Thinking Through Religions. Humans and the Sacred - Essay Example

Representative places Lane argues that encountering God at one’s sacred center is a personal goal ofworship and entering that sacred center entails exterior and interior state union. He also points out five representative places that are sacred to the spirituality of Native Americans. The paper will discuss two of those places and discuss how union is attained through uniting the exterior state and an individual’s interior state. The Golden Earth as the middle place Native Americans attach all their wealth or richness to the earth and the earth remains Golden to them – the greatest treasure. For instance, the most respected myths, Cibola’s seven villages are located at the middle pace of the earth- a place where natives entered completely into a relationship with the earth – land, (Bauer 45). The attachment to the earth-soil as source of nurture forms a theme very crucial to spirituality of Native Americans. To respect and honor the earth with the whole of an individual’s sense is central to the theology of Amerindians grounded in the concrete and sensate world. Additionally, an individual’s relation to the land is a way of making subtle linkage with the holy and one’s consciousness with the world is prevalent Native Americans culture as a way of uniting the interior state and the exterior state (Lane 73-94). The sweat lodge This is an individual’s vision place; it is a symbolic location set aside for having close contact with sacred and a place designed to invite the holy, for instance, a ceremonial Hogan or a Pueblo – sacred places for soliciting totemic spirits presence. The significance of the sweat lodge is to have a godly encounter because they are restricted and dark. In these places, the spirits of the living things are unified; - the purifying water, fire, and earth qualities join to provide new visions and life to the people entering the places. People associate with the lodge the sacred place, which forms a crucial dreams landscape and people perform various rituals such as dances to connect to the supernatural, (Versluis 12). 2. Heaven and earth are threads of one loom This means that all spatial relationships and normal experiences would turn out to be sacramental making an extensive and increasingly powerful reality. For instance, the geographical configuration of various villages of Shaker with many families, structures, and main meeting places would indicate an order inspired from beyond and shapes, angle and colors all shows an apocalyptic vision. All structures and actions are just allusions to the archetypal reality in their midst, for instance, the meetinghouse was painted white with heavenly blue interior trim. Similarly, the house was covered with a roof of gambrel, its sloppy edges indicating heaven dome. There are various thoughts in support of Shakers spiritual correspondence theory, for instance, the Swedenborgian and Puritan spiritual correspondence idea has a great influence. In their school of thoughts, the reciprocal spiritual and natural world overlaps would be analyzed. The theology of Puritan with the focus on the New England commonwealth as an Old Testament typology fulfillment had focused on this aspect as divine representative or emblematic, archetypal event. The transcendentalists like his friends and Emerson furthered this notion and argued that each world piece is able of being fitted to various spheres. His nature contemplation led to a universal awareness of being, just as Plotinus has discovered in himself the correspondence images to the distant constellations, (Walters 96). Swedenborg also focused on human instrument divine inspiration through the second coming reality and had envisaged himself persistently existing between the natural and spiritual experience worlds. Generally, Shakes idea serves to draw a connection between the two experiences – the natural and spiritual world. For instance, they argue that the light established in invisible universe is highly linked to the earth’s light and the people who walk in earthly manifested light are guided by those in the same light in the heaven – spirits and supernatural beings in the invisible world, (Benvenisti 47). Through the above converging ideas, therefore, it is clear that Shaker strove to outlive his belief by influencing other scholars’ thoughts. Therefore, Shakers conviction that this worlds life was an extensive and deep antetype – an image of still another universe that people sought to confirm their detailed experience. Shakers views compare with Qu’ran in that the Qu’ran being the holy book for Islamic community it provides guidelines about the existence of the universe and all what is in it. For example, soil, water and all what happens in this physical world is highly influenced by heavenly powers. Similarly, Blake shared the same view and analyzed the relationship amid the natural world and humanity, (Davis 23). Blake believed in the essential humankind goodness and believed that nature offers direction on how to revive and sustain such goodness. 