God is not One is Religion book written by Boston University professor Stephen Prothero takes eight religions in his case study. Each religion works in a framework of a four-part method: the problem, solution to this problem solution to the problem, technique, and Exemplar who chart this path from the problem.
In Islam community, the problem is pride. When Allah created the first human being (Adam), He commanded Satan to bow before Adam, out of pride and arrogance Satan defied. In Christianity, the problem is the sin. The doctrine of sin is the major issue in Christianity. Christian view it as an act of offense against God and violating His law. The origin of sin was in the fall of man in the Garden Of Aden when the man violated God's law and
…show more content…
How will the different religions move from the problem to the solution? In Islam, Shirak law is achieved in performing the five pillars.in Christianity, salvation to sin is achieved by having the faith, doing good works always and living to accordance to the teaching of the Bible. In Confucianism, order to chaos is achieved in an education ritual of five relationships and virtues. In Hinduism, the technique is composed of the three disciplines which are: karma yoga, nana yoga, and Bhakti yoga. This is summarized as ritual action, wisdom and devotion of love to the god respectively.in in Buddhism, the Noble Eight Path which comprises of meditation and chanting hells the Buddhist relinquishing the problem of suffering. devotion and sacrifice id the technique of connection in the Yorba religion. Judaism returns to God by remembering what God did to them by saving them from captivity and obeying the God's law. Union with the Dao is the technique of flourishing to …show more content…
He was the Gods messenger and God's final prophet who came to confirm the teaching of his previous prophets. He helped the Muslim develop their strong religious belief. Among the Christians, Jesus Christ was a Jewish preacher and a religious leader. He was the son of God, and he came to save the Christians from their sin by sacrificing his own life on the cross. In Confucianism, junzi has many characteristics, he can live in poverty, he does more than he speaks, disciplines himself and he is loyal. He is a potential leader and son of a ruler and has the helped the Confucianism religion in a great deal.in Hinduism, Brahmin is a priest, a teacher, and protector of the sacred Hinduism they were the highest ranking, performed the social, religious ceremonies and rite of passage rituals. Mae Stella and Adefunmi have both striven to chart the problem to solution in the Yoruba religion Paradigm, sheimikhazah were great exemplar in Judaism. They influenced greatly in setting a pace to the Jewish followers and in following the technique in achieving the solution to their
Not only is it ridiculously hot year round, but Africa has vast wildlife. One great example is an occurrence where John and thousands of refugees were trapped on the banks of the Gilo River. They had Ethiopian soldiers on one side and a crocodile filled river on the other. As John started to hear grenades being launched, he saw many soldiers and vehicles. He had no choice but to jump into the river, face the vicious crocodiles, and “attempt” to swim ten minutes without having the physical skills to do so.
The temple puja is identified as a public and formal form of worship and devotion undertaken by adherents of Buddhism. Within puja each of the steps of the Eightfold path can be approached and there is the opportunity for one to reach Nirvana with puja alone. The last step of the Eightfold Path, right concentration is the end point for the chanting and the meditation. Adherents enter the temple in a physical and mental state of reverence or Puja, and inside they primarily recognise the importance of the Three Refuges. Additionally, temple puja has great significance for the community as it intrinsically reflects on the significance of the community as part of the Sangha, and strengthens relationship and devotion within the community. The temple itself is often in the centre of a Buddhist town or village, symbolising that is the heart and the central point of the Sangha, and acts as a daily reminder for the community to remain devoted. Thus reinforcing a quote written by Buddhaghosa in 5th century India, “[Nirvana] can only be reached, not produced, by the Path . . . it transcends the intrinsic nature of matter . . . being attainable through special insight affected by strong effort” (Stimulus). The quote is explaining that by remaining devoted, one can reach Nirvana through total enlightenment. Temple Puja provides social cohesion in that the role and function of participants demonstrate the social status of the individuals and their connection with each other, for example, the role of members of the Sangha lead the participants in prayer and reflection. Overall, temple puja has a profound impact on the individual and the greater community as it allows them to reach
In the first chapter of God Behaving Badly, David Lamb argues that God is unfairly given a bad reputation. He claims these negative perceptions are fueled by pop culture and lead many to believe the lie that the God of the Old Testament is angry, sexist, racist, violent, legalistic, rigid, and distant. These negative perceptions, in turn, affect our faith. Ultimately, Lamb seeks to demonstrate that historical context disproves the presumptuous aforementioned. In addition, he defends his position by citing patterns of descriptions that characterize God throughout the Old Testament. “Our image of God will directly affect how we either pursue or avoid God. If we believe that the God of the Old Testament is really harsh, unfair and cruel, we won’t want anything to do with him” (Lamb 22). Clearly, they way Christians choose to see God will shape their relationship with Him.
