Huston Smith Assignment 3

7. What is the role of revelation?

In Judaism, revelation is the reason that people of Jewish faith have been able to find so much meaning in certain areas of their life, such as history, morality, justice, and suffering. They did not seek meaning in these areas, instead God showed it to them by revealing it to them. The first time the God revealed something to them was in Exodus where he showed them his power, goodness and concern for history. The meaning in other areas of their life followed after the first revelation in Exodus. Part of the idea of revelation is that God revealed these things to them on purpose, because He wanted them to know these things and be able to search for a deeper meaning in life.

8. What is the concept of the “chosen people”?

The concept of the “chosen people is that the Jewish people were chosen by God to suffer for the rest of the world and teach everyone a lesson or redeem the rest of the world through their actions. The idea of being chosen by God does not mean that they are egotistical and think they are special, by accepting the idea of being the “chosen people” they are denying that their continued existence in the world was because of themselves, but that the only reason they survived was because of God.

Huston Smith Assignment 2

4. What is the meaning in suffering?

In Judaism, suffering is important because similar to history, it teaches people a lesson and there is always a reason for suffering. In most cases, suffering is God’s way of punishing the Jewish people but also teaching them a lesson so they do not do it again. The most important examples of this are when they were put into exile by the surrounding empires and instead of giving up they still believed that God was on their side, he was just trying to show them what they were doing wrong and give them an appreciation for everything they had before they were exiled. Suffering also teaches people that if they stay true to God through hard times he will reward them. Also, suffering is seen as a lesson to the rest of the world, not just people of Jewish faith. When suffering occurs, God is punishing everyone even if they do not believe in him and the lessons that the Jewish people learn affect the entire world.

5. What is the Meaning in Messianism?

In Judaism, Messianism is important because it gives people a sense of hope because they were usually the underdogs in every situation and Messianism gave them hope that one day the conditions of life would improve. The idea of a Messianic age consists of three important elements; hope, restoration of a Jewish Nation, and an ethical change that would affect the entire world so people would live in peace. Some people believe that a messiah will come to bring in this era, or that God will intervene himself, or that there will be an apocalyptic event that restores the world so this era will be possible. The idea of improving a person’s life or the lives of a large population is important in Judaism because they were usually mistreated or the underdogs throughout most of their history so hope that life would improve was essential to their faith.

6. What is meant by the “hallowing of life”?

In Judaism, the “hallowing of life” is a way of making everything in life sacred by sharing the good and bad parts of life with God. A person has to understand the concept that everything belongs to God; therefore people should share all of life’s events with Him even if it is just a family dinner. In Judaism, this is done through rituals and traditions that have been passed down through generations. These rituals not only allow people to slow down and consider the current conditions of their lives, but also to be aware of God and be grateful towards God for everything that He provides.

Huston Smith Assignment 1

1. In Judaism what is the meaning in history?

In Judaism history is important because it allows change in religion and lifestyle that people lived. They believe that the context of a person’s life significantly affects how they live and that they should work together to bring about change. Also, in Judaism, history is viewed as a series of lessons that people should learn from such as the Babylonian exile. Also, history is important because it makes life’s events different and unique and a person should not pass up an opportunity because he or she will never have the opportunity again because God does intervene at crucial moments in history and offers opportunities to those who are faithful to him. Judaism was surrounded by many nature based polytheistic religions, and these religions focused on keeping things the same because people were afraid that a god could get upset and throw everything into chaos, they did not think about making things better, just preventing them from getting worse. In Judaism, history is more of a relationship between what actually is happening and what could be happening, which is the reason that history creates a way to change a person’s lifestyle if they do not agree with it.

2. In Judaism what is the meaning in Morality?

In Judaism, morality is important because society would not function without basic moral standards that everyone lives by. These rules only exist for humans because they are controlled in animals from instinct, but humans need guidelines so they can all function peacefully together. In Judaism the basic moral rules are the Ten Commandments, and they create the structure of a society. The Ten Commandments cover different rules in the four main areas that need to be controlled in order for humans to coexist; force, wealth, sex, and speech. There are various rules for each of these areas, which create a structured society that does not fall into chaos if these rules are followed. Also, one of the most important qualities of the Ten Commandments is that they are universal and are not specific to just one situation and are more of a foundation for morality in Judaism.

