Engrams
Make sense of why we do things that are bad for us
All the bad memories that have impacted your life and they are stored in your life
Totality of bad memories
Why we do things that are bad for us
If we were clear of our engrams we would only do good things
Scientology has to create people with a clear mind take their engrams away to become clear
Must be clear basically through therapy before you can move up through the levels of scientology
2.Night Journey
6th century CE?
First revelation
Angel Gabriel comes to Muhammad in a dream called the night journey
Muhammad meets other prophets along his journey
He negotiates with God to have Muslims Prey 5 times a day
Important because this night journey set up rules about how to be a good muslim? Also the beginning of the revelations?
- Shia/Sunni Split
632 CE
Caused by Muhammads death conflict over who he said should take over from him
Sunni believed that the Caliph who took over, Abu Bakr who was chosen, was the proper next in line ruler because it was through community consensus
Shi’a believed that proper person started at the 1st Immam which was the 4th Caliph: Ali because they thought that it was through bloodline/ family lineage
Because they were two definitively separate groups Bin Laden is tasked with starting a civil war in Iraq and using the division even thought there was generally peace between the groups, turning the groups against each other.
- Five Pillars of Islam
Revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel
7th century CE
Profession of faith (what that is) , daily prayer x5 but can be more often, alms giving (what that is), fasting during Ramadan, Hajj/pilgrimage to Mecca (reenact what Muhammad did? Only done if financially and physically able only once in life.)
They are important because they set the foundation for Muslim life
- Meccan and Medinan Surahs
Some chapters of the Quran are entirely Meccan and some are Medinan some a mixture of both
There is difference between the revelation that came during the Meccan vs medinan periods
Meccan chapters deal with foundations of islamic belief, median chapters are more legalistic
6.Sunna/Hadith
Muhammad is seen as being a role model and his every move should be followed
The Sunna is the prophets “custom” his words deeds and habitual practices his way of life
The Hadith is the documentation of his entire life and sunna
The Hadith had two categories the Sahih and the Hasan
There are six major sunni collections of the Hadith
They are significant because they are one of the first places that Muslims look to for help if they have a theological issue
- Four sources of islamic law
If there is a theological question then where do you go to answer it?
How to make sense of modernity and how islamic morals fit into modern devices and thoughts
The primary sources are the Quran and the Sunnah
If they do not give you the answer
Secondary sources are
Ijma: what the consensus of community scholars is at the time
Qiyas: reasoning by analogy
These are significant because they help modern Muslims make sense of Modern issues while still maintaining their idea that they are keeping with their faith.
8.Rumi
Born 1207 Afghanistan lived in what is current Turkey he was a Sufi mystic
Wrote a 6 volume masterpiece of poetry the Mathnawi
Much of his poetry devoted to writing about his mystical lover Shams
Coleman Barks in 1976 caused a popularity of the translated Mathnawi
Rumi becomes popularized in the West
Causes Muslims to feel that the islam was taken out of Rumi, his true original meanings have been demolished
Salafism
More conservative group of Islam
Go back to golden age
The time of the 4 sets of followers who descend from the prophets
This is the time where islam was practiced in its purist form
Say schools of debate are corrupted
Beliefs:
Promotion of faith: unity of God, tawhid strive agiainst secularity, man made laws
Protection of the Faith: Takfir- claiming another muslim to be non-muslim, loyalty and disavowal
Jihad: individual obligation when an enemy enters the land of the Muslims
Important because represents a significant reformation of Islam which influenced many modern Muslim thinkers and groups
- Sayyid Qutb
1960/70s
Part of the education system he was very good at his job so he was sent to US for 2 years in 1948 to look at US education system and bring back what is good about it
He comes back and says that there was nothing good at all
He felt that the culture was degraded by sex and debauchery
He joins the Muslim Brotherhood when he returns to Egypt
Gets arrested when Gamal Abdul Nasser comes into power
In prison he writes a book milestones which mades ideological innovations
1 reworking the concept of jahiliyya, age of ignorance, changed it from a time period to a characteristic that societies have if they do not follow islamic law.
2 Jihad is not one episodic event but it is a permanent revolution - perpetual preparation and action
This is significant because these ideas caused some muslims to participate in militant and revolutionary actions is various parts of the world because they saw Jihad as their duty
- Ti and Do
The founders of Heavens Gate Nettles and Applewhite
Being to dream of UFOs
Saw themselves as two members of heaven that were incarnated into humans
They began a nomadic lifestyle in 1973 which began the development of Heavens Gate
Three main moments
Revelation and ongoing understanding of their mission
Publication of the First Statement of Ti and Do
Oregon meeting that brought the group to national attention
The move to heaven was physical not spiritual
Did not think you had to die to enter physical heaven
Nettles dies of liver cancer in 85 but her death was reinterpreted to and applewhite claimed to be continuously communicating with her
They are significant because their teachings formed the groups structure
- Elijah Muhammad
NOI Fard is in charge he names Elijah Muhammad as his successor in 1934
Elijah guides NOI for 40 years - argued that Fard was Allah in human form
Went towards the idea of black supremacy, white people are devils
Promotes the Yakub origin story
Important because he grew the NOI to a national movement
13.Joseph Smith
Brought the beginning of Mormonism premillennial
His visions in 1820
Mormonism is restoration religion
He had a plural marriage which brought anger in the group and also in the republics eye
Using plates who’s location is shown to him in a vision he writes the Book of Mormon
Only religion that has a second book of scripture
It is a elaboration of the bible
He is significant because he started mormonism which is now an international religion
- Charles Taze Russell
Mid 1800s
Began own study of bible
First known as bible students
Used mixture of jewish words used for God to create Jehovah which was used instead of God
Rejected the trinity
Salvation depends on ethical action
Significant Because of the ideas about blood transfusions they set the standards for many Legal issues including child care and adult medical right refusal
