Religion in the ancient world played a vital role to society. Religion is the moral foundation of a civilization and it gives meaning, worth and determination. Even though not all religions encourage people to do what is right, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism tells those who practice to obey their deity or god and do what is ethical within their religion. In some religions, doing this was a way to reach afterlife so their souls could maintain a continuing existence. Each of these religions has their own way of encouraging such behavior, whether it is from a holy book, sacred principle, making a sacrifice or meditation.
Christianity was a monotheistic religion that was practiced in the ancient world. Christianity was a religion
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Unlike Christianity and Islam, there was not a god that was worshiped. Siddhartha was known to be the Buddha. Reaching enlightenment from meditating under a Bodhi tree, Siddhartha was given the perfect insight into the processes of the universe. Buddhism taught the right way of living through various traditions, beliefs and practices. Buddha led by example rather than being some type of divine being. The caste system was not enforced so everyone was accepted. The Buddha’s first sermon was on the four noble truths. The four noble truths was a message that life is pain, suffering is made worse by desire, suffering can be ended by controlling desire and conduct and to follow the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path served as the code of conduct for Buddhism. He wanted his people to be aware of things such as illness was suffering, death was suffering and thirst was threefold. The Eightfold path consisted of a list of steps. It began with acknowledging the entirety of suffering also known as “right knowledge”. Then they were to choose whether to break away from the suffering, which was known as “right purpose”, and then choosing “right conduct”, “right speech,” “right livelihood,” and “right endeavor.” Step seven was “right awareness,” which included continuous thought of a person’s actions and whether or not they lead to enlightenment. The eighth and final step was …show more content…
It was more of a guide to show people how to behave, which meant doing what was ethical. Confucius, the mastermind behind Confucianism, was disappointed with the way the governmental system was being ran. This turmoil led to him creating the moral code. Heavy value was placed on virtue and education. Eventually, his teachings became the foundation for spiritual and ethical being all through China. He taught from the Analects. He didn’t leave writings so the Analects was recounted for by his disciples. Being a follower of Confucianism meant to follow what Confucius had to say. That’s what this religion told its people to do, to simply obey. Confucius taught that people should take on an upright life, become educated and make contributions so society could improve. In one part of his teachings, coming from the Analects, he notes that someone with superiority must respect their elders, be fair, and maintain relationships with those who mean good. These sayings just proved that all he wanted was for all of his people to set great examples. Confucius believed in five key relationships as a way to place people in society. These relationships were ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother and friend and friend. This shed light on the importance of family respect and loyalty. He insisted that people learn five important virtues as well. These virtues included Ren, which
Religion reinforces the beliefs of individuals within a society. Additionally, religion has played a vital role in society since it influenced the way they lived and the rituals they may or may not have practiced. Different regions of the world during ancient time held a distinct set of beliefs, each based on different or similar principals. Deriving from the polytheistic set of beliefs, monotheism came in place of many Gods, holding just one god accountable for the creation and the existence of mankind. Christianity and Buddhism share similarities and differences, but most importantly the impact that each had on the culture is what is mostly referred to.
Ancient Greek Religion There are many topics to be explored in Ancient Greek mythology. This unique polytheistic religion was based upon myths about anthropomorphic gods and goddesses. It impacted every facet of Grecian life, from law and ritual to culture and art. The individual as well as society both influenced the characteristics of the religion and were influenced by the religion itself. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece explains a variety of ways in which the Greeks were influenced by their religion.
After many years of seeking answers to his questions, particularly about suffering and death, Siddhartha came to a revelation and decided to adopt a path of moderation known as the Middle path, which found ground somewhere in between self-indulgence and asceticism. According to legend, Siddhartha sat under what is known as the Bodhi Tree and meditated intensely until at last he achieved Enlightenment when he reached a state of profound understanding. From that point on he was known as the Buddha. (Molloy 127)...
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was inevitable and some of the law codes that were placed in effect to establish order within the society will be examined. Throughout it all, god and religion played a central role in these ancient civilizations.
Throughout the history of Rome, from the monarchy to the late empire, religion had played a great role in it's society and was involved in almost every aspect of the life of the Roman citizen. It was common for each house to have it's own patron god/gods and ,on special occasions, the head of the house would make a sacrifice to the personal gods of the family. Also, great festivals were usually held in honor of certain gods and would include spectacles like chariot races and Gladiatorial fights.
The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one.
Christianity is now in our modern world one of the five major religions. The other major religions include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism from which Christianity descended. Christianity was practiced before Christ, During his life, and after his life. After Christ¹s life Christianity spread to become a main world religion.
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
Confucius (551–479 B.C.) was a Chinese philosopher and founder of the Confucian school of thought, which greatly influenced political and social life in China. His teachings are known primarily through the Analects of Confucius, a collection of "brief aphoristic fragments", which was compiled many years after his death. Although he didn’t write any books, his students did the writing based on his teachings and millions of people still rely on Confucius's philosophy as a guide to live. Until the twentieth century, Confucianism was the state religion of China. Confucius (Master K'ung Ch'iu), His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism or Daoism. Legalism was a third Chinese philosophy, a Classical Chinese philosophy that emphasizes the need for order above all other human concerns. At the other extreme was the philosophy known as Legalism. Proponents of Legalism did not concern themselves with Confucian values of ethical and mor...
There is a familiar saying that states that Rome is the final destination for all roads. The ancient western civilization has its roots in Rome. The role of religion in ancient civilizations brought an incessant urge to merge the role of the leaders and the religious leaders. The rule of law was governed by the secular courts and their various leaders, but then there was a rule of God. The role of religion in Leadership was vital in the ancient regimes. Leaders had no option but to abide by the rules of the church and also obey the laws of the land. These practices led to the saying, give to Ceaser what belongs to him and unto God what he deserves. The ancient role of religion was not overshadowed by politics as the leaders embraced
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.
Religion provides order within people and gives the individual some clarity to the unknown “life after death”. Religion gives and individual to something to look forward to after death. The common belief in most religions is that life after death depends on how we live life on earth which, greatly contributes to the order in society. Through the participation of religion one is exposed to divine motivation which contribute to the individual’s perspective of social norms as well as how they live life while alive. As per an educational website boundless.com “Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions, and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe.” This clearly indicates the theory that religion socializes an individual in a manner that contributes to the order of society. Religion has contributed to my socialization greatly. I am a very religious individual and I do have the belief that the way I live life on earth will determine my life after death. My religion keeps me sane and instill obedience in me and affects how I carry myself in
Religion helps establish mankind’s place in the order of the universe. As civilization began to be established through the domestication of animals, the irrigation and cultivation of agricultural crops, and life became more complex (moving from mainly a hunter/gather existence to one that could settle down and have more time to consider advanced ideas) people began to consider questions such as, where life comes from, is there a creator or creators who helped make the world, and what happens after we die. Religion helped answer some of these questions. It gave people purpose, meaning, and perspective. Religion helped establish nations in the case of religious theocratic governments. In many of the ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Mayans, and even Mesopotamia, the priests and other religious leaders played prominent roles in help shaping the laws and government of these civilizations. As his...
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.
In a functionalistic view religion provides focus and purpose to a society and assists its leadership in controlling the society. In other words it helps society stay on course with the path that its leadership has deems important or suitable. Practicing, praying or preaching a religious belief contributes to the norms of a society, possibly mostly a societies’ mores (Schaefer, 2009). Since religion in itself usually instructs its followers to practice the ideologies of peace and to be submissive to their god and leaders, this helps society be passive on a global level. Many religions that are practiced today are embedded with customs, traditions, an...