Deck 12: Beatitude, or Salvation Reconsidered, the Epilogue

Question 1

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

Answer 1

Happiness, or even blessedness, though not as a temporary mood but as a sense of complete fulfillment, a final and total wholeness of existence, a completeness of who we are.

Question 2

What is the definition of the following term:
-bhakti marga:

Answer 2

In Hinduism, the "way of devotion"; a means of salvation through one's devoted relationship to a personal god.

Question 3

What is the definition of the following term:
-grace (salvation by):

Answer 3

The idea of receiving salvation as a gift of divine love.

Question 4

What is the definition of the following term:
-jnana marga:

Question 5

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

Question 6

What is the definition of the following term:
-religious universalism:

Question 7

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

Question 8

What is the definition of the following term:
-summum bonum:

Question 9

According to our text, religions tend to promise us a kind of final, ideal existence generally called

A) heaven.
B) nirvana.
C) beatitude.
D) union with God.

Question 10

The idea of the summum bonum, or highest good, is

A) an ideal fulfillment of our existence.
B) the same thing as being happy.
C) the same thing as being in a good mood.
D) all of the above

Question 11

According to __________, "Man can enlarge Dao, but Dao cannot enlarge Man."

A) Laozi, the founder of Daoism
B) Confucius, the founder of Confucianism
C) Muhammad, the founder of Islam
D) Kent Richter, the writer of this text

Question 12

Our text describes the concept of salvation and the afterlife in Judaism as clear doctrines about

A) a hope for eternal heaven in the presence of God.
B) a hope for ongoing peace on earth, especially for God's "chosen people," the Jews.
C) a hope for a "world to come" that involves justice and equality for all people.
D) It is a trick question because the text says Judaism's salvation ideal is not very clear.

Question 13

Heaven is one particular concept of ultimate salvation that promises

A) an eternal, blissful condition but without personal identity.
B) a merging of individual consciousness into the Oneness of Brahman, being "one with the One."
C) the extension of individual identity into the afterlife in relationship with God.
D) reincarnation into a new life based on a fair, equitable judgment of one's karma.

Question 14

According to our text, Nirvana

A) means pretty much the same thing as heaven.
B) is a concept of the afterlife in which one experiences eternal enlightenment.
C) is a state of mental purity and bliss achieved only after living a good moral life.
D) is a state of mental purity and bliss possibly achieved even before death.

Question 15

According to the text, the claim "If you're good, you go to heaven," represents

A) two distinct truth claims-one about what human beatitude is like and another about how it is achieved.
B) the most common view of salvation in the world's religions.
C) A view of salvation found primarily in Islam and Christianity.
D) A view of salvation found primarily in Zen Buddhism.

Question 16

The Christian views of St. Paul (along with St. Augustine and Martin Luther) were that

A) if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds on Judgment Day, you can go to heaven; if not, you go to hell.
B) you gain heaven by practicing rituals, especially being baptized and taking the Lord's Supper.
C) the death of Jesus "paid the price" for sin, so to go to heaven one needs only to accept salvation as a gift.
D) One earns salvation by recognizing Jesus as a teacher of wisdom and following him to become "Christ-like."

Question 17

If beatitude is achieved individually by the doing good deeds, there is likely to be some connection to a

A) theistic notion of Ultimate Being, one who gives moral commands.
B) myth of Judgment Day.
C) concept of heaven and hell, where self-identity is retained.
D) all of the above

Question 18

A gnostic means of salvation means salvation is

A) achieved by good deeds.
B) not achieved by good deeds but by the mercy of God or a gods.
C) not achieved by good deeds but by awakening or enlightenment.
D) not achieved by good deeds but by purchasing indulgences from the Pope.

Question 19

For the Hindu philosopher Sankara, ideal union with Brahman can be achieved by

A) any moral person whom Brahman finds worthy.
B) people with good karma.
C) people who renounce good deeds.
D) people who renounce the world and achieve awakening of the soul.