3. In Judaism what is the meaning in Justice?

In Judaism, justice is important because it is the root of political stability for a society. The most important historical figures of the pursuit of justice in Jewish history are the prophets, who speak the word of God. There were three stages of the development of the prophets; the first stage was the prophetic guilds, which focused more on losing self consciousness, the second stage was of the pre-writing prophets who began to focus on ethics, and the third stage was the writing prophets, who focused on the ethics of society as a whole. The pre-writing prophets would focus on one person, while the writing prophets would focus on creating ethical change for the entire society. They created political stability by demanding the same rights for everyone because they believed that if everyone was a child of God, then they all should have the same rights. The prophets came from different backgrounds, but all lived in a society that was in danger because of its injustice and they used the word of God to create change and therefore political and social stability.

YOLB Month 7

1. Based on what Yossi said, religion is about serving God as well as helping yourself. Throughout the year, Jacobs has been hoping that this project will help him figure out what he believes and he keeps using the Bible as a "self help book," to improve himself but he has never really thought about what he should be doing for God. It is okay for him to look at religion to improve himself and live a better life, but he should have some amount of selflessness in his journey.

2. Jacobs says that he has always thought the parts of the Bible that talk about "praising the lord" are strange and he can't really connect with them or understand them. When he is sitting in Jerusalem, he has a realization about this problem that he has had when he realizes that praising God takes people outside of themselves for a minute to appreciate how amazing God is. It's hard for humans to not be prideful, but praising God takes you outside of being prideful of yourself because He created everything which is beyond what any human is capable of doing. This helps him reconcile the problem that he previously had because now he understands why those parts of the Bible are important, and it also relates to what Yossi was telling him, that religion should be mainly about God and putting him above yourself.

Psalms Assignment

Psalm 8:

Summary: This psalm is basically praising God for giving man the earth and all the things that make it possible to survive. It also discusses man's place in the world and creation, such as when it says, "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor." (verse 5) It is saying that humans are not as divine as angels, but God gave them glory and honor and control over the things that He made.

1. In what ways does this psalm draw upon the first chapter of Genesis?

This psalm relates to the first chapter of Genesis because it discusses when the earth was made and man's role in the creation of the earth.

2. a) In what verse is the theme of the role of humankind in creation first sounded?

The theme of the role of humankind in creation is first portrayed in verse four when mankind is first introduced and it’s role is questioned.

b) What place do humans occupy in relation to heaven and the rest of creation?

Humans are lower than God and other divine beings such as angels, but they are higher than the rest of creation on the earth and were given “Dominion over the works of thy hands.” (verse 6)

c) What does this unique place suggest about the relationship between humans and God?

It suggests that God has a personal relationship with humans, but they will never be able to be on the same level as Him especially because they can’t understand him.

Psalm 19:

Summary: This psalm talks about how God rules over everything on Earth, and how great of a feat this is. It also discusses God’s laws and why they are important and uses sinning as an example in verse 13.

1. How do the two distinct poems in this psalm differ in what they praise?

The first part praises how God rules over everything and his power extends throughout the entire earth. The second part of the psalm praises how strong God is and the way that he governs people and the earth and how people should follow his rules because they will make you a better person.

2. a) Identify the two prayers that are in the end of the psalm.

The first prayer is in verse 13 and says, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” The second prayer is in verse 14 and says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight.

b) What is the author requesting of God in each case?

In the first prayer, the author is asking God to help him be free of sin and give him the strength to not sin. The second prayer is asking God to hear the first prayer and accept it and know that the person who is asking to have the strength to be free of sin really means it.

Psalm 23:

Summary: This psalm explains the relationship between God and humans and how God gives humans strength, leads them through life, and provides what they need to survive.

1. Which verse best summarizes the theme of the Psalm?

I think that verse 3 summarizes the theme of this Psalm because the first two are like and introduction, and verse 3 it summarizes what the psalm is about, and the rest of the verses go into more detail about the main point of the verse.

