...Religion and traditions beliefs are part and parcel of human life. Naturally, human beings grow up believing in a superior being. Mostly, this being is believed to have more power than human beings. That being is believed to be responsible for the presence of objects found in the environment. Religion tries to explain the origin of those objects. It also tries to help people to discover their purpose in life and tries to account for life after death. Religion instills certain values in human beings. Religion attempts to build correlations between people and divinities, sacred time, sacred space (natural world) and with one another. This paper seeks to illustrate how religious beliefs contribute to and promote these relationships. Most religions such as Christianity, Islam and Hindu believe in a divinity world. This can be one genuine God, several gods, objects in the environment, the living dead, spirits and ancestors. For instance, Christians believe in God, Muslims in Mohammed, and Buddhists in Buddha and Hindus in Brahma. Religion is responsible for creating a link between its members and the world of divinities. To some, this relationship can appear to be unreal whereas others believe that it is a real experience. Performance of rituals is a major way of connecting people and divinities. For Christians, taking part in the Holy Communion is a way of promoting this relationship. This was performed by Jesus and His apostles during the last supper. Jesus required of his apostles...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...Delusions Between Religion and Religious Beliefs Glenn Watkins Park University 3 December 2010 Abstract This paper discusses the results a study conducted by Mental, Health, Religion and Culture regarding a qualitative study examining the relationship between religious beliefs and delusions. The paper discusses the definition of delusions as well as religion and makes a stark comparison between the two. The paper includes many different religions and how each claims having a monopoly to salvation. The study included white males from seemingly the same background who were diagnosed as having symptoms of delusions ranging from ages 34 – 57. The paper also discusses several theories as discussed in class regarding thoughts from Erikson, Sullivan and Fromm. Finally, the paper concludes with a brief historical summary of why the author has contention with religion and religious beliefs. Key words: Delusional, fanaticisms, capricious, analogous, and tantamount. When one person suffers from delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from delusion it is called religion. - Robert M. Pirsig There is a close kinship to the relationship between religious beliefs and religious delusion. Merriam-Webster defines delusion as a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also: the abnormal state marked by such beliefs. Religion is defined as the...
Words: 2816 - Pages: 12
...is simple just a way to the self or Brahman (Koller). In the Rig Veda worship and prayer are both emphasized as important parts of Dharma (Easwaran). But by the time of the Upanishads there was a slight shift. The Upanishads state “One who meditates upon and realizes the self discovers everything in the cosmos… all come from the Self” (Easwaran, 190). This ideology is completely different from the one presented in Islam. In Dharmic traditions God is no longer the answer to the equation but rather a part of the equation. Islamic ideology and Dharmic tradition can be seen as quite different from each other from a surface level. Where Hinduism is a henotheistic religion with many Gods, and Islam...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
...IN ENGLISH{CONVERSION} intriduction Clean water in many ways, India and other countries of the world, affecting the lives of people as well as the lack of clean water is becoming a big problem. The big problem can not solve alone or together with a group, it is a problem which needs to be concerted efforts of people worldwide. IN 400 WORDS 1.Life here on Earth to balance the water save water conservation through various mediums. 2.Safe drinking water on earth and assessment by a smaller percentage, water conservation or water saving initiatives have been very important for all of us. A large source of water pollution caused by industrial waste are daily. Save water in all industrial buildings to bring more functionality, Apartments, schools, hospitals etc by builders should encourage proper water management systems. Drinking water or ordinary water shortage caused by the common people to know about the potential problem awareness program should be run. Waste of water about the behavior of people need to get rid of it quick. 3.By the people at the village to collect rain water should start. With proper maintenance, by making small or large ponds rain water can be saved. With younger students need more awareness on this issue and the solution should be concentrated. Many countries in the developing world live in insecurity and the lack of water is affecting people. Supply exceeds demand in areas with 40% of the global population live. And in the coming decades because of the...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...Evaluate the view that new cults and sects are replacing traditional religion as the means for experiencing and expressing religious belief in the world today In this essay, I will be evaluating the view that cults and sects are replacing traditional religion as for expressing religious belief in the world today. To do this I will be referring to a number of sociologists view on the idea of sects and cults. New religious movements such as sects and cults have become more common over the years. Many people are becoming influenced by these religious groups which tell citizens in society if they join them they will lead a better life. Many sociologists have argued that NRMs are increasing in size and popularity due to unjust events people are seeing in modern society. To begin with, many sociologists have argued that NRMs are no big influence on society and are just really to some extent a way of showing societies change, which is sure to happen over the years anyway. Wallis identified three main kinds of new religious movements. These are world affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting groups. Sociologists have argued the one that is short lived than the rest is the world rejecting. This group is usually classed as a sect or cult in which they are always highly critical of the outside world and demand significant commitment from their members. An Example of one of these is the Unification church (the Moonies) founded in Korea. They reject the mundane the secular...
