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Elements of Religious Tradition Rel/134

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Elements of Religious Tradition Rel/134

Elements of Religious Tradition
UoP Student
REL/134
October 24, 2011
UoP Facilitator

Elements of Religious Tradition Religious traditions influence people and even more important cultures across the world on a daily basis. Religions have many differing views on what or who represents the divine and offer many perspectives on exactly how to worship or pay respect to those identified as the divine. The subsequent paragraphs will investigate how religious traditions describe and encourage relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or the natural world and relationships with each other will ensure a more thorough understanding of differing religions. Additionally, providing several examples from various religious traditions will go one step farther in enhancing that understanding. The foundation to any successful religious belief is to establish a relationship with the divine.
The Divine
Since the dawn of time spiritual relationships with the Divine have been prevalent as part of the human existence in the natural world. Different religions refer to the sacred by various names such as Great Spirit, the Holy, the Divine, the Great Mother, the Ultimate, and the Absolute. One of the most globally known references to an originating holiness is God. According to Malloy (2010), the term God often carries with it the notion of a Cosmic Person; a divine being with the will and intelligence is just, compassionate, and infinite in virtues. Religions differ in the perspectives from a God, multiple gods, spirits, and even see nature as the Divine. Key to any religion is

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