...Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth Somewhere in the flotsam of celestial material that makes up the arms of the Milky Way is a little planet called Earth. Home to roughly seven billion people, Earth plays host to a race that is both incredibly sadistic and unspeakably noble. One facet of this dichotomy stems from a concept known as religion. Religion is a set of spiritual beliefs shared by a group of people. What does religion look like? It looks like religion. A central characteristic of religion is the belief in supernatural beings. Giant flying spaghetti monsters are generally forgone in favor of vaguely humanoid figures. These deities often hand down a moral code that practitioners must adhere to in order to avoid standing in timeout for eternity while everyone else enjoys the post-life after party. These directives are often delivered in the form of scriptures, or religious texts. Scriptures feature predominantly in the top three human religions - Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The majority of these texts are filled with fables wherein lie lessons to living well. Contained somewhere within is a set of guidelines to follow that will not only contribute to a pious existence, but also serve the function of making sure that everyone gets along. There exists some commonality among these rules: humans shouldn't kill, steal, commit adultery, lie, or believe in other gods. On paper it all looks pretty good. Messages of love and magnamity actually foster communities...
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...Assignment # 1-Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth REL-212 April 26, 2012 Planet Earth 1 Discuss the criteria you will employ to determine if people on earth are religious — in other words, what does religion look like? In almost every aspect of live most people seek some kind of courage, comfort and inspiration in some kind of religion. Religion is the practices and traditions of a belief system that is based on the belief of a higher power, and or the supernatural. At the very least, for a person to be religious, they need to not only believe in a higher power, but participate in some sort of traditional activity like prayer, communion, and attending church. The criteria that I would look for to see if people on earth are religious would be looking to see how committed people are to their religion and its traditions. Describe three (3) examples of behaviors or beliefs you observe that meet the criteria you established above. Prayer Prayer is a very important part of any religion Something “as simple as praying is, it is very important. There is a familiar saying among those in a religious environment and that is: "no prayer no power, little prayer little power, much prayer much power." What prayer really entails is communication with God.”(wiki.answers.com). Prayer on a daily basis can have an impact and...
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...The Religious Life on Planet Earth Veronica Esparza Introduction Religion crosses so many different boundaries in human experience; religion is notoriously difficult to define. Many attempts have been made, however, and while every theory has its limitations, each perspective contributes to our understanding of this complex phenomenon. But I would like to say that religions pertain to the most significant of life concerns the concern to which all other are inferior. As a friendly stranger coming to the people in this planet I would like to show them the importance that religion has if it is practiced with love in the correct way to preserve the peace in earth. Superiors, as I explained religion is complex but very important to our people and our beliefs it focus on the cause, nature, and our purpose in this universe. We are devoted to our God and we worship and obey him. We live in peace not make war because our God forbids us to harm other beings. He is a very important aspect of our everyday lives and we pray to him when we are in need, when we are thankful, and for creating us. We can’t see him but his presence is supernatural and divine he controlled our past, controls our future, and if we follow his teachings and his rules we will get to meet him someday face to face. Our God is what keeps our civilization alive with all his blessings we gather together every day to hear our minister read and lecture from the Divine Book. We sing songs, we pray, and we worship...
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...THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF PLANET EARTH My superiors sent me from my peaceful home plant of Gallifrey. Our religion is complex, but very important to my people. Our beliefs focus on the cause, nature, and purpose in this universe. We are a peaceful people that are called Time Lords. We receive our name for our non-linear perception of time which us allows us to see everything that was, is, or could be at the same time. Because of this we value all life and see the absolute beauty in all life large and small. My superiors feel that the in habitants of the Planet Earth are in religious term-oil because they all believe in many different religions, most of which having the same idea as the next. I have been on this planet for 6 months now and I must report my preliminary findings. The religion I decided to look closer into is Christianity because it is a compassionate religion close to that of my people. Christianity as a religion is monotheistic. Meaning that they only believe in one true "God." Christians believe in a "Holy Trinity." Simply, this is the belief that their God begot a Son, Jesus, and that when he died he became a "ghost" known to them as the "Holy Ghost." Superiors please do not be confused in thinking that this is polytheistic religion. To them God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit are all one in the same. For the most part Christians are loving people. They show compassion towards non-believers and welcome anyone to hear the "Word of Christ." This is their sacred...
