Editor’s Note: The editors of SAFE have been given these notes from one of this year’s History 101 classes, which was taught by a faculty member who was hired by the current administration.
There is little editorial comment needed; the notes speak for themselves.
-The Editors
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“I won’t talk about the beginning of time and creation; I’ll leave that to your biology and science classes.”
9/4
“Religion is a means of control.”
9/11
Abraham worships Elohim, which is a plural form in the Hebrew, so
Abraham worshipped many different gods.
The Hebrew religion was not monotheistic, it recognized many gods. It was also an animistic religion (something about God being in the burning bush).
YHWH is capricious, animistic, and unusually cruel (Plagues in Egypt, Uzzah’s death when he touched the Ark of the Covenant.)
The religious leaders (prophets) reinvent the Hebrew religion during the era of kings:
There are no other gods, despite earlier competition between gods.
YHWH becomes righteous instead of angry and capricious.
YHWH now does nothing but good, unlike before.
Re-center religion around ethics, the rituals die away.
Created a new religion that was monotheistic and no longer cultic.
The Exile “shook the Hebrew faith to its core” because God appears to have forsaken His promise to give them the land of Canaan forever.
As the Torah takes shape in the exile (in Babylon) we can see Zoroastrian influence on Genesis 1.
9/16
We have religions that still endure because they tackle important questions.
The Greeks usher in an intellectual revolution “that is rational, not spiritual” (emphasis on the supposed dichotomy).
9/18
Democracy in Athens – free citizens, not run by oppressive gods or priests.
Gods diminished so reason and human achievement could grow (in context of celebrating this—reminds me of Nietzsche’s murder of God parable.)
9/23
“These are a warlike people, so their religion reflects that”: good ol’ religion as construct of man and nothing more.
9/25
Rome “forged a constitutional system that was based on civic needs rather than religious mystery” (again with the false dichotomies)
All laws must be “disentangled from religion.”