...Religion and Science: The relationship between science and religion up until the 6th century were one in the same. Philosophers believed that natural occurrences were due to a divine power. Earthquakes and thunderstorms were merely upset gods showing their wrath. Individuals sought to learn the language of the gods to comprehend these phenomena. After the 6th century, new ideas formed that excluded the gods. These philosophers did not personify nature. They believed the world to be orderly and predictable. This brought on a renaissance of thought. By examining everything up to this point in history, the distinction between science and religion became clear. This rift spawned modern thought and science as we know it. Primitive science originated from man’s desire to speak to the gods and learn about natural phenomena in the world. Almost all of the ancient civilizations (Egyptians, Babylonians, etc.) had myths and beliefs about the origin of the human race and the formation of major topographical features. Up until about the 6th century, people believed in demon possessions, ghosts, and a variety of other invisible ailment-causing entities. They also believed that magic rituals allowed one to control these anomalies. Such individuals were generally held in esteem amongst the community. The reason why such myths were taken as fact for so long is attributed to the notion of “oral tradition.” Oral tradition was a method of keeping culture alive before there was a written record...
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...Western Religions Jennifer, Josafina, Lucas, & Wendy Lemons REL 134 02/24/2011 Mikel Del Rosario Contemporary Issues in Western Religions There are many religions in the world today. It is possible to study many individual religions and never fully understand one religion completely. In this paper only three religions will be discussed. The three religions discussed are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The primary focus religion that will be discussed is Christianity, the second religion will be Judaism, and the third religion will be Islam. In this paper the historical connections between these three religions will be explored. Questions will be answered such as; what makes these three religions similar? How are they connected? The theological similarities and differences between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam will also be thoughtfully brought up. The contemporary struggles within Christianity today will be explored. It will also be discussed what contemporary struggles Christianity has with Judaism and the contemporary struggles between Christianity and Islam. In this paper it is the expressed hope that the reader will be able to learn about these three religions and gain knowledge. The paper is to help the reader learn something new about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and with curiosity want to explore these individual religions further. With this hope in mind this paper will start with the historical connections between these religions. When...
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...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Harry Potter REL/134 November 20, 2011 UoP Instructor Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Religious beliefs have been the center of many conflicts across the entire world since the beginning of time. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism the major monotheist religious traditions have been at the heart of many of those religious conflicts. Historical connections and theological similarities are prevalent between the three. In parallel to the similarities exists the contemporary struggles affecting these western religious traditions. From the internal struggles within Christianity such as abortion, to its struggles with Islam and Muslim extremists, finally to the contempt against Christianity from actions of the Holocaust, each tradition faces contemporary struggles within their own right. Gaining a better understanding and insight into the historical, theological, and contemporary struggles between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism will enhance appreciation for each belief. Historical Connections and Theological Similarities: One main pillar of similar theology between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism is the belief in one god. However, each has different perspectives in relation to God. For example, Christians believe in [pic]the Trinity[pic] of [pic]God; God the Father, the Son (Jesus[pic] Christ), [pic]and the Holy Spirit[pic] ("Judaism, Islam, Christianity-Comparison", 2002-2011). Also Christians consider Jesus...
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...Sikhism and Christianity have many comparisons as well as differences. Starting with the comparisons, Sikh religion believe that there is only one God, much like what the Christians believe. Christians believe that there is only one God who sacrificed his son for us so that we can have life. Another comparison would be that in Sikh religion, they have Gurus, those who God has chosen to deliver his message. Much like Christians who believed the deity of Jesus Christ, who had followers that helped deliver the message of God. In Christianity, pastors, preachers, etc. believe that they were chosen to deliver the message of God. Sikh religion and Christianity both believe that all human races are equal. They believe that no one is superior nor inferior. “Followers of the Sikh religion believe in reincarnation, a cycle...