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...The Religious Life of Planet Earth Strayer University REL 211 World Religion Deborah Sarmiento Professor: Zipporah Glass November 3, 2012 THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF PLANET EARTH 2 The Religious Life of Planet Earth Upon arriving on the planet Earth it is my job to determine if people on earth are religious. To determine this I will try to find out what religion is and what it looks like. Secondly, I will try to describe three examples of behaviors or beliefs of religion observed and then I will explain what the function of religion appears to be on Earth. In conclusion, I will try to determine how else my observations could be interpreted. According to the dictionary religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Religion implies a group of believers concerned with matters thought to be sacred. It involves a specific set of beliefs and specific set of rituals. It also involves notions of the right way to live. Discuss three examples of behaviors or beliefs observed that meet religious criteria. It seems that America has always been a religious country. It is generally accepted that more than half the American people attended a place of worship over a weekend. Most Americans attend services on Sunday...
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...Religious Life of Planet Earth" World Religions April 27, 2012 Religion to my people is very important, so the criteria I am employing to determine that the people of Earth is a religious people will be as follows; types of religion, prayer, meditation, strong faith and do the people of Earth believe whole heartedly in their religions and do they standing true to what they believe in. Religion is based on beliefs and how people act based on those beliefs. Religion is a means to explain the purpose of life and it involves a system of belief and practices shared by a group of people. So, in all cultures there are rules, ideals of perfection and the theories concerning how did man come into existence, just to name a few. Based on my criteria I found there is a lot of traditions and many different forms of religion on Earth. There are four major types of religion which all cultures are labeled under such as; super naturalism, animism, theism and abstract ideas. Super naturalism is the belief system believes in supernatural forces that can influence human events. Animism is a belief in spirits and ghost that take interest in human affairs. Theism is the practice of believing in divine beings such as God’s or Goddess that shape and influence human affairs. So therefore Gods are powerful being who are worthy of worship and praise. Most theistic societies practice polytheism which implies the belief in a number of Gods. Each God or Goddess usually has influence in a particular...
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...Religious Life of Planet Earth Religion 212 April 29, 2012 I was asked by my superiors to visit the planet Earth and ascertain if people and the planet are religious and what they practice in the aspects of religion. First, it is important, for you to understand my opinion of religion and supporting aspects or views of religion. Religion is not only a way of living but also considered artifacts, practices and traditions of a belief that one worships a deity. People should not only have a belief but also contribute, participate, relinquish and devote their lives in living and having faith in their deity. I observed and researched what and how the people of Earth worship, how often they praise or worship their deity and what they do while practicing these traditions of beliefs. People long to make sense of life; to find the key that will unlock its mysteries and enable them to understand themselves and their place within the universe. Each religion presents us with a particular view of life, expressed in its teachings, scriptures, and traditions. But is it necessary to be committed to that religion in order to understand and appreciate what it teaches. In this human journey for finding sense, some turn to philosophy, the creative arts, and others- in fact the majority of humankind-take to some form of religion. Almost every aspect of life can become the raw material out of which a religious interpretation of life may be built. The word religion has many different...
