What is Meant by Religion?
analytical Essay
1941 words
What is Meant by Religion?
A person's religion is his or her set of beliefs about the supernatural which provide meaning, purpose and an overall set of principles to the believer. A common dictionary definition expresses this well: "Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe" (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition).
The relationship of the believer to these beliefs is critical and necessary, as is the supernatural component, most commonly being the belief in God. It is widely popular to use the term religion to denote any and all sets of beliefs, rules, or principles that anyone may use to guide his or her life, but a definition this broad make the word less useful. Terms like `a philosophy' or an `outlook on life' may serve as generic terms to cover all the possible paradigms that people may use in their way of reacting to the world. By substituting the word `religion' to cover all of these, we make the word redundant with the terms that already refer to this, and are left without a useful word when we wish to collectively refer to what are commonly understood to be religions: Christianity, animism, Islam. Often the impulse to broaden the use of the word comes from the assumption that religion is an indispensable component in everyone's life. Anyone who rejects his or her original religion must replace it with something else that serves the same purpose, and whatever that is shall be considered a religion. This is one of the ways that communism becomes defined as a religion in the minds of many, especially since often that belief system appears to share with religion an unreasoning acceptance of dogma. But the f...
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... is that God's grace is a pure gift with no connection to the merit of the receiver. Third is the only cause for salvation is God's grace, and not the activity of the sinner, his good works, in combination with grace.
Luther's conflict with the Church was one of stubborn and bipolar mutual condemnation. The publication and then burning of theses, first by Luther, then by Tetzel in response, and then by Pope Leo X, and so on to the Diet of Worms and Luther's books, is a good model for how this conflict played out. Each side issued ultimatums, which could only be obeyed, or burned. Since these versions of Christianity were developing in a mutually exclusive way, the power of kings and princes became the deciding factor in determining which direction a state or country would go. Everyone had to choose one side, and by so doing, become intolerant of the other.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that a person's religion is his or her set of beliefs about the supernatural which provide meaning, purpose, and principles to the believer.
- Analyzes how broadening the definition of religion makes it redundant with the terms that already refer to religions, such as christianity, animism, islam.
- Explains that if a person ceases to believe in religion, that person has given up all of the things that might religion offer, ranging from community to consolation in the face of death.
- Explains that religion is something many people who have it cannot imagine how anyone could live without it. there is a difficult chasm between religious and non-religious people.
- Explains that southern baptism in the us does not consider themselves "religion," but rather "know" that they are the truth. this fundamental rejection of all other religions is ultimately a rejection
- Explains that a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by christ to give grace. it refers to baptism, confirmation, penance, holy eucharist, anointing the sick, matrimony, and holy orders.
- Explains that the seven sacraments are keyed to the critical moments of a person's life, and the eucharist is the one of unity with the community.
- Explains that they accept the descriptions of sacrementality as truthful, but don't understand them at all.
- Explains that cunningham provides four truths that express what looking at the world from the catholic point of view means.
- Opines that the world is a creation of god, not identified with god.
- Explains that we can come to know god through our perception of the world, not necessarily aided by revelation.
- Explains that there is sin in the world, and that we have a propensity towards sin.
- Analyzes how martin luther argued that salvation comes through faith alone, and not through works, based on his reading of the new testament.
- Analyzes how luther's conflict with the church was one of stubborn and bipolar mutual condemnation. each side issued ultimatums, which could only be obeyed, or burned.
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- What is Religionargumentative essayWorld Religion What is Religion? 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
In this essay, the author
- Explains that religion is a noun defined as the quest for the values of the ideal life.
- Analyzes dr. simmons' statement that religion is not a noun, but is based on beliefs and how people act on those beliefs.
- Explains that the methodist pastor rev. cecil williams' main topic of discussion was that of toxic religion and inspiring social action.
- Explains that religion is an aspect of human existence compromising elements such as experience, ethics, beliefs, ritual, and institutions.
- Explains that many religious movements begin with redefining human identity and relationships. jesus of nazareth was a jewish rabbi who disagreed with the teachings of the torah and, in turn, invented christianity.
- Concludes that religion is a complex set of beliefs and behaviors that set apart individuals on their quest for enlightenment.
- Summarizes martin's interview with dr. john k. simmons. beliefs and believers teleclass study guide.
- Cites smart, ninian, and tindall, george. america: brief 5th edition.
1335 wordsRead More - What Is Religion Essayanalytical essayDefining religion is something very personal. We characterize it with words that we feel resonate with our own beliefs. It is hard to give an unbiased definition of religion. Some religions are about morality, while some are about a way of life. I define religion as a personal belief system in which things such as the earth’s creation and a higher power are given background and purpose. Religion can also serve as a guide to how one should live their life. People who follow a religion live by a set of morals and values determined by creation stories, sacred traditions, and their worshiped deity. Each religion has its own concoction of history and beliefs making it unique. After reading several other definitions of religion, I notice that there
In this essay, the author
- Defines religion as a personal belief system in which things such as the earth’s creation are given background and purpose.
