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SoteriologyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soteriology (/səˌtɪəri̍ ɒlədʒi/; Greek: σωτηρία sōtēria "salvation" from σωτήρ sōtēr "savior, preserver" and λόγος

logos "study" or "word"[1]) is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place ofspecial significance and importance in many religions.

In the academic field of religious studies, soteriology is understood by scholars as representing a key theme in anumber of different religions and is often studied in a comparative context; that is, comparing various ideas aboutwhat salvation is and how it is obtained.

Contents

1 Buddhism

2 Christianity

3 Falun Dafa

4 Hinduism

5 Islam

6 Jainism

7 Mystery religions

8 Sikhism

9 Other religions

10 See also

11 References

12 Further reading

Buddhism

Buddhism is devoted primarily to liberation from suffering, ignorance, and rebirth. The purpose of one's life is tobreak free from the Wheel of Life to be able to achieve moksha (release) from the cycle of birth-and-pain-and-death and achieve nirvana. All types of Buddhism, Hinayana or Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric,tend to emphasize an individual's meditation and liberation, which is to become enlightened.

In Theravada Buddhism the apparent 'individual' takes this spiritual journey alone. Along this journey, they discoverin experience that they are empty of being an individual, they are selfless. Mahayana Buddhism is the spiritualjourney of helping others. People who make the pledge to help others before they help themselves are calledBodhisattva. Vajrayana Buddhism is the spiritual journey of transformation, where awareness is transformed into adeity. In all of the three forms of Buddhism, one gradually moves towards liberation, and away from suffering, andas a result the natural state of Enlightenment becomes the dominant experience in that individual's life.

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Buddhist philosophies vary on the subject of the afterlife, but they tend to emphasize an individual's meditation andappeal to the Buddha's teachings, often through an intermediary monk, priest, or teacher who is seen as a "link"(through the direct contacting of an enlightened being) or "helper" in their attaining of 'nirvana'. Amongst otherthings, Nirvana is an ultimate realization that the afterlife is not important, and because of this all fear ends.

All schools of Buddhism teach dependent origination, which points out that the individual is not a separate andisolated entity. This can be directly found using a process of meditation which is the focusing of one's awareness onan object of concentration (samma samadhi). All the different forms of Buddhism have different ways to realizethat the individual is part of a false set of truth-clouding constructs, obscuring 'what is'. The truth of 'what is', isbeyond language and must therefore be experienced directly.

"Thus, the fundamental reason that the precise identification of these two kinds of clinging to anidentity – personal and phenomenal – is considered so important is again soteriological. Through firstuncovering our clinging and then working on it, we become able to finally let go of this sole cause for

all our afflictions and suffering."[2][3]

Christianity

Mainstream Christian soteriology is the study of how God reconciles the separation between man and God due to

sin. [4] Many Christians believe they receive the forgiveness of sins,[5] life,[6] and salvation[7] obtained by Jesus

through his incarnation, life, innocent suffering, death, resurrection from the dead, and ascension.[8] Christiansoteriology examines how an individual is miraculously saved by divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and

reconciled to God.[9]

The different soteriologies found within the Christian tradition can be grouped into distinct schools:

Orthodox and Catholic Christianity:

Justification,

the Church,

Sacraments, and

freedom of will

theosis

Arminianism,

Calvinism's predestination, and

Lutheran doctrine

Falun Dafa

In Falun Dafa, salvation refers to cultivation practice, or xiu lian, a process of giving up human attachments andassimilating to the Buddha Fa (佛 Fǒ, 法 Fǎ), or the fundamental characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance (真 zhen, 善 shan, 忍 ren).

Hinduism

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In Vedic religion (Hinduism), individual salvation is not, as is often incorrectly alleged, pursued to the neglect ofcollective well-being. "The principle on which the Vedic religion is founded," observes the Sage of Kanchi, "is that aman must not live for himself alone but serve all mankind." Varna dharma in its true form is a system according towhich the collective welfare of society is ensured. Hinduism, which teaches that we are caught in a cycle of deathand rebirth called saṃsāra, contains a slightly different sort of soteriology, as noted above, devoted to theattainment of transcendent moksha (liberation). For some, this liberation is also seen as a state of closeness toBrahman.

