World Religions - Essay Example

REL/HUM 1010A-WORLD RELIGIONS Final Exam What does the word Hindu mean According to Hinduism, people can have want they want. People want Four Things. Two (2) of these lie on the Path of Desire, and two (2) on the Path of Renunciation. What are they Discuss the Path of Desire, and its wants and limitations, and then discuss the Path of Renunciation. Yet, what people want is not want they really want. If we were to put into one word what people really want, what would it be What are the limitations to the things that people really want, as found in Smith's "The Beyond Within" The word Hindu is derived from the word Sindu, which is name of an ancient river Sindh (Indus river, Pakistan). The people who used to live by the bank of this river in ancient time were called Sindu. With the passage of time, the word Sindu became Hindu. Path of Desire describes an individual voyage to success and pleasure. Path of desire is not condemned in the Hindu religion, but the problem with path of desire is its un-fulfillment, as there is no end to desires and wishes which lead to wanting more and more. The followers of Path of desire follow false happiness and chase illusive dreams. Even, if an individual were able to find success, soon he/she would realize that there are still better things in life to be achieved. Man often man desire true happiness and success, which can only be satisfied by following Path of Renunciation. Thus, Path of Renunciation refers to renouncing one desire in order to achieve some thing more important (Moksha). And one can reap the benefits of Path of Renunciation only, when one has achieved maturity in the Path of Desire and wish to go beyond one's own pleasure and success through renunciation personal desires. It is only possible by becoming part of the community and fulfill the duty of contributing greater good towards society. However the peak of the Path of Renunciation is beyond community and desires, which is the ultimate liberation from matter to attain enlightenment. 2) What are the "Four Paths to the Goal" What is the definition of 'yoga' Discuss each yogic path and its attributes. The Hindu scriptures have mentioned four paths to achieve goal in life: Dhrama, the righteousness in life; Artha, the economic development; Kama, Sensual enjoyment, and Moksha, ultimate liberation and union with God (through yoga). Yoga is training oneself (mind) to achieve perfect state of mind and peace through a system of exercises. Each exercise prepares body for further spiritual awareness and unites the body and spirit for greater control. Yoga is meant to train the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline promotes control of the body and mind." These exercises prepare body for a full on spiritual awareness enables an individual for complete control of ones actions. The first one is Karma-yoga, which starts with an understanding that man is bonded to actions, thus the purpose is to relieve oneself from these selfish actions. It does not mean giving up all activities; instead Karma yoga refers to the sacrifices being offered to various deities to attain material necessities, however at the highest level it means dedication of all activities to God only. The next form of yoga is Jnana which is meant to promote knowledge through study and thinking. It asks for minimizing the life activities in the belief that the pursuit of wisdom means a simple life. The third kind of Yoga is Astanga, which is divided into eight different stages called Yoga Sutras. The sutras discuss the super-states of consciousness and attainment of several mystical powers, such as the power to become smaller in size. However yogis are not to be fascinated by such mystical powers and instead keep the mind focused on God within. The last form of Yoga is Bhakti, which is meant for mature individuals Within modern Hinduism, Bhakti-yoga remains the predominant path towards spiritual fulfillment. It includes the external and symbolic worship of the murti and also includes other practices, such as pilgrimage and the sophisticated processes of inner development. It has often been condescendingly presented as suitable to those with emotional rather than intellectual dispositions,. Bhakti-yoga is considered the synthesis and ultimate goal of karma and jnana. The goal of Bhakti is selfless service to a personal God. 3) What is the form of Hinduism depicted in Ray's film "Devi" Devi is about the ideological struggle between religion and rational reform at a time, when very little was tolerated about religion in Indian society. The dilemma is in between older and younger generation; the son wants to move forward, while the father wants to resist this change. Umparsad labels his father as chasing the "blind faith", while father doubts the true intentions of his son. Devi questions the traditional beliefs of Hinduism and shows the transformation of change taking place in Hindu society. Thus old zamindar