In Stephen Prothero’s, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and Doesn’t (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2007), 297 we discover the average American’s lack of religious knowledge. Prothero discusses religious illiteracy in three ways. How it exists, came to be, and just how to possibly solve this problem. Today religious illiteracy is at least as pervasive as cultural illiteracy, and certainly more dangerous. Religious illiteracy is more dangerous because religion is the most volatile constituent of culture, because religion has been, in addition to one of the greatest forces for good in world history, one of the greatest forces for evil. Religion has always been a major factor in US politics and international affairs.
The God You Thought You Knew: Exposing the 10 Biggest Myths about Christianity is a 203-page book written by Alex McFarland and published by Bethany House Publishers. It discusses ten common misconceptions about God and Christianity, and what the author thinks are the truths that refute those myths.
as a loving and gentle God, but in this sermon, He is seen as someone
Puja is an auspicious activity that Buddhist adherents practice at a Temple or at home in their daily lives which may assist their path to nirvana. “Single-minded intense sitting…” is the key to proper meditation (Dogen) highlights that for one to transcend into a higher state, they must be able to meditate without the need to burn incense which distracts their senses from the environment. Puja portrays that rather than having the focus on physical matters, one should give focus on the spiritual side. Hence, the belief of mind over matter exists. Temple Puja is a place which adherents may practice rituals, allowing adherents to take on Buddhahood and contemplate about one’s self. The practice involves reciting prayers, chanting, bowing, and lighting incense which is all symbolic; Incense symbolises the purifying of oneself which represents the concept of achieving nirvana as the incense distracts one from their senses. During Puja, the adherents see the image of Buddha, hear the chanting, and smell the burning incense which make their experience multi-sensory. The monks of the Sangha usually chant ‘Hail Jewel of the Lotus’, bringing the adherent closer to nirvana, or they chant ‘Perfection of Wisdom’, enhancing the adherent’s understanding of their life. In Temple Puja, offerings are also made to bring about good Karma. Temple Puja is the interaction point between the Sangha and the adherent, thus creating a connection in the Buddhist community. The three jewels become non-existent if the connection between the Sangha and adherent did not exist. The Eightfold path plays an immense role in Puja: Right intention and view relates to the way an individual offers something. Right speech and action is the making of offering, bowing and chanting. Right effort and mindfulness is much more difficult for an adherent to attain but belongs to the meditation and chanting process. Right
Throughout history, there have been numerous religions practiced all over the world. Each religion influences the culture and beliefs of its followers differently. While some religions have significant differences from each other, they also share similarities. The followers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism all strive to reach a goal or some version of paradise. Having this end goal in mind impacts the lives of followers differently.
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
How does literature reflect and shape the society? Literature includes the richness of American History, and also the different types of cultures in the American society. It reflects the society by, persuading, demonstrating, and informing readers, which brings about their emotions or views toward the literature. Society can become easily persuaded by the seriousness from the texts of literature, and find a reason how it can shape the people. This is demonstrated in the famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God,” addressed by Jonathon Edwards, extremist preacher.
