...Elements of Religious Traditions REL/134 May 13, 2013 Elements of Religious Traditions Religious traditions share many common elements. First, religious traditions often describe and encourage a relationship with the divine. Further, religions frequently describe and encourage relationships with sacred times and events, for example, a holy birth. Additionally, religious traditions may possess common beliefs concerning sacred space and the natural world. For example, many religions teach earth is sacred, whereas others teach earth is imperfect. Moreover, religious traditions frequently define relationships with other religions, for example, as good or bad. People who study religion often encounter key critical issues, including limited data, unwritten information, and preconceived ideas. Though many religious traditions share common elements, beliefs, and relationships, religion can be difficult to study. Religious traditions often define their relationship with a divine. Religions usually portray their relationship with a scared as a superior-inferior relationship, where people are inferior to the sacred (Molloy, 2010). Some religions describe their relationship with the divine as special, where other religions do not define their relationship at all. For example, Christians teach the Earth’s inhabitants are a main concern of the sacred, whereas Confucians teach people have no relationship with the divine (Molloy, 2010). Still, Buddhists contend sacred’s...
Words: 1076 - Pages: 5
...Elements of Religious Traditions Paper Elements of Religious Traditions Paper Religious tradition plays a significant role in the lives of human beings around the world whether a person believes in a higher being or believes that there is no God or gods in control of the way the world works. Religion is said to have different meanings, but my understanding of the word religion is that it is a belief system or cultural system that can help re-connect the human reality with the sacred world by being a moral guide for the way human beings live although they are on earth. In this paper I will discuss how religious tradition describes or encourage relationships in many different aspect of life. Relationship with the divine can mean anything from being an obedient child of God that knows he or she is not perfect and is willing and able to ask for forgiveness of his or her sins. The relationship could be one not of belief, because of the many different events that have taken place in a person’s life that has lead them to think there is no god. What is the divine, the divine is said to be of, from, or belonging to god. A person’s relationship with the divine depends on many events and teachings that he or she experience throughout their life’s journey. Having a relationship with the divine helps he or she walks in the light and live according to god’s law or of the light of the religion in which a person or culture follows. While some may think a relationship with the divine can...
Words: 905 - Pages: 4
...Elements of Religious Traditions Religion comes in a number of varieties. What one group of people believes will find another believes something completely different. With all the various religious rituals and beliefs it is hard for anyone to understand all the customs and worship. Humans are constantly striving to find a sense of tranquility and harmony and searching for what will give them that sentiment and understanding. People bring thoughts from the religion they are brought up or predisposed too. under or from the principal religion of their circle. For example they may think that all religion has a sacred book, worships a heavenly being, or that it has a set of commandments (Molloy & Hilgers, 2010). Religion has eight elements, belief system, community, central myths, rituals, ethics, characteristics emotional experiences, material expressions, and sacredness (Molloy & Hilgers, 2010). Each religion has its own belief system and thoughts. It is no surprise that each religion characterizes in a different way the nature of sacred reality, the cosmos, the natural world, time and human purpose. Religions also vary in their way of thinking toward the role of words in conveying the sacred in their connections to other customs. Some religions speak of the sacred as transcendent, existing primarily in a space further than the everyday world. In other religions whereas sacred reality is spoken of as being immanent that is, it is within nature and human...
Words: 1037 - Pages: 5
...Elements of Religious Traditions Your name REL/133 December 13, 2012 Marcial Lopez Elements of Religious Traditions Religion is a way of life founded upon the apprehension of sacredness in existence. Religious rituals are often symbolic reenactments of a religion’s key stories. In the following paragraphs, I will explain how religious traditions describe and encourage the relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or natural world. I will then include examples of various religious traditions. Relationship with the divine Divinity is the power of having attributes and the quality of being divine. In earlier times, divinity was believed to give an explanation as to why natural disasters happened. The divine reasoning for things like hurricanes, eclipses, and even volcano’s erupting were explained. Over time, the same reasoning still is the basis to explain the ways that miracles happen. People believe that divine intervention takes place and reflects the truth of the person’s religion. Being divine is sacred. In my personal experience. Relationship with sacred time Life goes on as time goes on. When it comes to sacred time, the higher power and divinity comes through. Eternity is the sacred time that most religions live by. Time has no sacredness of its own, but rather, is a tool to be redeemed and employed by humans in order to participate and celebrate the eternal. Sacred time can connect members of the same religion together. It brings congregations...