2. What may gave caused this psalm to be adopted as a prayer of last resort?

I think this psalm is used as a prayer of last resorts and in moments of crisis because it is a prayer of strength from God, so people recite in when they need strength from God.

Psalm 137:

Summary: This psalm is about the Babylonian exile and how the Israelites do not want to forget about Jerusalem. It is also a prayer asking God to punish the people who exiled them.

1. To Which qualities of God does this psalm appeal to and why?

Instead of appealing to God’s goodness and mercy, it appeals to his ruthlessness. This psalm appeals to this quality of God because it is asking Him to punish the people who exiled the Israelites out of Jerusalem.

2. a) In what way are verses 5-9 an answer to the command in verse 3?

In verse 3 the Babylonians command the Israelites to sing them a song about Zion and verses 5-9 are the song that they sing in response to the Babylonians.

b) What is ironic about this “answer”?

The thing that is ironic about their response is that it is not really a song about Zion, it is more about the Babylonians and what will happen to them because the forced the Israelites 0ut of Zion.

c) How are verses 5-9 also an answer to the question in verse four?

Verse four is asking how they can live life with God or let Him guide them in a land that they did not grow up in and doesn’t belong to them. Verses 5-9 answer this question by saying that they should live in a different land by never forgetting about Jerusalem and Israel and where they came from.

Year of Living Biblically Month 6

1. Jacobs says that the red heifer idea is potentially dangerous because some people would view it as a sign to build a third temple, which would have to be built over one of the most important Mosques in Islam which could cause a war between Muslims, Jews, and possibly Christians because it is an important site in Christianity as well.

2. Now that he is halfway through his spiritual journey, he can look back on what has happened and the progress that he has made and I think he feels like he hasn't made as much progress as he wants to because he has had so many high and low points. I think he also feels distanced from God partly because he still isn't sure about what he believes and also partly because he has lived his life in a completely rational mindset. His dilemma is that he doesn't know how to get out of that mindset and accept his experiences so far with God so he eventually starts doubting all of the meaningful experiences he has had so far.

3. Jacobs says that the Bible is like wikipedia because there is a theories that many people wrote it, instead of just a few. This makes it like wikipedia because people don't know who all the authors are, and it was compiled over a long period of time. I agree with his argument, because if that theory is true, then it has a lot of similarities with wikipedia, but I don't think that it is exactly like wikipedia because a person still had to be extremely important and powerful to write part of the Bible compared to wikipedia, which anyone can write in.

World Religions Month 5

Quote 1:
"And you shall not strip you vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes...you shall leave them for the poor."
-Leviticus 19:10
The meaning behind this quote is that everyone should help people who are less fortunate than them. It also means that people should not be greedy and take everything for themselves, they should leave some of their food and possessions to the poor. Jacobs does this by trying to drop money on the ground, which does not really work, because most people are not used to someone dropping money and leaving it there. In the modern world this is the same thing as the idea of donating extra money to charities or volunteering to help the poor. Jacobs also says that the idea of "gleanings," or giving to the poor, has been called the "first welfare system." Today, we have government systems and non-profit organizations that are all based off of the idea that a person should give what they have left over to the poor.

Quote 2:

"You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged."

-Leviticus 19:32

This quote means that a person should honor people who are older than them and respect and take car of them. Although Jacobs takes the part of the quote that says "you shall rise up before the grayheaded" literally, I don't think that applies to modern society, because most people do not stand up every time that an elderly person entires the room. I think that this quote does not really apply to modern society because most people forget to follow this rule. When someone is a child, they are usually taught to respect people who are older than them, but usually people do not actually take care of the people in their family. Although some families take care of them, usually older people are sent to homes for elderly people and sometimes barely ever see their families. Although a lot of people do not follow this rule to the fullest extent that they can, most respect those who are older than them and honor them to some extent.

