...Aimee Arcoraci-Davies HISC 114: Theology and Politics Final Paper: Prompt 4/5 9 December 2013 How does the self simultaneously live within a virtual world and a physical analog world? When has being bound to religious doctrines and societal dogmas become the factor that constricts one’s potential to freedom from the binary of existing inside or outside the realms of tolerance? Through setting temporal boundaries, one establishes from the allegorical world of the kingdom of God and the rational/visible world of Man. Or are we all ultimately influenced by our digital reflection as exposed through the virtual networks of the Internet and our computer-generated selves? Where is the line between what is real and what is fantasy? As humans, we naturally experience the world analogically by recognizing infinite patterns of data throughout our mundane lives, while digitally we must submit to a finite code or password to identify ourselves to the digital community. In turn, by manipulating and possibly falsifying virtual identities, one can live an alternate, and sometimes dangerous, life through creation of an artificial self, through prosthetic vision and creation of the cyborg. The modernity of humans communicating through machines and developing a highly complex reflective system of digital information that relies on the analog world to input material knowledge suggests that seeking and attaining justice in the analog world is a virtualization exercise. This essay will discuss...
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...Major Religion in History Religion has played a vital role throughout the course of human history, dating back all the way to the earliest historic period. Religion organizes societies, while also giving the citizens a set of morale rules to follow. This set of rules makes society conform to the way each developing city believes that its citizens should act, think, and represent the society at large. Each civilization had different views on the way a citizen should behave, and each view has reflected in each of the separate religions. Religion in differing societies all have different patterns, in terms of god's, laws to abide by, and an end reward; each different pattern making society behave differently to abide by each set of rules and...
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...Tokugawa Religion The period between 1603 and 1868 presented one of the most remarkable eras of the Japanese history. This period is referred to as Tokugawa Japan. The era is mostly characterized with the widespread peace that spurned a period of two and a half centuries as well as heightened technological and economic growth. The period is also known for its strong political formation as well as a cultural domination that was supported by various factors. One of the elements that provided a strong support for the period was the religious structure practiced by the communities during the era. It is important to note that religion is also an important consideration when looking at the elements that resulted in Tokugawa. The prominent religious beliefs...
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...Introduction Religion, due to its specific nature and the desire to go as deeply as possible into people's lives, step in the socio-political life, defining the political structure of society, moral and cultural values and even economic life. The simplest example of relation between religion and politics is when the government becomes the center of religion. That means the governor or leader is proclaimed as God. For example Roman empire, people worship to the Emperor. Another example of relation between politics and religion is the subordination of the political power to religious structures. All political power belong to the chief representative of the religion. For instance, Pope in Vatican or Dalai Lama in Tibet. Synthia- Christianity Laura- Buddhism Buddhism- one of the ancient religions. The fate of Buddhism in various countries was different: in one it was superseded by other religions, in others, on the contrary, has strengthened, but in both cases its influence on various aspects of social life was great. It manifested itself in political doctrines, and culture. In Kampuchea was widespread situation“king as a God" so Buddhism performs certain functions, then the higher Buddhist monks actively participated in the political struggle Buddhism and democracy: the legitimation of mixed regimes and opposition protest On the background of the Buddhist revival could not appear new ideology and organization, synthesizing Buddhism and the democratic (party...
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...Book Review on Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History and Stephen Tomkins’ A Short History of Christianity Religion is a set of beliefs followed by a group of people and it usually involves a set of moral codes and devotion to a greater force. The vast amount of religions allows individuals to identify themselves within the values of certain doctrines. By analyzing two books whose main subject is religion, it was possible to learn and comprehend two of the most popular religions in the world. Stephen Tomkins’ A Short History of Christianity is a non-biased text where he carefully and meticulously explains the rise of Christianity as well as taking in consideration some other beliefs. On the other hand, Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History, is a text that aims to diminish existing misunderstanding and misinterpretations of one of the world’s most important religions. For people who do not know much about the history of Christianity, Stephen Tomkin’s book is an excellent starting point, since it goes back to when Christians were Jews and both religions were considered the same yet “just one more new version of the faith of Jesus”(Tomkins, 76). It is important to say that people, who already know the Bible can also read this book for it gives specific details, and it accounts some historical limitations as well. For instance, he talks about Paul, one of Jesus’ apostles, and the letters he wrote to the church, telling and reminding people of God’s son’s miracles...
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...Abrahamic Religions is an important and insightful book, which examines the creation of “Abrahamic religions” and how this category was spread. His main point throughout the book is that the term is an invented term. Hughes problem that we see throughout his book is that this term often crosses over into academy and this causes the term to be too broadly used as a canopy that encompasses these three religions as the same. In the beginning of chapter one, Hushes makes the statement, “if we simply import interfaith vocabulary and assume it then performs analytical work, our attempts to understand religion as a social and cultural practice becomes highly problematic”. Hughes discusses the ways in which Abrahamic religions has become an intellectual...
