III. "The Experiential Dimension" (p.58-73)

1. In what way is "experience" important in religious

traditions?

2. What did Rudolf Otto mean by his concept of the

"numinous"?

3. How is the "mystical experience" of the religions of India

different from Otto's experience of the "numinous"?

4. Define the term "panenhenic".

5. What is the role of the shaman?

6. Describe briefly Freud's understanding of religion.

7. What does Smart mean when he says, ".the question of

whether religious experience tells us the truth at all is a

question that depends in part on the worldview with which

we start." (p. 78)

Study Guide for Ninian Smart's Worldviews

IV. "The Mythic Dimension" (p.74-89)

1. What does the word "myth" mean in both its pejorative sense and in its neutral sense?

2. How may an historical record be more than a "factual statement about the past?

3. What is the "symbolic depth" of mythology, and why is important in the understanding of myth?

4. In the context of the mythic, what does it mean to celebrate?

5. What does Eliade mean by "in illo tempore"?

6. What are some of the important themes or categories of mythology?

7. What is "hermeneutics"?

8. What did Bultmann attempt to accomplish through "demythologizing" the Bible?