Assignment 1

1. Read the two World Religion Reader essays for this week: Raimundo Panikkar, "Each Religion Expresses an Important Part of the Truth", pages 12-13, and John Charlot, "The Hula in Hawaiian Life and Thought", pages 28-31. Summarize the major points of each article.

2. Relate the essays to each other. What new "language" do you need to learn in order to understand hula? What's religious about hula? Can you make analogies to religious traditions you already know, or do you need to understand the religion of hula in a new way? What does Panikkar mean when he claims "There is no absolute center"?

3. Write a 1-2 summarizing the most important points of each article and providing a short response to them.