Words: 1044 - Pages: 5
...Religion is a particular response to dimensions of life considered sacred, as shaped by institutionalized traditions. (Fisher, 2011) According to Ninian Smart, our lives have seven major dimensions: ritual, mythical, emotional, social, philosophical, ethical, and material; that are shaped or influenced by whatever tradition or religion a person practices. In order for us to determine if Earth is a religious planet, we will take a look into some of these dimensions from different traditions, and analyze if there is a main or common purpose. Every single person in Earth has asked themselves: “Where do I come from?” So, I will say all humans have the necessity to answer this question. Lets’ explore the mythical dimension of humans lives by looking into the three major groups. One group called “Christians” say that a God created the world and everything in it, including the first man and woman in six days, and from them all humans descend. Similar to Christians; Muslims also believe that a God (Allah) created the universe and everything in it from nothing. Another group called “Hindu’s” believe there is no beginning just the universe, and different gods sacrificed themselves to create the animals, sun, moon, and the humans. The practical and ritual dimension, is another criteria that we can look into. Ritual is an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or rite. One common ritual that human groups have is prayer. Christians view payer...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...Religion and Peace 22 indicative hours ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The focus of this study is the distinctive response of religious traditions to the issue of peace. Syllabus Outcomes: H1 explains aspects of religion and belief systems H2 describes and analyses the influence of religion and belief systems on individuals and society H5 evaluates the influence of religious traditions in the life of adherents H6 organises, analyses and synthesises relevant information about religion from a variety of sources, considering usefulness, validity and bias H7 conducts effective research about religion and evaluates the findings from the research H8 applies appropriate terminology and concepts related to religion and belief systems H9 coherently and effectively communicates complex information, ideas and issues using appropriate written, oral and graphic forms. Incorporating a Catholic emphasis: In approaching the teaching of this unit within the context of a Catholic Religious Education program it is expected that: 1. Each lesson would begin with prayer that is meaningful for students and pertinent to current local...
Words: 3661 - Pages: 15
...Hinduism faiths. Buddhism is widely practiced in the world being the fourth largest faith of believers in the world. Hinduism is number three in world and ranks within the top five faiths that are practiced in the world. Native American beliefs aren’t widely practiced throughout the world and health care employees can’t dismiss the Native American beliefs and the health care approach of medicine. Most Indian traditions teach the interconnectedness of all living things which lead to a relationship between man and creator, god, fellow man, and nature. Today’s tribal leaders in Native American Medicine find the term Shaman or Medicine Man a derogatory term and may be considered offensive. In many Indian traditions, healing, spiritual belief, and community were not separated because often the entire community was involved in a healing ceremony and maintaining the power of Indian medicine. The term medicine is often used to denote actions, traditions, ceremony. Remedies or other forms of prayer or honouring the sacred healing is considered sacred work and in many Indian traditions can’t be effective without considering the spiritual aspect of the individual. The beliefs of the patient must be taken in to account and respect for their beliefs is as important as anyone else’s. Taking care of Native American patients is crucial because care providers should never make assumptions, some patients may not believe or...
Words: 1368 - Pages: 6
...the world. Some of them are monotheistic, meaning that they only believe in one God, and some are polytheistic, meaning that they believe in more than one God, or nondualist, meaning that sacred reality cannot be numbered at all. Some examples of these religions are Australian Aboriginal groups, Native American Indians, African religions, Mesopotamian, Zoroastrianism, Greek, Celtics, Germanic, Hinduism, Jains, and Sikhs. Most of these religions have been practiced for centuries and are still practiced today. There are many similarities and many different ways of these religions. However, within these religions, we are able to compare and contrast some of their religious beliefs, their overall ideas, and how they try to satisfy their human needs. Primal definition is, “original,” the Australian Aborigines, Native American Indians, and African religions are primal religions. “Aborginigine,” means from the beginning. Aboriginal religion is best understood for a vision of the nature and how they are linked and connected with nature and everything around it. Aboriginal spiritually entails a close relationship between humans and the lands. They call the beginning of the world the “Dreaming” or “Dreamtime.” In the “Dreamtime,” aboriginal “Ancestors” rose from below the ground to form the Earth and its resources and lifeforms. Aboriginal belief does not place any human or species higher then nature. Aboriginal many gods/ deities they worshiped and believe in, making them polytheistic...
