Knowledge and Religion: Journal Post
- What is the value of thinking about questions to which there are no definite answers?
- To what extent do scientific developments have the power to influence thinking about religion? Is faith a prerequisite for religious knowledge?
- Can there be religious knowledge that is independent of the culture that produces it?
- How has our understanding and perception of religious knowledge changed over time?
- Do ritual and habit play a special role in the formation of religious knowledge?
- Are faith and reason interdependent?
- Do religious knowledge claims carry any particular obligation or responsibility for the knower?
A journal entry should be based on a concrete, real life situation (RLS). A RLS can be a response to a personal experience, a topic learned about in school (outside of TOK), a current event, or some form of media (TV show, movie, book, artwork, etc.). This doesn’t necessarily have to be something that happened to you. Your decision about what to write about is up to you.
In your response, you should:
Briefly explain the RLS that you are responding to.
Identify the relevant knowledge question
discuss your thoughts and ideas on that question.discuss the connections to TOK. You can discuss the implications of your thoughts or talk about perspective, culture, the definitions of truth, knowledge, or belief, or reflections on the knowledge community you are a part of. Choose a key concept to connect to.
Connect your discussion back to your real life situation.
Should be about 500 words
How has our understanding and perception of religious knowledge changed over time?
ReplyDeleteOur understanding of religious knowledge has significantly evolved, shifting from a singular geographically focused perspective to a more diverse and comparative approach. This is largely caused by the increasing global exposure to religion and the rise of academics dedicated to religious studies. Early religious lessons focused on the dominant religion within a region, but now individuals examine a range of religious traditions from across the globe, including previously lesser-known beliefs. Modern students are now recognizing the importance of understanding religious beliefs within their historical, social, and cultural contexts to interpret their meaning. With increased access to information and diverse perspectives, many religious communities are re-interpreting their texts and traditions to better align with societal values. In addition to creating religious lessons for youth, educators have a key focus on making the content relatable to their lives by using relevant examples, stories, and situations. There is a connection in religious teachings to everyday situations and challenges that youth face, demonstrating how faith can guide their decisions and actions. For example, when I was in the 3rd grade, I first learned the bible story of Samson and Delilah (a tale from the Old Testament about a Philistine woman who betrays Samson to his enemies). When I first learned the story, I was spared the details of the betrayal, the gouging out of the eyes, and the forced labor in Gaza. Instead, I was taught to think about the people I spend time with and how they influence my choices. Just like Samson could have avoided his downfall with better friends, and I should surround myself with people who encourage me to make good decisions. A couple of months ago, I reread this story and I had a new understanding of the story and what it meant to me. From rereading the story, I learned that God prefers to forgive than to judge and that we are more than our past experiences. I also learned the importance of keeping my secrets and being cautious of who I can trust in my life, finding the need to rely on God's strength rather than our own. Religious lessons and our understanding of them are going to change over time and they are going to change globally as well. The blatant curiosity of individuals will cause them to look into new ideas regarding religion and gain new ideas. The sharing of ideas in a community regarding religion and its lessons allows for a better understanding of a message and what is trying to be conveyed. Although some lessons may differ as time goes on, there is usually a root or deeper meaning that is shared within each story, like how in Samson and Delilah, we are taught to be careful who we trust. New perceptions are caused by new experiences and events, and exposure to the recall of the story. When I was growing up, the initial lesson from the story was what I was taught to believe, however, with time, I grew to have a new perception of the story because of other interpretations including gaining my own. Overall, our understanding and perception of religious knowledge have changed over time for these reasons.
Your example here of the Samson and Delilah story is an excellent one that highlights our changing understanding of religious ideas or teaching over time.
DeleteTo what extent do scientific developments have the power to influence thinking about religion? Is faith a prerequisite for religious knowledge?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of how we see religious knowledge, it's mostly either based on knowledge passed down or faith. With new scientific developments over the past decades, questions could be called into place to determine whether or not certain aspects of religion could remain questionable. From our lesson on science versus religion, although groups of people can believe in different events throughout time, it’s always being questioned by the advancements made in science. For example, while Christians could believe in Adam and Eve being the first humans, science will have most believe that humans are derived from one common ancestor. That’s not to say, however, that someone religious isn’t able to believe in both. As we discussed in class, people are now aware of the big bang creating our universe but then the question could be asked of who made the big bang, or the necessary resources for the big bang.
In terms of faith’s correlation to religious knowledge, I believe that in the typical sense, to be religious requires some faith in a higher power. For someone to understand a certain religion, they wouldn’t need to believe in that certain higher power. Different from someone identifying as agnostic, they could participate in religious practices, whether it be through prayer or religious holidays like Lent. I believe that if someone were to have faith in a certain higher power, they would identify fully with one religion that follows the same belief systems. In religion, faith was also one of the most important parts of many events. For example, the Israelites put their faith in Moses to lead them out of Egypt in Exodus. Religion had mostly been connected with fate, whether it be through figures, or how people worship their gods today.
Good examples Carson, like Astin, for formal assessment you would want to delve a bit deeper into your examples
DeleteDo religious knowledge claims carry any particular obligation or responsibility for the knower?
ReplyDeleteIt can be argued that someone who possesses knowledge has a moral obligation to share knowledge they find useful to the survival of society or the betterment of man as a whole. When compared to other forms of more concrete knowledge, religious knowledge can be easily disputed or disagreed with due to the lack of evidence and data that comes along with it. For this reason, it may not be useful to share knowledge with those who do not share this belief. It can differ between different religions and groups of people. For example, I have a few friends who are members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Having had conversations with them before and receiving emails from those serving a mission, they believe that it is their moral duty and obligation to share the gospel and their testimonies globally. Whether they be in Argentina, Korea, Peru, or other countries, they all have a common goal of spreading the message that their religion teaches. They do this because they believe their knowledge should be available to anyone, regardless of the language they speak or culture they exist in. There are other religions, however, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, that to not believe that it is their obligation to educate others on their religion, belief system, or way of living and would much rather prefer to leave other people alone to focus on themselves. All of this to say, the obligation to share religious knowledge lies not in a responsibility appointed by inherently possessing knowledge or societal expectations, but by the knowledge itself. If the knowledge a religion provides to its followers states that it is an obligation to evangelize, then the knower will acknowledge it as true and consequently follow the command. If it is not an integral part of their knowledge or the religion teaches against it, then the opposite will follow.
This is a great example and clear response to the question. You create parameters to the degree of responsibility-a keystone in the TOK approach.
DeleteAstin-this is a well written response and makes an excellent personal connection. For a formal assessment, you would want to develop the discussion of the origin of life scientific developments influencing religion a bit more in depth.
ReplyDelete