
Religion in the Modern World
Secularization debates, fundamentalism, pluralism; religion with science, gender, politics, environment; global trends and future trajectories.
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