RELIGIOUS STUDIES 301
Religion in
Professor John K. Simmons
Fall 2005
Course History
n1985
= all my notes for an 8 hour Ph.D. exam!
Yikes!
n1988
= practicality strikes! I teach the
“notes” as REL 301 at WIU
n1993
= The Religion in America: A Historical Perspective Teleclass
is produced at WIU
n1994
= wins a NUCEA Excellence Award
Course History
n1993
– present: the teleclass is distributed and used
nationally by RMI, Inc. and Media Visions
n1998
– Class 24 is re-recorded to meet historical changes
n2001
– Class 25 is added to address the September 11 terrorist attack
Religion And American
Culture
nSeparation of church
& state?
nReligion
played a major role in the 2004 presidential election
nStrong
correspondence exists between religious conservatism and political conservatism
nAdults
between 21 – 45 are more divided than their parents in the 1970s over a
“sacred/secular” gap
1st Amendment to the
“Congress
shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof…”
-- no establishment clause
-- free exercise clause
-- and let us not forget: “freedom FROM religion!
Religion and American Culture in History
nReligion has
been a major force in shaping American culture
nAmerican
culture has been a major force in shaping religion
nToday, our
nation is not united when it comes to a) religious beliefs; b) cultural
identity
nREL 301
explores the historical roots of current cultural challenges in the United
States
Functions of Religion: To Society
nSupports
social norms
nProvides
social integration
nProvides
social control
–Legitimating of social
values
–Social solidarity
–Social conformity
–Informs legal systems
nProvides
interpretation of important life cycles in society and life events
Functions of Religion:
To the Individual
nPsychological
function: dealing with death, suffering, fear, anxiety,etc.
nMakes
the world understandable
nProvides
meaning and purpose in life
nInterprets
life-cycle events: birth, adulthood, marriage, death
nHelps
individuals adjust to change
Religious Studies in the Mix
nReligion
influences the develop of sociology and anthropology
nSociology
-- Max Weber and Emile Durkheim (19th
century) notice the role of religion in maintaining social order
nAnthropology
– many “scholars of culture” notice the powerful role of religious ritual and
symbol in human cultures
Religious Studies & Modern Scholarship
n“Religion”
was seen as irrational and unscientific in the early 20th century
nTherefore,
it should be ignored as determinant of human behavior; it would eventually
disappear as human understanding of culture advanced
nBy
the 1960s, the discipline of religious studies takes off in response to
religion being ignored in academia
Myth & History
nREL
301 is a course in American history that focuses on religion as a social and historical
catalyst.
nKey question: “What, really,
is history?”
nMillions
of events happen to us everyday.
nWhat
causes you to make note of or remember certain events as “special” or
important?
Myth & History
nMyths:
stories, filled with archetypes, that address existential
questions.
nWho
am I? Who are we?
nWhere
did “all this” come from?
nHow
do I find safety and security in a dangerous world?
nDEATH!
…the BIG ??????????
Brain Science & Myth
nNeurotheology = a new field that uses
advanced scientific technology to understand how the development of the human
brain has influenced human belief systems, i.e., “religion.”
nSelf-consciousness is
related to the evolutionary development of the brain
Neurology & Myth
nCognitive
Imperative = drives the higher functions of the mind to analyze the
perceptions processed by the brain and transform them into a world of meaning
and purpose.
nHumans are “wired” to
“figure out” basic existential challenges to safety and security and
grapple with mortality.
Neurology & Myth
nHow
can we live in this confusing, uncertain world and not be afraid?
nThe
cognitive imperative uses two operators to answer this question:
–The causal operator = the
mind’s ability to think in abstract causes – why??
–The binary operator = the
brain’s ability to frame the world in basic polar opposites
Structure of Myths
lMyths
focus on a crucial existential concern.
lMyths
frame the concern as a pair of polar opposites = good vs. evil, heroes vs. monsters,
life vs. death, etc.
lMyths
reconcile those opposites in ways that relieve existential concern.