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...Comparing Religions By Lillian M. Floyd COM/150 Joss Hevel December 19, 2012 Religion is an important part of American society. There are many different religions that people follow for their own reasons such as Baptist, Protestant, Lutheran, Catholic, Muslim, and Buddhism. Each religion has different followings and ways to receive faith through the religion. Which religion has the most faith and why does that religion has the most faith? This essay will examine comparisons between the Baptist religion and other religions such as Catholic, Protestant, and Lutheran. These religions are some of the most important religions in the world today. Some of the other religions that can be compared to the Baptist religion are Buddhism, Muslim, and Sangria. The differences are far and wide, but there are some similarities between religions. The first religions that will be compared are Baptist and Catholic. There are many differences between the Baptist church and the Catholic Church, but most are not seen at first. Most of the differences between Baptist and Catholic churches have to do with theological differences, or the study of God of each church (Catholic vs. Baptist, 2012). The main difference between the two churches is the Communion of each church. The Roman Catholics takes communion at every mass while Baptists take communion on special holidays such as Easter and Christmas. The next difference between Baptists and Roman Catholics is the level of decoration within...
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...Running head: The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity 1 The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity World Religion 212 November 3, 2013 Running head: The Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity 2 Buddhism is a polytheistic religion, however, it does not believe in Supreme Creator Being. Christianity is a monotheistic and believes that Christ is the son of God. Christianity is an offshoot Judaism whereas Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism. Christianity is a Abrahamic religion and Buddhism is a Dharmic religion. There is no god in Buddhism anything like Jesus Christ. Buddha is seen more as a really great person that once lived that reached a higher level of consciousness. Buddha wanted to teach how people goo free themselves and reach Nirvana. Jesus had a set of rules to live in order to get to Heaven. If is really not known or expelled were what Nirvana is, besides a freedom from the pain and suffering from life and the recantation we all must go through. Heaven on the hand is supposed to be a paradise where you in the after life you meet all your loved ones in a paradise, made by god himself. Buddhism was started about 5 B.C.E in India , Christianity started around 33 C.E. in Palestine. Granted they started many years apart but they do have the same basic ethics and commitment to community and family . They have the same basic concept of threat...
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...Turkmenistan. The Caucasus are often group with Central Asia but contain its own divergent nations focusing on Armenia and Georgia. Central Asia are cultures of Muslim beliefs. Armenia and Georgia are cultures of the Christian beliefs. As with numerous religions studied all around the world, Muslim and Christian faith are beheld as influential, life changing lifestyle in a spiritual aspect, and musically. Although, these two religions contrast, they also consume their resemblances in Central Asia and Armenia and Georgia. In the many countries of Central Asia and Muslim beliefs, there are music that identifies their culture. There is mountain music derived from Kyrgyzstan that consists of Kyrgyz traditional instruments. Two other Muslim countries in Central America such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan strongly practice its music. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan practices music called “The Shashmaqam” or “six maqam”. Shashmaqam is a genre of music that consist of instrumental pieces, songs, poetry, and dance. Shashmaqam also have performers stylize the poetic texts that drawn from Sufi symbolic texts from classical Islamic poets, into rhythms that are short and long. The history of Caucasus is battle-scarred and is a borderland between Christian and Muslim worlds. The Caucasus is the front line of a sometimes-problematic clash of cultures. One of the two distinct regions that make up the Caucasus are Armenia and Georgia, who are both historically Christian cultures. The Armenians...
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...applicable towards understanding the modern dilemma of hostility between the religions of Christianity and Islam. Both religions have many followers that openly and subtly attack the opposing religion today. The fact that both religions preach strong beliefs and devout lifestyles that contradict each other creates an environment for struggle. Additionally, the expression “two wrongs don’t make a right” helps encapsulate the root of the problems that continue to persist between the two religions. This prolonged hatred is the result from centuries of conflict between religious descendants. In the modern world, social media is increasingly influencing both Christianity and the Islam faith through raising awareness and presenting biased opinions. As Christianity and the Islamic state globally become more aware of each other, the differences in each religion have become an expansion of animosity against the opposing faith. A popular view from both faiths of Islam and Christianity involve a defensive and aggressive stance towards the opposing religion. Islamic followers in many aspects of belief disagree with and reject Christian views. This is created by feedback loop that has influenced many Muslims on different levels towards having a hateful mindset. Largely due to media created opinions, Islamic followers are lead to believe the worst about Christianity. This is only compounded by a conflictual history between the two religions and many people’s unwillingness to forgive. Not unlike...