is not villain, but his character portrays the limitations against progressiveness. The scene, where he sings song in the praise of Kail is very powerful and passionate depicting his sincerity with Kali worship. The film also breaks the myth of Hindu's God masculinity. Contrary to the Western beliefs, God is shown in the female form. It also shows India consciousness of ideal women through faith and saintliness, which is not worth praise, but also worth worship in the shape of Devi. Q4 :Discuss the central conflicts of the film, include in your discussion the concepts of Dharma and Karma (as found in Streng & Smith). Did Daya fulfill her dharma acting as the incarnation of Kali What might her descent into madness suggest about how she "played the hand she was dealt," ie her karma According to Hinduism Dharma is not same for every one, but individualized depending on the caste, age and sex. For example duty of a woman is to be obedient to the father and husband, while the role of husband is to teach or lead the way. While Karma is the influence of an individual past actions on future life/lives. The doctrine reflects the conviction that life is not one, but a continuous chain of lives determined by an individuals actions in the previous life. Looking at these two perspectives, Daya is torn between two extremes. On one side Her father in law is convinced that the goddess in his dreams is no one, but her daughter in law, which proves a shock to Umparsad. Even for Daya it was a shock, but looking at people all around compelled her to believe that she is the incarnation of goddess; naturally she could not resist the temptation of being a goddess. But she can no longer take this conflict anymore, becoming mad and meets ultimate death Looking at the Dharma and Karma perspective, her duty as a wife was to support her husband, which she ignored in the lure of becoming goddess. As a result she received the punishment for her karma by becoming mad and then death. This approach may sound justifiable according to Hinduism, but in reality she was a victim of dominance between two aggressive males, who were not willing to give up. 5: What are the "Four Noble Truths" and "The Eightfold Path" Why is Buddhism called "The Middle Way" The first truth is Dukkha (Illusion) which means there is suffering and impermanence in life for all beings. Our desires often go beyond senses and we keep on wishing immortality and eternal happiness, which is not possible in this imperfect world .We suffer, because we are following an illusion (Dukkha), which is the main reason for all our miseries and pain in life. The Samudaya is second truth, which mentions attachment to desires as result giving rise to pain. We often follow desires in the illusion of fulfillment. We normally think that the completion of desires will give us satisfaction, but in reality it never happens. After the completion of one desire, another desire sprouts up and we start chasing it, and then another, it never ends. The third truth is Nirodha, which is called a way out from (Dhukka /illusion) and aims at eliminating wishes and desires .The last one is Magga; the path which take us out of Dukkha (Illusion) leading us to the Eightfold path. Noble Eightfold path consists of; right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Right understanding means, a person has not only the understanding of knowledge sadness, pain, misery, but he also knows how to stop it. Right thought is understanding of, what is right and being determined for doing right. Right Action is abstaining from wrong things, such as abstaining from killing, stealing, un-chastity. Right Livelihood is what we eat is not earned through dishonest ways. According to Buddha, the Middle way is a path that leads to enlightenment, which can be achieved by avoiding two extremes; self-indulgence and self-mortification. The advice is that one should not pursue such kind of sensual pleasures, which are low, crude, and in excess and on the other side one should not follow self-mortification, which ignites pain and proves unbeneficial. Thus we can say that the Midway avoids both extremes and gives vision and knowledge. 6 After Buddha died, Buddhism split into two main schools: Mahayana and Hinayana (Theravada). Discuss their main attributes. Hinayana belongs to the Theravada School of Buddhism, which is normally found in Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asian countries. Hinayana is a derogatory term, some people consider it Southern Buddhism, while Mahayana is Northern Buddhism as it flourished in China, Korea, Japan, and Tibet. Mahayana means "great vehicle" and "Hinayana" means "small vehicle" or "lesser vehicle". The meaning of vehicle can be understood as a movement. Mahayana basically focuses on three charactertics Universality, enlightened wisdom and compassion. The Mahayana belive their system is large and vast which can save many living being and is a superior sytem. They also believe that the teaching of Buddism varies according to the different climatic and cultural differences,however salvation is possible only through the grace of Budda. In contrast Hinayana focuses to achieve a saintly and pure life and is concentrate on attaining complete enlightment.The aim of Hinayana is to end the worldly attachment and become an Arhat, who goes under further rebirth. According to Mahayana Arhatship is not an ultimate goal as its followers follow the path of Bodhisattva, which leads to Buddhahood. This realization of Buddhahood includes not only realization of the emptiness of self, but also the emptiness of dharma. 