Psychology of religion - Essay Example

needs to acts in his own interests and to ward off things that will harm him.” (Retrieved from www.englishforums.com) Different communities maintain different religious beliefs, though attributes affiliated with the Supreme Being are similar to some extent. The same is the case with Christianity. Christianity is the most popular religion of the globe, as its followers are highest in number to all other faiths existing in the contemporary world. Christians have extracted the attributes of God from Biblical themes and stories.

But the philosophers contain diversified opinion regarding the background, description, existence and executions of these characteristics. Hodgson & King (1985) have discussed the philosophical views of eminent theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas of 13th century with the work of contemporary thinker Gordon Kaufman, in a comparative way, in their famous work under the title “Readings In Christian Mythology.” The work concentrates on the religious aspects of Christianity with reference of religious themes and beliefs in order to show the relation of human characteristics with those attributed with Almighty God. St. Aquinas is of the view that the merit and demerit of all the qualities obtained and possessed by humans have been determined as good or bad by Almighty God.

In other words, it is no t man that decides an action, an idea, a notion or a concept as good or bad; rather, these qualities have already been decided by the Lord, on the basis of which all the actions, activities and attitude of human beings are regulated and maintained. “All that man is, and can, and has”, Aquinas suggests, “must be referred to God; and therefore every action of man, whether good or bad, acquires merit or demerit in the sight of God, as far as the action itself is concerned.

” (Quoted in Porter, 1997: 212) In the same way, Aquinas submits that no words in any language can portray the attributes of God. On the other hand, man has learnt and