Rel 133: Elements Of Religious Traditions

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Elements of Religious Traditions Paper Howard Swiggett REL/133 September 11, 2012 Elements of Religious Traditions Paper Religion is the human enterprise by which a sacred cosmos is established. (Peter Berger’s 1967). Another meaning is “A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things that is to say, things set apart and forbidden (Durkheim1960). Religion is a way of life founded upon the apprehension of sacredness in existence. (Julian Huxley biologist). According to Dictiontary.com (2012), Religion is defined as the belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny. Religion has many meanings to different people.…show more content…
Other common elements are religion studies from each religion that they belong, a sacred book, or a set of commandants (Molloy 2010). These elements or characteristics are not all inclusive or pertain to each religion such as Zen Buddhism, does not worship a supreme being or Shinto does not have commandants. The standard characteristics of religion are Belief Systems, Community, Central Myths, Ritual, Ethics, Characteristics Emotional Experiences, Material Expressions, and Sacredness. These common characteristics are accepted within a religion but are not all inclusive. There is a reasonable amount of elements that manifest with society. The Belief System is a worldwide view throughout the universe and human being. The Community Element is grouped as followers and practice at one time. Ethics is a set of guidelines and Rituals are live ceremonies to establish or enhance beliefs. There have been many issues identified in the study of religion. The Texts information of scripture was sometimes incomplete or unreadable. Details were missing or exaggerated to expand on their teachings. Another critical area was oral traditions which could not be verified or even understanding what was meant at that time. Religion is very time-consuming and has been around for well over two hundred years. Religion is one of the hardest areas to discuss or even begin to…show more content…
These sacred events have sacrificed all kinds of behavior in order gain control of the spirit world. Rituals are another source of sacred practices such as Igbo rituals. Igbo tribes worship the goddess of earth, called Chukwu, or Chineke. The Igbo people envision that each person has their own spirits which could decide their fate. They have special ceremonies or rituals that mark significant events of life cycles. One of the most important rituals happens during funerals. Masks are worn, and religion dances are paraded around during these ceremonies. They also have wooden images of their ancestors that have daily rituals and provided food, water and sometimes blood of sacrificial
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