Words: 1383 - Pages: 6
...Believe? Many followers of western religion find it hard to understand why others do not believe as they do. Take, for instance, the argument of Pascal's wager (Pensees pg. 151-153). Why would a person not chose to accept and follow God when there is everything to gain and nothing to lose? All one must do according to the Christian bible (NIV) is, "believe in the Lord Jesus, and be saved..." (Acts 16:31). Western religion emphasizes the importance of choosing to believe in and embrace God, but there may be an underlying and critical flaw in this collective religious conviction; does one actually choose to believe something, or is it merely an involuntary outlook based on what we perceive to be true from life experience? Belief can also be examined in everyday life. It is all around and is used for every decision and in every thought. Borchert's Encyclopedia of Philosophy exemplifies the ulterior complexities of belief that many people are not conscious of; belief is "...a species of propositional attitude distinguished by having the mind-to-world direction of fit" (Borchert). A propositional attitude is simply a psychological mode paired with psychological content. In the case of belief, belief itself would be the psychological mode, and what one believes would be the content. The "mind-to-world direction of fit" refers to belief's "...aim to represent how the world is independently"(Borchert). With a verbal definition of belief, it is also necessary to understand...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...Biography and Life philispphy Attach a personal statement or essay of your original work that describes your interest in law study and Shepard Broad Law Center, your skills and qualifications, or otherwise supports your case for admission. utilize this opportunity to expand upon what is unique about you, your life experiences, and your goals Language and religion Like religion and language, my interest lay in my desire to understand the world around me; the various political philosophies and legal systems have a pervasive effect on the societies in which they are practiced, and therefore understanding the law is integral to understanding the world. As important as understanding and learning about the world around me is applying the knowledge acquired to help others. One value instilled in my childhood was the importance of giving back to the community. Growing up in Minnesota, I attended a summer program at a park near my home and eventually volunteered and worked with this same program, which helped to provide a safe environment for children in the area to play and develop their creativity through arts, crafts, reading, field trips, and other activities. Additionally, upon developing a degree of proficiency in Spanish and French, I have used my abilities to assist others by tutoring throughout high school and college. Seeing the impact of such activities has only further reinforced my awareness of the need to use one’s abilities to the betterment of others, which...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit”,(brainyquote.com). Alan´s character is a perfect representation, of this quote. He is portrayed as an extremely narrow-minded person. His actions cause conflict in the community, resulting in people getting hurt. Secondly, Old Jacob is another character in the novel that performs acts of intolerance. Furthermore, Joseph is a character who strictly believes in his religion, and bias towards his own views. The characters in the novel are causing a divide in the community of Waknuk. Alan in the novel, The Chrysalids is portrayed as a narrow minded person. To start of with Alan cannot be persuaded into changing his...
Words: 978 - Pages: 4
...To tell you the truth the American dream is not just one idea, but many ideas that fit into one single belief.These beliefs will be different depending on the that you ask which is why I believe it is many ideas that go along with one single belief. To find out what the American dream is will be difficult. If you want to know what it is you must figure it out yourself because everyone will have a different opinion than you. The general idea of the American dream is basically having freedom. There are a few different types of freedom we can take advantage of. One type of freedom is the freedom of speech which is one of my favorite.This type of freedom gives us the right to be able to express ourselves without being afraid that we will be prosecuted or killed. Everyone in this country has a right to believing in there own beliefs. Freedom of speech helps get the citizens involved in what they believe is the best way to run this country. Although the president is the one that that helps make major decisions, we are the the ones who elected him which means that those decision were based off of our votes. The other type of freedom that I feel is important is the freedom of religion. This is a big part of the American dream because most people leave there country to be able to choose what religion they want to be. Freedom of religion should be the belief that we can decide for ourselves, but sadly some people don't have that luxury and are forced to leave their country...
Words: 447 - Pages: 2
...Research Methods 1. Difference between knowledge and belief? There are a lot of different opinions on each of the concepts. But as a general conclusion we can say that knowledge (sci.) is the realization of a fact, at which we may come through various sources. And you can support and verify it using statistical or experimental data, or in the other hand prove it to be wrong, too. While knowledge is justified true belief (Plato), belief is more a psychological condition. A belief it's all in the mind and can not be proven either by our senses or empirically; something that we all feel. Knowledge is necessary but belief is as important as well. Knowledge can strengthen or weaken a belief. If I know something to be true, I know it to be true (knowl.). But If I don't, then I can choose to believe it or not. So looks like knowledge is more essential than belief, because whether you believe in something or not, it does not change the fact itself, but knowing something to be a fact or not, can alter your belief in it. 2. What’s the difference between the epistemology of the critic realism and realism itself? Realism is an epistemological study which says that knowledge of a social phenomenon is supported like in what can be observed and recorded, also in the ‘hidden’ structures and mechanisms, which cause reactions that can be observed, collected and used to offer facts over these mechanisms. Critical realism gives priority to the identification of structures and mechanisms...
