REL 356 : World Religions

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Jan 9 - Introduction to Course: Religious Studies, the theology of world religions, and missiology.

Jan 16 - Origins of "Religion," Theological Perspectives

Readings:

• Prothero, Ch. 1
• Ch. 6 “Pluralism and Christ” in Matthew Kaemingk. Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear. Eerdmans 2018, p.165-195.

Jan 23 – Hinduism: Many Ways to the Summit

Guest speaker: Brian Carwana from Encounter World Religions Centre

Reading:

• Prothero, Ch. 2

Additional Readings:

• Anne M. Pearson. “Hinduism: The Canadian Context” in World Religions: Canadian Perspectives (Eastern Traditions). Nelson 2013, p. 72-82.
• Crouch, Andy. “Christ, My Bodhisattva.” Christianity Today, May 2007, Vol. 51, No. 5.

Jan 30 - Buddhism: The Middle Way

Reading:

• Prothero Ch. 3

Additional Reading:

• Tweed, T. A. “Why Are Buddhists So Nice? Media Representations of Buddhism and Islam in the United States Since 1945.” Material Religion v. 4 no.1 (March 2008) p. 91-3.

Feb 6 – Buddhism (continued).

Readings:

• Beyer, Peter. “Maybe, In the Future: Buddhist Men.” in Growing Up Canadian: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. McGill-Queen’s, 2013, pp. 192-212.

Feb 13 – Mid-term and Judaism Introduced

Feb 20 – No Class

Mar 6 – Judaism: The Way of Torah

Reading:

• Prothero Ch. 5

Additional Reading:

• Robert S. Elwood and Barbara McGraw “Women in Judaism” in Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions, Pearson 2014, 263-268.

Mar 13 - Islam

Reading:

• Prothero, Ch. 7

Additional Reading

• Kazemipur, Abdolmohammad. The Muslim Question in Canada, UBC, 2014 (Ch. 7)
• Rubina Ramji. “Being Muslim and Being Canadian: How Second-Generation Muslim Women Create Religious Identities in Two Worlds” in Women and Religion in the West: Challenging Secularization. Routeledge 2008.

Mar 20 - Islam: The Way of Submission to Allah

*Research Paper Due

Guest Speaker Raza Khan

Mar 27 – Daoism: The Way of Nature; Confucianism, the Way of the Sages

Readings:

• Prothero, Chs. 8 and 9
• Woo, Terry. "Chinese popular religion in Diaspora," Studies in Religion, 2010.
• Chuang Tzu “Carving Up an Ox”
• Chuang Tzu, "The Tortoise"

Apr 3 – Daoism and Inter-Faith Relations

- Dialogue, Friendship, and Partnership

Readings:

• Muck, Ch. 24

Additional Reading:

• Stackhouse, John. "A Bigger and Smaller View of Mission," Books and Culture. May/June 2007, Vol 13, No 3, p. 26.
• William Young, “Homosexuality: Orientation, Preference, or Perversion?” in The World’s Religions: Worldviews and Contemporary Issues, 3^rd Edition, Prentice Hall, 2010, 385-396.

Apr 10 - Inter-faith Relations and Mission: apologetics, religious persecution

            Readings:

• Meilaender, Gilbert. “Interfaith ‘Prayer.’” Christian Century Oct. 23-Nov. 5, 2002, p. 32-36.
• N. Gray Sutanto. “Religious Pluralism in Indonesia: Reformed Reflections” in Kaemingk, Matthew, ed. Reformed Public Theology: A Global Vision for Life in the World. Baker 2021, p. 71-81.

EXAM - Monday, April 24 from 7-10 PM