Category: Religion

Hinduism is the oldest of the major world religions. It began so long ago that no one really knows how old it really is, but it goes back at least 5000 years. The Hindus think it has always existed. The name ‘Hindu’ comes from an old name for people who . . . Read more

The Cosmological argument is an argument that starts from the existence of the universe, and from this attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument is a posteriori, i.e. it draws on experience from the material world. It is important to state that the most this argument can hope . . . Read more

A comparison of Judaism and Christianity provides many interesting perspectives on the issue of faith that characterize and separates them. These two faiths have much in common yet there are glaring fundamental differences that separate them. What makes the contrasts between Judaism and Christianity so fascinating is that in spite . . . Read more

The teaching of ‘no self’ or anatta in Buddhism can be a misleading one. There are many different views and interpretations on the subject and over the course of this essay, we will discuss the various understandings of anatta. The first thing that is needed to do when examining this . . . Read more

The first thing that is needed to do when looking at this question is to define exactly what is meant when we say ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’. An insider in religion can be described as somebody who is a full participant in his or her religion and is devoted to the . . . Read more

The literal term pagan comes from the Latin word Paganus, literally meaning country-dweller or rustic. If you were to ask other Wiccans (pagans) they would probably give you a different answer, but they would all have a ring of familiarity with each other. The reason they would all kind of . . . Read more

Meaning and Importance Daswand is an age-old tradition of voluntary offering or rather (more aptly put) a sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord as mentioned in Gita. It means the sacrifice of 10% of your earnings and is often misunderstood as Guru dakshina which it is not, it is a sacrifice . . . Read more

It is very difficult to describe religion in few lines as no definition can contain all the attributes of all the religions, hence it will remain incomplete. But for the sake of understanding, it can be said that religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that . . . Read more

According to Nyishi mythology, before the creation or evolution of the universe, there was emptiness and nothing existed. This particular phase was called Miim-Mama. After the phase of Miim-Mama there were two concurrent phases which were called Kullu and Kurium. Among the Nyishis, there are three different hypotheses/stories of the . . . Read more

In my opinion, religious belief is a fundamental want and not a need. The reason it’s a want as opposed to a need is that religion is something that has been around for years. Over such years it’s been changed from generation to generation. The one thing that hastens change . . . Read more

This essay briefly examines the world’s third-largest religion, which isn’t a religion at all! Introduction Hinduism is a system of belief that claims over 700 adherents, most of them in India. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the Code of Life, and is not strictly a religion. Nevertheless, . . . Read more

The historical figure of Abraham Assuming that the father of the three current monotheist religions did really exist, he should have lived, according to the first historians having studied that issue, in the 20th century BC, the date that other historians will descend finally to 18th century BC. And because . . . Read more

The members of some sects identifying themselves with the descendants of the Elohim, it is worth knowing what they mean by Elohim. According to them, these Elohim are divine creatures originating from other planets or galaxies, and they came, in old time, on earth, with their high intelligence, so that . . . Read more

Do the Book of Exodus and other books of Pentateuch belong to History? Some scholars, by reading the Bible and the texts related to it, have expressed strong reserves as far as the historical veracity of events such as Exodus is concerned. But nobody can doubt, as Mr. Guy Rachet . . . Read more

To be objective, when knowing whether actors of the Bible did really exist or not, consists in studying documents and questioning scholars on these issues. But here is the problem : because themselves differ in their opinion, we have some good reason to doubt about the veracity of the facts . . . Read more

Among all the theories which have emerged from the speech of Plato, to know where is located the Atlantis island, and why it has disappeared, there is one which is rarely evoked and located the Atlantis on the celestial planisphere. From now on, the issue is: where to locate that . . . Read more

In his allocation of Ratisbonne, Pope Benedict XVI declares, among other things: (the translation in English – here from the french version of the discourse – is from us): In the seventh dialogue (dialexis – controversy) published by professor Khoury, the emperor [Manuel II Paléologue] approached the theme of jihad, . . . Read more