Myth in Popular Movies
nLord of the Rings trilogy
nThe Matrix trilogy
n Revenge of the Sitht
nStar
Wars series
nVirtually
any action movie, moving love story or historical documentary blends
myth-making with story telling.
nAND WE LOVE IT!!!
Myth & History
nThe “winners”
get to write the history.
n“History” is a
process of sorting out events; separating the meaningful from the mundane.
n“Myth”
designates which events are meaningful; has the event met some fundamental
human need and resolved a major existential crisis? Then it becomes history.
nThere is no history
without myth.
Myth, History, & Power
nHistory
is written by people in power.
nPeople
in power have achieved some measure of control and stability in a
dangerous world.
nPower
justifies past actions and validates cultural and political social
constructs.
n“History,”
then, takes on an almost sacred quality; history and myth blend!
Challenges to “history” Today
Historical revisions that blend myth and history are
going on in:
•Evidence
of women-centered, egalitarian goddess cultures in “pre-historic” times
•The recovery of lost
gospels in early Christianity – The Da Vinci Code
•Women’s Studies, African
American Studies, etc.
American History and Biblical Myth
nFor
2,500 years the Bible has shaped the worldview of Western civilization
nKey
biblical ideas:
–God’s
covenantal relationship with humanity
–The battle between good and
evil
–Ethical
and social responsibility
–Freedom and justice are
moral absolutes
–Time as history with a
beginning and end
The Bible & American Culture
nHistorically
& mythically, the story of the
–A “chosen people” in a
covenant with God
–A
divinely-sanctioned manifest destiny
–Prosperity is dependent on
morality
–American democratic ideals
are the model that all the world will eventually follow
Thoughts on Religion
n“Religion”
has been the major determinant of human behavior since the dawn
of consciousness
n“Religion”
is fundamentally about:
– identity = self-esteem
– relationship = empowerment
– “religions” answer identity-forming
and relationship-guiding questions
Thoughts on Religion
Religion deals with answers to identity-forming
questions:
nSelfhood
- “Who am I?”
nMeaning
- “Why am I?”
nPurpose
- “What do I do?”
nDestiny
- “Where does life lead?”
nHope
- “I can be happy & fulfilled.”
Thoughts on Religion
Religion is relationship-guiding; how do we deal
with “THE OTHER?”
nThe
Divine
nnature
nother
human beings
nother
cultures
nrites
of passage
Common Misconceptions
About Religion
n
Religion is a person’s own business; it has no impact on society in
general.
n
Religion is identified with the Christianity taught in Sunday Schools.
n
Religion only happens at a certain time, on a certain day, in unusually shaped
buildings that occupy prime real estate in the towns and cities of the world.
nReligion
and politics are separate institutions
n
Religion and spirituality are the same thing.
Real Religion
nReal
religion happens somewhere between religious belief (idealism) and human
behavior (practical experience).
nReal
religion is a blend of theology and culture.
nReal religion, in
Real Religion
nReal
religion “works” in the day-to-day experience of people as a combination
of:
–Values,
morals, traditions, customs, mores
–Social
constructions regarding belief & behavior
–Biblical
theology (in
–Common
sense experience
–Emotive
symbols, myths & rituals
Protestant Christianity & American Culture
nOur
story:
–How Puritan ideas about
religion and culture survive into the 21st century
–How a “Christian country”
becomes the world’s most religiously diverse nation
–How Protestant Christians
lose institutional authority but maintain a hold on the religious conscience of
Americans
The Post-Protestant Era
nProtestant
religious institutions no longer dominate the larger culture.
nHowever,
beliefs and attitudes rooted in Protestant tradition interact
more freely than ever with beliefs and attitudes from other
traditions
nSo,
we get “Very-Protestant Witches” in 21st century American culture!
