There are various amount of religions in the world today. However, majority of this religion claims that it is the only right religion. It can be very confusing to people who are looking for the truth or are looking for God. This all goes down to several questions asked by believers. Who should I listen to? Does anyone have the right answer? Which religion is right or are they all right? Are they all good, since they basically teach people to be good? Are they all wrong? Let us consider these questions. The word "religion" in the Bible or Quran means "ceremonial service and worship to God." Moreover, in today’s world this word may be used to refer to any set of beliefs, whether or not this set of beliefs includes service and worship to God.
Moreover, inclusivism teaches that Christianity is the only one true religion, which includes the belief that Christ is the only savior of man. However, this salvation maybe available through means other than explicit faith in Christ. They also believe that the adherents of other religions and even atheists can be saved by responding to God’s revelation in creation or through the elements of truth contained within their non-Christian religion. Exclusivist believes Muslim increased violence as well as the persecution and silencing of scholars who do not agree with their interpretation of Islam. By taking this path, the exclusivists have negated all the principles of tolerance and compassion for which Islam has historically been noted and then added fuel to the flame by resorting to violence. Exclusivist has nothing to do with Islam because it is a religion that teaches peace and harmony. Whenever the name Islam or Muslim is present all people think about or what comes to their mind is “Terror” which should not be. We have to learn how to say no to terror because we have to make people aware not only of the dangers of listening to the preachers of hate and intolerance but also of following them. Non-Muslims need to listen to what Muslims are saying instead of ceaselessly telling them how and what to think. Muslims must get rid of grievances against their fellow Muslims. Instead of floundering in self-pity and a lack of self-confidence, must face their own reality, remove ignorance from their midst, and ensure good governance along with the dignity of Islam. This would put into practice the same inclusivism Islamic values that all Muslims must incorporate into their daily lives in order to defeat the exclusivists. Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one God (Allah).
Clashes between Christianity and Islam have taken place since Islam’s inception. The most recent clash is the one happening now between Western Europeans and the Muslim immigrants who began arriving in the 1960s and now make up 4 to 5% of the total population. Islam is regarded as the fastest growing religion in Europe, through the immigrations and high birth rates causing to a rapid increase in Muslim population in Europe, which will make Islam be the domineering power in the future. The recent research indicates that there are more than 53 million Muslim in Europe, 14 million of them in the European union. According to the German evangelical news agency IDEA, the number of Muslims in Europe has risen by 800.000 over the last two years (Polzer). On the other hand, the birth rates in Europeans are decreasing. Pipes states that original Europeans become extinct because in order to sustain the population in Europe each woman should bear 2.1 children. The overall rate is only 1.5 that is also falling in the European Union (262). Today Europeans still have the upper hand, and therefore many of them continue to believe that multiculturalism and their immigration policy will eventually produce an integrated society in spite of the social unrest in Europe resulting from integration problems of Muslim immigrants. These Europeans insist that dialogue will solve all problems; in that sense they suffer from what Ayaan Hirsi Ali calls the “fanaticism of reason” (78), and they tend to fall into the appeasement camp. Muslim strategists such as Yusuf Al Qaradawi recognize that Islamists can achieve a great deal by pretending to cooperate with reasonable Europeans (Vidino 38), and that his organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, can take advantage...
...d educational systems combined with their religious and worldly views that certainly put them in the category of being an “extremist” community.
...mbers have used the same words before they committed their suicidal actions. The connections between terrorism and Islam are pointed out clearly when the extremists say that they are waging a “holy war” against their enemies. Extremists have used Islam as a justification to attack churches, Hindu and Buddhist temples. Due to the fact that the terrorist who carried out such criminal and inhumane acts associate himself or herself with Muslim religion, the public comes to view Islam as a severe risk. In reality, only 15% of the 1 billion Muslims are extremists and out of that 15%, only a few engage in terrorist activities. However, most news stories do not focus on the places where things are going right, but on the places where things are going wrong. Due to all this, it is clear that the extremists play a large role in pinning the scarlet letter on Muslims in the US.
So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill, three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime—the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.