- Analyzes how paul tillich's definition of religion lacked dimension and detail. he prioritized the mystery of creation, which is a key element in one’s belief system.
- Explains that religion is a personal aspect of someone's life. it is difficult to define because it means something different to each one of its worshipers.
716 wordsRead More - What Is Religion?analytical essayWhat 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
In this essay, the author
- Explains that religion is a group of people with shared beliefs who feel their life has purpose or meaning.
- Explains that primal religions focus on nature, while modern man worships cars, houses, and money. they believe in a higher being, but it is not defined.
- Explains that tradition, grace, and mystery are the five features of religion that are present in most all religions.
- Argues that primal religions encompassed the definition of religion. confucianism exhibits the same features of authority, tradition, ritual, and mystery.
- Explains the three features of confucianism: filial piety, philosophical mediation, and taoism.
- Explains that the tao te ching is the scripture which demonstrates the traditions of lao tzu.
1612 wordsRead More - Common Practices In Religion Essayexplanatory essayAccording to the American Heritage Dictionary, “Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe; A particular integrated system of this expression; the spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of a superhuman power or powers” ("Various Definitions Of Religion", n.d.).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that indigenous religion and cultural awareness becomes a combine effort where people will be able to study religion, and learn historical view points from multiple nations.
- Explains that indigenous religion is a common practice within the religious realm, and that people and cultures are connected to this stereotype.
- Explains that religion can have many meanings depending on a person's spiritual connection or moral outlook that governs their belief system.
- Explains that common practices and experiences are determined amongst world religious leaders, borrowing from the myths developed by human existence which was written in scripture during archaic times.
- Opines that the study of academics raises critical issues such as cultural awareness, biases, and the perception that other nationalities view religion.
728 wordsRead More - What is Religion?opinionated essayJ. Köstlin, a German Protestant Theologian and a church historian, once said, “Religion means the conscious relation between man and God, and the expression of that relation in human conduct.” This was his definition of religion, and one of the more easily understandable definitions that exists. Our textbook shows us just how hard it can be to put a label one religion.
In this essay, the author
- Explains j. köstlin's definition of religion as the conscious relation between man and god and the expression of that relation in human conduct.
- Opines that alston's definition of having a "conscious relation between man and god" is compelling, but it doesn't encapsulate everything that religion is.
- Opines that religion is the feeling of comfort that washed over anyone who has ever walked into their place of worship.
- Explains that they associate religion with comfort and familiarity. they've gone to the same church their whole life and have known every individual to enter its doors.
- Agrees with köstlin's definition of "religion" because they were raised as a protestant, but also with william james' definition.
- Opines that religion isn't clean cut, messy, imperfect, and there is still a lot to be figured out.
- Explains that religion became the answer to the question of higher power, life after death, and if this life has a purpose. ancient times worshipped gods and goddesses, sacrificed humans to appease these higher powers.
- Explains that religion has gone through many different phases that it can't be narrowed down. the practice of christian easter has been combined with the fertility ritual of painting eggs.
- Opines that no matter how significant these definitions are, we will never be able to assign criteria to religion or put it away into a nice little definition.
520 wordsRead More - Definition Of Religionanalytical essayThe task of defining what a religion is, is certainly not an easy task. For countless millennia mankind has worshipped a pantheon of deities whether that is the Sun as seen within ancient Aztec culture or whether that is the God of the Hebrews. Therefore a definition of what is Religion must be accessible and far encompassing as it seems it must address a myriad of beliefs which differ in scope. The three definitions I have chosen in order to analyse focus primarily on the nature of the Belief within a religion. For example Marx saw Religion as a means of enslavement in order to maintain the status quo through the impartiality of an ideology which maintained absolute equilibrium leading to stagnation and thus a lack of change. Thus the belief in a religion is simply the reaction of the oppressed to offer them a shade of comfort in a “heartless world.” Tylor focused upon the notion of belief as defining religion, in that Religion itself is formulated by primitive man explaining what he did not understand by giving all things Anima`s to explain what they could not understand. He claims belief in spiritual beings to be Animism and that mankind has carried the resultant ignorance. Feuerbach`s definition is certainly thought-provoking as his definition of God being a construct of Man, rather than traditional vice versa. Feuerbach as with Tylor and Marx, focus on the nature of belief within religion, I have chosen this as I would prefer to focus upon the belief of religion, rather than the practice due in part to Freud’s insistence the practice of religion is a neurosis which has spread through the generations, and also as I would prefer to be able to make comparisons between the three definitions with the nature of belief being a funda...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes feuerbach's definition of religion as a means of enslavement in order to maintain the status quo through the impartiality of an ideology which maintained absolute equilibrium.