The Story of the Flood and David and Goliath

The Story of the Flood:
1. a) What is the meaning of the statement “Noah walked with God?” b) What does God’s willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
a)”Noah walked with God” means that Noah was an extremely righteous person and close to God, not that he was a God, but that he lived in a Godly way.
b) God’s willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggests that He trusted Noah enough and thought that Noah was a good enough person to save above everyone else. It also suggests that God did not think Humanity was completely evil, He just thought that they needed to be punished for breaking the covenant.
2. a) How does the flood reduce the earth to its appearance in the early stages of creation? b) How might this fact make humans especially eager to have a covenant?
a) The flood kills all the humans, animals and plants that live on the earth except for the ones that Noah has on his ark. This reduces the earth how it was during creation, before God made animals, plants, or humans.
b) This would make humans eager to have a covenant because they would not have anything left to sustain themselves is God had not ordered Noah to save one of each gender of every animal. Also, because humans do not have any infrastructure, or way of life, they need to depend on God for emotional security.
3. a) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant? b) What is the reason for these demands?
a) Before He makes the covenant, God requires Noah to build an Arc and follow the exact directions the He gives him. He also required Noah to out a lot of effort and energy into his task.
b) The reason God makes these demands was to test Noah’s faith and see how devoted Noah was to Him.

David and Goliath:
1. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
It is fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil in a religious aspect because David is loyal to God, which in the Bible is considered to be good, while Goliath worships pagan Gods which in the Bible can be considered evil.
2. Identify two speeches in which David shows more concern for God’s honor than for his own. Explain your choices.
a. The first speech in which David shows more concern for God’s honor than himself is when he is speaking to the crowd of men in the army about who will fight Goliath, and he says, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (Line 26) He is saying that even though the men are afraid to fight Goliath, they must do it in God’s honor because Goliath has offended God’s honor.
b. The other speech that David makes is when he is about to fight Goliath, and he says, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Isreal, whom thou has defied.” (Line 45) He is saying that even though Goliath could easily kill him and ruin his honor and the honor of the entire army, David has God on his side to help him out because Goliath defied God, and God will help David win to restore his honor.
3. a) David describes to Saul his role as a shepherd. What does this description suggest about God’s role in relation to the Hebrew people? b) How does the story of David and Goliath illustrate this role?
a. When David describes his role as a shepherd to Saul, it suggests that God’s role with the Hebrew people is partly to help them sustain themselves, such as when he tells Saul about his battle with the Lion and the Bear to save one of his animals. It also means that God does not care about class or wealth, that if you are faithful to God, he will help you.
b. The story of David and Goliath illustrates this role because God helps the Hebrew people win the war against the Philistines, and He helps David win it, because he has been loyal and faithful to God.

Year of Living Biblically Months 3 & 4

1. Jacobs has a hard time avoiding "The Evil Tongue" because the rules in the bible about speech include any negative remark about someone, not just pure gossip. In today's society, people are used to making automatic judgements about people the moment they meet them. This is one of the reasons why it is so hard to avoid using "The Evil Tongue," because although he is still allowed to make judgements in his head, he can't say anything about them, which he has been doing his entire life.

2. I think Jacobs meant that to embrace religion, you have to give up some of your freedom and devote your life to following that religion. Most people like to be in complete control of their lives, but following a religion makes it almost impossible to have complete control because you have to rely on that religion so much. It's strange that he is so afraid of this, because that is exactly what he is doing. He is trying to embrace religion, and to do so he has let the Bible completely control his life and has given up a lot of his freedom in the process.

3. Under his context and explanation, he is right. Images are used in the media so much that people only see those, instead of any text that goes with them. He is also right about the Hollywood and Washington examples, the majority of the population relies on personality, which we can only see through pictures and video to decide who they like. If photos and videos were not used, it would only matter if a presidential candidate was capable of doing the job.

4. When Jacobs tries to convince himself that the earth was formed a handful of generations ago, he discovers that this belief actually makes him feel more connected to the rest of humanity because Creationism states that everyone comes from Adam and Eve. He also discovered that he feels more important in the world, instead of being a small part of the earth’s existence, he actually plays an important role. From these feelings he starts to understand why people believe in Creationism and why it would be appealing to some people. Although he finds a lot of good things through this experiment, he also realizes that the Bible teaches humility, but there is also a certain amount of arrogance on behalf of humans. God saved the creation of humans until after he had made everything else, which means they are more important.

