Rosicrucian Religion
Although some people believe that the Rosicrucian following is relatively new considering other much older beliefs, Rosicrucians claim much earlier beginnings for themselves than can be documented. One group even claims ties to Thutmose III, about 1500 B.C. in Egypt (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, 1915).
Their founder is generally claimed to be Christian Rosenkreuz, supposedly born in 1378 and died in 1484 (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, 1915). However, the Encyclopedia Britannica, says, "Some regard the story as a statement of fact and hold Christian Rosenkreuz to have been the found of the order. More generally it is held to be a mythical explanation of the order and Christian Rosenkreuz is not a real person at all, but a symbolic character".
Rosicrucians are found world-wide as well as in North America. One faction in the U.S.A. known as AMORC (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis) is located in Atlanta, Georgia where my uncle is an active Lodge member.
I became more curious about my uncle's involvement after the death of his aunt, (my great-aunt), Carrie, who also was Rosicrucian. Little to my knowledge, my uncle was greatly influenced by her beliefs in practicing this following.
When hearing about the Rosicrucian, one automatically images a picture of a cross and a rose. I asked my uncle, Nathan, what this symbol represented. He stated that the symbolism includes a Christian-looking cross, with either a rose in the middle, or a cross surrounded by roses (Benowitz, 2007). However, the cross of the Rosicrucians is not the cross of Christianity. The "Rosy Cross" does not represent any connection with the Christian crucifix. To them [the Rosicrucians], the cross represents, "the body of man" with the rose symbolizing "man's soul unfolding and evolving" (Benowitz, 2007). This unchristian concept is followed through into their doctrines. To the Rosicrucians, God is an impersonal being composed of seven spirits, manifesting themselves as a "triune godhead" (MacGregor, 2000).
"The Rosicrucian Cosmo Conception", reads, "...The seven spirits before the throne...collectively, they are God and make us the triune godhead...the Father is the highest initiate among the humanity of the Saturn..." (MacGregor, 2000). Truly, the Rosicrucian trinity is not the Christian Trinity. In the pages of the Bible, the One, True, Eternal God has revealed Himself in three ways, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
forefront of time, never waning and never dying out. It has evolved overtime to include interesting ways of worship and faith basis. From the standard worship of God, or he who is all powerful, to the ideological notion that our bodies are occupied by alien spirits who were brought to earth long ago and killed off due to overpopulation of their planet, religion has definitely come a long way. One such interesting religious practice that I’d like to discuss, is the snake-handling Pentecostal Christians of the Appalachian Mountains. Furthermore, I will discuss the relevancy to the groups’ stereotype and attempt to showcase how it’s virtually nonexistent in today’s society as it used to be by comparing and contrasting Mary Lee Daugherty’s piece
Anthony F.C. Wallace’s definition, “belief and ritual concerned with supernatural powers and forces,” can be seen in this religions praying for healing, not actual medical help, but requesting supernatural or divine intervention. Emile Durkheim’s definition, “religious effervescence, the collective emotional intensity of worship,” this aligns with their intense prayers, when they are overcome with the Holy Spirit, and have involuntary movements, this is certainly an intense emotion and reaction. This could also be applied to their speaking in tongues, or “glossolalia,” which we also saw many people do. Victor Turner’s understanding, “communities, or the feeling of intense social solidarity, equality and togetherness,” even though this church eventually split in different racial divides, in the beginning it was described as a place for everyone, of all races, very egalitarian and women held positions of power, this demonstrates the social solidarity, equality and togetherness Turner
...ed in Atlanta Georgia in 1915 and they were revived because some were scared of a communist revolution.
Wicca is an old religion, having begun “more than thirty-five thousand years ago” as stated by Starhawk, a Wiccan (qtd in Allen 18). Even though it had started long before him and many events involving witchcraft had happened, research has shown that a man named Gerald Gardner was the one who brought the religion of Wicca to the public eye in the 1950s (Allen 19). Gardner said it was thought to be the pre-Christian religion of Europe called the “old religion” (Adler 637). ...
...gious practices. The Handsome Lake religion still thrives in the United States on Iroquoian reservations.
Although an imperfect label, "NRM" continues to be the most helpful one available, and it has achieved a level of acceptance in general discourse about religion that other labels have not (Ashcraft, 2005). Santeria and Catholic are two similar yet, different type of religions but have the same solid belief in a heavenly father. With many different rituals and causes, by having unbalanced elements to what this new religion is, for one - Santeria to me is used as protection among evil worships but, Santeria can create good luck and bad luck to harm others with their voodoo dolls or spells. Santeria also is like a rite of passage - it's not something you get baptized in to when you’re a child, you must perform a ritual to get in and learn the way of becoming a Orisha. From generation to generation, aside from god - there are many higher beings for every type of problem one can have, you pray to that image and bring it an offering. Santeria has no holy place like a church so, this practice is commonly done in a house or a botanica (spiritual Hispanic store). Sacrifices are made, such as slaughtering animals for their blood - to offer it to an image in return for something positive or wishing misfortune upon
...eter and his family all believe in the Mennonite religion since the Mennonite god gives them courage and confidence. Also they pray a lot.
The Pagan Rus did not have a difficult time identifying and worshiping Orthodox Christianity because Orthodoxy fit their general ethical boundaries. The Rus, however, still had to find ways to make the opposing views of polytheism and monotheism culturally fit. They did this via a practice called double faith. Certain pagan rituals and stories were saved and some pagan rituals and stories were tweaked by locals to fit Christian saints and God. In this way, Russian Orthodoxy arguably adapted more to paganism and traditional folklore than vice-versa. This helped create one of the most unique cultures that permeates Russia to this day.
The cult was mainly composed of men and women both. All members had crew cuts and were between the ages of 26 and 72. Although many members lived together in a mansion in California, they came from all parts of the country. Many were from California, but members also came from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Minnesota, Utah, Ohio, and Florida. There were approximatly 39 members who lived in the 1.3 million dollar Rancho Santa Fe mansion. They operated a web site for their cult called “Higher Source”.
...hristian you would believe in heaven and hell, but if you were Hindu you would believe that you reincarnate. Scientologists believe that people are immortal spiritual beings who have lived before and who will live again, and that their future happiness and immortality as spiritual beings depend on how they conduct themselves in the here and now. (scientology.org, Does scientology believe in reincarnation or past lives).
In Christianity one of their primary beliefs is the idea of a Triune God, which means the belief of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as one entity not three separate beings. This would result in God being indivisible and could not be divided into three different parts for an ...
know of and if they do it is often misunderstood to be some sort of cult. To those who practice it
"The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies." Secret Teachings of All Ages: , Part Three. N.p., 30 June 2007. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
Religion is an ever-growing idea that has no set date of origin. Throughout history religion has served as an answer to the questions that man could not resolve. The word religion is derived from the Latin word “religio” meaning restraint in collaboration with the Greek word “relegere” which means to repeat or to read again. Religion is currently defined as an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. Throughout time, there has yet to be a culture that lacks a religion of some form, whether it is a branch of paganism, a mythological based religion or mono/polytheistic religion. Many religions have been forgotten due to the fact that they were ethnic religions and globalizing religions were fighting to be recognized, annihilating these ancient and ethnic religions. Some of these faiths include: Finnish Paganism, Atenism, Minoan Religion, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Vedism, Zoroastrianism, Asatru, and the Olmec Religion. Religion is an imperative part of our contemporary world but mod...
... legendary founder of an ancestral masquerade cult. Iwi illustrates the qualities of past ancestors and their achievements.