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...Physical Education Assignment # 2 Name: Assignment #:2 S/C: Title: Sociology of Sport Due date: Teacher: Introduction Sociology is the study of human behavior and social interactions within particular contents. Sports sociology examines sports as a part of cultural and social life, and adds a different dimension and perspective to the study of sports and exercise. More specifically, sports sociology examines the relationship between sports and society and seeks answers to many issues and questions regarding sports and culture. Sports are a pervasive part of culture and are considered to be social constructions within society created by groups of individuals and based on values, interests, needs, and resources. Sport forms are created by groups of individuals. Each culture creates and uses sports for its own purposes; therefore, sports take different forms from culture to culture. It is only since 1970 that sports sociology has gained significant attention as a serious area of study. This is in part owing to the increasing major role sports play in our lives and the intellectual traditions in both physical education and sociology. In 1978, the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport was organized as a professional association; and its scholarly outlet for research, the Sociology of Sport Journal, was established in 1984. The International Committee for Sociology of Sport is acknowledged within the International Sociological Association, and both groups...
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...Essay Fitzgerald argues strongly that the study of religion does not improve our understanding of societies, but labels them into the structures we associate with Western Christianity. He also argues that religion is not a distinctive phenomenon and should not have its own analytical category. He raises the question of whether or not there is a systematic way of distinguishing between the secular and the non-secular. He also raises the question of whether or not there is a fixed definition of the term religion, if that term is imbued in Western Christian bias, and the confusions that result in this analytically empty but ideologically loaded term. This term is used in so many different contexts that it has no clear meaning. Fitzgerald says that “the word ‘religion’ is analytically redundant and even misleading” (Fitzgerald 5), because religion refers to a “belief in gods or the supernatural” (Fitzgerald 5), and it was of “traditional European usage” (5). Fitzgerald claims that people have “self-consciously attempted to transform the meaning of religion…and extend it as a cross-cultural category” (Fitzgerald 5). The problem is that people have been incorrectly labeling cross-cultural categories under one term ‘religion,’ that imbues Western Christian views that do not accurately reflect the principles of many cultures. According to Fitzgerald, “working with the blurred and yet ideologically loaded concept of ‘religion’ as a starting point can confuse and impoverish analysis…encourage...
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...Jesus and Mohammed Paper Jesus and Mohammed Jesus Christ and Mohammad are two prophets that have changed many individuals’ views on both Christian and also Islamic religion. Both religions originate from the Middle East. Christianity and Islam worshippers obey the Ten Commandments. It is also important for each worshipper of the two religions to love their neighbor as well as forgive one another. Although there are many similarities within the two religions there are also major differences that separate the two. Jesus as well as Mohammad’s death had a major impact on the path of Christianity as well as Islamic religion. Life of Jesus Christ Jesus was born in Bethlehem to a spiritual Jewess Mary and a carpenter named Joseph. It is taught that Jesus was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Religion Facts 2010). The Gospels do not have any narratives on the early life of Jesus Christ. The book of Luke goes on to explain the life of Christ as age 12. During this time in his life Jesus was found discussing religion in the temple to a rabbi about the torah. The answers that he gave to the rabbi he left many astonished. This was a turning point in Christ life; he was discovered to be the Son of God. At the age of 30 Jesus began his ministry. One of his first acts was when he was baptized by John the Baptist. John the Baptist was known as a captivating and alluring person. He called many to repent and baptized those that responded to his calling...
