Deck 6: Miscellaneous Doctrines: the Truth of Self, Suffering and Salvation and Epilogue

Question 1

What is the definition of the following term:
-anatman:

Answer 1

In Buddhist teaching, the claim that there is no self, denying the Hindu concept of Atman and insisting instead that the self is nothing more than a temporary collection of parts.

Question 2

What is the definition of the following term:
-Atman:

Answer 2

In Hinduism, the Self, eternal and unchanging essence of the individual, yet different from the finite and limited empirical self. Ultimately, Atman is the same essence as Brahman, the eternal and impersonal Ultimate Being.

Question 3

What is the definition of the following term:
-empirical self:

Answer 3

The "I" that one hears in one's thoughts, the person that one recognizes oneself to be through reflection on one's character and beliefs.

Question 4

What is the definition of the following term:
-fallenness:

Question 5

What is the definition of the following term:
-Four Noble Truths:

Question 6

What is the definition of the following term:
-ignorance:

Question 7

What is the definition of the following term:
-Imago Dei:

Question 8

What is the definition of the following term:
-karma:

Question 9

What is the definition of the following term:
-theodicy:

Question 10

What is the definition of the following term:
-trickster:

Question 11

The specific focus of this chapter is on the related religious concepts of

A) beauty, truth, and goodness.
B) self, suffering, and salvation.
C) heaven, hope, and holiness.
D) truth, justice, and the American way.

Question 12

Self, suffering, and salvation are discussed in this chapter because they

A) are interwoven doctrinal ideas that religions often define.
B) present a nice alliteration, each word starting with "s".
C) are the three most important aspects of all religions.
D) all of the above

Question 13

The term "empirical self" is used in this chapter to refer to

A) the deeper, inner, mysterious soul that is the umpire of our decisions.
B) the inner identity that rules the empire of the eternal soul.
C) the mysterious energy that, according to Hinduism, makes us living beings.
D) the immediate awareness of our own minds.

Question 14

The notion of an individual, eternal soul that retains its own identity after death is an idea of self found mostly in

A) Christianity and Islam.
B) Buddhism and Hinduism.
C) Native religions and Shinto.
D) popular science and psychology.

Question 15

According to our text, the Buddha believed in reincarnation,

A) but he did not believe there was any soul that moves from lifetime to lifetime.
B) yet he thought that individual identity was precious and should be protected.
C) and therefore tried to live a good life so he could be reincarnated in a better life.
D) all of the above

Question 16

The author argues that claiming we humans are made "in the image of God" is

A) arrogant and ridiculous.
B) a dangerous idea, responsible in the West for humans trying to control and abuse nature.
C) an idea going back to the creation myths of Judaism and Christianity.
D) all of the above

Question 17

The religious idea of the self as an impersonal essence means

A) the "real me" is my soul that (I hope) goes to heaven when I die.
B) the "real me" is a mysterious soul that is different from my recognizable empirical self.
C) the "real me" is the same thing as Allah.
D) there is no "real me."

Question 18

Our textbook suggests that religions try to help us understand our own "self" because

A) our sense of identity is, in many ways, mysterious to us.
B) many people have a sense that there is some eternal quality to us.
C) as Yoda said, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."
D) all of the above

Question 19

The textbook author suggests that the problem of evil is a particularly religious problem because

A) the existence of evil proves there is no God.
B) we need the help of some Ultimate Being to overcome the injustices of the world.
C) religions seem to promise a greater, purer reality that seems falsified by the evils of the world.
D) without religion, life is meaningless.

Question 20

One religious explanation for the suffering of "innocent" people was exemplified in Buddhism by

A) the Ox Mountain parable.
B) the story of the monk Mogallana.
C) the story of Job.
D) trickster myths.

Question 21

The Judaic and Christian myth of the Fall is a religious effort to explain how

A) the ideal creation of God became corrupted with sin and suffering.
B) karma affects our future lives, so that even "good" people sometimes suffer unjustly.
C) corrupt leaders and a corrupt society lead to the corruption of our essentially good human nature.
D) the earliest religious cultures understood gravity.