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...Contents Introduction 1 History 1 Evolution of Judaism and Christianity 2 Practices of Judaism and Christian 2 Similarities between Judaism and Christianity 4 Differences between Judaism and Christianity 4 Conclusion 5 References 6 Introduction Religion is a sacred entity in many cultures. Throughout the history and even today we see the practice of religion in all the places of the world. Religion is defined as an organized system of belief, ceremonies, practices and worship that centers on one or more gods. Religion continues to be a dominant force around the world, affecting everything from what people wear to how they behave. There are thousands of religions in the world and from that Judaism is the religion of more than fourteen million Jews throughout the world and it was first major religion to teach the existence of only one god. The basic laws and teachings of Judaism come from Torah, the first five books of Hebrew Bible. Christianity is the largest religion in the world with about two billion followers. It is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most of the Christians are member of one of the three groups: Roman Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox. The following pages concentrate on Judaism and Christianity and their history, practices, similarities and differences. History Judaism began about 4,000 years as the religion of small Middle Eastern group of people called Hebrews or Jews. Hebrew or Jews belief they were protected and...
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...The world we live in is surrounded by many faces of different colors, separate beliefs and values that makes the essence of one’s life. Throughout our day to day life it is impossible to not come in contact with someone that does not believe and share the same practice and religion base as you do. There are several different religion but the main three are Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. In the beginning Christianity, Judaism, and Islam was somehow connected, unfortunately due to disobedience what was first one end up becoming three, in which caused different beliefs followed by different gods. Along with these beliefs came may struggles to obtain and carry out the very thing that they were proven to be right, pure and true. The Islamic religion believes that Allah “was the creator and sustainer of life” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 425.) Christianity believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. Judaism also believes that God is the creator and sustainer of life. All three religion believes there is a higher power. Islam describes Jesus as a prophet as described here, “He encountered angels and the great prophets of the past, including Abraham and Jesus,” (Molly, M., 1999, Page 428) Judaism also describes Jesus as a prophet as well because Jesus, in their opinion, did not save the Jews. They believed that the real Messiah was going to become their military leader on earth and create an Eden in Jerusalem. They had expected the real Messiah to expel the Romans and rule...
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...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 The Bible Among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature?. By John N. Oswalt. Grande Rapides, MI: Zondervan, 2009. Introduction Oswalt begins by discussing the origins of this book. How that at the close of the Second World War people had begun to re-evaluate some of their long held beliefs. As Oswalt would have said their paradigms began to shift. As this shift began people such as Albright and his students say a major difference between Jewish religion and the other religions of the ANE. As time passed this pendulum began to swing in the other direction, scholars no longer found the major difference in the religions but began to view them as variation on the other major religions found in the ANE. Judaism was only a few steps down the evolutionary ladder from the other religions of the ANE. As scholars began to look at the religion of the ancient Israelites, they found concepts that were troubling to them in the light...
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...Yoruba and Judaism There are a vast amount of religions recognized today. Originating in different parts of the world, and developing through different time periods, these religions revolve around distinct characteristics built upon years of tradition. One of the world’s primal religions is the Yoruba religion. Practised for more than one thousand years, this ancient religion has been the key form of worship for the people of the western regions of central Africa. Through the use of rituals, ancestors and special leaders, members of the Yoruba religion aim to establish the balance between human beings and gods. In contrast, Judaism, a religion established many years later, highlights the covenant between God and the people. Through the use of the Torah, festivals and a unique history, Jews fulfill their belief as the chosen people. While both religions possess similar aspects, significant differences exist between the two. Religions of the world are unique in the sense that every religion has a different understanding of what they believe is god. When closely examined, the Yoruba religion in comparison to Judaism, hold different beliefs on theism. Back in the earlier days, polytheistic religions (the worship of many gods) were the only religions that were known. The Yoruba faith has developed over the worship of many gods, using these different deities to communicate with the supernatural. Followers of the faith can agree that Yoruba’s early polytheistic developments are...
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...change over the century in India? Introduction Even though there are numerous traditional religions in the Middle East and specifically in India, Buddhism has stood out as the most popular of all. This religion is recorded as having a history of approximately two thousand five hundred years. There are numerous attributes associated with this religion. One of these attributed, as stated by Duiker and Spielvogel, is that it is flexible and adapts freely to numerous local perceptions, practices and beliefs while at the same time upholding the core teachings of Buddha (p. 556). Buddhism is believed to have grown from a very humble beginning to become one of the internationally recognized religions. This religion enjoys a huge geographical coverage which is largely attributed to its tolerant spirit, incorporation of a myriad of beliefs, practices and traditions. The popularity of Buddhism has been growing significantly ever since it was established. Currently the religion is believed o have a global following totaling to over 400 million people. This implies that Buddhism is no longer a preserve of beliefs and practices for some local people in Asia. It has turned out to be a means of fulfillment to the concerns and spiritual needs of the people as well as a way of attaining trans-local objectives. Most of the studies carried out on the subject of Buddhism have revealed that this religion has undergone numerous transformations to become a powerful force not only in India, but also...
