Philosophy

Philosophy Study Guide

received his historic flight from Mecca to Medina and to commemorate these two occasions, those who are physically able are asked to fast during the entire month. From dawn to sunset, Muslims do not eat, drink, have sexual intercourse, or smoke. Fasting underscores humankind’s dependence on God and, by experiencing what it is like to feel hunger and suffering, helps makes us more compassionate. ● The Fifth Pillar is Hajj: This is the holy pilgrimage to Mecca where one performs a set of rites. Once in a lifetime, a Muslim is expected, if physical and economic conditions permit, to make this journey to Mecca, where God’s ultimate revelation was first disclosed. The purpose of this journey is to heighten the pilgrim’s devotion to God and to his revealed will. 3.6 Indigenous Sacred Ways These are religions that have remained tied to the original people and location from which they developed. For the most part, indigenous religions practice sacred ways and a spiritual way of life that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. This type of religion is fully integrated into the lives of those practicing them rather than being discrete and separate activities. This includes a profound respect for their natural environment and with religion and life all a part of one integrated reality. There are four aspects of indigenous sacred ways: ● Relationships with spirit: The spirit world is central and is the source of awesome power that influences every aspect of life. Many worship a Supreme Sprit whom they view as the Sacred Creator of the cosmos. Maintaining harmonious relationships with the spirits of the ancestors is another significant theme. ● Kinship with all creation: They believe that everything in the world is alive. The physical world is considered to be fully animate and spiritually interconnected with all life forms in the universe. The spiritual view of Mother Earth encourages an ecological philosophy of the environment, in which human life is intended to interlock and mesh with the natural world, thus preserving the harmony and balance between people and their home, the natural world. ● Spiritual specialists: The average person has limited contact with the spirit world. This task is entrusted to spiritual specialists known as priests, priestesses, and shamans. The spiritual world is believed to be dangerous and only those who have undergone extensive training and preparation are thought to be able to act as intermediaries between the world and the unseen world. The spiritual specialists see themselves as human vessels for conducting spiritual communication and power. ● Group observances: The final dimension of the religion is the group rituals that bind the community together in a shared participation in their spiritual life. These collective rituals include: dances, ritual dramas, ritual purifications, and pilgrimages to sacred sites. The rituals usually occur at prescribed times or at defining moments in the life cycle: birth, naming, puberty, marriage, and death. The rituals affirm the social bonds with each other as they honor the sacred, and they represent the group’s harmony with the universe. 3.7 Can We Prove the Existence of God? The idea of finding proofs for the existence of God was of particular concern for medieval philosophers, who merged the Greek idea that the universe was governed by orderly and knowable

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