5. I think Jacobs is ok with the explanation for why there are so many strange rules in the Bible because it makes sense and that is one of the purposes of the Bible, to help people figure out the “puzzle” of life. It makes sense as a metaphor, that life is supposed to be a challenge, and if people already understood everything when they were born, then life would be extremely boring. I think it makes sense to him because this entire process has been a challenge and I think he is starting to understand the complexities of the Bible, so it is a good explanation for why the Bible does not make sense sometimes.

6. When Jacobs comes to the conclusion “Be good for goodness’ sake” he figures out that either way, no matter how a person acts or how well they follow the Bible, bad things will always happen to people. He says “We can never hope to plumb the mystery of God’s mind.” so we can’t figure out what God is thinking or why these things happen, so we should try to appreciate what God has given us instead of wondering why he causes all these bad things to happen. We can never know the outcome of our lives, and people should not act morally because they want a specific outcome, because the future is never certain, so people should act morally because it is right, instead of a path that leads to a goal.

7. A Chasid Shote is someone who gets too caught up in religious rules and regulations that they forget about the main points of their religion. Sometimes people are led to believe that if they do not do everything the Bible tells them, they will not get into heaven, but if they miss the main themes of the Bible, they will not get into heaven either. In some religions, people focus too much on the details instead of the really important aspects of what each religion teaches.

Month Four:

1. How does Jacobs’ commitment to his project change as his son gets older, and he meets more non-secular parents?

Throughout the book, since he began his project, Jacobs always says that he is not sure what to teach his son about religion, because he does not want to force him into anything, but he also wants him to be a good person. When he remembers the woman he met at Sara’s wedding, who is his aunt Kate’s daughter, he thinks that she may have been right to become secular when she had children because her children turned out to be good responsible members of society. He uses the example of Bart Simpson and Flander’s kids who are extremely religious and says he would prefer to raise his kids the way that Flanders did. He even started making Jasper follow some of the biblical rules that he follows, like not stealing straws from Starbucks. One of the reasons he thinks more about how to raise his son is because he keeps meeting very religious people who he really likes, instead of the stereotype that all religious people are crazy fundamentalists, so he wants his child to grown up to be a responsible member of society, especially when kids see so many things in the media that would be deemed immoral by the Bible.

Genesis Reading

Hebrew Literature Reading

1. Summarize what the Bible is using page one of the reading.

The Bible is a collection with several different types of books, like the Torah, historical accounts like the Book of Samuel, and other different short stories and poems. Most people believe that Moses and King David wrote the Bible, but there are many theories that multiple people wrote parts of the Bible. Although the Bible covers a variety of topics, it focuses on the power and benevolence of God, the covenant that he created with the Hebrews, their struggle to stay within the rules of the covenant and how God forgives them even if they do stray away form the covenant. The Bible is also a written record of Jewish culture, and has been very influential to other religions, especially Christianity and Islam.

2. a) What is the attitude toward nature does Genesis convey?

Genesis has a respectful tone towards nature, because humans need nature to survive. At the same time, there is a tone of domination towards nature, because god creates the earth before he creates humans so they can live off of it and use it.

b) Explain how specific passages contribute to this attitude.

After God creates man, he says, “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” This implies that humans should dominate the land and use it for what they need, while respecting it and replenishing it.

3. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?

The implication of the relationship between humans and the rest of creation is that it creates an idea that humans can dominate the earth and that it is there jut for our use. Although this created a kind of dominating relationship, it also means that humans need to respect the rest of creation and treat it will because they need it for survival.

4. Why do you think God links “the knowledge of good and evil” with death?

God links the knowledge of good and evil with death because before they ate the fruit, they only knew about good and not evil and God did not want people to be evil, just good. So when someone eats from the tree, they would die.