7 What form of Buddhism is Zen "Zen is not interested in theories of enlightenment. It wants the real thing." In the film Why has Bodhi-Dharma left for the East a young man's flight from the "world" brings him to a remote monastery, where he wishes to learn about/experience enlightenment. What is enlightenment and the role of experience in relation to it What does he come to learn Discuss how this method of learning features in Kerouac's The Dharma Bums. Zen Buddhism is considered a religion even thought the followers do not follow a God. Zen was developed from Buddhism and transformed into mixture of Taoism Confucianism and Indian spiritualism. The Zen followers do not value their earthly possessions. Zen Buddhism believes more on puzzling or paradoxical statements or stories that are meant to aid meditation and spiritual self-discovery. Zen mentions the idea of intuitive knowledge, questioning perceived assumptions of logic in words, sentences, and ideas. Zen teaches that the Buddha-nature, or the potential to achieve enlightenment is inherent in everyone, but lies dormant because of the ignorance. It is cannot be awakened by study of scriptures nor by the practice of good deeds, rites and ceremonies, or worship of images, but by a sudden breaking through the boundaries of common, everyday, logical thought. Zen training leads to such enlightenment, however methods, differ among the various sects of Zen. Zen enlightenment is an intuitive experience that needs no external confirmation. The Zen enlightenment is not dependent on another's enlightenment or some external confirmation. The lesson taught in the movie Why has Bodhi-Dharma left for the East is the illusion of self and the interconnectedness of all beings. The teacher mentions that suffering arises from the false desires of the self. The novice suffers deeply because he is confused about the right action and the purpose of his life. While The Dharma Bums depicts two young men engaged in searching truth. Their major adventure is the pursuit of the Zen way, which takes them to climb into the high Sierras and seek the lesson of solitude. Next they indulge in drinking bouts, poetry jam sessions, experiments in "yabyum," and similar non-ascetic pastimes. They delight in trolling for clothes in the Good Will and Army and Navy stores, they savor the simplest meal over a campfire. Basically they are rejecting the paralyzed emptiness of middle class life. 8 What are the three meanings of Tao, and its three approaches to power Taoism is related with flowing, which in English means "the way" related to the flow of natural things, such as water. The first meaning of Tao is considered as an ultimate reality, yet it is unnamable and indescribable as mentions Smith in the following words "Above all, behind all, beneath all is the Womb from which all life springs and to which it returns." The second meaning is that Tao is not only transcendent, but also immanent and the "observable way of the universe ". Rather a real driving power of nature same as yin and yang polarities which create balance in the world. And the last way of defining Tao is harmony of human life with the universe. The first approach of Taoism is Philosophical, a reflective approach that involves meditative and vitalizing programs, such as Tao's power flows through human being. The second approach is called "vitalizing Taoism" for the reasons that it desires to increase Tao power through life force. It is due to this reason that the chi approach tilts more towards martial arts, such as Chi Chuan and Kung Fu etc. The third approach of Taoism is more organized than the earlier two approaches and is often called religious Taoism. As the first approach is philosophical, the second focuses on revitalizing the energies, while the third approach is used to understand Chi to correct the situations. It is for this reason that it became the folk religion of China involving practices and rituals . The basic idea behind the Taoism is that it considers universe as a big organism where all things are interdependent on each other and nothing can be separated. 