Religious Life of the Planet - Essay Example

Religious Life of the Planet Religion seems to have dominated the life of the planet since times immemorial. However, the concept of religion is difficult to define. Both scholars and non-academic observers may agree on the following: religion includes psychological and behavioral aspects, provides a way of gaining identity and meaning for individuals, its roles include help to meet the challenges and difficult situations in life. At the same time, the ways religion manifests itself are to be determined.

The paper sets out to establish and test criteria to determine religious behavior and defining the function of religion.Humans appear to be psychologically pre-disposed to accumulate a certain system of beliefs and practices that can be called religion. From psychological point of view religion is a means of assuaging anxiety. From cognitive perspective religion provides explanation of phenomena encountered in daily life and abstract concepts. From sociological point of view religion is a means of creating order and establishing group identity (Tremlin, 2010).

Religion appears to manifest itself in the way it functions, and that is in its ability to serve psychological, intellectual, and social human needs (Tremlin, 2010). Being a system of rituals, beliefs, and considerations religious practices are institutionalized and help to connect humans with the world beyond. They provide people with the sense of fulfillment, leading adherents to another level of consciousness. (Super, Turley, 2006). Religion can be regarded as fundamental element of society, as it shares concepts with collective consciousness.

It is a type of human activity that manifests itself as a specific behavior accepted by the members of the group sharing a certain system of beliefs. The nature of beliefs cannot be validated by direct observation (Super, Turley, 2006). However, elements of religious behavior can be singled out: gathering in groups, communal eating, theoretical discourse about the existence (Dow, 2007). Strictly speaking, religion can be defined as a collection of behavior patterns and observable behavior complexes.

The latter include: prayer, music, physiological exercise, exhortation, reciting the code, simulation, mana, taboo, feasts, sacrifice, congregation, inspiration (Dow, 2007). Criteria to be employed in the attempts to determine whether human beings are religious may include the following: 1) theory or system of beliefs concerning unobservable agents or powers, which is shared by the members of the group; 2) meetings, processions and feasts; 3) system of prohibitions; 4) preaching and inspiration; 5) means of establishing contact and addressing supernatural entities (prayer and rituals); 6) acts of reverence, symbolic offerings to the supernatural powers.

One of the most widely encountered examples of religious behavior involves prayer done alone or in groups, in the course of the activity human beings address the unseen entities or are engaged in a communication with the supernatural. In prayers people address the unseen entities and get involved in symbolic manipulations of rituals. Another example of religious behavior can be presented by taboos that concern not touching or not eating certain foods, for example eating pork by Muslims and Jews.

The avoidance of the things in question cannot be rationally explained as they present not threat or harm to the human beings, the accepted taboo seems illogical by the non-members. One of the most definitive behavior patterns is connected with sacrifice that is offerings or fees. For example in Hinduism ghee butter and spices are offered to the fire as part of karma purification and devotion. All of the behaviors mentioned above are rooted in beliefs shared by the members of a given group. Basically, religious life on planet manifests itself as behavioral complexes that arise from the inability to provide rational explanation for the phenomena encountered by humans.

It develops such elements o belief system as mythology and morality. It performs the unifying function for groups of individuals, provides psychological and intellectual relief. Throughout human history religion was closely connected with culture and became the element of human adaptation. ReferencesDow, J. W. (2007). A Scientific Definition of Religion. Anthropological Perspectives on Religion (Anpere), 02-19. Retrieved from http://www.anpere.net/eng/articles.htmSuper, J. C., & Turley, B. K. (2006). Religion in World History: The Persistence of Imperial Communion (Themes if World History).

New York and London: Routledge.Tremlin, T. (2010). Minds and Gods: The Cognitive Foundations of Religion. Oxford University Press: USA.