ONE WORLD, THREE SECTS, ONE FAITH? One can logically conclude that there are three dominant religions spanning across Earth’s oceans and many continents in the 21st century. Each of the three religions preaches tolerance towards one another as well as other religions in the sphere of humanity. However, these teachings . . . Read more

In the early part of the eleventh century, Christians led crusades to spread Christianity to the other religions of the world, mainly Muslims. However, the Crusades were not initially meant to be a religious war but instead to protect the Christians going on religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem from being persecuted . . . Read more

World religions are religions that are not only widely known but are also contrived by millions of worshipers. The six most popular world religions; Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are practiced by at least four billion people alone, almost three-fourths of the world’s population. These religions have many . . . Read more

On September 11th, 2001, the world was shocked and appalled to learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A terrorist attack of such precision and magnitude was unheard of. In the wake of those attacks, individuals and nations alike have been forced to re-evaluate . . . Read more

What is Shari’a and what role does it play in the lives of Muslims? This essay primarily seeks to determine what Shari’a is through an examination of its four main sources, or ‘usul. Firstly, the Qur’an and Sunna, which are generally considered divine law and the basic immutable truth for . . . Read more

A miracle is held to be an act of God, or an invisible agent, which goes against the laws of nature and has some religious meaning or significance. This is just one definition; there are many explanations as to what a miracle actually is. Hume says a miracle is: ‘ . . . Read more

“For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world”(The Office of Tibet). He often cites this favourite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth-century Buddhist saint Shantideva, to explain his . . . Read more

Buddhism is one of the more mainstream religions in the world and it is continually expanding throughout the world. Buddhism comes from budhi, which means “to awaken”, the goal of Buddhism. Like all religions, there are many sects of Buddhism. There are over 80,000 different types of Buddhism, the two . . . Read more

Some people who say they are acting in the name of religion may misunderstand their religion or practise it wrongly. For this reason, it is a mistake to form any idea of that religion from the activities of these people. The best way to understand Islam is through its holy . . . Read more

Your Lord says, “Call on Me and I will answer you. Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell abject.” (Qur’an, 40:60) According to the Qur’an, prayer, meaning “calling, giving expression, requesting, seeking help,” is a person’s turning sincerely to Allah, and seeking help from Him, the . . . Read more

We are living in an era in which the world is desperately in need of peace, friendship, and solidarity. The tensions and conflicts that so defined the twentieth century continue in this new century and innocent people all around the world continue to suffer from them. Despite the urgent need . . . Read more

Gandhi was an important man in India, who influenced much of the country. He was born in Western India in 1869 and was raised Hindu. At age thirteen, Gandhi entered his arranged marriage and a few years later went to attend law school in London. In 1893, Gandhi became an . . . Read more

Hinduism has many ceremonies and rituals. First off, they all believe that the priest had to read the newborn baby’s horoscope to determine the name. They looked at the stars and drew the night sky. That helped to show the baby’s future. If the name were not informed there would . . . Read more

Somewhere in the sixth century BCE Buddhism was born, born from a single man Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha. After gaining his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha didn’t think that the rest of the world could handle all that he had learned. He did not want to teach others, . . . Read more

“Life is a battle between faith and reason in which each feeds upon the other, drawing sustenance from it and destroying it.” Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), a famous American theologian, wrote this quotation. It is Niebuhr who understands the concept of faith and accepts it as reality. What binds faith into . . . Read more

Siddhartha realized that happiness comes from spiritual peace and he spent his entire life searching for spiritual completion. His quest for inner-knowledge and self-realization developed in four stages. The first stage is that of an orthodox Brahmin’s son. In this stage, he read scriptures and performed the ritualistic sacrifice. The . . . Read more

Hinduism is more of a way of life than a Religion. It abounds with every possible name and forms for Truth or the Divine. This is because Hinduism requires that we see the same reality in all the diversity of creation – that we see the same Self in all . . . Read more