Words: 2231 - Pages: 9
...Elements of Religious Rona Williams REL/133 May 26, 2014 Elements of Religious Religion is significant to many who believe in the bible and so are all of their religious traditions. In describing the basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred. It offers many seculars a reason for wanting to live and a comfort of security, The knowledge or awareness’s is the driving force behind the belief of one God a higher power and for some the sacred. I will include what a religious tradition says including its teachings, texts, doctrine, stories, myths, and others, What a religious tradition does including worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth, and how a religious tradition organizes including leadership, relationships among members, and so forth. Christianity and its teachings was organized Religious tradition is a custom that people of one religion do because it was done for many years by supernatural beings or idols. These traditions are different for each different religion. In studying each religion, it is noted that each has texts, stories, myths, and other traditional aspects that permits others or bible believers read about the traditions of that religion. The Hindu religion is known to be the hardest religion to study and many other texts that tell the stories of the lives of certain high gods, goddesses, and/or heroes. It also explains why we must celebrate certain holidays and how we should celebrate them. Most of...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...Running head: ISLAM’S SACRED TEXT Islam’s Sacred Text Name [Professor] [University] [Course Title] There are three sacred texts in the Islamic religion these are the Quran, The Sunna, and the Sufi. The Quran is the holy book of the Muslims. It literally means the recitation (Zwemer 2002). It is the most holy text of the religion and central to the faith. It is also the best-known sacred text of Islam. The Muslims claimed that Allah handed down the words of the Quran to Mohammed through an angel named Jibril (Zwemer 2002). It was composed for a period of approximately 20 years sometime in 610 CE to 630 CE. Quran literally means recitation. The Muslims considered this text as a miracle and a proof of Mohammed’s prophethood. The Muslim believed that the Quran is the final authority when it comes to matters of faith and doctrine. It is considered divine and sacred. However, although the Quran is the most holy and sacred text of the Islamic religion it is not the sole source of inspired message and tradition among the Muslim. The Muslim as of equal importance to the faith also views the Sunna. Sunna means a clear path. The Muslim considered the Sunna as the record of what the prophet had said, done, condoned or condemned (Zwemer 2002). In other words, the Sunna is the complete biography of the prophet. Here, it discussed the Mohammed’s customs, practices teachings and sayings. The Sunna give the Muslim...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...Elements of Religious Traditions Brenda L. Miller REL 133 - Week One Assignment March 3, 2014 Calvin Habig Elements of Religious Traditions In an attempt to seek answers of the mysteries within our universe, people use the basic components of religion, critical issues, and various religious traditions to worship and honor a higher power, god, divine, spiritual being, or an eternal world to receive fulfillment and comfort in life. It is this sacredness which brings the mind, body, and spirit together as the foundation toward religion in daily life. Gaining an understanding of the basic components of religious traditions, some of the critical issues in religion, and various religious traditions will allow individuals further insight on the elements of religion. The basic components of religious traditions will explain how religions organize, what they do, and say. Basic Components of Religious Traditions The religions of the world give insight into traditions, what religions share, insight of people, tolerance/appreciation of differences, intellectual questioning, insight into daily life, appreciation of the arts, an enjoyment of travel, family traditions, and personal religious quests (Molloy, 2010). To believe in a higher power, a deity, spiritual being, creator, divine, God, group of gods, or have a faithful following of an eternal world is to be religious. A tradition is a repetitive behavior with a significant reasoning or meaning that continues over time. ...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
...Is Planet Earth A Religious Planet? Kevin R. Graves Religion 212 Professor Farnham Strayer University 02/03/12 Is planet earth a religious planet? On the surface it would appear that it is. There are rituals, ceremonies and traditions that the people of earth follow in accordance with their respective religions. On the other hand, in some religions there is corruption, and misdeeds. Also, there are wars fought in the name of religion, which makes me think that religion is not a good thing. In this report, I will be reporting on five of the earth’s 20 major religions. I will be exploring their customs, practices and functions. Along the way, I will comment on the negative aspects of the religion, if any. The ultimate goal of this report is to determine if earth is a religious planet. I started my journey in the East, where I studied Christianity. In Christianity, the people attend church every Sunday or chose to worship at home in their own way. Christianity is a monotheistic religion and the people worship a higher power called God. The people of Christianity follow Ten Commandments that states: Thou shall not, steal, kill, lie, worship Idols, use the lord name in vein, commit adultery, covet what your neighbors have, and in addition to that, one should honor thy Parents, and keep the Sabbath holy. These Commandments are found in the Christian Bible, which is a collect of ancient scriptures, that the Christians hold as the Word of God. Christians...