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 result is that when religions come into contact, rather than trying to accept each other’s differences, one group tries to force their beliefs on the others. This forced conversion comes in the form of kidnappings, rapes, and killings. An ironic fact coming from groups who claim to promote peace. This forced conversion is understandably met with resistance resulting in even more brutality. Forced conversion has always been a problem. Christianity has spread through violence dating back to fourth century Rome. (Kwon, 2014) Patricia Limerick describes the effect of one such Christian interaction in her essay “Haunted America.” Europeans did not come to kill the natives, rather violence ensued because the natives refused to convert to the European religion and way of life. This meant the Europeans saw them as wrong and savages. By trying to modernize Native Americans missionaries created divisions not only between Europeans and Natives, but also between natives as communities were split between those who agreed to convert and those who defended their ways; creating even more conflict. (Starkey, 1998) It is not only Christianity that has forced people to convert faiths. For example, written in the texts of the Quran are the words, “But whoever turns away from the Quran, he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment.” (Quran, 20:124) These are words, direct from a text that people worship, that are promoting violence upon non-followers of Islam. Just as forced conversion isn’t just a problem with Christianity, it is not a problem of the past. People often think that we have become a more accepting society, and in some ways that is true, but in many more it is not. Take, for example, the Christians in Egypt, Nigeria and Indonesia and
In both given articles, “The Roots of Muslim Rage” by Bernard Lewis, and “The Roots of Muslim Rage Revisited” by Nicolaas J.E. van der Zee, argue about the enhancement of the Muslim fundamentalism with different perspectives; however, I believe that Lewis’ view may be quiet misleading to the actual perception. Lewis indicates that Muslim fundamentalism is conceived through the Muslim community’s oppression and dissatisfaction with the West’s political involvement, as well as “Islam is a source of aggression” . In defiance of Lewis’ opinion, the word ‘Islam’ comes from the word peace as well as the will of submission to God. The notion of aggression and violence that Lewis conceptualizes to be the headline of Islam does not have any supporting
Through the years the idea that Islam is an aggressive religion has been developed. This is mainly due to the fact that the word "jihad" -- a very important concept in Islamic faith -- is often misunderstood or its initial meaning is intentionally misrepresented. From the very beginning of Islamic invasion in Europe a sense of devotion to the religion was instilled in the Muslim soldiers and believers. Religion was a really important part of their lives. The soldiers were taught to die for Allah in their holy war against unbelievers -- this was the so-called jihad. However, if one examines thoroughly the Quran, the saint book for Muslims, he/she will find that jihad carries a completely different meaning -- this is an internal struggle with oneself for achievements in a certain filed or, simply, for self-improvement. Even though most Islamic believers know what jihad really is, there are zealots that still look for excuse for their appalling and inhumane deeds in the abovementioned word. Nowadays, this is still a major problem, especially concerning the...
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
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.
Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs and worships which includes a code of ethics and a philosophy of life. Well over 90% of the world 's population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion? The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, dos and don 'ts, which a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion. Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed.
The definition of religion changes all throughout the world. A neighbor, a coworker, a traveler, a student studying abroad would provide all sorts of different views and opinions on what religion means to them. It can be difficult at times to relate to other religions and provide factual information that has no bias and fully demonstrates the religion but it is important to find a common ground between factual and bias to create a better perception of what religion has to offer others. When narrowing in on three certain religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there are similarities in beliefs or doctrines but they may symbolize for completely different things.
Human beings have always been curious about the meaning and purpose of life. Religions try to answer the curiosity people have about there being a higher source, typically identifying this greater domination as God. Some beliefs teach that there is only one G-d this is defined as a monotheistic religion. Some examples of monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although each sect has a different perspective on teachings and beliefs they have one common thread; the belief in a singular deity.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows: “the belief in a god or in a group of gods, an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods, or an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” (Merriam-Webster.) My personal definition of religion is that it is a set of beliefs and practices that generally pertain the worship of one or more than one spiritual beings or representations of a spiritual power. Religion can be personal belief or an organization or group of people who have similar beliefs and values. There are many different types of religions in the world and have been since the history of mankind.
There are so many questions to ask and so many things that don 't make sense to me because I will never be given an exact answer that is true for all. There are so many different forms of religion, stories of god, questions on if there even is a god, or what else could be the creator of the world? After taking this course I got a better insight on what religion really means to me. Religion is not only a sense of belongingness or what you were taught as a kid but it is what you believe is true to you. This is where truth claims come in. We talked a lot about truth claims this semester and the impact they have in different religions. A truth claim is what you claim to be true within a religion. Religious truth-claims express different perspectives on “how things are” suggested by Paul Knitter, a noted religion scholar (pg43). In a religion, what one claims to be true within that religion or what the religion teaches, is its truth-claim. I believe that one should follow a religion based on what they believe is the most true to them. That is what religion is. Religion is the set of beliefs and values you practice with a community in which you feel that you belong to. Now that I am older I have a better idea of what I believe is to be true when it comes to religion. I still feel a huge amount of belongingness with my church and I now have a better idea of what I believe in and what I believe is personally true within