Other Terms

• Myth: Story containing early history of people/place/phenomenon. Involves supernatural and divine unexplainable beings, social/religious/cultural truths over scientific accuracy.
• Myth Examples: Jesus' birth, epic poems of Hinduism, Supernatural aspects of Buddha
• Miracle story: extraordinary, unexplainable event presented as reality or miraculous. Onlooker responses are recorded to emphasize the out of the ordinary acts
• Miracle examples: Buddha and Allah's miracles, Jesus' resurrection and healing, Judaism Hannukah, Hinduism reports of human mystic
• Parable: Earthy story with a heavenly message told to explain important idea. Story is familiar but with a twist ending.
• Parable examples: Good Samaritan, Mahabharata, Jewish prophets (e.g. eagle and the vine), Qur'an (house of spider)
• Poetry: evokes feelings, tells story or presents information, doesn't have consistent rhythm. Should be reader in original language as metaphors are better understood and translations don't do justice.
• Poetry examples: Dhammapada (Buddhist poems), Vedas (Shrauta sutras), Jewish Bible (Psalms, song of solomon).
• Epic: Long narrative, sacred encounters of people, can contain other genres within.
• Worldview: way of interpreting the world, windows of reality. Everyone has a worldview, whether it's acknowledged or not, and life can change worldviews.
• Linear Worldview: Spirit/Soul leaves the body to be united with God in heaven. They have a beginning, life, end, and judgement. Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
• Cyclical Worldview: Atman is in a rebirth cycle until moksha or nirvana. There is birth, death, rebirth. Includes Hinduism, Buddhism.
• heaven: designated condition over place. Eternal presence of God. People have self-determination, God doesn't send people to hell.
• Purgatory: A condition where the souls are purified before they can transition to heaven.
• Hindu epics: Ramayana, Mahabharata. Contains early history and significant change.
• Hindu caste system: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, Dalits