Words: 1283 - Pages: 6
...Mormons What is Mormonism? Who is a Mormon? And what place does Mormonism have in the religious tradition of the United States today? This paper will attempt to give readers a better understanding of the Mormon religion by detailing the history of the religion from its beginnings to today. It will also describe what a typical church or “temple” (as Mormons call their place of worship) service is like. It will also describe any holidays the Mormon people celebrate that correspond with the Christian holidays of other Christian sects. It will not attempt to judge the Mormon religion, as either good or bad, as has been so frequently done in the popular media. Rather than judging it, this paper will attempt to achieve a greater understanding of the religion in its context in the Christian religious tradition and the American religious tradition. In 1820, according to the Mormon faith, Joseph Smith (1806-1844) prayed to God to ask him for a sign that would tell him what church he ought to join. Instead, Jesus Christ and God appeared to the young man and told him he ought to found what the Mormon Church is today. Smith was fourteen at the time, a farmer from the region of western New York known as the "burned-over district" because of its unrelenting religious enthusiasm. (All About Mormons Website) Mormons believe that this revelation to Smith was similar to that of God to Saul. They refer to Smith as “The Prophet” because his revelation was transmitted to...
Words: 2989 - Pages: 12
...Reflection Growing up in a small rural Ohio town, I attended Presbyterian Church with my parents for as far back as I could remember. Every Sunday we would gather and hold service with our tiny congregation. The thought of seeing family members was more important at the time than worshiping God to me as a little boy. Today, many beliefs, morals, and traditions have resulted from those years as a child in that little church. Despite growing up with such a tight knit religious community, today community does not hold the same value it once did. I have grown into the belief that I can worship God without needing to actually be present for Sunday church. The ability to pray and talk to God can be done outside the confines of the church walls in my eyes. Many have said that you must attend church services to truly feel god, but I feel that being in the church does not make God’s voice any louder. Being Presbyterian does come with its central myths. These myths come directly from the bible, as do most Christians. The stories of the resurrection, the Ten Commandments, the creation of the Earth in a week, and of course the first humans; Adam and Eve. These bring back fond memories of listening to exciting tails from the bible. I would set in children’s bible study hanging on every word the teacher read. Like most religions, Presbyterians have religious rituals. Communion and baptism are the most common. I was baptized when I was a child, as were my younger brother...
Words: 1053 - Pages: 5
...The Theology of the Christmas Carol Over decades music has been synonymous with the celebration of special moments. This could not be truer than the tradition of listening to carols during the Christmas season. Whether they are sacred or secular, these timeless carols tend to leave a lasting impression in people’s hearts. For some, just listening to a scared Christmas carol can be emotional experience. For the simple reason that: they tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and the gift of a second chance. On the other hand, there is something magical about the secular Christmas carols. They are a reminder of childhood traditions and joyful celebrations. Unquestionably, these special carols will continue to be a staple of the Christmas celebration. The contrasting...
Words: 1514 - Pages: 7
