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definition of religion
religions of early civilizations
definition of religion
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According to the dictionary "religion is the service and worship of
God or the supernatural."1 I challenge that definition. It is true that all religions do involve the worship of some supernatural force, however, it is also true that no religion in history has ever stopped at that. For a more complete definition of the word religion we also have to examine two other aspects. How has it affected man over the centuries? And what is the true motivation of its leadership? Some would have you believe that it has brought peace and harmony to the world and that its leaders are motivated by the service of their god.
I suggest that a more accurate definition of word would be as follows. Religion, a feudal system of government which uses fear, hate and sometimes lies to control and manipulate people for the betterment of a select group of individuals.
To better illustrate this point let's look at just three of the countless examples that human history has to offer. The Inquisition, "judicial institution, established by the papacy in the Middle Ages, charged with seeking out, trying, and sentencing people guilty of heresy."2 Heretics were considered enemies of the state. The penalty for heresy was torture and death. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, "Jesus was taken to
Golgotha and nailed to a cross, the Roman punishment for political offenders and criminals."2 The Crusades, "The name Crusade (from
Latin, "Cross") was also applied, to the wars against pagan peoples,
Christian heretics, and political foes of the papacy."2 All three examples illustrate how man has used God to justify his greed and quest for power. When the leadership was challenged, it used devine decree to justify the murder and torture of the innocent. We are expected to believe that a non-physical being order the religious leadership to aquire riches and land, often at the demise of the poor and helpless. The misuse of God isn't limited to the Ancient world.
True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many people. To spend time with a special someone; the person one feels closest to; the so-called soul mate and to never have that high feeling of emotion end mentally and physically would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves and realizes the important things in life and puts it all into perspective. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character, Gilgamesh, is a powerful, arrogant king and part god. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s partner, is animal-like but later takes on more humanistic traits such as his contemplation’s of death. The friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a very powerful, loving friendship. Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s soul mate, not only acting as his friend but as a lover too. Enkidu’s presence in Gilgamesh’s life allows Gilgamesh to see what is truly good in life and to accept his mortality much easier.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, although written in the area between the West and East, is a more Western text rather than an Eastern text. Gilgamesh, in its ancientness can be seen as the catalyst for the majority of Western ideologies and texts. The text in its approach to aging, finding the truth and the pursuit of immortalizing oneself are in parallel with how Western beliefs conduct themselves and by extension show how Western motivation for their text could be constructed. In this manner, Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving Western text to pave the paradigm of Western texts rather than Eastern texts.
What is religion? Each person’s definition of religion is different. Each person’s faith is different. This is a question that has been asked for centuries, and regardless of the answer given there is no right or wrong answer. Religion can be defined as a group of people who have shared beliefs who feel their life has purpose or meaning. This feeling or belief that their life has meaning can come from outside of themselves, as well as within. Taking this one step further, these shared beliefs put into action in the form of worship, can be easily identified because they happen regularly. It can be said the Primal religions were in fact not religions. Some may argue Confucianism is not a religion. Others may say Taoism is not a religion. However, one argument can be made. All three of these “religions” share “features.” Huston Smith, author of World’s Religions, says “six features of religion appear so regularly as to suggest that their seeds are in the human makeup.” These six features discussed in World’s Religions are as follows: authority, ritual, explanation, tradition, grace, and mystery (World’s, Page 67). First is authority, Smith argues religion is so complex that people will need assistance or guidance from those held in a higher light, or of a higher authority. Next is ritual, which can be happy (a wedding) or sad (a funeral), rituals are shared between people of the same religion in many forms as a sign of common beliefs. Following rituals, some explanation is required. Many of a religion’s followers ask for explanations, some ask, “What is my purpose in life?” Others may ask, “Who is God?” Depending on one’s religion, the questions or
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the greatest works of ancient Mesopotamia that was originally written in cuneiform around 2100 B.C.E. Gilgamesh was not written by one specific character but evolved gradually over the long span of a millennium (Foster 95). The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic that tells how a friendship was formed between Gilgamesh, who is the king of Uruk and Enkidu after they engage in a fight. The love and friendship that Enkidu and Gilgamesh have for each other causes Gilgamesh who was once an arrogant, oppressive, and brutal ruler (96). To become a more loving civilized man who finally understands the true value of friendship.