230). There are two main “types” Buddhism that are practiced around the world. The first is Theravadin, and the second is Mahayana (Smith-Stoner, 2005, p. 228). Buddhism contains a “message of salvation” that considered the “Four Noble Truths” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011 p. 134). They are, the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. Leming and Dickinson (2011) describe how the combination of ethics and meditation are the eightfold path to enlightenment (Leming & Dickinson, 2011 p. 136). The author believes it is important for practitioners to recognize the increasing numbers of people practicing Buddhism in the United States in order to enhance their ability to care for end of life needs in this population. Smith-Stoner (2005) states that Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in the United States and that Colorado is one of the main population centers (Smith-Stoner, 2005, p. 229). In Buddhism, it is extremely important to be able to tame emotions and the mind which is done through meditation. The author thinks it is pertinent to know the
The conception of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam is monotheism, the belief in the existence of a single indivisible God. The three of religions maintains that there is only one God, who is active in and concerned about the world. These religions are also patriarchal, male-dominated, which has resulted in God being described as “He.” However, how Christians, Judaism and Islam conceptualize God in their respective theologies is actually quite different. In Christianity, God is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. Christians believe God is infinite, omnipotent, all-powerful, perfect, personal, eternal, unchanging, holy, all-knowing, and all-loving. Their idea of God is shown in the belief of the Trinity. God is one, but with three aspects: God is Father, the creator, ruler, and sustainer of all life, and divine judge; God is the Son, who is Jesus, God made incarnate and savior of humanity; and the Holy Spirit, who is God working in the world. Both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus, however, the major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ. In Christian scriptures, God never claimed divinity while the emphasis in the Islamic theology of God is “absolute unity;” God is sublimely one. Muslims think that by believing in the Trinity, Christians believe in three Gods. For them, God is One God. Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe, and the existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of God.
Life is an interesting journey that every living creature is a part of. Human beings are born into a family they do not pick and society that they do not choose. Within this unit they are taught values and morals, which are ingrained into their daily lives. Ever since I was a child I have been exposed to many different influences, religion being one of them. To this day I can still remember my grandmother saying “God has a purpose for your life, follow Him.” In Introducing Philosophy of Religion, Chad Meister asserts “there are several components (that) seem to be central to the world religion: a system of beliefs, the breaking in of a transcendent reality, and human attitudes of ultimate concern, meaning and purpose” (Meister 6). Throughout my life I feel that religion is one of the core social belief systems that people use to maintain what they feel is a good way to live. Giving them a sense of purpose or fulfillment during their earthly life, most hoping whatever beliefs that have will help them after death. Even though there are many different religions or religious value systems every one has most likely been exposed to one or more. There is only 15% of the world’s population that do not believe in one type of religion or another (Meister, 7). So I assume that humans desire to understand and most of the time follow a religion either because of the culture they grew up in or by searching for somewhere to belong. Do the people who decide to follow a religious belief system need scientific evidence to really belief? I believe that some people need to relate science to religion and some people do not. Three ways Meister argues methods to evaluate the two are: understand the conflict between each one, look at them independently...
For Hinduism, the ultimate liberation is returning to Braham. According to Bhagavad Gita, there are three ways of practice that lead to liberation.¬¬¬¬. These are janna-yoga (the way of knowledge), bhakti- yoga (the practice of devotion) and karma-yoga (the course of action). In other words, one can practice any of these methods to achieve union with God. This paper I will analyze some important aspects of bhakti-yoga and how it can lead one to attain ultimate liberation—return to Atman. In doing this investigation, I hope to help the reader broaden their knowledge on liberation in Hinduism. As Radhakrishnan says we may climb the mountain from different paths, but the view from the summit is identical for all.
Human beings have always been curious about the meaning and purpose of life. Religions try to answer the curiosity people have about there being a higher source, typically identifying this greater domination as God. Some beliefs teach that there is only one G-d this is defined as a monotheistic religion. Some examples of monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although each sect has a different perspective on teachings and beliefs they have one common thread; the belief in a singular deity.