- Analyzes marx's view of religion as a means of simultaneous escapism and enslavement. liberation theology paved the way for religion to be emancipator within the situation.
- Analyzes how feuerbach interpreted the nature of religion, specifically the belief in deities, as being the result of the projection of human nature.
- Analyzes tylor's argument that belief and faith in spiritual beings in the basis of religion are methods of primitive societies of explaining what science could not explain.
958 wordsRead More - Can Sports Be A Religionexplanatory essayThe analytic definitions concentrates on the relationship between religion and the cultural context; while the essential definition of religion states that “ a religion is a system of beliefs and behaviors that deals with the relationship between humans and sacred supernatural ”; where the sacred is intended as something worthy of reverence and respect and where the supernatural is intended as something that goes above the natural human world.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that supernatural beings influence human lives in a positive or negative way depending on their nature or human actions. vodou spirits can either help the priests and priestess to cure people or can make their lives miserable.
- Explains that in sports there are no supernatural beings or gods, but people venerate and worship some athletes due to their talent, success, and charisma.
- Explains that every sport has its own rules and regulations book used to learn how to play in competitions correctly.
- Opines that sports legends are venerated by fans and followers. there are many athletes, team captains and coaches that can cover such roles.
- Opines that sports are an excuse for social gatherings and events where friends and strangers cheer and fight to show their support for a team or individual of their favorite sport.
- Explains that the sacred scriptures contain the core of religious beliefs with moral stories which protagonists are pillars of the religion. the bible, the qur’an and bhagavad gita are sacred books of judeo-christians, muslims and hindus.
- Explains that charismatic figures serve the role of leader to gather and guide followers towards the path that brings them to the ultimate goal. these figures are either chosen by the supernatural or are an emanation or reincarnation of god itself.
- Explains that religious rituals involve the manipulation of symbols and the reading of sacred literature. sacred days and holidays are dedicated to gods and spirits.
773 wordsRead More - Substantive Definitionanalytical essayReligion can be defined in two ways substantively and functionally.A functional definition explains what religion does. It helps identify unofficial religions. A substantive definition tries to explain what region is and describe what it looks like. Substantive is more specific than a functional definition. They give a more explicit, narrower, and neater definition to religion. And are very helpful when studying religion. Substantive definition provides categories for what is deemed as religion and nonreligion. This type of definition also correlates with common ideas of religion and reality. But substantive definitions are “historically and culturally bound, based on what has been considered religion in one place and time”(McGuire). It is
In this essay, the author
- Explains that religion can be defined substantively and functionally. functional definitions explain what religion does and identify unofficial religions.
- Argues that functional definitions are better at illustrating cross-cultural, transhistorical, and changing aspects of religion. the main weakness is that it can categorize everything into a religion, making it difficult for people to use them for empirical studies.
- Explains that the fandoms of game of thrones and star trek are something in our society that is not commonly recognized as religious but can be.
- Analyzes how geertz defines religion as a system of symbols that acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men.
- Explains that the "aspects of religion" identified in this new religion are rituals,community, experience, and belief. people within the fandom become emotionally attached to the characters that they hate the actors that portray the fictional characters.
- Explains that rituals include sitting down once a week to watch new episodes or waiting for the midnight premiere of the star trek movies and dressing up in elaborate costumes to further immerse themselves in that world.
- Explains that there's a sense of community within the fandoms. fans can go to comic-con where everyone who is part of game thrones and star trek can come together to share their stories and meet the actual characters.
- Explains that experiences are subjective, so everyone has their own story about how they became involved in the "religion." in a "normal" religion like catholicism there are different ways people join the faith.
- Opines that fantasy/sci-fi television shows and films have gone unrecognized by society because they don't fit the everyday idea of what a religion should be or look like.
916 wordsRead More - Defining Religionanalytical essayDefining Religion The most fundamental question when examining a religion is "what is religion?" That is a distinctly hard question to answer considering that what is ordinarily considered to be religion is not all it is, and what many consider not to be religion may be near religious (i.e. sports). The truth is that there are no genuine answers to the question of "what is religion". Definitions of religion tend to suffer from one of two problems: they are either too narrow and exclude many of the belief systems which most people will agree are religious, or they are too vague and ambiguous, leading one to conclude that just about any and everything is actually a religion.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the most fundamental question when examining a religion is "what is religion?" there are no genuine answers to the question.
- Opines that defining religion is a matter of belief more than anything else where the opinion of the definer matters.
- Opines that a person's conception of how religion ought to be examined determines to an extent their view of the value (or lack of value) of being religious, whether or not they examine religion in depth.
- Explains that some people would identify "examining religion" with discovering external facts, such as the "true" date and authorship of some religious texts, or observing people as they engage in religious practices to discover social or psychological factors causing them to act in such a way.
