A True Religion “A true religion makes hope possible rather than despair convincing” Religions come in all forms but essentially serve the same purpose in human’s lives. By definition, religion is “human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine” (Webster 1). It is commonly associated with a person’s relation to God or gods or spirits. Worshiping and following religious doctrines is a main cause for followers’ behaviors and a societies social mores and folkways. These basic religious elements prescribe different “moral conducts, right beliefs and participation in religious institutions” for followers to adhere to in order to fulfill their religious life (Britannica 1). Through the ages there has been many different religions served the followers with the sense of a meaningful life and made “hope possible rather than despair convincing.” Even in prehistoric religions, archeologists have found remains from the Middle Paleolithic Period burial sites that consist of the “corpses accompanied by stone tools and parts of animal” that were laid in the burial site (Britannica 2). Some of the impressions of the corpses were buried with the tools in their hands, implying that they needed them in their after-life. This shows that even these primitive humans and societies had some concept of an after-life, which implies a primitive religion that the people of the Paleolithic Era. Even the people of Mesopotamia practiced a religion of their own. The religious beliefs of the Sumerians and Akkdadians who were the earliest inhabitance in Mesopotamia followed a religion of their own. It consisted of deities that “tended to be localized, centering around the subsistence of the communi... ... middle of paper ... ... to be possible rather than despair convincing.” Religion gives direction and standards to live by and the prescribed ways to act in accordance to one’s religion. But who is say which religion is the correct one? All the religions believe that there is some force greater any worldly figure. So there is no way to determine which is the true religion until life on this earth is complete, and the final truth is seen through the eyes of God. Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Who is the one to determine which is the “true religion” and the correct one to follow? After all, most religions are based on some parts or aspects of the Bible and their interpretations of it. As long as the religion keeps the commandments, “you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (Luke 15:10).
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
Religious beliefs and practices differed greatly from country to country; however each religion inquired of the purpose of life through gods or deities. The Egyptian’s religion revolved around the rite of passage. The Egyptians would receive favorable conditions after death only if they pleased the Gods, and their descendant Pharaoh. The purpose of the Egyptians life was solely to keep Pharaoh and the Gods happy something that could only be accomplished through strict worship and unrelenting obedience. In contrast, the Sumerians beliefs were an entangled webs of stories about the gods they worshipped that related back to a single principle “people...were the servants of gods in the most literal sense.” (Backman 16) Their belief provided very little rewards as it was thought that the outcome of all dead was to be “cosigned equally to spending eternity wandering naked and exposed through an endless expanse of darkness, dust, and heat.” (Backman
There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.
Religion was a major part of Ancient Egyptians’ lives. Their faith was so engrained in them that it was more of a lifestyle than a set of beliefs. The Egyptians practiced polytheism, or the worship of many gods, and they believed that their pharaoh was a god on Earth (Doc 3). The people worshipped the pharaoh and gave him all respect and power. They believed that their two main goals in life were to keep the pharaoh and the other gods happy and to live a good life so that they may enjoy a happy life after death. Their shared faith strengthened their society because everyone was working toward the same goal. Groups were not divided based on what god they worshipped. Instead, the fact that every person lived to please the same gods and wished to go to the same afterlife gave them something in common and brought them together as a community. Sumerians also practiced polytheism and believed that their priests were connected to the gods. The people thought it was their responsibility to keep the gods happy, and believed that if the gods were pleased, they would allow their people to be content as well (Doc 6). Because of their desire to please the gods, Sumerians performed every task to the best of their ability. For example, they invested lots of time and money into their ziggurats, or temples, because they only wanted to give their best to the gods. The Sumerians’ devotion to every task ensured that everything was done well and helped their civilization
Religion; a complex idea that originated many centuries ago by various groups of individuals and has continued to shape and change the world ever since. Early history of many of the different religions, such as Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, etc., seem to start off with a society stuck in this state of un-happiness, and a world that needs to be changed for the better. Ultimately there is one goal… to be happy and live by morals/codes to be able to reach this happiness. While there may be several differences in the various religions in the world such as how they practice or interpret ideas, they all have the same purpose just shown at a different angle. Religion has provided liberation and purpose to individuals, especially in the earlier centuries where chaos and disorder were more common. A leader or prophet was needed to speak what they believed was the
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 the ancient world, religions and ideologies have developed into forms and practices that influence the very essence of civilizations. Religions could pose as a form of foundation for the beliefs, ideas, social organizations, and economic structures of a certain group of people. They provided a means of justification and form of unity between people and they helped establish and infuse new ideas into a culture. Religions were used as source to explain the misconcepted beliefs in nature and science as well as natural phenomina and it was also used to provide a source of motivation, control, and stability in a civilization.
Religion is big part of human life. Every area of the world has some kind of religion or belief system. Religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (“Religion” Def.2). With such a large amount of religions today, religion is widely variegated, usually with divisions in each one. Despite the large amount of religions, I will only be covering only three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
In this essay, I will explore the religious experience in general and some of its variations around the world. The focus will be on the types of religious beliefs and religious leaders, especially in small-scale societies. An exploration of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any other major religion is beyond the scope of this essay. The approach taken is that of cultural relativity--religious practices or beliefs are not evaluated in terms of their "correctness" or "sophistication" but, rather, in terms of their function within the societies that have them.
Religion, “part of the human experience that has to do with a god or gods, a higher power, or the ultimate values of life” (Cason & Tillman 6-7), is one of the most controversial and interesting subjects for humanity. It has been around for as long as anyone can recall and they have difference and similarities in their founders, beliefs, and history. Religion has served to give some sort of a meaning to life and everything around it. In modern society, some religions have grown and expanded significantly. These larger religions have been classified as world religions. In addition, these world religions have been split into two categories known as Eastern and Western religion.
The power and the order of the common customs can not bring human beings with the inner peace. As a mysterious power , religion can solve the problem which can not be solved by the science and technology. When the science and knowledge can not explain all the confusion in this world, religion came in. Religion has the significant function that it can provide the importance of life and eliminate the resentment . It offer the sense of security for the people who lived in poverty or lived confusedly. Religion deifies some value and religious doctrine which can control the desire and impulsion from people’s heart.
Religion has the power to bind one to others as well as the aptitude to alienate people with conflicting beliefs. Throughout history, cultures have created several different belief systems, each with its own ideals, to satisfy the typical human curiosity and explain the unclarified events that occur in nature. Inspecting the role of religion from the earliest civilizations to the present, its tendency to divide rather than unify groups becomes apparent.
Religion plays an enormous role in the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over it, lives have been surrounded by it, and it has directly or indirectly shaped the lives of many individuals. Culture and religion play a large role in developing each other. People’s religion is decided by their culture. The prominence or the lack of religion will develop someone’s religious identity have play a core role in determining what that person believes.
Religions have always played a vital role between humans and its society especially in terms of what is good and proper in the society. In modern world, people have become increasingly dissociated from religion and spirituality.
Over time religion has played an important role in society, and continues to do so today. Religious practices are different for every one. This is simply because there are several types of religions. Different religions include: Islamic, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. There are several different similarities, and differences within all of these religions. Although these religions may not share many of the same ideas and beliefs, they do have several things in command such as, they almost all have idols in which they worship or follow, they all have their own religious texts, and many use numeric systems.