9 Discuss "Attaining Freedom Through Spiritual Discipline" according to its five basic elements as found in Streng. Fred mentions that to live authentically, human beings must know and utilize "the nature of things." This has been the centuries old claim of the religious prophets and saints. Thus for people to live in their fullest potential they have to awake in their deep spiritual reality which is present inside them and lie dormant in their existence. Fred explains that in order to achieve such freedom it is essential to apply discipline and change self for the reason that life is a complex processes through which people are being transformed." He divides thought into three ways of religious apprehension, the mythical, the intuitive, and the dialectical. He argues that this spiritual transformation should be considered religious and a serious hope towards self integration to achieve fullness and a complete life. 10 What was the problem Confucius faced What were the 'rival answers' What was Confucius' answer Discuss with regard to the five key terms: jen, chun tzu, li, te, and wen. The problem Confucius faced was that life is brute and short and order is based on force. Even though reason and morality is nice to talk, but in reality, it is only force that prevails and makes the things work, he concludes that heavy punishment is essential to maintain order. This gives rise to the philosophical implication that man's lower impulse can easily dominate him and people are born lazy. All people act only because to self-interest, thus to maintain order, it must be imposed from outside( through force). The Confucius idea Jen mentions that there should be an ideal relation among the people. Confucious was an ardent advocate of Jen which was a considered a silver rule and means that one should not do the things to other, which one does not want for himself. Chun tzu leads to peace and the holder of Chun tzu are respectful and humble, while Li is the way, things should be done through pattern and ideas in a graceful manner. And if Leader has true respect,Te is the power by which people are ruled. And wen is bringing peace through arts and culture. His answer to the problem was applying all these rules. He mentioned that the solution is returning to the roots and going back to traditions. These moral ideas need to be driven to the people by all possible means ranging from temples, theatres, schools, and stories. This approach leads to making a role model, which people find easy to follow and these ideas becomes second habit through constant training. As found in Smith, a) Discuss the eight (8) ways a 'passion for meaning' is expressed in the Jewish faith; b) Distinguish piety from piosity, and how it features in the 'hallowing of life' in Judaism, and discuss in context of Novak, Judaism#34: "At Judgment Day, everyone will have to give an account for every good thing which he [r she] might have enjoyed and did not enjoy." Piety is a desire and willingness to perform religious duties. It is a traditional virtue because religion is the only known way to win the favor or forgiveness of deities, that is, to "propitiate" them. The popular Jewish piety deeply influenced by prophetic scripture. An empty person attitude towards religion is one of externals not internals. As long as the outer trappings of religion and piety are in place, the lifestyle and heart mean nothing. Hypocrites perform religious duties to be seen by men, while true believers do right whether seen or not seen. However, the true combination is looks of piety with good acts. With reference to Sabbath he mentions "there is no idea of nature in the classical scriptural and rabbinic texts," pointing out that the Sabbath is an end, not a means. Novak mentions that Christians do not take Jews seriously, because Jews are not religious as they are not observing their religious duties and living in state of hypocrisy. He strongly rejects the secular Jewish- ness. According to him there is no culture without practice. Novak's thoughts are grounded in, but not limited by halaka as he applied philosophical methods to address contemporary social problems. His Jewish social ethics represents an attempts to give a Jewish response to moral issues over all; as he believes that Judaism offer guidance not to Jews only, but to others as well. He successfully translates the messages of Judaism into an idiom, which looks credible even to non-Jewish audience. 11 The film, The Chosen, deals with the aftermath of the Holocaust, and the Zionist movement. It also examines the differing views of Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism: what are some main distinctions http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-55,pageNum-3.html Reb Saunders and David Malther handle the news of the Holocaust in different ways; what are they http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chosen/context.html What does the establishment of the state of Israel provide for David Malther in The Chosen c) Discuss the 'doctrine of election' as it pertains to the Jewish people as "The Chosen People." How might this apply to the establishment of the modern state of Israel as found in Smith, and