This is the age of fear, inequality and extreme forms of government. The 20th century has seen the rise and fall of totalitarian governments and the terror and loss of human lives as a result. Today in the West, there is a new kind of terror – Islamic Fundamentalism, which . . . Read more

Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest religion. Sikhism is one of the younger faiths of the world, as compared with religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It is a monotheistic faith, preaching the existence of only one God, and teaching ideas that may be universally accepted today and in . . . Read more

Jainism is one of the world’s oldest religions whose roots go back to times before recorded history. Those who follow Jainism are known as Ajaina or the followers of Jinas, from whom the teachings of this religion have been derived. Jainism’s teachers of old whose wisdom and spiritual evolution are . . . Read more

How did Christianity originate? According to the official teaching of the Christian Churches, “it originated in certain unique events which occurred in Palestine under the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius” (Robertson 63). Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occurred but which can never be proved. . . . Read more

A surface definition of Transcendental Meditation pictures it as a natural practice of relaxation for two 20-minute periods each day. During the process, one repeats a word, known as a *mantra*, in such a way that its rhythmic repetition aids the relaxation effort. The promoters of TM present it as . . . Read more

The Voice of Authority by George W. Marston asks a very important question: “Is the Voice of Authority God or Man?” Everyone has their own believes in truth and conduct. Whatever generated those beliefs inside each person, is that person’s voice of authority. That generator is either God or man. . . . Read more

I believe that religion is a crutch for the weak-minded. Religion extends to those who believe in it a sense of knowledge and understanding of the universe. It does not, however, offer any proof to back up its claims. Furthermore, people who devote all of their reasoning to a simple . . . Read more

Stories of creation can be found in almost every culture and are the basis of most religions. Man created stories to explain where he came from and how the world came into existence. Though they originated in the same part of the world, the Babylonian Enuma Elish and the Hebrew . . . Read more

In The Republic of Ireland, 93% of the citizens are Roman Catholic, 3% are Church of Ireland, and 4% are either Presbyterian or agnostic. Religion affects all aspects of society, especially politically because nearly all of the political leaders in The Republic of Ireland are Catholic; therefore the Catholic Church . . . Read more

Several factors played a part as to why Mary Rowlandson endured her captivity. One factor was that she had good housewife skills. Her status in the English community was also a factor. Pure luck is always a factor in a situation such as hers. But, the single most important factor . . . Read more

In this essay, I am going to talk about how the media portrays religious broadcasting. There are two main types of religious broadcasting these are worship and magazine, a religious programme will usually broadcast an entire Christian service. This service will include hymn singing, prayers, interviews and testimonials. A magazine . . . Read more

The Rig-Veda is a collection of hymns, which contain the mythology of the Hindu gods, and is considered to be one of the foundations of the Hindu religion. The Rig Veda was passed on orally for many generations. When they were written down, they were first written in Vedic, an . . . Read more

Throughout the history of mankind, most civilizations have had some kind of belief system or religion. In Asia, two of the belief systems that they practice there are Buddhism and Hinduism. Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways since Hinduism was derived from Buddhism. Both religions were polytheistic and . . . Read more

The controversies are raging today as to whether prayer should be allowed, or even mandated, in public schools. People of religious control over secular institutions and public schools argue that it is well within the first amendment to allow prayer in public schools, while opponents argue that this changes the . . . Read more

According to much of the Western culture Islam has been seen as a backwards and dangerous religion. This may be because of the ignorance of the Western culture or just the failure to completely understand the teachings behind the actions. The Western culture also only looks at the aspects that . . . Read more

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India from 560 to 480 B.C, founded Buddhism Buddhism, one of the major religions of the world. The time of the Buddha was one of social and religious change, marked by the further advance of Aryan civilization into the Ganges Plain, the . . . Read more

You had to know history to understand what Bosnia and Kosovo were all about. That conflict proved that the war between Christianity and Islam has never ended. Over the ages, it simply took on different forms. Because we live in such a highly secularized society, we cannot believe that America . . . Read more

When I was young I was one of those kids who asked “Why?” about three million times a day. I feel bad for my mom now, but when I was younger I just wanted to know it all. I wanted answers for everything and I still do, and I don’t . . . Read more

