"You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself."
-- Swami Vivekananda
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."
-- Albert Camus
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.
What is Religion?
A religion is a system of beliefs usually involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings. Religious beliefs provide shape and meaning to one's perception of the universe. In other words, they provide a sense of order in what might otherwise be seen as a chaotic existence. Religions also provide understanding and meaning for inexplicable events such as a loved one being killed in an earthquake or some other unpredictable force of nature. For most religious people, their beliefs about the supernatural are at the very core of their world views.
Rituals in Religion
The performance of rituals is an integral part of all religions. Rituals are stylized and usually repetitive acts that take place at a set time and location. They almost always involve the use of symbolic objects, words, and actions. For example, going to church on Sunday is a common religious ritual for Christians around the...
... middle of paper ...
...what is right and wrong behavior. If individuals do the right things in life, they may earn the approval of the gods. If they do the wrong things, they may suffer supernatural retribution. For instance, the most sacred text of Islam, the Koran, not only provides detailed lists of specific kinds of crimes and appropriate earthly punishments, but it also gives descriptions of how to do mundane tasks such as eating specific kinds of food.
The sacred texts of religions usually set precedents for proper behavior in common situations. The Judeo-Christian Bible stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Noah, Job, Moses, Solomon, and even Jesus provide examples of how virtuous people should lead their lives. It does not matter whether the sacred stories or myths of a religion actually occurred in every detail--they are still illustrative of correct thought and behavior.
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions. 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. 320-322. Print.
...lysis that was significantly informative to read. The book was well-written though at time it seemed hard to follow the generally wrap up of ideologies where understandable. It was entertaining to read the wide variety of Christian doctrine and how it effects human thought. More than entertaining this book allows individuals and understanding among cultures, religions, beliefs and how they affect personal actions that is an educational aspect that can be hard to grasp. Though this publication argued why some religions had specifics that remain unanswered; it provided major insight into the customs of an array of cultures. As a society work like this should lead us into the future with understanding of one another and should push us all for as a civilization. This work was stimulating in its insight into religions and the contributions that have had on human nature.
Religion is an institution that can provide stability for societies through various religious concepts, and is substantial for the support of social cohesion and order. Many functionalist theories of religion, for example, claim that religion functions in such a way as to integrate societies (McCauley, 1984). There are many types of religion that people practice world-wide such as Christianity, Catholi...
Rituals can be described in multiple different ways such as church services or graduation ceremonies. They can even be illustrated by “the symbolic use of bodily movements and gestures in a social situation to express and articulate meanings”. Rituals can be distinguished from daily routines that has connections to the symbols, beliefs, and values of the social groups. Rituals provide meaning through shared experiences to social assemblies. Ritual provides a mechanism to rejoin the mind and body in an activity of
Religion can be defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe that often contains a moral code that governs the conduct of human affairs according to dictionary.com. Some countries use their religion to form some sort of government or use religion as a way to decide the laws within their land. People often believe that religion should be kept out of government while others think it may create a more effective one.
Ethics: Ethics are theoretical perspectives on rules governing human conduct. Actions are deemed to be right or wrong; sinful or moral. In this case Christian ethics are outlined in the Ten
Religion is a set of faiths or beliefs that is based around one or more central powers. Religion can take what is good and turn it to evil, especially in the case of the Taliban and crusades. Religion can be used for good as well, in the case of several modern day religions.
Religion is “the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship.” (Cambridge Dictionary) Many people believe in something else out of the evidential or scientific view, thinking that good things happen because God says so, or that the universe was not made by the Big Bang. Even though is something that was more present in history years ago, a lot of people still believe and practise a religion. According to Stephen Juan there are about 4,300 religions in the world. About a 75 per cent of the population of the world practises a religion and the two religions most widely spread are the Christianity and the Islam. (2006) They can be divided in believers, adherents or not adherents, agnostics and atheists. People who are believers are the ones who have faith in something great beyond and
When common practices and experiences are determined amongst world religious leaders, it is offend borrowed from the myths developed by human existence which was written in scripture during archaic times. Traditionally, practices that occurred during historical events are stretched out due to the worldview of individuals. These practices are advanced by personal belief or a natural
The words of prophets and religious heroes are contained in these texts and they are often read out at religious gatherings, both formal and informal. In some monotheistic religions, the texts are written by many scribes and refer to the word of the deity. In others such as Buddhism, the canonical texts are called Sutras. They are the teaching of Buddha himself as the religion does not feature a deity. In Hinduism there is no agreed set of teachings or religious text, leaving a lot of it open to interpretation. Their worldview would be less dictated by The Vedas, the texts most widely accepted by the religion. Other types of sacred stories include parables and myths. A parable is a fictitious story told by a religious figure that has symbolism, often about ethics or religious principles (Webster,N.d). An example would be the many parables told by Jesus in the Bible. A myth is similar in the fact it is also a metaphoric narrative but it is usually of an unknown origin and involves things of a transcendent dimension or the supernatural (Britannica,
According to the American College Dictionary, religion is a noun defined as the quest for the values of the ideal life. This definition is vast and general, allowing for a variety of interpretations by people from all cultures. There is no single path to follow in order to lead an ideal life, only personal beliefs and experiences. Religion is non-finite so there is no way of determining a boundary (Smart, 5). In my quest for a true understanding of what religion is I explored my own traditions and religious beliefs as well as life experiences. Slowly, with the added insight from the text and videos, my own definition of religion has begun to take shape.
Religion refers to obligatory beliefs accompanies by a number of practices that involve objects that make up the belief. The word religion came from a Latin word religio that means awe for gods and believing in proper rituals. The dictionary defines religion as a system of belief involving worship of God or gods, and involves rituals, prayer and moral code (Hexham, 2011). What is commonly accepted as religion involves various characteristics and elements. These include; belief system, community, central myths, rituals, an ethical system, emotional experiences, material expressions of religion and sacredness. Most religions therefore have some of these elements.
In their places of worship, most religions organize congregational activities for its believers that evoke a high state of emotions, which in turn, encourages them in their ...
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.
A religion is an organization of people who believe the same basic concepts about the world, and the universe as a whole. The purpose of religion is not only to lay out a set of beliefs for people but also to unify a group of people under an umbrella which creates a sense of community. Religion is very important to most people because it not only gives them a sense of their place in the universe, but it also binds them together with a group of people which is something humans generally desire. Religions form due to an innate need for humans to understand the universe, and religion is one way to do that. For example many of the stories within Greco-Roman Paganism offer solutions to the problems that Greeks, and Romans faced in their time. However