Ricky Rangra

Religion Half Yearly Notes

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The Nature of Religion

 DEFINE THE SUPERNATURAL DIMENSION.
Exceeds the ordinary limits of human existence and is sometimes described as abnormal, or miraculous.
I.e, it can’t be described by known natural laws.

 DISCUSS A TRANSCEDENT RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEW WHICH HAS A BELIEF IN A DIVINE POWER

AND/OR POWERS BEYOND THE HUMAN.
i) Transcendent dimension – means to climb over and surpass, and points us towards the sacred and divine
world beyond this earthly and material world.
Transcendent dimension of religion enables humans to surpass limits of their creatural existence and
earthly concerns to focus on heavenly or spiritual matter.
Christianity, Islam and Judaism – a divine power is said to transcend (be predominantly above or beyond)
the world. The One God exists beyond the human and yet guides humanity throughout its everyday
existence.

 DISCUSS AN IMMANENT RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEW WHICH HAS A BELIEF IN A DIVINE BEING OR

POWERS DWELLING WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL.
i) Immanent dimension – this dimension emphasises the presence of God or gods within human existence,
in day to day, concrete, ordinary concerns of life, rather than above or beyond it.
Buddhism and Hinduism – a divine being or powers dwell within the individual (immanent). In the case of
Buddhism, for example, it is important not to look for a Buddhist equivalent of ‘God’ but for an ultimate
goal or principle, such as nirvana or dhamma, that gives Buddhits a sense of ultimate meaning.

 DEFINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION.

i) Beliefs and believers – they sustain all religions and beliefs unify believers. E.g. central beliefs of
Christianity such as Jesus of Nazareth being the son of god and granting forgiveness for sins, helped keep
the early Christian community unified.
ii) Sacred texts and writings – all religions have oral and/or written sacred texts, writings or other types of
stories. E.g. the Qur’an is the sacred text of Islam and gives essential direction for beliefs (therefore linked).
iii) Ethics – the explicit, philosophical and/or religious reflection on moral beliefs within a tradition. Their
purpose is to clarify what is right and wrong, what the followers of a religion should freely do, or refrain
from doing. E.g. Sadharana dharma is the code of Hindu ethics, inclusive of moral and religious duties and
natural laws.
iv) Rituals and ceremonies – enactments or systems of actions and beliefs that each have a beginning, a
middle, and an end. They are directly linked to superhuman beings or forces. E.g. a ritual in Judaism is male

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circumcision eight days after birth, with the intention to place a permanent reminder of the covenant in
the flesh of a male Jew.

 EXPLORE WAYS IN WHICH THESE CHARACTERISTICS INTERACT TO CREATE A DYNAMIC, LIVING

RELIGION.
A dynamic religion is one characterised by energy, ambition, new ideas and practical achievements.
It develops into a powerful force that refreshes itself constantly, and therefore avoids settling into a
predictable or conservative rut.
A living religion is one that is full of life; it is practical real and immersed in – not removed from or afraid of
– everyday human existence.
In general, any religion is likely to stagnate if it does not revitalise its beliefs and believers, sacred texts and
writings, ethics, rituals and ceremonies.
When these characteristics of a religion interact creatively, they help to nurture a religion that is alive,
dynamic and active in the lives of its adherents, and in the society and culture in which it exists. It is a
religion that is lived.

 APPRECIATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF RELIGION TO:

 Individuals
 Society and Culture
The motives and goals of religion have been shaping human culture and directing human history since time
immemorial. Religion has sustained people in times of adversity; it has strengthened them in times of fear;
it has offered the path of a meaningful life in this present world, and provided the hope of a better life in
the next world.

The contribution of religion:

Individuals Society and Culture
The great questions of human existence have Religious faith comes from and leads to the
puzzled people for thousands of years. They highest human ideals such as heroic sacrifice and
include: loyalty.

 Is there a supreme being?  Assists public servants and business people

Name given to god or deity. In Monotheistic whose work brings them into contact with
religions, this is understood as the source and members of other cultures and faiths.
creator of the universe, humanity or related areas.
 This makes sense of the multicultural
 Who am I? features of our own social landscape.
Takes a person to the heart of human existence.
For Christianity, it is understood in relation to
‘what is human nature and what is its ultimate  Helps us to appreciate diversity.
purpose’. Therefore, people gain their identity by

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relating to their God(s), guided by beliefs and  Helps people searching for answers about
practices of their tradition. existence by providing them with a bank of
potential answers.
 Why is there evil, pain and suffering?
In most religions, evil is the opposite of good and
beneficial. It can be understood as a cosmic power
or as a human way of behaving and deciding. The
three are interrelated. Suffering can be
understood as the experience of pain caused by
evil, ignorance or neglect.

