The Concept of Two Asian Religions - Essay Example

? Question on Religion Question Two Asian religions Buddhism Buddhism is atheist since it does not accept the belief that God is the creator of the universe. However, Buddhism does not rule out the existence of gods or God in total. Contemporary practices and beliefs of Buddhism have incorporated Tibetan deities and religious activities. Tibetan Buddhist studies acknowledge the presence of several holy creatures, which are symbolized on earth in spiritual existence. Tibetan cosmology for instance, constitutes six spheres one being the sphere of Gods born on earth in form of human creatures in order to attain illumination. It has deities based on the religious sect such as bodhisattvas, Mahayana faction, and space Buddha considered as gods as well as goddesses in the universe. Some of the most celebrated deities include the white Taras, laughing Buddha, medicine Buddha, and Kuan Yin. Furthermore, Buddhism fails to accept the actuality of the soul or atman as true. Individuals encompass five constituents, which are mental development, ideations, physical appearance, feelings, as well as consciousness. They integrate to delineate a human form during birth. Besides, Buddhists believe in reincarnation and karma, which contradicts the notion of human nature (Buddhist Temples, 2011). Hinduism Hinduism constitutes a number of deities categorized under several aspects such as Adi Parashakti, Shiva, Brahman, Durga, Lakshmi and Vishnu. The majority of Hinduism deities are portrayed through images, and distinguished by number of arms, posture, facial expression as well as dressing. Although Hinduism comprises several deities, they basically act as a go-between linking Hindus to the supreme God, Brahman. As such, Hinduism acknowledges the presence of god (Brahma) who is manifested as various gods as well as goddesses. Hinduism has a complex conception concerning god because its beliefs constitute pantheism monism, polytheism, pane-theism and monotheism. Moreover, the notion of god is dependent on the individual, thoughts as well as tradition followed, thus concepts of observance, generation, and destroying are incorporated in Hinduism gods. On the other hand, Hinduism provides several overlapping and diverse paths known as Margas, which individuals are required to follow. These paths influence lives as well as cultures of Hindus. In addition, Vedas emphasizes the significance of the life of the family circle as the extemporal depiction of humans. It requires individuals to carry out their social duties, lead an appropriate life and bear children. Based on teachings of Hinduism gurus, Upanishads acknowledge the uniting of Hindus with Brahman on the condition that their perceptions and actions are acceptable. In this sense, individuals ought to relinquish their sins, and begin a life of simplicity. As a result, Hindus must engage in deep truth-seeking analysis, thorough reflection, and develop true knowledge of self in order to attain the state of karma (Patheos, 2011). Question 2: Moses and Monotheism Moses revolutionized the religious orientation of Israelites by persuading them to acknowledge monotheism (belief in one God). The belief in one God had a significant effect on the lives of Israelites. It marked the end of idolatry, and decline of the belief in the existence of multiple gods as well as goddesses. Hebrews had a distinctive deity of tribal divinity before the time of Moses, which Joseph’s clans gave their allegiance to during the transit from Egypt. However, Moses introduced them to their God, Yahweh, at the mountain of Sinai who Israelites did not know by His name before. He is a storm God, God of fire, a tribal God, and the aspect of anthropomorphism. As a result, Israelites developed a more profound faith in their beliefs and religious practices. The primitive God, Yahweh, was considered as the territorial deity of the land occupied by the Israelites. This religious perspective set the stage for the continuation and development of the other several Abrahamic religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The members acknowledge the presence of a single God to whom they pledge their allegiance. Furthermore, the aspect of monotheism exists in these religions with the worship of an exclusive God, though each religion has a different name for its God. Following the apparent characteristics of God at the time of Moses, Abrahamic religions acknowledge that God judges, reveals, rules and forgives. On the other hand, conflicts in the concept of monotheism lead to divisions among Abrahamic religions. Question 3: Central tenet of Christian beliefs about Jesus divinity in his resurrection. How did this belief mold Christian doctrine and what role did the eschatology of Jesus play in relation to the kingdom of God at the time? The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation and central tenet of Christian beliefs across the world. The foundation of Christian beliefs revolves around God’s kingdom, which was experienced and proclaimed by Jesus Christ. In addition, Jesus also invited other people across Israel to seek and discover the kingdom of God. This is according to his teachings when he said that mankind should seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness first, and everything else will be added onto them. The discovery of God’s kingdom to the Christians is, therefore, reinforced by the experience of Jesus resurrection. This is because resurrection during Jesus time meant life after death. Prior to resurrection of Jesus, Jews did not have a definite belief in life after death. On the contrary, according to Moses’ law, the conception of life after death was based on the continuity of earthly existence. However, Jesus made it clear that life after death would not be continuity of existence on earth. He said that, life after death is a state of consciousness in which human beings will transcend their gender difference and become like angels (Brian & Wilson, 2004). Christianity has now focused on the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ to realize the kingdom of God. This is by focusing on their future when their bodies will be resurrected like that of Jesus to eternity (Brian & Wilson, 2004). Additionally, Jesus resurrection has also created the emergence of radial and new ideas of eschatology. This is because through His death, the eschatological power of God gained an effective operation within people’s lives. Eschatology has given the distinction between the Old Testament messianism, which uses historical framework to view the coming of God’s kingdom and the New Testament apolcalypticism, which expect world dissolution during last judgment. According to Jesus teachings, people should repent and believe in good news of God to have eternity after eschatology. Question 4: List at least 3 basic tenets of the specific African-derived (Vodun) faith and discuss how syncretism has contributed to belief and ritual. Also, explain how syncretism has affected other religion of your choosing. Explain your answer Vodun is a name derived from the god of Yoruba people from West Africa who lived in the 19th century. Like Christianity, Vodun is a religion comprising many traditions in which each traditional group follows different spiritual path (Brian & Wilson, 2004). Vodun is, therefore, characterized by sorcery and other rituals in which the believers enter in an ecstatic where they communicate with their saints, ancestors and deities that look like animals. In addition, vodun is also associated with charms, spells, curses and fetishes. This is because they believe that all these hold very powerful magic. Moreover, Vodun being a pagan religion believes in zombies and other sympathetic magic. Practitioners of this religion use spell to evoke good in their lives. There are various kinds of spells such as love spell, happiness spell and spell to heal the sick. They normally hold ceremonies which are accompanied by dancing, prayers and other rituals. Snake figure is used during rituals to embody serpent’s power. During the ceremony, spirits of nature, happiness and wealth is possessed in believer’s body. Music and dancing are also another major element in Vodun ceremonies. This is because music helps to connect believers with spirits and spiritual world (Brian & Wilson, 2004). Syncretism is a situation whereby various independent cultural systems join to form one distinctive system. One of the most important is the evolution of culture especially in the religion history. Christianity being one of the most syncretistic has absorbed Vodun religion in West Africa (Brian & Wilson, 2004). Vodun has been highly influenced by Catholicism religion. This is because most of the Vodun priests have adopted Roman Catholic elements such as use of candles, crosses, making signs on the cross and practicing baptism. In addition, Christianity elements have also been intertwined with Vodun religious practices such as dancing, drumming and possession of spirits. References Brian, J. W., & Wilson, G. (2004). A Faith Unfaithful: Wrestling With Belief Broadcasts, Sermons, Letters And Addresses. Chicago: AuthorHouse. Buddhist Temples. (2011). Buddhist Temples: Buddhism Facts: Buddhist Belief. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://www.buddhist-temples.com/buddhism-facts/buddhist-belief.html Patheos. (2011). Hinduism Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence. Retrieved August 6, 2012, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism/Beliefs/Human-Nature-and-the-Purpose-of-Existence.html Read More