It’s recorded history goes back nearly 1500 years but it is probable that it has been around much longer. The way it is created is what brings man to believe that
The story of the great hero, Gilgamesh, fulfills the requirements of an epic. Gilgamesh is consistently relevant to society and it conveys timeless themes and messages. It is in human nature for people to want to excel in life and strive to make a name in this world for themselves. We want to be remembered by name or for something we have done. Most, who actually succeed, are forgotten about in a matter of years. However, some are remembered for tens, hundreds, and even thousands of years, because of their great intellectual achievement to feats of outstanding skill.
There once lived a king, the great king of Uruk in Mesopotamia. This great leader was Gilgamesh. His preserved epic is of great significance to modern day culture. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is a great love, followed by a lingering grief that cause a significant change in the character of Gilgamesh.
In our world today, we are lucky to know thousands and thousands of languages and their cultures. The first language ever recorded is Sumerian. This time period consists of 3300 to 3000 BC. During this time, records are purely logographic with not much dialectal content. Different cultures have many very different archetypes that clearly show what their their literature follows, and in Sumerian culture, the major archetype is the hero’s journey and its different stages. The Sumerians believed in their fair share of gods and supernatural forces and that reflects in their pieces of literature.In The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was translated by N.K. Sandars and based on Sumerian culture, the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh overcomes many stages of a hero’s journey when he begins his long quest to find immortality. Gilgamesh
Modern day readers can take away a lot from reading The Epic of Gilgamesh. This story shows what it really means to be human. This piece of history follows Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk and his journey around his newfound best friend, Enkidu and how Gilgamesh searches for immortality. They “placed these tablets on the strong walls of Uruk so that [Gilgamesh’s] people could gain wisdom and remember him,” (203).
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Throughout the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is described as being a hero, “who knew the most of all men” (Gilgamesh, pg. 3). He is described as “two-thirds a god” (Gilgamesh, pg. 4) and “the strongest one of all, the perfect, the terror” (Gilgamesh, pg. 4). Due to Gilgamesh’s great recognition, he lacks a peer, someone who is able to challenge him. However, Enkidu is formed to test Gilgamesh’s abilities. Gilgamesh and Enkidu eventually grow a strong companionship. The bond between the two characters is the most important aspect in Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Enkidu act as each other’s counterparts throughout the novel.
...reflection of his final dream and death, fulfills his ultimate purpose in the epic: to reveal to Gilgamesh the imminence of death thus setting him on his epic journey to find the secrets to life and immortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, dreams are a pivotal driving force in not only the character development of Enkidu, but also in fulfilling Enkidu’s purpose in the story. Both tangibly and intangibly, Enkidu is able to have a lasting effect on Gilgamesh; he teaches the tyrant king humility, justice, and kindness. The epic may be a narrative about heroic feats and wild travels, but the true story is one of the dynamic between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the closest of friends and rivals. Their tale is one of the most beautiful representations of the power of friendship—how one interaction can inextricably link two people and change the course of their lives indefinitely.
When two people are so much alike yet so different, it makes a comparison of Gilgamesh and Odysseus an interesting subject. Both the stories of “Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey” show that the characters were successful warriors with many adventures to be told. Gilgamesh and Odysseus are human with many god-like qualities. Their perception of immortality, as well as regard for death and the influences of the gods in their lives and adventures, are similar; however, the characters have many differences.
Most of the ancient civilizations that have peen present throughout history, produce artifacts, stories, poems or other forms of literature that we can learn from and are passed down from generation to generation. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one piece of literature that really takes us back in time and helps us dissect the events of its time. A poem which was written over four thousand years ago The Epic of Gilgamesh can be used as a true historical narration of the Mesopotamian culture. The discussion of religion and cultural aspects, which include their attitudes towards gods, death, heroes and also the social and political organizations, also allows us to not only see, but also feel the experiences of such events. The Epic of Gilgamesh portrays to its readers how rich the ancient Mesopotamian civilization actually was and helps us in figuring out what the true meaning of life is.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest text in history. Gilgamesh is a powerful king and an awe-inspiring warrior who is 2/3 divine and 1/3 human. I think it is interesting that the epic has so many factors that I can relate to in our current time. There are a lot of lessons that can be gained from reading the epic. The text relates to me as a college student in a various ways. It has a few key experiences that reminds me of my own personal life experiences. The epic is an important text that should be read because it has life lessons for modern humans from centuries ago.