2. Inter-relationship of any three concepts Altruism Acting in an unselfish manner for other people does not occur naturally although psychologists suggest that people are hard-wired to show empathy. Studies on altruism emphasized mainly human motivation in showing pro-social attitudes. In these studies the inter-relationship amid altruistic behavior and religious beliefs have been analyzed, because religion offers people ethical standards to direct their normal lives, focusing on the significance of practicing pro-social behavior for their survival without anticipating rewards for their behavior. Transcendence is a powerful and natural aspect of God that is unique and different from the ordinary world. Transcendence is different from immanence – the omnipresence of God in the real universe and therefore reachable by all people in diverse ways. Transcendence is natural state that overcomes the challenges of real world existence, is unique from the state, and is manifested in prayer, visions, and meditations. Transcendence is reinforced in the divine concept in main doctrinal tradition. It contrasts with the God’s notion of the notion of Absolute – existing mainly in the physical order or the form that cannot be easily distinguished. It can be linked to divine in its being and knowledge and thus God transcends the world and knowledge. Non-sense These are words, actions or signs without comprehensible meaning. Religion and its contents is a mystery to many people and it does not make sense – non-sense - to many people; people who do not subscribe to any faith or religion view religious beliefs and aspects as nonsense. Similarly, religion is a creation by people and it is full of obvious errors, contradictions, and empirically impossible aspects that are nonsense to some people. It is amazing how human beings in the contemporary and traditional era can be so minded to utilize – religion – a man created nonsense to judge other people and force some unproven beliefs on other people. The three concepts differ in their view of religion but have common goal in human life, that is explaining more about religion and directing people’s attitudes and behavior towards religion in general and sacred places. Namstate This is an Indian greeting. Indians greet each other in this way whenever they meet in the streets, houses, in public places, on phones or in vocation. Whenever Indians meet their friends or alien people whom they wish to initiate in their conversation, this is customary way of greeting to start and end with. Namstate is for all people, irrespective of their ages, both aliens and friends; therefore, it is never a mere word or superficial gesture. Namstate has a greater spiritual importance because it recognizes the belief that the divinity, life force, the Self and the God in one person is the same in all people. The greeting is different in ordinary, people of higher state, for instance, in peers the greeting will suffice and in high status people it will be more intensified, and to show respect for elder people should place their hands in the forehead. The symbolism of touching one another’s palm is combining two unique parts – the spiritual and natural extremities. My Sacred Space Sacred places differ among religions and to me a sacred place will be in holy mountains and shrines. This is because I accord significance attention and reverence to the mountains and shrine, a place where a person’s exclusive thoughts and emotions are grappled. What makes the places sacred or holy is not how the place is linked to the divine but rather the subject of prohibition – aspects that differentiates the place from other similar places – what makes the place profane. These can be for instance, divine spirits, supernatural powers and other myths accorded to the place that makes it more different from others. It influence my life in many ways, for instance, it defines and dictates the behavior when around the place. It also defines religious life, when to pray, how to pray, where to get satisfaction and how to conduct yourself around the sacred places. This is because myths have is that violation of religious rituals related to sacred places may lead to punishments from the supernatural powers and spirits. Humans and the Sacred Every religion has a sacred places, things, and beings that people acknowledge and reverence. They range from animals, human beings, physical features such as mountains, lakes and buildings to objects such as hats and sticks. People make sacred places and objects based on religious connotation and symbolic meaning in the lives of people. Places and objects are deemed sacred because they draw upon traditional wisdom that reveal invisible influenced in people’s environment that they depend on for survival. Places are sacred because they offer design principles that strike the natural balance between nature and spirits for increased energy flow. They also provide guidance and direction on how to orient a person’s physical condition in a bid to establish a nurturing balance to enhance a better life quality. The connection between humans and sacred spaces is intertwined; for instance, people make places sacred through the connotation and religious powers and aspects that they ascribe to these places. Similarly, sacred places make people holy as they direct and dictate their religious principles, beliefs, and behavior through religious rituals. These rituals unite people with one another, their ancestors, and their supernatural and make them holy for their gods (Lane 165-182). What I learned is that all religions have sacred or special spaces, places and object that allow humans relationship with God. The sacred spaces are characterized with Gods presence reminders such as sacred or holy symbols. By ascribing to special spaces and objects human beings feel increasingly secure and inclined to participate in societal worship. Works Cited Bauer, Brian S. The Sacred Landscape of the Inca: The Cusco Ceque System. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998. Print. Benvenisti, Meron. Sacred Landscape: The Buried History of the Holy Land Since 1948. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Internet resource. Davis, John. The Landscape of Belief: Encountering the Holy Land in Nineteenth-Century American Art and Culture. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1996. Print. Lane, Belden. Landscapes of the Sacred: Geography and Narrative in American Spirituality, Part 1. Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press, 2002, Print Versluis, Arthur. Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of Native America. Rochester, Vt: Inner Traditions International, 1992. Print. Walters, Anna L. The Spirit of Native America: Beauty and Mysticism in American Indian Art. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1989. Print. Read More