This three-part issue raises crucial questions for

religions about the nature of God, of the universe
and of human existence itself. E.g. Buddhists refer
to suffering as dukkha – ‘a desire to be in the
world too much’ due to selfish craving.

 Is there life after death?

Australian Aboriginal Beliefs and Spiritualties –

The Dreaming.
 OUTLINE THE NATURE OF THE DREAMING IN RELATION TO:
 Origins of the universe
 Sacred sites
 Stories of the Dreaming
 Symbolism of Art

i) Origins of the universe:

Various groups of Aboriginals have their own lands/languages and customs.
Beliefs, values and attitudes persist in modern Aboriginal spirituality.
Foundation of aboriginal religion is in the Dreaming stories of creation.
Before time began, there was only a formless mass of dark and featureless matter and the world was
nothing but a plain flat.
First beings, the spirit ancestors arose from their eternal sleep from the earth.
They emerged from natural landscape features such as waterholes, rock formations and caves (sacred
sites now).
They took on various shapes and appearances; both animal and human.

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They created the natural world by fixing design of nature and shaping contours and details of the physical
landscape.
They brought all living creatures, including people, into existence.
Each spirit founded a line of descendants composing a natural species and its corresponding human group.
Social group into which a person is now born includes an eternal spirit ancestor and a natural species or
totem, such as the emu or wallaby, to which the person is mythologically related.
Each living species was given its own law or design of life.
Some of the original spirits were cultural heroes; teaching humans survival techniques such as hunting,
making fires & utensils and how to perform ceremonies.
After completing these duties, the ancestors were once again overcome by weariness and they fell asleep
back into their original slumber, with some turning into physical landscape features.

ii) Sacred sites

Sacred sites have been explained above.
They include land, rock formations, parts of rivers or seas. They also have important uses such as being
burial grounds, ceremonial meeting places, places of danger and birthing caves.
Not much is known about them as custodians of knowledge reveal as little as possible in order to protect
the secret nature of the site.

DREAMING TRACKS
These are the trails of the lives and movements of the ancestral spirits. They connect sacred sites and are
called “Songlines”.
They are depicted in sand paintings, engravings and body painting. They are recreated in ceremony
through traditional song, dance and story.
Contain spirit children of the ancestral spirits, yet to be born (as plant/animal/human).
Run for thousands of kilometres through various landforms/climatic conditions.
Path of dreaming tracks defines extent of groups’ territory.
WALKABOUT
Deliberate pilgrimage along ritual paths which link sacred sites.
For participants of the dreaming, it is a mobbing mediation equivalent to extreme ritual devotion of any
well-established religion.
Body, life & mind are wholly committed to aligning with creative powers of the Dreaming.
It awakens individuals as temporary concerns blind eyes from seeing the eternal light of the Dreaming.
Spiritual journey that renews and develops the soul by cultivating a higher state of consciousness and
higher experiences of reality.
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iii) Stories of the Dreaming

Mythology is the embodiment of truth.
It details the beginning of creation and life.
Basis of association with land of Ancestral Spirits’ action.
Knowledge of birth of humanity and religious beliefs/laws/ceremonies/rituals are derived from them.
Passed on and are an eternal link between the spirits, the past, present and future.
Story of Ikara (Wilpena Pound):
Yurla (kingfisher man) was to start ceremonies at Ikara where the Yura people awaited his arrival. He lit up
a fire at Yurlas to signify he was coming because he sensed impatience. Two giant Akurra (dreamtime
serpents) sneaked up on the Yura peple at Ikara, who thought their eyes were Yurla’s, so they started
celebrations. When Yurla arrived, only two Yura people were left because Akurras had ate the rest. The
Adnyamathanha people who are now the holders of that region belived bodies of the giant akurra formed
the raised sides of Ikara. Sacred significance of the place as it was where laws were made and punishment
was carried out.

iv) Symbolism and art

Artist’s connection to their country.
Different regions = Different art, linked by strong designs and religious significance.
Desert regions are abstract; other regions can be more representational.
Symbols include body art, painting, carved trees, rock art, bark painting & funerary poles.
Not seen as artist, but seen as custodian of that knowledge and Dreaming.
Artwork used to teach others, depicting a map and marking travels of totem ancestor.
Provides knowledge on sites, food types, water, behaviour and safety.
Bush survival skills and lifecycles.

 DISCUSS THE DIVERSITY OF THE DREAMING FOR ABORIGINAL PEOPLES.