Question 20

The author argues that human beatitude and how it is achieved is

A) finally an area where all religions agree.
B) a set of ideas unique within each religion that can only be understood by true followers.
C) a set of ideas interwoven with other aspects of each religion, such as ritual practices and morality, religious experience, and so on.
D) the least important part of the world's religions, rightly left to the final chapter.

Question 21

Which of the following religions include a doctrine of hell?

A) Christianity and Islam
B) Buddhism and Islam
C) Christianity and Buddhism
D) Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism

Question 22

Religious universalism refers to the belief that ultimately

A) the universe itself is Ultimate Being (i.e., religious pantheism).
B) real salvation consists of being "one with the universe."
C) only those belonging to the true religion will attain the ideal state of being, whether it is heaven or nirvana.
D) all people achieve the ideal state of being, whether it is heaven or nirvana.

Question 23

In the epilogue to Part 3, the author argues that

A) some scholars of religion find hope that all religions can unite around the idea of religious experience.
B) religions in fact differ in how they describe and use central experiential aspects of religion.
C) even a religion's ideas of religious feeling and salvation have important doctrinal elements.
D) all of the above

Question 24

In the epilogue, the author argues that

A) religious Goodness (i.e., being a good person morally) is really the most important part of religious life.
B) religion is mostly about our own personal feelings, which is why we should be tolerant of other people's personal religious feelings.
C) religious beliefs are not really "Truth," but only our dedication to moral "Goodness."
D) the cognitive, active, and affective aspects of religion all go together to make religions a way of life

Question 25

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 26

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 27

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 28

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 29

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 30

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

A) Buddhist or Hindu notion of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
B) A concept of ultimate happiness described as perfected, impersonal state of mind.
C) A concept of ultimate happiness described as a perfect, ongoing, personal life after death.
D) The ideal state of being, a supernatural happiness and fulfillment.
E) A special awakening to spiritual insight or special "knowing" of higher reality.
F) An unearned gift, especially forgiveness and salvation given by God out of love and mercy.

Question 31

Beatitude, or blessedness, suggests an emotional state similar to having a good time at a party.

Question 32

Ultimate salvation in all religions is found after death.

Question 33

In Islam, the afterlife includes-either figuratively or literally-beautiful gardens, wine, and sexual relations.

Question 34

According to the author, Nirvana (in Buddhism) and heaven (in monotheism) offer the same view of the afterlife.

Question 35

According to our reading, Confucianism focuses more on this life than the afterlife.

Question 36

According to the author, Buddhism makes a distinction between Nirvana and Final Nirvana.

Question 37

Certain versions of Hinduism teach that salvation is not attained by good deeds.

Question 38

Certain versions of Buddhism teach that salvation is not attained by good deeds.

Question 39

According to the author, Christianity is the only religion that teaches some sort of "salvation by grace."

Question 40

In the epilogue, the author argues that, in the end, all religions must be seen as equally true.

Question 41

Explain the distinction between a religious notion of beatitude and the worldly notion of being happy. Use examples.

Question 42

How is heaven like nirvana? How is it different?

Question 43

In the text and in class, we noted the difference between this-worldly and other-worldly notions of beatitude. Use an example of each and explain the difference. Connect each to a concept of Ultimate Being.

Question 44

Use two examples of religious beatitude, noting not only the "what," but also the "how" of salvation (i.e., not only what the ideal state of being is like, but how it is achieved). Now critique each view on how it inspires or fails to inspire us, how well it seems appropriate to human ideals of existence, whether it seems achievable, and so on, and defend which view of religious hope you think is the most reasonable.

Question 45

Do you think religion is mostly about having right beliefs (orthodoxy), about performing right rituals and moral deeds (orthopraxis), or about one's personal feelings (religious experience)? Or can these parts even be separated? Try to explain how these parts are interrelated in religious life, using some examples.