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...including the spiritual perspective and critical components of healing in the Shamanism, Hinduism, and Confucianism faiths differ vastly from the Christian philosophy. Since the majority of the population in the United States is Christian, an important tool in development of cultural sensitivity is a comparison of Christian healing beliefs with these others. Diversity 3 Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity The United States used to be called the “Melting Pot” because immigrants would acculturate and become “American”. This is no longer the case as more and more immigrants are holding on to their culture and beliefs. This often includes their philosophies on healing and spirituality. In order to compare other “faiths” with the Christian faith, a distinction needs to be drawn between religion and faith. The Free Online Dictionary defines religion as “a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe” and faith as “a confident belief in the trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing” (The Free Dictionary). Shamanism Shamanism is the belief that all things possess spirits (Purnell & Paulanka, 2008). It is not a religion, but rather a faith; believed to have originated in Siberia, Shamanism has been practiced extensively by Native Americans and Celtics as well. Spiritual Perspective on Healing The most...
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...Among the five great religions to which nearly nine-tenths of present-day humanity belong, Buddhism and Christianity have been the most frequent subjects of comparison. And rightly so. Because, together with Islam, and unlike Hinduism and Chinese universism, they are “world religions,” that is to say, forms of belief that have found followers not merely in a single though vast country, but also in wide regions of the world. Buddhism and Christianity, however, differ from Islam in so far as, unlike the latter, they do not stress the natural aspects of world and man, but they wish to lead beyond them. A comparison between Buddhism and Christianity, however, proves so fruitful mainly because they represent, in the purest form, two great distinctive types of religion which arose East and West of the Indus valley. For two millennia, these religious systems have given the clearest expression of the metaphysical ideas prevalent in the Far East and in the Occident, respectively. The similarities between these two religions extend, if I see it rightly, essentially over three spheres: (1) the life history of the founder; (2) ethics; and (3) church history. 1. The biographies of Buddha and Christ show many similar features. Both were born in a miraculous way. Soon after their birth, their future greatness is proclaimed by a sage (Asita, Simeon). Both astonish their teachers through the knowledge they possess, though still in their early childhood. Both are...
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..."Buddhism, in its origin at least is an offshoot of Hinduism." -S.Rahdhakrishnan Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the world’s largest and most influential religions. Both religions originated in the Asian country of India, and thus stem from a similar culture as well as philosophy. While contrasting greatly with the monotheistic religions of the West, Hinduism and Buddhism also contrast greatly with each other. Although similar in respect to general philosophy, the two faiths differ markedly on matters of social structure. The two religions also contrast in that Hinduism omits and Buddhism emphasizes individual freedom to progress spiritually and socially in the current life. By comparing the two traditions, one can unambiguously see why it is that Hinduism has proved the more unwavering and Buddhism the more humanitarian philosophy. Hinduism and Buddhism are more philosophical than doctrinal. Both exhort and encourage an all-encompassing way of life and define existence itself. For instance, the essential Hindu concept defining the individual and humanity’s responsibilities is called dharma. An intricate term, dharma is conceptually one’s sense of obligation. One must fulfill his role in society and the world. Such responsibilities include procreation and caste duties, but extend into the philosophical realm of peaceful and humble acceptance of one’s position...
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...------------------------------------------------- How does the role of a priest within medieval Christianity compare to the role of an imam in medieval Islam? In order to fully compare the roles of a medieval priest and a medieval imam, it is necessary to fully analyse their purpose as a leader within their religion, their influence upon the people of that religion in terms of their relationship with God and also to acknowledge their irreligious purpose in medieval life. Between the two, it is perhaps easy to argue that the role of a medieval priest is far greater than that of a medieval imam, but before this conclusion is jumped to, it is important to ensure both roles are looked at anachronistically due to the ever-changing nature of religion. In order to answer this question it is important to view the roles of a priest and an imam, not individually but in regard to the other to find a true comparison. In terms of looking at a medieval priest, perhaps one of the most important things for contemporaries is that essentially, the priest was representative of god, hence in a time of deep-seated spiritualism, his role was vital to any community, and placed him and his clergy amongst the first estate, the most important in society. This idea of a representation of God comes form his specific acts that he could partake in, particularly the role to ‘absolve men and women of their sins for the act of confession’. Obviously this was incredibly important, and if we consider this...
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