Religion itself can mean many different things and is interpreted differently by each group of people. The literal meaning of the word “religion” is “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” Religion is divided into different secs such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. Although religion is aimed to unite people and bring them together, I believe there are certain aspects that divide people or make them “different” from everyone else. The factors that have caused religion to divide are war and violence, the caste system, and rituals.
War and violence is a huge issue in the world today and is the cause of a lot of the problems and issues that have happened whether it was 1000 years ago or in the 21st century. There have been many pointless wars and acts of violence that have killed thousands of people over religion. For example, the Crusades, created by the Latin Roman Catholic Church, was a series of military expeditions intended to take control of the Holy Land from Muslim control. They were often pointlessly violent, sometimes even involving Christians fighting Christians. The main purpose of these battles was to access the shrines that were affiliated with Jesus’ life in hope to find the one containing the tomb of Christ. The Crusaders overpowered many cities on the Mediterranean coast, building castles across the Holy Land to protect their new territories. There were more than four Crusades, each containing the people participating in different acts of war for the Holy Land. The Crusades are considered a ‘religious war’ and are a prime example of how war causes religion to divide because the Christians were fighting to take control of the Holy Land from the M...
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...lves patriotism and other aspects of society. Each religions ritual teaches the people the essential truths about their world and how they are to act within it. This is what causes each different religion or society to become different than one another, and makes them “divide.”
All of these examples are ways that people are divided and separated by their religion. The different events, beliefs, and ways of living are grouped into a certain religion that makes them different from every other religion. Although, each religion has its own creation story, beliefs, rituals, practices, and ways of living, the specific way they do each thing and the acts they take place in causes people to categorize them as different and not like their certain group. Religion divides because of the way the people in each society perceive all of the other groups as something they are not.
In Thomas F. Madden’s The New Concise History of the Crusades, he is able to effectively give an accurate depiction of the Crusades in a story-like manner. The expansive and convoluted history of the Crusades has been marred by myths and misconceptions about the true nature of these “holy wars”. In his history, Madden seeks to correct these maladies that plague the Crusades by using concrete evidence to support his claims. Although Madden does an excellent job in condensing the history of the Crusades into 225 pages, there are some improvements that he could have made in his history in order to make it less opinionated and more critical. This paper will criticize the effectiveness of Madden’s arguments and presentation of themes. The doctrine of “holy war”, the place of military leadership and rivalry, and the response of Muslim states and military leaders are all important themes addressed in The New Concise History of the Crusades that will be analyzed to extract Madden’s true intentions, concerns, and assumptions.
In 1095 Pope Urban II called all Christians to take part in what would become the world’s greatest Holy War in all of history. Urban’s called on Christians to take up arms and help fight to take the Holy Land of Jerusalem back from the accursed Muslims. During this time of war, the whole world changed. Land boundaries shifted, men gained and lost and gained power again, and bonds were forged and broken. The Crusades had a great impact on the world that will last forever.
Culture is made up of three main components: ethics, aesthetics, and religion (Lincoln 52). The lines of culture become skewed as it often blends in with political and religious views. In Western Europe during the time of the Reformation, the Church was the central ruler of the society. This meant that religion was not only a cultural view, but also a political one. As time moved on, the Church became less important, but today’s standards still connect religion to culture. This becomes an issue as individuals who are noticeably outside the culture in forms or religion are often judged and looked down upon (Lincoln 56). Due to this outcast it can cause anger to certain religions and culture which can often lead to these acts of violence. With the hate between cultures, religion becomes the justifiable mean on which violence can occur. Many individuals can state that God wants them to make their own religion superior, and one way they can draw attention to their religion is terrorism and other forms of violence. Due to this connection to culture, religion can not be separated into it’s own personal category, as it is forever affected by the changes and culture of the community (Lincoln 57). As time and culture progress, the religion of the community will either change with it, or fight the changes which will often cause conflict. This can be seen in the results of the practice of Jihad, the Reformation and
Among some of the largest conflicts in the world stand the Crusades; a brutal conflict that lasted over 200 years and was debatably one of the largest armed religious conflicts in the history of humankind. Since this is so clearly an event of importance, historians have searched vigorously for the true answer as to why the crusades began. Ultimately, because of accusatory views on both the sides of the Christians and of the Muslims, the two groups grew in such hatred of each other that they began to act in deep discrimination of each other. Moreover, Christian motives seemed to be driven mostly by the capture of Jerusalem, the dark ages of Europe and the common-folks desperation for land, wealth, and a spot in heaven. What seems to be continually
want to achieve a perfect society with one solid societal structure. Having multiple religions creates conflict, wherever you are in the world. People can not agree to disagree, or in other words, keep their business’s separate. The conflict between religions, can create a larger conflict between other groups of people that follow or support these conflicting religions. When this happens, a country can erupt into a massive power struggle, much like how WWII began.
Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.
Religion is defined as "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God" . There are many recognised religions of the world, which all teach its followers to live life "the right way", whose definition varies according to the religion itself. They have some beliefs and practices that distinguish themselves from each other. Some examples are differences and similarities of Buddhism and Islam.
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.
Religion is a phenomenon that has caused wars, death and love. With almost every culture worldwide having some form of religion, there are many different types of religion all around the world, some similar streams and others vastly different. Every religion has four main aspects: Belief and believers, sacred texts and writings, ethics and rituals, and ceremonies. These form the basis of each religion and set them apart from the rest: each branch of religion vastly different.
In the midst of a diversified society, communities tend to hold individuals to many set standards and stereotypes. One may compare the poor man to the rich, the black woman to the white, and even in the United States of America, the Christian family to the Muslim. Despite the many unique characteristics individuals and communities have, it is the institution of religion that places strongholds on individuality thus harboring conformity. Religious communities expect their members to assume a certain shape, to fit a particular mold; restriction essentially diminishes individuality while accepting conformity. In the twenty-first century, a time period that encourages creativity and individuality, it is the very institution of religion that ultimately shuns individualism by promoting conformity through religious group membership, the coercion of viewpoints, as well as the oppression of “different” views and the ostracism of the individuals who have different beliefs.
All of these variations assist in the understanding of the formation of religion in the United States.
The religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are alike in many ways but they also share many differences. Judaism and Christianity use the bible in their holy scriptures, while Islam does not. Jesus Christ is a part of all three religions as Christianity and Islam developed from Judaism. Many believe that the three religions worship, pray to, and focus on the same god. They believe this as many of the prophets are they share much in common as they share many beliefs. However, the followers of the three religions pray differently and in different places. the religions believe that their god created the world and everything in the world. The three Abrahamic religions have different histories, yet they share many similarities and difference.
Religion is the one element of life that has connected the races and societies of the world for hundreds of years. It has given meaning to lives that may seem otherwise hopeless. Religion has provided for a universal language and culture among those who believe in a higher power. The spirit or being receiving the worship and praise may not be the same, but the practices are usually similar and serve the same purpose--to give direction, insight, courage, and a divine connection.
The definition of religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods(Merriam-Webster). After this semester I have come to realize that religion is a much more advanced, complicated, and personal definition. Religion can’t be defined in one word or one term because there is a lot that religion entails. There really is no concrete answer of what religion is and the definition varies among different groups of people and individuals.
My definition of religion has mostly stayed the same, but my perception of it has changed. At the beginning of the class, I assumed religion was something you believed based on your moral principles. I now believe that those moral principles are based on the religion that you believe in. Your religion changes your perception of the world and how to go about in it. Your religion tells you what is right and wrong in the world and answers all of the big questions one asks. Religion according to our book is, “A pattern of beliefs and practices that expresses and enacts what a community regards as sacred and/or ultimate about life” (Van Voorst 6). That definition was one thing that really got me thinking about my own personal idea of what religion