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...experiences related to class, gender, ethnicity, religion, caste, family and kinship arrangements, or other indices of social differentiation, to fully appreciate the complex history of Asia.’ The area known to us as Asia sits on the eastern side of the landmass of Eurasia and is the largest continent, encompassing a staggering 17 million square miles. Asia is home to a variety of cultures, religions, governments and mindsets, giving it a wide base for a complex history involving largely different groups of people. These different groups, or ethnicities, all formed their own histories over time, which when combined together give Asia more than one past, they arise into an intricate and comprehensive history fashioned by a diversity of experiences. Therefore, there is no ‘single’ Asian past; we must delve into each single experience to gain insight into the prolific and wide ranging history that gathers under the one banner of ‘Asia’. Each country within Asia has its own geographic links to other nations and cultures. These links were expanded on by exploration, trade routes and missionary ventures. These vital networks allowed cultural influences to travel from country to country, resulting in each nation in Asia receiving different influences from the next. In turn, this led to widespread variety amongst individual countries. These networks were invaluable to allow the able interaction of cultures, and formed the groundwork for a history of communication. Each society within...
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...Investigate a Social Issue Jacquelyn Wintersteen Don Anderson Introduction to Sociology December 9, 2012 Religion plays a large role in society across the globe, whether it’s being recognized by believers or non-believers. The main religions that have been viewed around the world for most of our developments are Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There have been new religions forming, such as Mormonism, which have been aiding in the reshaping of our societies and tolerance. For a good part of human existence, religion has been a factor of life, shaping the mind of the Homo sapiens. Hinduism is viewed as the world’s oldest religion, dating back to 2nd century BCE. Hinduism had gone through great change over the centuries, beginning with the change of the Aryan Gods, originally including Indra, Soma, and Agni, with Vishnu and Shiva as minor deities that become the main deities by 300BCE. Mahatma Gandhi has become the ‘face’ of Hinduism since the 1950’s, when he attempted to abolish the caste system within the religion. Hinduism has segregated its followers into ‘castes’, which include the Brahmins, the ritual priests, Kshatriyas, the warriors, Vaishyas, the merchants, and lastly the Shudras, the manual laborers (Kinnard, 2012). The caste system is separated much like the class system of earlier eras where Church was at the top, followed by Nobles, merchants, and the lower class of laborers. Buddhism was created out of dissatisfaction for Hinduism in 5th...
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...Why should we preserve history? We should preserve history for several reasons. The first reason is because we will learn from the mistakes people made in the past and try not to repeat them. The second reason is so we will understand civilizations got to where we are today. The third reason is to learn about what causes conflicts and wars so we can help identify when they might be occurring. We should preserve history so we don’t make the same mistakes we did in the past. Things would not reoccur in the future if we knew what happened in history we would know how to prevent things from happening again. We would see signs that happened in the past and we will know how to keep more things from happening. More wars have and will be prevented because of history, inventions will be improved, and sickness will be cured because we know what happens if you do a certain thing. The next reason is so we will know how civilizations got to where we are today. If we didn’t have history we would not know what works best for civilizations. History helps us learn how laws we created; if we did not have laws the world would be chaos. Laws are sometimes based on religion. Religions are also very important in history. Religion is what a human believes how they got here, why they are here, and where they are going. Everyone has a religion whether you admit it or not, every civilization has one or many dominate religion like Americas dominate religion is Christianity. The last reason is to...
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...Introduction This paper will discuss about the history of Islam, the importance of three elements Qur’an, Five pillars, and Ramadan. Lastly differences and similarities in how the branches of Islam (Sunni, Shiite, and Sufi) practice their traditions. Islam is a religion that was founded and based all in one faith God, Allah. In Arabic the word Islam means "submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship (Islam, 2016). Islam is not just a religion it is a way of life. A Muslim is someone who follows the religion of Islam. The relationship between these two words is that Islam is actually an Arabic word that means, "to submit, and Muslim is also Arabic for "one who submits (The root, 2010). Islam is a religion in which, like any other religion, has beliefs and traditions that have been passed down through different generations. History of Islam Islam is one of the largest religions in the world, with over 1 billion followers. The most divine statement or “Shahada” in Islam is (bibilical training, 2015). There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger. Islam was established in Arabia and it follows all the rules given by God through Muhammad, the prophet. Islam is an Arabic term that signifies “surrender” in general terms (The root, 2010). However, it signifies giving up fully to God in its exact religious meaning. Muslims are those who practice this religion or those who give up themselves to God. For them, God is the ultimate creator who will...
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