Words: 816 - Pages: 4
...Questions and Discoveries Life is full of questions and discoveries. People question because they do not believe or trust in things or people. People discover because they want to find the answers to their questions. In Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima, the main character Antonio starts to discover and question beliefs and people. Antonio’s life changes when Ultima, a healer and her owl come to live with his family. Antonio’s mother is Catholic, but his father believes the llano has all the answers. Antonio is raised Catholic by his mother, but doubts God, especially after witnessing the death of Lupito and Narciso, and learning the legend of the golden carp. Ultima shares her pagan beliefs with Antonio, but...
Words: 1885 - Pages: 8
...Hume and miracles Examine Hume’s views on miracles. Hume rejected the idea of miracles due to his belief they were beyond the realms of reasonable belief there are other interpretations of the events which would be more likely. Hume believes wise and sensible people will form their beliefs on evidence. Therefore it must be more likely that it is true than it being false before they believe it. Hume argued we should weigh up the evidence in the case of miracles. We should look at which more likely; natural rules will have held good, or is it more likely that a miracle will have taken place. By Hume’s thinking our past experiences have shown us that for example, we can’t turn water into wine, we can’t rise from the dead, we can’t walk on water, therefore the whole weight of past experiences we have had bears this out. This leads to us being sceptical when it comes when looking at reports that something different has happened. You have several choices when/if someone tells you they’ve witnessed a miracle. You could believe what the person is telling you, if you know the person well enough and know they usually tell the truth then you would do so. However, you could believe that the person is mistaken or deceiving you on purpose. For Hume, he argued that a reasonable person would choose the most likely of the choices, even though it may be unlikely that the person is deceiving you and unlikely that they’ve made a mistake it will always be more unlikely that a miracle has...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...How do beliefs about the world and beliefs about what is valuable, influence the pursuit of knowledge A pursuit, by definition, requires a goal or answer to a question that the pursuer is attempting to reach. This end, towards which effort is directed, is based upon previous knowledge that says that it will be fruitful in some way. Any knowledge that is pursued is, logically, pursued for a reason. This reason must be that the knowledge could prove valuable in some way to the acquirer of the knowledge. What is believed to be valuable would thus greatly influence what knowledge is pursued. Since the beliefs about the world help define what is valuable, they too determine the type of knowledge that is searched for and acquired. This type of knowledge, that people think will be the most valuable to them, is the type of knowledge that is searched for and of course attained before the type of knowledge that is unexpected or thought unnecessary. To logically determine the extent to which the values and beliefs of humanity affect its pursuit of knowledge, all types of knowledge must be considered. Empirical knowledge significantly affects the further pursuit of knowledge; as the type of knowledge that is acquired through experiences, future pursuits of knowledge are frequently based on it. Rational knowledge is applicable because knowledge that is found through experimentation is looked for with a preconceived objective in mind. Metaphysical knowledge must be considered because beliefs...
Words: 1789 - Pages: 8
...How to Take Environmentalism Back from a Religion Crichton wrote about a concern for the environment with Environmentalism becoming a religion as opposed to a scientific field. He uses all of the classical principles of argumentation to support his argument about the religion of environmentalism. By using ethos, pathos, and logos, he makes a strong argument. Through his descriptions, he uses some fact and some emotion to give reason why this religion should be disbanded. He shows emotion, or pathos, through his comparison of the Judeo-Christian religion to the Environmentalism Religion, stating: The reason that I have no wish to debate these convictions is that I know that I cannot. These are not facts that can be argued; these are issues of faith. So it is, sadly, with environmentalism. Increasingly, it seems, facts are not necessary because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief" (P. 595 para 5-6). Crichton has an emotional connection to his argument. He feels deeply about the amount of environmentalism becoming fantasy instead of being strictly composed of fact. As a student of anthropology, he learned about what makes up religion, leading to his belief of environmentalism becoming more a religion than a science. (p. 594, para 3) He finds many connections between Christianity and Environmentalism. Crichton relates The Garden of Eden to an Environmentalists idea of a Paradise. When discussing the idea behind the resources for our planet, the writer shows...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...race tends to have a variety of beliefs throughout both concrete and abstract areas of knowledge, in this essay I will explore to what degree beliefs need evidence. Using examples, I will focus on the following knowledge issues; does our perception of evidence justify our beliefs? And are we able to have beliefs without evidence? Noticeably, all areas of knowledge are benefited by support from evidence. It is a question of how much evidence is needed for sufficient support. The title holds many concepts that can be explored in different ways. ‘Beliefs’ can be described as spontaneous occurrences of vivid ideas in the mind’ (Pojman). More abstract areas of knowledge such as art can adopt this meaning as they require less ‘evidence’ ;being subjective means that it does not necessarily require physical proof. ‘Beliefs can also be caused by experiencing things in constant conjunction to each other’ (Pojman). This depicts the fact that belief is more of a ‘reasoned process.’ More concrete areas of knowledge like Human and Natural sciences will usually follow this meaning. Science is a methodical process in which we experiment to test theories which constantly use evidence. ‘Evidence’ can be defined as the ‘availability of facts or information indicating whether a ‘belief’ or proposition is true or valid’. In this definition we already see that evidence demands physical proof. However, evidence is not limited to the physical state. For example, religion is individual and religious people...
Words: 1286 - Pages: 6
