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Soteriology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soteriology (/strildi/; Greek: stria "salvation" from str "savior, preserver" and
logos "study" or "word"
[1]
) is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of
special significance and importance in many religions.
In the academic field of religious studies, soteriology is understood by scholars as representing a key theme in a
number of different religions and is often studied in a comparative context; that is, comparing various ideas about
what 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 to
break 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 discover
in experience that they are empty of being an individual, they are selfless. Mahayana Buddhism is the spiritual
journey of helping others. People who make the pledge to help others before they help themselves are called
Bodhisattva. Vajrayana Buddhism is the spiritual journey of transformation, where awareness is transformed into a
deity. In all of the three forms of Buddhism, one gradually moves towards liberation, and away from suffering, and
as 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 and
appeal 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 other
things, 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 and
isolated entity. This can be directly found using a process of meditation which is the focusing of one's awareness on
an object of concentration (samma samadhi). All the different forms of Buddhism have different ways to realize
that the individual is part of a false set of truth-clouding constructs, obscuring 'what is'. The truth of 'what is', is
beyond language and must therefore be experienced directly.
"Thus, the fundamental reason that the precise identification of these two kinds of clinging to an
identity personal and phenomenal is considered so important is again soteriological. Through first
uncovering 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]
Christian
soteriology 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 and
assimilating to the Buddha Fa ( F, F), or the fundamental characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-
Compassion-Forbearance ( zhen, shan, ren).
Hinduism
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In Vedic religion (Hinduism), individual salvation is not, as is often incorrectly alleged, pursued to the neglect of
collective well-being. "The principle on which the Vedic religion is founded," observes the Sage of Kanchi, "is that a
man must not live for himself alone but serve all mankind." Varna dharma in its true form is a system according to
which the collective welfare of society is ensured. Hinduism, which teaches that we are caught in a cycle of death
and rebirth called sasra, contains a slightly different sort of soteriology, as noted above, devoted to the
attainment of transcendent moksha (liberation). For some, this liberation is also seen as a state of closeness to
Brahman.
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 of
loss. In Islam, it is believed that everyone is responsible for his own action. So even though Muslims believe that
their 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 thus
they 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 of
Burdens shall bear the burden of another" [39:7]. So repentance in Islam is to be forgiven from the sins that were
committed by one's own hand. In Islam, for one to repent, s/he has to admit to their Lord that they have sinned, feel
regret for the sin, be willing not to do the same sin again and finally to ask for repentance. S/he does not need to go
to 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 sincere
repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which
rivers flow (Paradise)" [al-Tahreem 66:8]. Muslims believe that God is merciful and thus believers are expected to
continuously 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 Mercifulal-Zumar 39:53 (http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html)
and also "And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaahs forgiveness, he will find Allaah
Oft 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 seek
repentance repeatedly at all times. Muhammad said "By Allah (God), I seek the forgiveness of Allaah and I turn to
Him 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 a
person repents, Allaah rejoices more than one of you who found his camel after he lost it in the desert." (Agreed
upon. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 6309)
Jainism
Moka 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 sasra, the cycle of birth and death. A liberated soul is said
to 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 noblest
objective that a soul should strive to achieve. In fact, it is the only objective that a person should have; other
objectives 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 and
regenerating 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 by
many authors, including the fathers of the early Christian church. One view is that early Christianity borrowed these
myths and motifs from contemporary Hellenistic mystery religions, which possessed ideas such as life-death-rebirth
deities and sexual relations between gods and human beings. While Christ myth theory is not accepted by
mainstream 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 of
God, meant to bring one into union with God. But a person's state of mind has to be detached from this world, with
the 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 skies
merges with the ocean.
Other religions
Shinto and Tenrikyo similarly emphasize working for a good life by cultivating virtue or virtuous behavior. The
major 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, , 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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