Question 22

The concept of "Atman is Brahman" is a(n)

A) Christian idea about salvation.
B) Buddhist idea about how the soul enters Nirvana.
C) Islamic idea of heaven.
D) Hindu idea that connect the Self to Ultimate Being.

Question 23

According to our text, the idea of a monistic Ultimate Being is most consistent with the belief that

A) we go to heaven to live in paradise after we die.
B) there is no afterlife at all and that this life should be renounced.
C) in salvation we merge into Ultimate Being like water poured into a lake.
D) you can build a rocket to go to the moon to get cheese.

Question 24

Nirvana as a salvation concept is

A) essentially identical to the idea of heaven.
B) more about a state of consciousness than a place to go when one dies.
C) most consistent with the idea of God as Ultimate Being.
D) an illusion made up by religious leaders to force people to be obedient.

Question 25

The concept of orthodoxy continues to play an important role in the doctrines of this chapter because

A) how one thinks about the nature of the self is logically connected to ideas of the afterlife.
B) how one thinks about suffering is logically related to concepts of the afterlife.
C) religious beliefs tend to come in packages, rather than discrete, separable units.
D) all of the above

Question 26

In the epilogue to Part 1, the author argues that

A) in the end all religions are true.
B) we can be hopeful that all religions lead to salvation.
C) beliefs among the different religions are ultimately incompatible, but there is more to religions than sets of truth claims.
D) it is not really very important what religions say is true, because the most important thing is what religions tell us to do (thus moving to Part 2 of the text).

Question 27

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Atman

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 28

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Empirical Self

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 29

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Imago Dei

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 30

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Fall of Adam

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 31

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Theodicy

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 32

Matching: The letter of the correct definition is given in the space provided.
-Trickster

A) A character in many myths of Native religion who is unconsciously responsible for problems in the world.
B) An effort to explain a particular evil and how it's compatible with divine goodness.
C) Hindu idea of a deeper Self, impersonal and without individuality, in contrast to ego self.
D) Judaic idea that humans have spirits, minds that are like God's own qualities.
E) Judaic myth that seeks to explain why human life is no longer as perfect as God created it.
F) The way we experience ourselves in our unique individuality; the "I that I think I am."

Question 33

All religions share the same idea of the self as an immortal soul.

Question 34

Hearing our own thoughts is already the beginning of a discussion of the nature of the self.

Question 35

The "Self" as "impersonal essence" means somehow my "soul" is different from the "I" that I think I am.

Question 36

Thinking of ourselves as being made "in the image of God" goes best with an idea of Ultimate Being as personal and relational.

Question 37

The concept of karma is logically connected to the idea of reincarnation.

Question 38

The story of Job is a Hindu parable.

Question 39

Confucians believe that humans are good by nature, even though corruptible by bad society.

Question 40

In tribal religions, people can join their ancestors in the afterlife, in a kind of spiritual existence.

Question 41

According to the author, a Zen Buddhist would say his or her religion is really more about gaining the religious experience of Enlightenment than about believing some truth claim.

Question 42

According to the author, all religions are really saying the same thing, and thus all religions can be true.

Question 43

Explain the textbook's use of the terms "empirical self" and Self as "impersonal essence," showing how the two are different.

Question 44

Define the term "theodicy" and give a religious example.

Question 45

Explain from our text the concepts of heaven and nirvana and clarify how they are alike and different. Connect each idea to other religious truth claims about the self to illustrate each belief's consistency with a larger body of orthodox beliefs.

Question 46

The text and the lecture noted that the idea of "karma" (as in religions of India) and the idea of "sin" (as in Judaic religions) are both efforts to explain why suffering happens to people. Explain both concepts but make it clear how the two are different, noting connections of each idea to Ultimate Being or the nature of the self.

Question 47

Describe some real or imagined disaster and use two different religious explanations of why such "evil" occurs. Connect each explanation to a concept of Ultimate Being and evaluate both views for logical consistency and explanatory value. Defend which view you think best helps to explain the human condition.