Zhi Dun was very trusted by aristocrats and since they were the ones to have more power and pleasures, Zhi Dun must have specifically wanted them to know about a buddhist lifestyle and Confucianism. While Buddhism was being spread throughout China, there was a period of political instability. It was a horrible period and and aristocrats were important so this new religion could offer them a life free of sorrow. There were many problems during this time and Buddhism offered something better to focus on and look forward to. Document 3 shows questions that a scholar had and many more people could have had also.
Functionalists believe that religion performs several functions, both for society as a whole, and for society’s individual members. Durkheim established a distinction between the sacred and the profane as the key feature of religion. Sacred objects provoke powerful feelings amongst worshippers, and Durkheim described the act of worshipping these objects as collective. Although scared objects differ between religions, they all perform the function of uniting members of the community. For Durkheim, if all of the members of a society are part of the same religion, they all share the same belief system, encouraging the collective conscience, by binding individuals together and reinforcing the norms and values of society.
We use the phenomenological approach as a way to interpret data that we observe from several different religions. For example we can use phenomenology to look at what different religions define as sacred and compare them all to come up with an outline of what has to occur and what the requirements are to call something sacred to a religion. Kelsay and Cunningham describe the sacred as, “an abstraction, a concept that allows us to group together and consider a number of different things.” (Cunningham and Kelsay 26) this means that there needs to
First Essay First Essay Exam: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism The four religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism have their differences in their outlook of world point of view, but they do share some similarities in their humanity views. All four religions have the faith of inner peace which is called Samsara. Throughout the culture there faith is not to do harm to others and they believe in reincarnation (Karma) that is what they treasure and try to purify their bodies as to prepare their character for their next existence. The main goals in the religions is to spread their teachings throughout the globe in order to end violence and also reduce poverty so that the entire world has equal opportunity to eat healthy and live in peace and harmony. One of their main objectives is also to be authentic and be devoted to their belief as to follow the traditions to the book and do not do anything that was unlawful by their leader.
Although Buddhism and Christianity were different in that Buddhism spread nonviolently due to Buddhism Principles, while Christianity spread violently through invasions due to the spread of the religion to different regions . They were more similar in that both religions expanded and grew larger after the conversion of powerful political leaders because political rulers of different empires sent missionaries to foreign lands to spread the religion. They were also more similar in that both religions spread along the silk road because the movement of people and ideas along the silk road led to cultural diffusion. Buddhism spread nonviolently through the movement of monks and missionaries along the silk road. The missionaries that were sent by Ashoka Maurya wanted to spread their religon in a peaceful way, so they don’t disobey Buddhism philosophy.
Functionalism: Two functionalist called Talcott Parsons and George Murdock argued that every single society will have a religion due to religious institutions have certain functions which have a say to the survival of the system as whole just as the organs of the body have functions which are essential for the body’s survival. People are born into civilization and automatically become the product of all the social influences around them as they are socialised by a variety of institutions such as the family, education system, media and religion. Functionalism normally sees civilization as a system; for example a set of interconnected
Feminists, much like Marxists also have a negative view of religion. They see religions as another way of belittling women as religions tend to have patriarchal organisations such as Catholic churches that don’t allow women to become
‘Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world in which both can flourish…We need each other to be what we must be, what we are called to be’ (Pope John Paul II). Throughout history, from the times of Galileo Galilei and his proposition of a heliocentric universe, to Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution, the debate between religion and science has been heated and controversial. Although the argument continues today, a middle ground has emerged which raises the question of duality between the two. Whilst a contextual understanding of the Judeo-Christian story of creation is compatible with modern scientific theories,
Proponents of ‘Intelligent Design’ question the veracity of evolution through natural selection. This paper will argue that the debate about Intelligent Design is a continuation of the crisis initiated by Darwin’s theory of evolution and it remains a contentious issue for many Christians today. Like all religions, usually in response to a crisis of some description, Christianity has changed throughout its history. However, the concept of modernity is regarded as a particularly profound crisis for Christianity. (Weeks, O’Toole & Crowe, 2012, p100) A number of interconnected events beginning with the development of modern science and changes in social and political ideologies since the time of the Industrial Revolution, succeeded in shattering the antiquated social structures of Christian Europe.
Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths and accordingly follow the Eightfold path which describes the ways in which one must live. Hindu scriptures advocate the pursuit of many goals in ones life including righteous living, wealth, prosperity, love and happiness. The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana. Both religions stem from the same values but still have many different beliefs.