Revelation & The Sharing of Knowledge

Revelation and Tradition

In many religions, our understanding of a religion's beliefs and teachings comes from two sources: revelation and tradition.

Revelation and tradition

In Hinduism, there is a distinction between Shruti (revelation) and Smriti (tradition).
- Revelation usually refers to writings, to the scripture.
- Tradition is often oral, meaning it has been passed down by word of mouth from teacher to student.
The term for teacher within Hinduism is ‘guru’.
- The Hindu religion has a long history of respected gurus.
- These gurus pass on both theological beliefs and forms of worship.

Shruti

The word ‘shruti’ means ‘what is heard’, and refers to revelation.
- The term is applied to the major parts of Hindu Scripture, which include the Vedas and the Upanishads.
- These texts are often called ‘canonical’. This means they are accepted as divine revelation, unchanging and unquestionable truth.

The Vedas

The Vedas are an important source of revelation.
- There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Samaveda, the Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda.
- They include descriptions of the form of worship, for example, and hymns and mantras.
The Upanishads also form a part of the Vedas but come from a later Vedic period.
- The Upanishads also have writings about worship. But the main focus is providing a philosophical understanding of Hindu belief. Including the nature of God and the universe.

Smriti

The word ‘smriti’ means ‘what is remembered’. This emphasises that this knowledge is something passed down orally.
Smriti is an important part of Hindu tradition but carries less authority than shruti.
- Partly because what is remembered can be less reliable than what is written.
Smriti includes the Epics, Puranas and Sutras.

Smriti (cont.)

The Epics are long stories about the gods, including their battles against evil.
- They include the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
The Puranas also include stories but have a focus on some of life’s big questions.
- Such as how the world was created and by who.
Finally, the Sutras are more like a manual consisting of short sayings.
- They cover important Hindu beliefs and teachings about right conduct.

A rich tradition

As we can see, Hinduism has a rich tradition.
- It has many sacred texts, and also epic tales of heroism.
- It has rules about worship and about moral conduct.
- Many of these are ancient, and they come from a variety of sources.
On one hand, this means that there is a huge source of material for students to study to understand Hinduism.
- But it also means it can be hard to define Hinduism precisely. Because it does not come from a single tradition but from many traditions.

1Year 7

1.1Origins of Abrahamic Faith

1.2Judaism

1.3Christianity

1.3.1The Nativity

1.3.2Christian Beliefs about the Baby Jesus

1.3.3Jesus' Ministry

1.3.4The Sermon on the Mount

1.3.5The Crucifixion

1.3.6The Last Supper

1.3.7The Resurrection

1.3.8Christian Beliefs about the Resurrection

1.3.9The Council of Nicaea

1.3.10The Nicene Creed

1.3.11Saint Augustine

1.3.12Protestantism

1.3.13The Reformation

1.3.14Christianity Today

1.3.15Evangelical Churches

1.3.16The Future of Christianity

1.4Buddhism

1.4.1Religion in India

1.4.2The Caste System

1.4.3Meditation

1.4.4Caste & Religion

1.4.5Puja

1.4.6Karma & the Cycle of Rebirth

1.4.7The Four Noble Truths

1.4.8The Three Marks of Existence

1.4.9The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path to Enlightenment

1.4.10How do Buddhists Live?

1.4.11The Four Sights

1.4.12The Buddha

1.4.13The Middle Way & Enlightenment

2Year 8

2.1Islam

2.1.1Pre-Islamic Arabia

2.1.2The Prophet Muhammad & The Qur'an

2.1.3The Hijrah & The Conquest of Mecca

2.1.4The Prophet Muhammad: The Final Sermon

2.1.5The Sunni/Shia Split

2.1.6Islamic Caliphates

2.1.7The Five Pillars of Islam

2.1.8Origins of Hajj

2.1.9Hajj Rituals

2.1.10Jihad

2.1.11Islam Today

2.2Hinduism

2.2.1The Prehistoric Roots of Hinduism

2.2.2Key Ideas in Hinduism

2.2.3The Caste System

2.2.4The Vedic Period

2.2.5The Upanishads

2.2.6Alexander the Great & The Mauryan Empire

2.2.7Revelation & The Sharing of Knowledge

2.2.8Understanding the Self

2.2.9Karma, Yoga & the Self

2.2.10The Divine Presence

2.2.11Hindu Statues and Icons

2.2.12British Colonialism & Gandhi

2.3Atheism

2.3.1Where Did Atheism Come From?

2.3.2The Impact of Scientific Developments

2.3.3Plato's Cave

2.3.4Challenging the Bible

2.3.5The Enlightenment

2.3.6Evolution

2.3.7Evolution & Religion

2.3.8Morality & God

2.3.9Morality Without God

2.3.10Frederick Nietzsche - How to Live Without Religion

2.3.11Militant Atheism

2.3.12Humanism

2.3.13The Future of Atheism

2.4Philosophy of Religion

2.4.1Who is God?

2.4.2Theists, Atheists & Agnostics

2.4.3Faith & Empiricism

2.4.4The Design Argument

2.4.5Is The Design Argument Convincing?

2.4.6The Cosmological Argument

2.4.7Criticisms of The Cosmological Argument

2.4.8The Problem of Evil

2.4.9Free Will Theodicy

2.4.10Soul-Making Theodicy

2.4.11Religious Experience

2.4.12Types of Religious Experience

2.4.13Criticisms of Religious Experience

3Year 9

3.1Life & Death

3.1.1What is the Right Thing To Do?

3.1.2Thomas Aquinas - Natural Law

3.1.3Building a Moral Code

3.1.4Criticisms of Natural Law

3.1.5Joseph Fletcher - Situation Ethics

3.1.6Understanding Situation Ethics

3.1.7Criticisms of Situation Ethics

3.1.8Sanctity of Life

3.1.9Quality of Life

3.1.10Abortion

3.1.11Moral Questions About Abortion

3.1.12Euthanasia

3.1.13Moral Questions About Euthanasia

3.1.14Capital Punishment

3.1.15Arguments Against Captial Punishment

3.1.16Animal Rights

3.1.17Alternative Views on Animal Rights

3.2Extremism

3.2.1What Does Extremism Mean?

3.2.2Extremism Explained

3.2.3Why do People Become Extremists?

3.2.4What are Conspiracy Theories?

3.2.5Why do People Believe Conspiracy Theories?

3.2.6What is Anti-Semitism?

3.2.7Anti-Semitic Stereotyping

3.2.8The Holocaust

3.2.9After the Holocaust

3.2.10Religious Fundamentalism

3.2.11The Problem of Fundamentalism

3.2.12Nationalism

3.2.13Nationalism & Extremism

3.2.14What is a Terrorist?

3.2.15Political & Religious Terrorism

3.2.16Free Speech

3.2.17Hate Speech

3.2.18How do we Fight Extremism?

3.3Equality

3.3.1Introduction to Equality

3.3.2Is the UK an Equal Society?

3.3.3Religion and Equality

3.3.4Interpreting the Scripture

3.3.5Racism and Scripture

3.3.6Scripture Against Racism

3.3.7The Fight for Racial Equality

3.3.8Gender Equality and Scripture

3.3.9Gender Equality; Women in Worship

3.3.10LGBTQ+ Matters

3.3.11The Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality

3.3.12Disability Matters

3.3.13The Fight for Disability Equality

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