Rel 133: Elements Of Religion

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Elements of Religion Manuel A. Munoz Rel/133 March 6th 2013 Doctor Isaac Mwaze Elements of Religion Religion is a complex concept that is not easily explainable and in some circumstances, it is completely different when compared side by side to other belief systems. Huxley’s definition of religion “is a way of life founded upon the apprehension of sacredness in existence (as cited by Molloy & Hilgers, 2010). Most people do not bother to leave their comfort zone to experiment with religion and often assume all religions are the same. According to Molloy and Hilgers, “Traditionally religion is defined as a system of belief that involves worship of a God or gods, prayer, ritual, and a moral code.” The way each religion operates may vary and although some of the practices seem similar, each follows their own guidelines and the interpretation in their scriptures could be entirely…show more content…
One of the most common critical issues within a religion is their scriptures. According to Molloy and Hilgers (2010) “Sometimes the texts of the scriptures were incomplete, or the translations that scholars might need to depend on were not accurate.” Incomplete text means that there is room for error within the translation and in most cases; the scriptures could in fact translate to something different, leaving too much room for interpretation depending on the scholar translating it and the people reading it. Molloy and Hilgers (2010) also mention, “Another large area of concern involved the study of religions that did not have written scriptures but had only oral traditions.” This leaves room for too many questions and again, a large margin for interpretations. The lack of resources in the early years meant that scholars did not count with historical accuracy to reference as far as translating some of these
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