Westerners coined the name "Hinduism" itself as a convenience to encompass a constellation of different paths to

moksha, based upon the Vedas, India's original religious texts. [10] “In India,” wrote Mircea Eliade, “metaphysical

knowledge always has a soteriological purpose.” [11]

Islam

Islamic soteriology focuses on how humans can repent of and atone for their sins so as not to occupy a state ofloss. In Islam, it is believed that everyone is responsible for his own action. So even though Muslims believe thattheir father of humanity, Adam, committed a sin by eating from the forbidden tree and thus disobeying his Lord,they believe that humankind is not responsible for such an action. They believe that God is fair and just and thusthey should not be held responsible or punished for a sin that they did not commit. In Az-Zumar (http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html) (The Groups) chapter, in verse 7, in the Quran, God said "No bearer ofBurdens shall bear the burden of another" [39:7]. So repentance in Islam is to be forgiven from the sins that werecommitted by one's own hand. In Islam, for one to repent, s/he has to admit to their Lord that they have sinned, feelregret for the sin, be willing not to do the same sin again and finally to ask for repentance. S/he does not need to goto speak to someone to deserve the repentance, simply during the prayer or anytime, s/he speaks to her/his God(prays) asking his forgiveness. God said in the Quran "O you who believe! Turn to Allah (God) with sincererepentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under whichrivers flow (Paradise)" [al-Tahreem 66:8]. Muslims believe that God is merciful and thus believers are expected tocontinuously repent so that their sins may be forgiven. "Say: O my slaves who have transgressed against themselves(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah (God), verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly,He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”al-Zumar 39:53 (http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html)and also "And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaah’s forgiveness, he will find AllaahOft Forgiving, Most Merciful" al-Nisaa 4:110 (http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html).

Muslims believe that they, as well as everyone else, are vulnerable to making mistakes and thus they need to seekrepentance repeatedly at all times. Muhammad said "By Allah (God), I seek the forgiveness of Allaah and I turn toHim in repentance more than seventy times each day." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6307)

Not only that God wants His servants to repent and forgives them, he rejoices over it, as Muhammad said "When aperson repents, Allaah rejoices more than one of you who found his camel after he lost it in the desert." (Agreedupon. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6309)

Jainism

Mokṣa in Jainism means liberation, salvation or emancipation of soul. It is a blissful state of existence of a soul,completely free from the karmic bondage, free from saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death. A liberated soul is saidto have attained its true and pristine nature of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge and infinite perception. Such a soul is

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called siddha or paramatman and considered as supreme soul or God. In Jainism, it is the highest and the noblestobjective that a soul should strive to achieve. In fact, it is the only objective that a person should have; otherobjectives are contrary to the true nature of soul.

Mystery religions

In the mystery religions, salvation was less worldly and communal, and more a mystical belief concerned with the

continued survival of the individual soul after death.[12] Some savior gods associated with this theme are dying andregenerating gods, often associated with the seasonal cycle, such as Osiris, Tammus, Adonis, and Dionysos. A

complex of soteriological beliefs was also a feature of the cult of Cybele and Attis.[13]

The similarity of themes and archetypes to religions found in antiquity to later Christianity has been pointed out bymany authors, including the fathers of the early Christian church. One view is that early Christianity borrowed thesemyths and motifs from contemporary Hellenistic mystery religions, which possessed ideas such as life-death-rebirthdeities and sexual relations between gods and human beings. While Christ myth theory is not accepted bymainstream historians, proponents attempt to establish causal connections to the cults of Mithras, Dionysus, and

Osiris among others.[14] (see also Zeitgeist: The Movie)

Sikhism

Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message ofGod, meant to bring one into union with God. But a person's state of mind has to be detached from this world, withthe understanding that this world is a temporary abode and their soul has to remain untouched by pain, pleasure,greed, emotional attachment, praise, slander and above all, egotistical pride. Thus their thoughts and deeds become"Nirmal" or pure and they merge with God or attain "Union with God", just as a drop of water falling from the skiesmerges with the ocean.

Other religions

Shinto and Tenrikyo similarly emphasize working for a good life by cultivating virtue or virtuous behavior. Themajor Jewish denominations emphasize prayer and morality in this life over concern with the afterlife.

See also

Comparative religion

Dalit theology

References

1. ^ "soteriology" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soteriology), definition from the Merriam-Webster

Online Dictionary which erroneously gives neuter nominative of the corresponding adjective, σωτήριον, as the

base.

2. ^ Karl Brunnholzl page 131 of his book "The Center of the Sunlet Sky, Madhyamaka in the Kagyu Tradition"

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3. ^ http://www.vipassana.com/resources/8fp7.php

4. ^ Rom. 5:10-11

5. ^ I John 1:9 and Acts 2:38

6. ^ Rom. 8:11 and Gal. 2:20

7. ^ Rom. 5:9-10 and 1 Thess. 5:9

8. ^ Romans 6:3-5

9. ^ Eph. 2:8-10

10. ^ David S. Noss. A History of the World's Religions.

11. ^ Mircea Eliade. Yoga: Immortality and Freedom.

12. ^ Pagan Theologies: Soteriology (http://pagantheologies.pbworks.com/Soteriology)

13. ^ Giulia Sfameni Gasparro. Soteriology and mystic aspects in the cult of Cybele and Attis.

14. ^ Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth (http://www.pocm.info/)

Further reading

John McIntyre, Shape of Soteriology: Studies in the Doctrine of the Death of Christ (T&T Clark, 1992)

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