what does he list as the four chief contributing motifs The orthodox Jews believe that they can have best of the both worlds. On one side they can observe the Jew traditions and on the other they can also become part of the larger American society. A few of such example will include, modern dressing and still adhered to the Orthodox law and they do not concentrate themselves in typical narrowness of religious interpretations. On the other hand, the Hasidic Jews do not wish to change their traditional way of living for the reason of keeping their separate identity. In novel the two men take diverse approach. The Saunders argues that the murder of six million Jews is God's will and they should have faith on God and wait for His help, until he delievers Messiah. But Malter approach is different, he argues that American Jews must offer support and preserve Jewish culture not only in America, but in Palestine as well by creating a homeland for all Jews. The Chosen is written at a critical time in the world history. The first part of the of the novel unfolds during the Allied offensive in World War II, the middle deals with the American Jewish community's response to the Holocaust, while the final part is related to Zionist movement to create a Jewish state in Palestine. According to Hebrew Bible, Jews are the chosen people by God conditioned by the Commandments, " . "Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. For all the earth is mine: and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5, 6). "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your ancestors." (Deuteronomy 7:7, 8). It was under this concept of God's chosen people that the Zionist movement created the state of Israel and pulled the Jews from all over the world, bringing them back to the holy land and unified them in their own land, fulfilling the dream of chosen people. 12 Summarize the "Religious Significance of Social Responsibility" as found in Streng. According to Fred we must understand religion from inside and outside and view it objectively and subjectively. He argues that religious knowledge can not only be comprehended on the basis of viewing it as an information, but an awareness which has a transforming power. He strongly asserted that Nagarjuna's intent was soteriological, not speculative, and even though popular wisdom may not have the its comprehension, yet it was saving the knowledge. His definition of religion is "a means towards an ultimate transformation" and a process with two main contexts: a cosmic context and a transcendent context, which is found deep in human nature. He believes in inter-religious dialogue to comprehend the authenticity of the nature of religions through comparison. He proposes that this approach involves a mystical sense of unification of differences among all religions and finding an alternative ways to enrich the religious experiences. For him no particular forms of liberation of truth is ever enough to satisfy, but rather it should be in flux with emerging new encounters, which had to understood in the religious context only. He believes that the search for truth should be sought through comparative studies and consistent dialogue. 13 Who was the 'Historical Jesus' Discuss this in Smith's terms of a) the Spirit world; b) Jesus' deployment of spirit-derived powers; and c) the new social order Jesus wished to effect. In recent years, a new wave of "Historical Jesus" research has emerged in the wake of the discovery in Egypt during 1947. As a result Jesus life is reconstructed in contemporary political and cultural differences that took place between Galilee and Judea among different sects. Looking at the titles ascribed to Jesus has different meaning the way people understand today. The word Jesus is Greek version of Hebrew rendered name Joshua, which means God save, while Jesus was written as Iesus in English till 17th century. The word lord, Son of Man and Son of God, historians suggest had different meaning in its time from the way we understand today. Thus there two Jesus, one the real one who is little known and is the Historical Jesus and other the popular Mythical Jesus who was created through myths and legends through out the centuries. Jesus life has a special relation with God. Often Jesus miracles are remembered and his mighty acts of healing etc, but Smith argues Jesus message was social as well which was so powerful that it could not be contained soon after his death. No doubt Jesus taught the observance of religious law, but he was more considerate of understanding and caring the human needs. . 