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...THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF PLANET EARTH My superiors sent me from my peaceful home plant of Gallifrey. Our religion is complex, but very important to my people. Our beliefs focus on the cause, nature, and purpose in this universe. We are a peaceful people that are called Time Lords. We receive our name for our non-linear perception of time which us allows us to see everything that was, is, or could be at the same time. Because of this we value all life and see the absolute beauty in all life large and small. My superiors feel that the in habitants of the Planet Earth are in religious term-oil because they all believe in many different religions, most of which having the same idea as the next. I have been on this planet for 6 months now and I must report my preliminary findings. The religion I decided to look closer into is Christianity because it is a compassionate religion close to that of my people. Christianity as a religion is monotheistic. Meaning that they only believe in one true "God." Christians believe in a "Holy Trinity." Simply, this is the belief that their God begot a Son, Jesus, and that when he died he became a "ghost" known to them as the "Holy Ghost." Superiors please do not be confused in thinking that this is polytheistic religion. To them God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit are all one in the same. For the most part Christians are loving people. They show compassion towards non-believers and welcome anyone to hear the "Word of Christ." This is their sacred...
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...Religious Life on Planet Earth Michael Wagner Professor Jim Hewitt World Religions October 25, 2011 Strayer University Abstract This document will outline how if one person came from another planet could they determine if the people on planet earth are religious and if they are, what behaviors do they demonstrate that would suggest a person being religious. This will be set forth by establishing a four point criteria that will be used to determine if one is religious. The document will also outline three religious behaviors based on the four point criteria to support how one can perceive another person being religious. It will also explain the function of religion as it appears on Earth. Criteria used to determine if people on earth are religious. That the person from another planet has an idea of what religion is in his or her understanding The person is able to distinguish religious person from a non religious person based on practices that he or she may display There is some reference to the person’s practice ie; text, documents, books etc. The person should be able to communicate or explain as to what his or religion is or is about Examples of behaviors or beliefs that one may observe based on the aforementioned criteria. Distinguishable behaviors from the status qou or norm. The person from another planet should be able to visibly see the differences in one externally almost immediately, since this is one of the...
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..."Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth" REL212 There are many different definitions on Earth of what “religion” is. They all seem to agree that there must be certain fundamental beliefs. First, it must have some sort of conduct or values to live by. For example, “Treat others the way you want to be treated” or that “having sex before marriage is wrong”. The religion should help the follower to feel better about themselves and secure in their belief. Religion also should have “a set of tenets and practices, often centered on specific supernatural or moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature. It needs to make an attempt at understanding the world around us and what happens after death. Death is, after all, a corner-point in all religions.” (Scorn, 2008) The last thing that seems to define religion is that it has followers that have faith in the religion and live by it. Those followers set examples for other people interested in the religion and exhibit examples of their faith. Without this, a religion could simply not exist. During my studies on Earth, I saw many behaviors and heard many stories of human religions that seem to match my definition of religion. One example is of the American Indians. They lived in tribes all around America yet all the tribes seem to have all the religious aspects described above. They danced around the fire chanting hymns of “The Great Spirit” or worshipped their past ancestors. They saw their Supreme Being in everything...
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...Religious Life of Planet Earth Madge L Smith Dr. Margaret Rinck World Religion January 29, 2012 In order for me to establish if people on earth are religious, I have to look at what criteria’s I will use to make that determination. It is complex in religious history; we will look at four-development points to religion; belief, practical, experiential, sociological. Once we have completed a study you will see how all four of these points factor into religion on the earth. You first have to believe and that is with anything that you do in life. Religion has expanded because people believe in what they are doing or ask to do. This is how you enter into any religion is by what you believe about what you are being told in regards to that religion. Next, there has to be a practical application to what you say you believe. In other words, you have to know and be willing to practice what you say you now believe in. Most people don’t just comply to a religion just because it has been past down to them by there parents. You have to have your own encounter to come into what they say you should do for a better life. What you are doing in your life have to make sense to you as an individual in order for you to pursue after it. This is where the sociological perspective comes into play. We can look at the behavior of the Muslims who by there behavior regarding prayer shows that they believe in the power of what they are doing. At a certain times...
