Brief Questions about Wolrd Religions - Essay Example

# Week Question Tell me about someone you know who is very religious. What is it that makes this person unique? ? The person I know who is extremely religious is currently in one of my classes. She is a Mormon and a very conservative Christian. She is very into the literal interpretations of what it means to be a Christian. This has impacted her socially in that she is introverted and becomes very awkward when you bring up topics that are controversial and sometimes put the faith in question. What makes her unique is the fact that while her faith strengthens her personally, it also makes her very ignorant of other’s views in that she objects everything that clashes with hers.

I do believe that one of God’s rules is to be accepting of everyone? # Week 1 - Question 2 ?Can you describe any superstition or belief rituals that you have practiced in your life? An example might be a baseball player who wears the same socks all season or a person who carried a good luck charm. Or perhaps someone who believes in the power of grace. A supersition is not necessarily wrong, but rather only unproven (unprovable). I have a lucky pair of pants that I wear when I go to an interview or to go and take an examination.

I wore these pair of pants when I received a $1000 scholarship to come to school, which I thought for sure I was not going to get. Even though they are a little worn out, my khaki pants have never failed me. Every time I have worn them, I have gotten a good grade on the exam. I will even wear a t-shirt with them, even though it is considered to not go well with khakis. The reason that I have this superstition is due to positive reinforcement, but there is always a doubt in my mind that one day it might fail, and then I will have to find a new lucky pair of pants. ?# Week 1 - Question 3 ?

Do you know someone who believes in the presence of spirits in our lives? Describe their belief. Keep in mind that spirits include angels and the dead as well as free spirits (unrelated to the corporeal world). ? My grandmother is an old practicing Catholic and definitely believes in spirits. She believes that angels have the ability to influence good in individuals and can watch over them. She believes that demons pry on the gift of individual freedom and try to cause pain through bad decisions.

Another thing that makes demons different is that she believes they can overwhelm a person and take control of them, in which case an exorcism would be required. Besides for angels and demons, she believes in limbo, in that there are souls, which are cursed to wander the world forever without interaction. This is what she uses to explain those unexplained phenomenon because they want to be around those they loved and lived with. She still feels that the soul of her mother interacts with objects because she is always misplacing them.

# Week 1 - Question 4 ?For the sake of argument, accept the premise that humans have spirits. If so, make an argument for whether or not other animals have spirit. There are many things, which separate humans from animals. It is the consciousness and beliefs, which empower the soul. What determines whether a soul is good or not is based upon the decisions that the person makes in their life. An animal is incapable of this. An animal operates on survival instinct alone and usually has to be trained in order to “help” other people.

Humans also are given the undeniable freedom of being able to make a choice. Animals, again, operate on instinct. Humans also have a sense of morality that animals do not.