14 Who was the 'Christ of Faith' According to Smith, what did his associates a) see Jesus do; b) hear him say; c) sense him to be The Christ of Faith differs from the historical Jesus. The Christian believe that Jesus is both son and God and made incarnate sent to earth for salvation and taking the humanity sin with him. And that he was born of virgin Mary, crucified and rose again on the third day and now resides in heaven with holy father waiting till second coming. Other than being a teacher Christ has been mentioned as a healer with the claim of divinity equaling God. Jesus performed several miracles, such as healings, exorcisms, walking on water, turning water into wine, and raising several people including Lazarus from death. Satan also tested him, if he wanted he could have averted the crucifixion, but he went to crucifixion for the sake of humanity. Jesus is also member of Holy trinity, which means he is one of the three persons, who are God. We can see that "Christ of Faith" is very different from the Historical Jesus. The popular Christ of Faith is surrounded by myths and legends and perhaps the real Jesus' who aimed at social transformation is lost among the myths and miracles. 15 What was the 'Good News' What were the two qualities with which a Christian life abounded What were the three burdens that were lifted By what power were these burdens lifted According to Christian belief after the fall of Adam, all men became sinners, however God wanted to be a good father to mankind and it was essential for mankind to be saved from doom. The Bible mentions Jesus was God's Son and the Saviour of mankind from sin, judgment and eternal curse. ""Surely He has borne our grief (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains) ... But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." (Is. 53:4,5). Thus the good news is that Jesus went to cross for the whole humanity so that we all can live in peace and happiness and never become worried due to sin and pain. Love and faith according to Paul are the essential qualities of a Christian life. It is these two qualities, faith referring to relationship with Christ to generates the love as mentioned in Galatians 5:6 that genuine Christianity is "faith working through love": Thus through love and faith on Christ controls the life of true Christian believer. The three main burdens which all human being wish to overcome are; 1) worrying, 2) trying to earn God's love, and 3) living outside the will of God. Human being deserved to be happy, but happiness often eludes us. The achievement of joy is only possible through Christian faith for three key reasons; We should be happy because God grace is bigger than the sin we commit, therefore he has forgiven our sin through Jesus Christ . We should be confident that in the midst of crisis God is protecting us and that in our lives can be shared through community. 16 What are the distinguishing features of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism The Catholics refers to the Church governed by the Bishop of Rome. The main features of Roman Catholic Church includes: Papal in Papal Infallibility, direct organizational descent from the original church as founded by Jesus, all l ministers are ordained by, Bishops, and are ordained in a direct line of succession from the Apostles. The use of images candles, vestment and music is also common in worship and with a firm belief that Eucharist is really, truly, and objectively the Body and Blood of Christ, through the Real Presence. The Roman Catholics also offer prayer for the dead and have belief in Exorcism. Protestantism is a movement with in Christianity, which represents the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church. The Church basis teachings mention that only Christ is mediator between God and man. They also believe that Roman Catholics obscured teachings of Bible for their own benefit and instead of straightforward interpretations, they have twisted the true meaning of the scripture. They believe that salvation is entirely God's gift dispensed through Holy Spirit and do not involve any priest or any other church body. 17 "God, Creation, the Human Self, and the Day of Judgment-these are the chief theological pegs on which the Koran's teachings hang" (Smith, 242). Discuss Islam's four basic theological concepts, as found in Smith. The first Islamic concept is related to God or Allah. It is believed that Allah is one single unity, which has personal will and is almighty and omnipotent; Lord of the heaven and earth, the guide of erring, and delivers man from every affliction and pain. The second concept is about creation; which mentions that world is not created by an accident, but a deliberate act of God. The world of matter is real and is not stained with evil, but it is good work and man has free will responsibilities. The Quran identifies self as NAFS. According to Quran, human intellect help offers little understanding beyond the materialistic concept of the world, for which man needs divine guidance. Quran mentions that certain laws, which are given to humanity from time to time through divine revelations, govern an individual existence, which is fully embodied in Quran. The Day of Judgment is day of reckoning for all life on earth. On this day every one will be responsible for his/her good or bad deeds