The Year of Living Biblically, Month Two

1. Jacobs goes to the Creationist Museum because Creationism is one of the best examples of biblical literalism, and he still has a lot of questions about how to continue on his quest and follow all of the rules at the same time. One of the main thing that he learns and is surprised by is that the creationists are liberal on some topics, and conservative on others, which is contrary to the stereotype that all creationists are extremely conservative. Another thing that he struggled with was the idea that dinosaurs we on Noah's Ark and that the earth is really as old as the Bible says it is. Another thing that he learned was that there is a lot of science behind their claims, it just is not generally accepted by the population, but he seemed to have a hard time believing this, because he still believes in evolution.

2. Jacobs goes to the Simchas Torah because he wants to try to experience the "joy of religion" like King David did when he was dancing about bringing the Ark of The Covenant to Isreal. One of the things that Jacobs struggles with is the fact that all of the men at the party are extremely drunk, which he has never really seen before in people who are so devout. He also sees how connected his friend is to God when he is praying, and wants to be able to do the same thing and be in the same spiritual state. The biggest part of the night that he takes away is the feeling of pure joy that he experiences when he is dancing, and discovers that he is not as far away from God as he thought.

3. The thing that Jacobs loves about the prophets is not just their message of social justice, but also how they deliver that message. They performed public displays of their beliefs and devotion to God, and usually did it in a very dramatic and entertaining way. Jacobs feel like he has a lot in common with the prophets, because they did absurd things to follow what they believed, which is the same thing that he is doing for this project. Even though he may look and act like an idiot, he still does it because he is curious about his faith and believes that he should be doing it.

Year of Living Biblically Part I

1. The author embarks on this journey to discover his spirituality and see if by doing exactly what the Bible says, he can connect with religion. I think he expects some kind of epiphany at the end, but he also keeps himself very distant from the process, seeing himself as an observer instead of being involved in the religion. The questions he is trying to answer evolve as he learns more about the Bible and each rule poses new questions for him to try to answer. For example, when he gets his clothes inspected, he asks why there are rules that do not make any sense, yet people still follow them.

2. In the introduction he says that he assembles a team of spiritual guides of rabbis, ministers, and priests. The two that he first talks to are Reverend Richards, and Rabbi Andy Bachman because he was not sure that his plan would work, and they helped to assure him that he could do this. He meets with a few other people, like the Amish man who runs the inn that he stays at, and the man who checks his clothes for mixed fibers. He enlists their help because he needs advice about what is important from people who have been following the Bible for most of their lives.

Language Assignment

1. Summarize the foundations of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis about language.

-The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that language determines the way we think and the distinctions of one language are not found in any other language. He argues that language is the only way for humans to organize concepts in their heads, so language determines the way we think. For example, if a language only has one word for things that fly, they can only think about objects that fly using that word compared to another language that uses ten words to describe objects that fly. This is also an example of linguistic relativity, or that the distinctions found in one language do not exist in any other language. For example, Eskimo has many different words for snow, while another language may only have one. The distinctions between different types in snow that are found in Eskimo would not be found in any other language.

2. Summarize 4 to 5 major ideas about Chomsky's "Universal Generative Grammar."

- The main argument of the "Universal Generative Grammar" theory is that there is a universal grammar that all humans are born with and that any language can fit into this template.

- Chomsky argues that this system of grammar is innate because there is no way that children can learn languages very easily. This also proves that the grammar system works for any language because an American child can learn chinese if he or she is raised around people who speak chinese.

- Chomsky also argues that a generative grammar is innate because there is no way that children could learn all the complexities of grammar in a language without learning them. He argues that most people cannot even understand the grammatical rules for these complexities, but children pick them up without anyone having to teach them.

-He also argues that although there are millions of different combinations of sentences, we do not need to run through a bunch of sentences to figure out the solution to an issue with grammar, we just know.

3. Describe what Einstein states about the necessity of language. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

Einstein claims that images are required for thought and not words. He says that the physical elements of thought are images and signs, not words. I agree that humans generally think in terms of images and symbols, but to have complex thoughts they need words to elaborate on the images in their heads.