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...Religious Life of Planet Earth REL 212 26 July 2012 The term religion is coined as a particular response to dimensions of life considered sacred, as shaped by institutionalized traditions (Fisher, 2011). Religion can be associated as a group of people coming together to practice and share a feeling or doctrine of beliefs, to an individual meditating by themselves once or several times a day. Religion has become not just a practice of many people in one group, or a spiritual comfort to a singular person. One cannot simply justify what is religion just by looking at a group or a single individual. If we were to base religion off of a group, one could state that Alcoholics Anonymous could be a religious group. These people gather willingly together to form a support system for each other and comfort each other through their times of need. They do not worship one particular deity, but still gather for a greater purpose. With that being noted, I believe that one person or group cannot justify what they see or define as religion or what is not. I think it is up to the group or individuals practicing or believing in their faith or doctrine to acknowledge that they have a belief system that they hold as sacred. There are seven common factors that inhibit a sense of religion. What may seem like religion in one person’s mind may not be considered a religion in anothers. Of the seven common factors; rituals, narrative and mythic stories, experiential and...
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...SAVING PLANET EARTH : SAVING LIFE Earth is one of the most wonderful creations of God. It is being created for living things to live in. A planet where a man has the capability to dominion over all creations. An avenue where every being enjoys life to the fullest ― the fresh air, the enticing green plants, the clean surrounding, and the numerous human luxuries in life. In fact, we take so much from the planet Earth everyday. Everything is very crucial in our lives. We need one another to survive as the adage says “No man is an island.” We can’t live without other living things on this earth even a simple plant, animal, and worst the absence of air. Human beings are radical, but we’ve never realized the damaged that we are creating nowadays. We take for granted of the environment that we have without analyzing the consequences. We tend to forget our responsibilities despite of enjoying all the rights that we have. The passing of times is just like a click of a finger which brought us in this very challenging environment where we human creatures slowly by slowly destroying our planet earth. Thus, it doesn’t stop tinkering in our minds the question why we let all of these happened to our own planet? Everyday our environment is being dumped with tremendous wastes; Illegal loggers continue to cut trees even the young ones; Fishermen still using dynamites and fine nets in fishing; and various pollutions accumulated everyday from man’s activities...
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...My initial report Earth is very abundant place full of many different animals, land masses, body of water, tall buildings, streets, houses, cars. The most curious thing of all is the people here. They came in many different shapes and sizes and colors. They speak different languages and have many different cultures depending on where they live. Among all of that, many people have religion which is very foreign to me and my people. Much more research is needed to figure out why they have these “religions” and why they believe in so many different things. Finding this out may be the key to figuring out the core of these people. As I traveled over the many land masses of this planet my first stop was the dry Middle East where the dominant religion was Islam. These people call themselves Muslim. They do not eat the meat that comes from the pig because they considered it dirty. They pray 5 times a day facing the east towards Mecca. I spoke with some of these people and they said they found peace when they prayed 5 times a day. Their faith was something that got them through the tough and happy times of life. My next stop was in Israel where many people there practiced Judaism. They believe like the Muslims that there is only God and pray to him directly. Judaism focuses on the relationships between the Creator, mankind, and the land of Israel. They also have dietary religion views on food like meat that has to be Kosher. They also believe that their faith helped keep them grounded...
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...Running Head: Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth 1 Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth Strayer University REL212 – World Religions Professor: Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth 2 Abstract Assume you are from another planet and have been sent to Earth to determine if it is a religious planet or not (something very important to your people). Your superiors are expecting a report back from you. This report will discuss the criteria you will employ to determine if people on earth are religious — in other words, what does religion look like. It will also describe three (3) examples of behaviors or beliefs you observe that meet the criteria you established above. Then, based on your observations, explain what the function of religion appears to be on Earth. Report on the Religious Life of Planet Earth 3 Earth - a small, azure, life-sustaining environment inhabited by a myriad of creatures from the microscopic to the immense. In this study, however, we will focus on the religious aspects of the people of this planet. From the outset, this planet can be labeled myopically as “diverse”. This diversity is evidenced in the apparent, such as skin color, hair color, demeanor, and language. This diversity is also shown through the sublime, like faith, culture, and dialect. One solidifying aspect of the people of Earth is that throughout the vast majority of the inhabitants are...
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