Spirituality is based on a variety of beliefs, eg above about ancestral spirits.
Particular plants/animals depending on the area are associated with this spirit.
People of that area have kinship with that spirit, giving them spiritual ownership.
Gives responsibility of ceremonies, arts & rituals.
Grants spiritual and temporal identity to the Aboriginal people.
 RITUALS AND CEREMONIES
Dreamings are brought into the present through totemic descendants, their songs, sacred sites &
traditional painting.
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They are manifested through special ritual actions.

Ceremonies mediate eternal acts of the spirit ancestors into present time.
Eternal lifeforce of the dreaming is continually released to surge into the current state of the world.

 The functions of the ceremony

Chief purpose is to participate in the original creative acts of the spirit ancestors, and thereby ensure their
continuation in the present.
Ceremony is the principal link between primordial creation and the present world.
Designed to honour totem ancestors, to introduce the ancestors and their totem objects visually to those
who are entitled to see them, initiate tribal members, to ensure an increase in food, and to regulate the
numbers of the non-human totem species.
 Rainmaking
Karamundi people of Darling River perfrom this ritual to bring rain.
Vein in man’s arm is cut, blood drips into hollow bark until pool forms, gypsum is added and mixture is
stirred into thick paste. Hairs from man’s beard is mixed into paste, which is then placed between two
pieces of ark, which is put under the surface of a body of water. Secured by sticks driven into ground.
Mixture is allowed to dissolve, and totemites say a cloud will come and bring water. To ensure process,
men are prohibited from seeing wives for its duration. When in drought, entire totem community does
this.
 Initiation
Bring youths into adult community.
Puberty initiation brings revelation of the sacred myths and traditions of totem group.
Youth are introduced to cultural values of the group and given conscious knowledge of the origin of the
spiritual life-force of the people as a totem community.
Male aboriginals are often circumcised and scarred at a ‘sacred ground’.
After this initiation, the boys must behave in ritual ways, undergo various ordeals, and obey certain dietary
taboos/prohibitions.

 RECOGNISE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DREAMING FOR THE LIFE OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES.

 Aboriginal spirituality
Creation and life are integrated and complete from the outset. Through the oneness of the Sacred and the
secular, the Dreaming and the everyday, the totemite lives continually in the fullness of reality, meaning
and life.

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 The fulfilment of life

Present human existence, especially in ceremony, is already fully in tune with the timeless world of the
dreaming. Human and spiritual, natural and supernatural, present and eternal, descendants and ancestors
are all inseparable parts of one egalitarian society. An immortal spark of eternal life comes directly from
spirits. Through everyday actions, especially those of ceremony, each and every individual life affirms and
maintains the completeness of existence as it is and always has been.

 Reverence for life

Whole of life is sacred, and has ultimate value (is a miracle). Fundamental reverence for life pervades every
aspect of daily and ceremonial activity. Reverence is extended to landscape/earth as ground is mother of
all life and a living conscious being in and of herself.

 Attitude to life
All of existence of life is continuous with the primordial spirit of realm of the Dreaming. Life endures as
part of an ongoing process that infuses the whole cosmos.

 The place of death

Death is integral part of life. Life-force is transferred and transformed from one state/condition to another.
Dreaming rituals conducted to ensure spirit of deceased has a safe passage to the spirit world and does not
return to trouble the living.
 Cultural responsibilities
Preservation and enhancement of life is critical, according to aboriginal morality structured on aboriginal
law, which dictates that the whole cosmos is a living and self-reproducing system in which all parts are
alive, aware and interconnected.

 Cooperation or extinction
Notion of cooperate or ‘die out’ is prevalent in dreaming, which promotes harmonious interaction
between all totem members in order to ensure prolonged existence.
 Conflict resolution
Aboriginals see themselves linked by kinship ties to every part of the cosmos, therefore in a conflict one
side attempts to contain another by practicing only sufficient retaliation.

 INVESTIGATE THE INEXTRICABLE CONNECTION OF THE LAND, THE DREAMING AND IDENTITY.

o Land
o Songlines
o Human nature
o Spiritual nature of reality
o Human nature
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o Spiritual discipline
Creator, through spirit beings, shaped land, making its mountains, valleys, hills gullies, rivers, streams, flora
and fauna.
Formed as a result of the action and interaction of spirit beings, making creation of cultural significance.
Sacred sites associated with ancestral beings.
The importance of this connection between the things of creation is expressed through totemism. The
ritual performances associated with this are believed to influence and ensure the reproduction of both the
natural and human sphere as well as the natural cycle of seasons.
Aboriginal people have developed relationship with environment as their very survival is dependent upon
it. Hence, they do not exploit natural resources by building monumental architecture and only build to an
extent that provides sufficient use.