Introduction to Scriptures Guided Lecture Notes

Introduction to Scriptures Guided Lecture Notes What is a “scripture”? How is scripture a “relational” quality? Are the scriptures of various religious traditions overall similar to each other? Why or why not? What types of writings can a “scripture” contain? Oral Religions: Do all religious traditions have scriptures? What religions do not have a written scripture? Why was the Rig Veda not written down until the 20th century? What does that tell us about the attitudes of Hindus towards their sacred texts? Do all religions traditions find their texts to be incredibly important to their religion? Why not? Why do you think that some religions reject having an authoritative written text? The Uses of Scripture What is the “cognitive use” of scriptures? What is the “aural use” of scriptures? What is the “iconic use” of scriptures? What is a “talisman” and how can a sacred text be used as one? What is “bibliomancy”? And how are some sacred texts used in this way? Protestant Bias How did the Protestant Reformation radically change the nature of Christianity? How did these attitudes influence Western culture? What are the assumptions about scripture that this leads to? Pros and Cons of Studying Scriptures Comparatively What are the “pros” of studying scriptures in this way? What are the “cons” of studying scriptures in this way?