Seven Questions on Religion - Essay Example

7 questions on Religion Islam is depicted with sweeping stereotypes regarding the faith and culture, which has played abig role in promoting racial profiling, hate crimes, bullying, and discrimination. First, Islam is portrayed as a violent religion based on the assertion that Islam teaching encourages the solving of problems in violent ways. Islam religion is portrayed as promoting militancy and extremism (though Jihad), especially consequent to the 9/11 attacks (Mazur 243). Second, Islam is portrayed as promoting irrational and promoting hatred against everything that does not conform to Islamic culture. Islam is also depicted as fostering outright anti-Semitic behavior by exhibiting articulated anti-Christian and anti-Jewish bias. As such, Islam is depicted as fostering segregation of other world religions. The other stereotypes about Islam is that it promotes gender inequality and misogyny by rubber stamping female oppression in terms of spiritual status, social roles, and rights in Islamic marriage (Mazur 244). The other stereotype relates to the perception that Muslims believe in an angry God who sanctions suicide bombings and terrorism. Islam is also depicted as entrenching primitivism and societal limitations on its believers. # 2 Prophet Muhammad is regarded as the founder of Islam when he was ordered by God to divulge the holy Quran detailing directions and instructions that all Muslims should follow. Muhammad declined to be polytheist and opted to worship One God, the God of Abraham. When he was 40, Muhammad received the first of the numerous revelations when he was mediating in the cave of Hira. In the “Night of Power and Excellence,” Muhammad received a revelation from God through angel Gabriel in which he was commanded to “Recite.” In his response, Muhammad contended that he had nothing to recite, but the angel continued twice more leaving him bewildered and afraid. Later on, Muhammad acknowledged God as the “most Generous One.” In the revelations, Muhammad was commanded to express the Divine message as the last messenger of God. Muhammad confirmed the authentic teachings of prior prophets and rectifying innovations or mistakes of prior monotheistic faith traditions. # 3 The Vedas are regarded as constituting the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan civilization and the most sacred. The Vedas detail the original scriptures of Hindu teachings and detail spiritual knowledge on all spheres of life. Vedas represents a large body of texts, which emanate from ancient India and that were created in Vedic Sanskrit. The Vedas are presumed to have been divinely revealed, which distinguish them from other religious texts. Vedic texts, constituting shruti, are structured around four canonical collections, namely: the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda. Vedas are significant to the Hindu religion owing to the fact that the texts provide philosophical maxims that have stood the test of time and its highest religious authority for all area of Hindus and for mankind. The Vedas are similar to the Hebrew bible and Quran in the sense that they oversee legal, social, domestic, and religious customs. # 4 The tenets of the Hebrew Bible that underlie the “acceptance and practice of Judaism” include: monotheism or belief in one single, indivisible God. Judaism fervently rejects any notion of plurality in respect to God and acknowledges God’s providence and omnipresence. The second tenet relates to the concept of God as the creator of the universe, but not in the literal interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative. The third tenet relates to the perception that God is eternal, which means that God has not beginning or end. The fourth tenet relates to the notion that the words of the prophets are divine and true. Judaism also emphasizes that to God alone should believers offer prayer, which relates to the exclusivity of the divinity. The Hebrew bible also acknowledge free will and reject determinism emphasizing that individuals are born with a propensity to do both evil and good. The Hebrew Bible also references rewards and retribution based on the view that God rewards those who observe the set commandments and reprimand those who willfully transgress the commandments. The relationship between Yahweh and the Hebrew community is closely intertwined in which Yahweh regard Hebrew community as his chose people, which defines the Hebrew’s historical and cultural identity. # 5 Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are monotheistic religions and the three sacred texts are considered as divine revelations. However, the three religions also vary in terms of religious beliefs and dogmas. Some of the truths that Christians, Jews, and Muslims include belief in: one God; daily prayer; weekly worship; children of Abraham; fasting; and, prophets. As monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism, and slam share ancestors, share rituals and practices such as charity and common prayer, value pilgrimage and holy places. Christianity and Islam accuse Judaism of stubbornly declining to embrace later revelations that adjust and update the original truths. Judaism and Christianity do not believe that God gave special final revelation to Muhammad. The three religions acknowledge that there is no monopoly of truth, and notion that there are no other true religions. Judaism believe in one God who is one and unique, while Christians believe in a God who is one in His nature, but there are three persons constituting the Holy trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) (Sollamo, Anssi, and Jutta 694). Christianity differs in its belief in Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection and view salvation as a gift from God. # 6 Largely, each religion existing today manifests some form of discrimination in some instances against women. The scriptures, in some way, appear to degrade and denigrate in which women are designated as being inferior to men. The Old Testament features cases of abuses against women such as advocating stoning of women fund to be a virgin. Nevertheless, women today are considered as being equal to men (the other half of men). Initially, In Judaism, women were relegated to do mundane things owing to cultural influences, but this situation has improved. In Hinduism, women are depicted as being equal as men; indeed, Hinduism has female deity, who demonstrates the elevated platform that women enjoy. In some instance, Hinduism can be considered oppressive to women, especially in cases where women are forbidden to adopt names of their husbands, which ensures that women remain reverential towards men folk. The position of women in Islam is contested with some quarters claiming that women in Islam are not viewed as equal as men. However, it is essential to highlights that, both men and women enjoy an equal platform in terms of spiritual rewards. In domestic the man, is portrayed as having absolute rule and women are called to be subjective. Largely, both men and women enjoy certain rights over each other. # 7 The first pillar of Islam entails Shahadah (declaration that there is no god apart from Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger). The Shahadah must be uttered for one to become a Muslim and convert to Islam. The pillar also recognizes the need for respect of all other scriptures and prophets. The second Pillar details Salat, which is a ritual prayer that is to be recited five times each day. The third pillar details Sawn that roots for fasting and self-control within the blessed month of Ramadan. Muslims are required to abstain from drink and food. The fast is meant to enable Muslims to pursue nearness and seek forgiveness from God, convey their gratitude to and reliance of God, and remind Muslims of the needy. The four pillar details Zakat, which requires Muslims to give 2.5% of one’s savings to the needy and poor. Zakat is meant to help Muslims attain balance and stimulate personal growth and purification. The last pillar details the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least one time in one’s lifetime provided that one has the means. Hajj is regarded as an expression of fidelity to God, rather than a means to derive social standing. The five pillars demonstrate that the Muslims is putting religion first rather than fitting it around secular lives. The fulfillment of the five pillars are considered as providing the means to put faith into practice and are considered to lead to attract rewards in the afterlife. Works Cited Mazur, Eric M. Encyclopedia of Religion and Film. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print. Sollamo, Raija, Anssi Voitila, and Jutta Jokiranta. Scripture in Transition: Essays on Septuagint, Hebrew Bible, and Dead Sea Scrolls in Honour of Raija Sollamo. Leiden: Brill, 2008. Print. Read More