Sahil Khoja 4A 1. What do the quotes suggest about the nature of religious knowledge systems as an area of knowledge?

Many people have various views about the concept of religion, as evidenced in the quotes below. These quotes gives reason to delve into the knowledge system of religion and decipher the various arguments that come ancillary to these perspectives. For example, Buddha says men cannot live without spiritual life whereas Karl Marx says religion is the opium of the masses. Another perspective combines the two extremes by saying I am a religious non-believer. This provides us to learn the historic contexts of these viewpoints and how they branched off of an even bigger idea. Along with these, we can learn about various cultures (indigenous, uncontacted, new, etc) and ask why they practice religion and what for reason, if any. This topic of religion opens the door to a world of ideas and arguments, a world in which we can all learn from. 2. What do they suggest about the purpose of religious knowledge systems? In my opinion, the purpose for religious knowledge is to learn about the world in a universal way. It is safe to say that religion is one of the only universal components that is drastically different around the world. It is different in terms of types of belief, practices, opinions, cultures, spirits, numbers, and many more. By learning about religion, we are indirectly learning about the world as it is today and the major event influenced by religion to shape the world as it is today. From the Holocaust to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, at the root religion is somehow always present. Even when New England was colonized, people migrated to escape religious persecution. Many nationalities are labeled as terrorists due to their religion. Along with these events and implications, religion influences political views as well. Believe or not, religion plays and active role in our life without us even recognizing it. This is the purpose of religious knowledge systems. 3. Are the quotes consistent, or do they clash about the roles it plays as an area of knowledge, and its relationship with other WOKs and AOKs?. 4. Can you think of other ways of knowing and areas of knowledge that these quotes relate to? Some of the quotes are consistent as well as clash in terms of both WOKs and AOKs. Starting with WOKs, the ones that are present are: intuition, imagination, emotion, and faith. Singer makes a very intuitive type of reasoning by saying doubt is part of all religion, all the religious thinkers were doubters. Seneca clashes with this point by classifying religion based on position. He says the common man says it is true, the wise say it is false, and rulers as useful. Iqbal instills faith into the people by saying if faith is lost, there is no security and there is no life for him who does not adhere to religion. Einstein imagines a new religion: a deeply religious nonbeliever. The ways of knowing present are: human sciences, history, and the arts. The Dalai Lama's religion is one that contains the philosophy of kindness whereas Hamid says religion is a strict text analysis, human science and the arts clashing. Shaw points at the history of religion by saying there is only one religion, but 100 versions of it. These quotes tell us perspectives of cultures, history, and position in society because of the person who wrote it. For example, Seneca most likely had exposure to a leader who used exploitation in forms of religion whereas Einstein was a famous

Sahil Khoja 4A scientist who probably did not believe in God. These quotes, as well as further studies, will help us become more knowledgeable about religion, and the world as a whole.