Recognizing Patterns
nPatterns
of stability = maintaining personal or social status quo; religion plays a
major role in stability!
nPatterns
of transformation = breaking the old patterns; thinking “outside the box”; deconstructing
social and cultural norms; religion plays a major role in transformation!
Religion in the 21st Century: Global Processes
1. Modernization
2. Globalization
3. Exclusivism
4. Humanism and Scientific Inquiry
5. Postmodernity
… these processes have and
will continue to change the religious contours of
Religion in the 21st Century: Global Processes
1. Modernity = changing social structures
npopulation
shift from country to cities
ntechnological
progress: shift from agrarian to manufacturing enterprises
n
political control in nation states
n
tradition cultural patterns are diluted
n
educated, occupationally specialized middle class develops
Religion in the 21st Century: Global Processes
2. Globalization - increasing interlinking of people from
all corners of the plant
nthe
spread of religion around the planet
nincreased
missionary activity
nThe
“Global Village” - the planet as a single community linked by
telecommunications = computer links, the Internet, “God on the Web,”
cyber-religion???
Religion in the 21st Century:
Global Processes
3. Exclusivism: a reaction to the “culture shock” of
modernization and globalization
nReactionary
“Fundamentalism”
nPolitical
Use of Religious Identity
nterrorism
nTribalism/Racism
Religion in the 21st Century: Global Processes
4. Humanism and Scientific Inquiry: the questioning or
rejection of religion
n“scientific
atheism”
n
human ethics over supernatural concerns
nrational human thought over awe and mystery -
“how” v. “why?”
nWhat
of Quantum physics?
Religion in the 21st Century: Global Processes
5. Postmodernity: the “crisis
of modernity”
nenvironmental
degradation
nsocial
violence
n
disparity between rich and poor
nunemployment
and homelessness
n
over 24 million people in 107 countries take the drug Prozac
to control depression and anxiety - YIKES!!
America’s Protestant Christian Culture Core
The biblical culture core of
•A people chosen by God
•Possessing a special
destiny
•To build God’s kingdom and
live freely under moral law (prosperity/morality link)
•In a “land of milk and
honey” where the people will grow and prosper = reward
•Breaking the covenant =
punishment!
How the culture core is Redefined
nDuring
a time of cultural challenge: social, economic, political, or act of
war!
nREVIVAL
= the biblical ideals of the culture core are revisited
nAWAKENINGS
= 30-40 year periods of cultural transformation
nREFORM
= the process of redefining the culture core so that the nation is, once
again, UNITED in purpose and direction
Awakenings in American History
n1st
Awakening (1730-1760) social result = creation of a new nation
n2nd
Awakening (1800-1830) social result = settling the frontier
n3rd
Awakening (1870-1920) social result = resolving massive social revolutions
n4th
Awakening (1965-?) = social result = creating
The 4th Awakening
lThe
Protestant-based fusion of spiritual idealism and pragmatic
concern have been part of American religious thought since colonial
times (16th century).
lThese
two ideals have been appropriated by a religiously diversified group of
thinkers and infused with new symbolism and vitality.
The 4th Awakening
Key transforming events or worldviews:
nAmerican
Catholicism
nThe
Vietnam War
nThe
influx of Buddhism
nThe
Feminist movement
nThe
discipline of Religious Studies
n
Unity & Diversity of Religious Expression
nThe
dynamic relationship between religion and culture in
nOneness/manyness
nSameness/difference
nReligious
expressions may be “Protestant” in tone or feeling but very different in
theology or worldview
Unifying Characteristics
nPrimordialism
nPerfectionism
nMillennialism
nUniversalism
nIlluminism
nPilgrim-ism
npragmatism
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN
Four Contributing Factors:
1. Religious Freedom:
1st Amendment protection: “don’t tread on me!”
2. Immigration: “I brought my religion with me!”
3. Proselytization: “I’m free
to spread the faith!”
4. Denominationalism:
“I can make my own choice on
where to worship!”