4. Summarize what Piaget states about the role of language. How similar or different is it from Einstein's view?

Piaget says that humans use symbols for thought before language develops and that the brain uses a symbolic system that can analyze symbols or images and words. He also says that language is required to exchange thought with other people, but it is not necessary for thought. His views are very similar to Einstein's, the only difference is that Einstein says that words play no role in thought, while Piaget views them as symbols as well that develop in the brain as a person grows older.

TOK Essay Outline

Introduction:

Thesis- Sense perception plays the largest role in knowledge of various topics than other ways of knowing.

-Go over all the different ways of knowing and areas of knowing.

Point 1:

For all of the other ways of knowing to exist, sense perception must exist.

-examples of emotion, reason, and language and how the correspond with sense perception.

Point 2:

Although a few areas of knowing rely on sense perception less than others, it is still the way of knowing they use the most.

mathematics, & spirituality

Point 3:

The only knowledge that can be independent of sense perception is metaphysical and synthetic knowledge.

metaphysical usually imvolves emotion although it can use sense perception.

Synthetic does not always require sense perception.

Conclusion:

-restate thesis

-go over & summarize points

-importance of sense perception in knowledge.

Man Vs. God Article

1. Write the main thesis/argument for each article and then give as many of the main supporting arguments for each.

Dawkins:

Dawkin's main argument is that God never existed, because the theory of evolution means that God did not do anything.

One of his supporting arguments is that Evolution is the greatest thing that the universe has ever accomplished, and that the Universe created life through evolution. He also says that having a superhuman intelligence like God would be impossible, because an intelligence is so complex that it had to emerge over time instead of being the thing that created the world, intelligence developed over thousands of years.

Armstrong: Armstrong argues that God is just a symbol for something that can not be described, and can only be recognized through rituals and living a moral life.

She says that God was never meant to mean an actual figure, and in the beginnings of religion, God was just supposed to act as a symbol for an Ultimate Reality that humans had no way of describing, but over time God became more than a symbol, and became a true identity in some religions. She also says that religion was not created to provide a definitive explanation of the world, but to help people creatively solve solutions in daily life and find an inner peace amidst a crazy world.

2. Give at least one example of what made you "think"

One of the points that made me think was when Karen Armstrong said that religion was not created to give a definitive explanation of the universe. This makes sense to me, but throughout the class part of our definition of religion is that it provides an explanation for why things are the way they are, and answers questions that humans can not logically answer.

Another thing that made me think was when Dawkins talks about how life does not correspond to the laws of physics, but uses them to it's advantage. I thought that was interesting because I have never really thought about how scientists do not usually consider people in Physics and most sciences. We are trying to understand everything around us, but other than in Psychology and Biology, we never really try to understand ourselves and how we relate to scientific concepts.

3. What is the "knowledge" presented by each of the authors?

In her article, Armstrong suggests that God is known through synthetic proposition, meaning that the symbol of God is used to simplify and abstract meaning that humans can not see or comprehend. She also uses language as a way of knowing by breaking down the meaning of the word "God" and analyzing whether or not it is a symbol or a literal meaning. Also, Dawkins uses a value judgement by stating "Evolution is the universe's greatest work."Although it is more relative to him and his opinions, he still knows it.

Ways of Knowing Assignment

Sense Perception: What is it? Why or how is it a way of knowing?

Sense perception is when you know something through seeing, touching, smelling, hearing, or tasting it. Basically, it is knowing something using your senses. It is a way of knowing because you can not know anything if you never sense it. If all of a person's senses were turned off for their entire life, they would never be able to know anything because their brain would never even recognize it.

Language: What is it? Why or how is it a way of knowing?

Language is any method of communicating between people or animals. It doesn't neccesarily have to be a spoken language, just something that can communicate what a person is trying to get across. If language did not exist, a person would not even be able to express what they know, and a lot of the things that we know are communicated to us by someone else. I think that Language is secondary to sense perception, you have to have sense perception to have language and to have a reason for using language.

Reason: What is it? Why or how is it a way of knowing?

Reason is using logic to understand or know something. I think you have to combine language and sense perception in reason and you use reason to know more about these and understand them more. For example, if you see something but you do not know what it is, you would use reason to figure it out.

Emotion: What is it? How or why is it a way of knowing?