- Explains that some students associate studying religion with discovering internal truth, perhaps by practicing certain devotional exercises or thinking philosophically about questions relating to religion.
- Explains that dogmatists and sceptics share a common assumption because they both believe that what we find in studying god or religion will be something quite distinct from the investigator's own heart and mind.
- Opines that the study of religion requires comparison and contrast. dogmatists believe this object must lie at least partly within the grasp of human knowledge.
- Explains that religion can only be studied through comparison and contrast because who knows only one religion understands no religion at all.
- Argues that the study of religion embodies the ideals of multi-culturalism, wheremulti-culturalism is an intelligent interest in difference and a willingness to deal with what
- Opines that the study of religion always bears within itself.
- Explains that religion affects society and changes people by examining its impact on society. knowledge of specific religions, such as christianity in usa, or islam in the middle east, central asia, south, is important.
- Opines that protestant christianity tells the whole story in the balkans, while orthodox christianity and roman catholic christianity don't explain everything.
- Argues that the middle eastern crisis of the past half-century stands for a religious war between judaism and islam.
- Opines that a student should adapt the "practical" approach to examining religion, though it can also adopt the secondary, theoretical approach.
- Argues that the religious experience of truth, beauty, and goodness in the world is far more important than the study of these realities as abstract philosophical ideals.
- Explains theories have a value if they can be used to persuade an experience of the reality to which they refer.
- Opines that alfred russell wallace was the co-founder the theory of natural selection with charles darwin, but his contributions were largely overlooked for much of the 20th century.
- Explains that wallace set out for the amazon to work as a commercial collector, finding exotic specimens for european buyers. he had an overriding reason for coming to investigate the causes of organic evolution.
- Analyzes how geography limited or facilitated the extension of species range, and ecological station seemed to influence the shaping of adaptations more than did closeness of affinity with other forms.
- Explains that wallace was unable to come to any conclusion about the mechanism of evolutionary change. the voyage from south america back to england was disastrous. a fire forced everyone to abandon ship and wallace lost virtually everything he had collected.
- Explains that wallace's discoveries in the south pacific included a breakthrough in biogeography, the wallace line, which was the recognition of distinctly different organisms living in close proximity to each other in similar environments.
- Analyzes how wallace's theory of survival of the fittest was thought out, drafted in one evening, and written out in two successive evenings. wallace instead sent the manuscript to charles darwin.
- Narrates how darwin recognized his theory in wallace's manuscript essay and wrote to sir charles lyell on june 3, the day he received the paper.
- Explains that wallace's essay was read together with an abstract of darwin’s views as a joint paper at the linnean society on july 1, 1858.
- Analyzes how wallace's section was entitled "on the tendency of varieties to depart indefinitely from the original type." darwin was distracted by a serious illness and wallace was collecting specimens in the dutch east indies.
- Explains that darwin was pleased that his ideas had been accepted by the scientific establishment. his modesty overwhelmed any resentment he might have reasonably felt over darwin publishing.
- Analyzes how species borrows heavily and without attribution from a scholarly article by wallace that darwin had studied years earlier. wallace expressed no resentment at receiving less credit.
- Analyzes how darwin's achievement prompted him to publish his own theory, and he was a good friend to wallace. the need to share credit must have stung darwin.
- Compares wallace's residence at down house with that of darwin, who was buried in westminster abbey among british royalty.
- Explains that wallace's gravesite is overgrown and difficult to find. the question of priority for the advance in understanding remains wide open.
1696 wordsRead More - What Does Religion Mean To Meexplanatory essayEveryday, without realizing it, I go about my life in a similar way. I know right from wrong, and I know my values. A person’s values affect their decisions in every way, whether it is something as simple as what to wear or something as serious as committing a crime. I value religion. I am baptized as a Catholic and I try to live my life by the Ten Commandments to the best of my ability. I also prioritize my family. They are an enormous part of my life. In addition, I live life on a daily basis having respect for myself. Every time I make a decision, my values always affect my choosing.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they show gratitude and love for god through prayer and the decisions they make. they grew up praying alongside their mother.
- Opines that family has always been a priority in their life and they cherish any time spent with their sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins.
- Opines that they are grateful for having a loving mother and family and hope to be able to give back to her.
- Opines that their family and religion influence their values and morals, but they have the overall decision on what to follow and execute.
- Explains that they were overweight as a child, but realized how much it affected them subconsciously as they grew older. they began to change how they saw themselves and quit body shaming.
- Explains that they value religion, and prioritize their family. they believe that people get to choose which values and views they want to follow.
- Explains that they value their body image, self-respect, and purity, as well as their mother's teachings about love and religion. they live their life with gratitude and are grateful for the opportunities they have been given.
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