and will be accountable for all his actions. The judgment of an individual will be done on the basis of how much he/she has observed God's law. 18 What are the 'Five Pillars of Islam' The Five Pillars of Islam are the most fundamental aspects of Islam, which are: Shahadah,, the profession of faith in Allah (God), Salat; prayer, Sawam fasting; Zakah, the paying of alms; and Hajj, the Pilgrimage of Mecca. The profession of faith in Allah is the declaration that there no God but Allah who is worth of worship and Muhammad (PBUH) is his messenger. The Prayer is establishment of prayers five times a day. The alms paying (Zakat) is normally 2.5 percent of the total savings, which have to be given away every year to the poor. Fasting is abstaining from food and sex from dusk till dawn during month of Ramadan, once every year. And Hajj is Pilgrimage to Mecca during the Islamic month of Zul Hijjah, which is compulsory once in a lifetime upon every Muslim. 19 Discuss the provisions of Islamic law in the four areas of collective life as found in Smith: Economics, Status of Women, Race Relations, and Use of Force. The Islamic economy believes in circulation of wealth, this is the reason that giving alms is part of the five pillars of Islam. The basic concern is that this measure will break the barrier of economic cast system and will overcome the injustice of wealth. The Quran blesses commerce and business and production of wealth is good for the reason that owners of wealth can give away large sum of money to the needy. Smith mentions the controversial status of treatment of women in Islam, which in West are seen as oppressed and unequal and denied the right of freedom. And one reason for this treatment is Quran, which mentions the women, should not display their modesty. Islam has called Christian and Jews as the people of the book and faith and historically there have been many agreements among them, especially at time to Prophet in Medina. The state of Medina was secular state, which integrated all races, but realistically other religions are tolerated in Islamic countries, however normally these people are second-class citizen. Smith mentions that Islamic "part of the world is more hopelessly and systematically and stubbornly misunderstood by us than the complex of religion, culture, and geography known as Islam. Islam allows the use of force but only in self defense, even though there some historical deviations but the same traditions has also been practiced by Judaism and Christianity. As he mentioned traditional Christianity was not as meek and sweet as today, but till 17century Christianity was filled with violence. 20 According to Kimball, what are the five warning signs that religion has become evil Discuss in the context of utopian thinking, using examples from life and class material. http://www.utoronto.ca/utopia/links.html Thomas More coined the term Utopia. The Utopian concept in the positive meaning refers to human efforts to create a perfect society by radical change. However in present day world it implies a negative meaning associated with discredit ideas or unrealistic thinking. Historically there have been rise of various kind of utopias, such as Sparta, which was a militaristic utopia founded by Lycurgus ,but failed after its defeat by the Thebans at the battle of Leuctra.The 19th century utopian ideas which came into being due to the development of the capitalism gave rise to the "utopian socialist" who believed in the total abolition of money These ideas were applied in Russian, but failed miserably. Similarly the concept of religious Utopia has been prevalent in the history. Specifically, the Christian and Islamic ideas of Garden of Eden and heaven also portray a kind of utopianism. The Buddhist concept of Nirvana is also a kind of Utopia. It is the religious utopia which more appeals to the masses, such as hassle free life, eternal delight and bliss and enjoying godlike powers are a few reasons to adherence to faith and also serve as incentives for new members. In the US, there were many radical sects and movement, which sought to form religious Utopia, forming many communities. The example of Utopia has been presented in many books, such as Plato's Republic, St Augustine: City of the God, Thomas Moore: Utopia, Huxley: Brave New World, Ivan: Andromeda, etc. Reference Huston Smith. (1991). The World's Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins. David W. Chappell. (1994). Remembering Fred Streng: Frederick John Streng, 1933-1993. Philosophy East and West:Vol.44 No.2,pIII(4) C. W. Huntington, Jr, Frederivk J. Streng (1992). The Emptiness of Emptiness: An introduction to Early Indian Madhyamika.Philosophy East and West.Volume 42, No.2 Wikipedia, Islam, Buddhism.(2006) Available from < http://www.wikipedia.org> Heinrich Robert Zimmer.(1957).Philosophies of India. New York: Meridian Books. Mircea Eliade. (1993).Encyclopedia of Religion .MacMillan Reference Books; Rep/Uab ed Read More