Religious Literacy

Relevance of Hinduism in Today's Society

2009-02-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

One of the questions we seek to answer in this series of classes is why should we study this religion, and how does it appear in our society - meaning where is it referenced. Here are a few places where the Bhagavad Gita has been quoted in recent years.

It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spake to us, nothing small or unworthy but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age & climate had pondered & thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

The reader is nowhere raised into and sustained in a higher, purer, or rarer region of thought than in the Bhagvat-Geeta…Beside even our Shakespeare seems sometimes youthfully green and practical rarely. –Henry David Thoreau

I have felt that the Gita teaches us that what cannot be followed in our day-to-day practice cannot be called religion…I have felt that in trying to enforce in one’s life the central teaching of the Gita, one is bound to follow truth and nonviolence. –Mohandas K. Gandhi

If a thousand suns were to rise
and stand in the noon sky,
blazing such brilliance would be
like the fierce brilliance of that mighty Self. (11.12 Bhagavad Gita)
and
I am death,
shatterer of worlds, annihilating all things (11.32 Bhagavad Gita)
– Robert Oppenheimer’s response to the first atomic explosion at Alamogordo, NM on July 16, 1945.

*Note: there are different spellings of the Bhagavad Gita in the above quotes, because that is how they were spelled in the quotations

Hinduism - A Resource List

2009-02-16T08:02:00.001-08:00

Here are some books on Hinduism for those of you who want to know more...

The Bhagavad Gita translated by Stephen Mitchell - Mitchell does a terrific job of translating and making this document accessible to those of us in the west.

The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali translated and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda bits of widsom to meditate on by the father of Yoga.

Classical Hindu Mythology edited and translated by Cornelia Dimmitt 7 J.A.B.van Buitenen is a wonderful source for studying the mythology of the dieties.

Multi-Faceted Vedic Hinduism by M. G. Prasad written by a local teacher (Maplewood), this is a good introduction to Hinduism.

Mohandas Gandhi Essential Writings selected with an introduction by John Dear

The 8 Human Talents by Gurmulk is a wonderful introduction to how yoga connects the mind, body and spirit.

Kundalini Yoga by Shakta Kaur Khalsa - Basic information about one type of Yoga.

www.hindunet.org
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/ Hindu Magazine
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/

Religious LIteracy Quiz

2009-02-11T05:32:00.000-08:00

Let's begin our class by seeing how Religiously Literate you are. I'm using the quiz from Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero - a terrific book, by the way.

Name the four Gospels. List as many as you can.
Name a sacred text of Hinduism.
What is the name of the holy book if Islam?
Where, according to the Bible, was Jesus born?
President George W. Bush spoke in his first inaugural address of the Jericho road. What Bible story was he invoking?
What are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible?
What is the Golden Rule?
“God helps those who help themselves”: is this in the Bible? If so, where.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God”; Does this appear in the Bible? If so, where?
Name the Ten Commandments. List as many as you can.
Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
What are the seven sacraments of Catholicism? List as many as you can.
The First Amendment says two things about religion, each in its own “clause”. What are the two religion clauses of the First Amendment?
What is Ramadan? In what religion is it celebrated?

Match the Bible characters with the stories in which they appear. Draw a line from one to the other. Hint: some characters may be matched with more than one story or vice versa.

Adam and Eve Exodus

Paul Binding of Isaac

Moses Olive Branch

Noah Garden of Eden

Jesus Parting of the Red Sea

Abraham Road to Damascus

Serpent Garden of Gethsemane

I will put the answers to the quiz in the comments section of this item.