Three of the most famous writings from ancient civilizations are the writings of Confucius, Hammurabi’s code of laws, and Egypt’s Book of the Dead. At first, they seem very different, they’re from different times, regions, and religions, but they all offer a peek into what values ancient people considered important. . . . Read more

Denis Diderot was the most prominent of the French Encyclopedists, and his attacks on the political systems of France were some of the largest benefactors of the French Revolution. Diderot spent thirty years of his life compiling the Encyclopedie- an immense contribution to the Enlightenment of Europe- and dedicating the . . . Read more

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN 1) a woman who helped from the history of the tradition or who contributed to the historical development and cultural understanding of the religious tradition; a woman who, by her life, teaching and attitude, challenged or preserved the tradition and in some cases made . . . Read more

At the very core of every religion are gratitude, love and sincerity which are expressed in a variety of ways and yet they express and celebrate a shared essence. Good morning Sr. Margaret, Mr. Hazzaratti and Mr. Matek Today we will be explaining the common elements in religious expression in . . . Read more

European colonization of Aboriginal people had a big impact on Aboriginal belief systems and their society. A great example of this is the movie Rabbit-proof Fence. The Aboriginal people’s religion, language, and lifestyles had to change. The British way of life was enforced onto the Aboriginals. In 1931 it was . . . Read more

Topic: Religion is a worldview that acknowledges a Sacred Mystery that is imminent and/or Transcendent. Explain this statement. Religion is a worldview that acknowledges a Sacred Mystery that is imminent and/or Transcendent. Religion is a set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, it . . . Read more

As Moses knelt down before the Burning Bush to receive the Ten Commandments, the people were kneeling down before the golden calf to receive their cut. Money and religion have always been a paradox, a test, and a trial to those who struggle to live a spiritual life in this . . . Read more

Jung embarks upon a psychological discussion of religion through means of analysis, comparisons, and critiques of Western and Eastern tradition in hopes of finding a medium ground between the two cultures and a more stable, more fulfilled and healthy, spiritual self. As we shall discover, Jung, a Western Christian, places . . . Read more

Analysis of Life, Death and the After-Life in Religion Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle . . . Read more

Introduction “Even more so will you have to ensure that in the midst of a tautly educated and bred race you won’t make yourself a laughing stock through walking about scruffily crooked and lopsided? When, at last, you recognize your unconstructive build, the high shoulders, the clumsy feet, and the . . . Read more

The ritual that I chose to attend was a Roman Catholic baptism. This ritual was held on a Sunday afternoon. As I approached the church, there were approximately ten babies in white garments being admired by proud parents and families. Finally, everyone entered the church and took their seats in . . . Read more

Religion was a very vital part of life during the time of Hagar Shipley in the novel, The Stone Angel. It comes as no surprise that there is a strong presence of religious imagery throughout the novel. Through the positive and negative views on the church and religion portrayed by . . . Read more

Searching for an Appropriate Relation between Religion and Curriculum Design In recent years, increasing diverse attitudes to religious education in the classroom make many private and public schools have to face the controversy of ¡¨should religion be taught as a subject at schools?¡¨ (e.g., Kaiser, 2003; Slattery & Rapp, 2003; . . . Read more

Catholic Schooling is a significant issue in early American history. After Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, the English people, French, and Spaniard extended their territories and assimilated Indian by assigning missionaries and governors to develop Catholic schools in the New World. The Catholic schools in European colonies were established not . . . Read more

The Matrix is a futuristic, post-apocalyptic story of a man who struggles with the notion that he is the “One” chosen to liberate the world. Indeed, when Neo learns he is trapped in a computer-controlled world where nothing is real, he must accept his fate (a concept which he does . . . Read more

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world’s leading Islamicists and an Iranian professor of Islamic Studies (previously of Tehran University and currently of George Washington University), and president of the Foundation for Traditional Studies has presented the world with written and published eighteen books on the topic of Islam. Throughout . . . Read more