You know something through emotion because it drives you to want to know and understand things. Also, sometimes you can only really know things through understanding how they feel emotionally, like what it feels like to be happy or sad.

Religion for Dummies Chapter 1

1. Describe the reasons why people follow (or flock) to religion.

One of the reasons that people follow religion is because it offers hope in a world that seems otherwise hopeless. It also addresses solutions to daily problems in life and large problems that all people experience and also questions that can not be answered. Also religion offers the possibility of finding long term joy in life instead of short term joy that is achieved through the material parts of life. Religion also offers a system of morals, and allows people to be happy with their lives by doing the right things and having good morals. Also, it addresses the question of suffering and most religions have a solution to end suffering. Also along with mental or spiritual health, some religions improve physical health through practices like yoga.

2. Compare and contrast religion, philosophy and spirituality.

Religion is different from philosophy because it includes rituals and philosophy does not. Also, philosophy uses reason and religion uses reason and revelations and guidance from a higher power, for example, religions believe in miracles which go beyond reason, while philosophies only use reason. Spirituality is different from religion because it is a connection to ultimate reality, but does not necessarily follow the same guidelines that religions follow like rituals and and ethics.

Ways of Being Religious

1. Describe each of the 6 ways of being religious:

The Way of Sacred Right: The process of trying to experience a Higher Power through rituals. This is usually done to achieve a feeling of support for all the things that are going on in someone's life and to get a feeling of renewal. It is usually done in groups, but can also be done alone.

The Way of Right Action: The process of trying to have everyone follow some type of moral code and so that everything is how it was intended to be. It is also trying to bring a part of a Higher Power into a person's daily life.

The Way of Devotion: Developing a personal relationship with a Higher Power. A person completely accepts it into their life and in return hopes to receive a sense of hope and a feeling of it's presence.

The Way of Shamanic Mediation: When a person goes into a different state of consciousness, hoping that they will be able to be at one with a Higher Power for a short period of time. The process is intended to bring change and solve problems in a person's life.

The Way of Mystical Quest: A journey to break free of the boundaries from life. The goal is usually to achieve unity with a higher power through some kind of process or path.

The Way of Reasoned Inquiry:The process of trying to answer questions that can't logically be explained, and trying to have a true understanding of how and why things are the way they are. This is usually done by studying holy texts and the history of the specific religion

2. What are the advantages of studying religion using this method?

One of the advantages is that it helps students get rid of generalizations that they have about different religions and any bias that someone has from being exposed to a specific religion. Also, by understanding one of the ways of being religious, it might help someone understand another way of being religious from that specific religion. Another advantage is that they provide a basis for examining the differences and similarities between religions. Also, using the framework, you can distinguish between what are really differences between religions and what are just contrasts based on whether or not you are comparing the same way of being religious. Also, you can use the framework to compare different patterns that are found in every religion but are still different to each religion. Also, it can open discussion of common problems that people who practice certain religions face and help people who belong to different faiths to have a mutual understanding of each other.

3. Explain what you think are the two greatest differences between eastern and western religions.

I think that one of the biggest differences between eastern and western religions is that western religions include the belief that there is only one higher power that is holy and should not be associated with the rest of human life generally because it is superior to the things that it created. Another important difference between western and eastern religions is that western religions have a historical element. The history of the religion usually begins with some sort of divine intervention or revelation to a historical figure in history who then finds followers and spreads the religion through converts. Most eastern religions do not focus on the history of the religion, except for small examples, and most eastern religions have not grown through conversion.

David Sedaris- Jesus Shaves

I think the point that David Sedaris is trying to make in "Jesus Shaves" is that it is hard to convey why people believe in the things they do, because it is hard to explain faith to someone. It is hard to explain why you believe something without proof especially when they believe in something else like the Moroccan student who does not understand why people celebrate Easter. I think another point that he is trying to make is that what people believe can be interpreted in many different ways. 

I think this is important to remember when you study religions because you may never understand why a group of people believe something and if you judge them for their beliefs, then you will never really learn anything about that religion. Also, people can interpret religious beliefs in different ways, and you need to take those different interpretations into account when studying religion.