The Religious Views of the Ancient Civilizations - Term Paper Example

1 The Religious Views of the Ancient Civilizations The word religion comes from the Latin word religio, this can be literally translated as to bind anew. In reality of course, Religion has been around for many centuries and has done so under many different guises. However, it can be argued that there are certain elements that are incorporated into each religion; the main ones being that there exist unseen powers beyond us and in this/these we must have faith. Nevertheless, different religions do differ in many ways and in order that they be fully understood, they must be examined and compared. In this essay I will attempt an outline of five of the earliest religions that are known including those of Ancient Greece and India, the early Islamic religion and the early religious views of Africa. However, to begin I will examine the religious views of the early Chinese civilization. In fact, in the early Chinese civilization there are said to have existed three separate doctrines. These doctrines were Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The religions of Christianity and Islam are said not to have reached this region until the 7th century A.D. The ideas of Taoism are said to have originated in the 6th century B.C and were founded upon the thought of a man named Lao Tzu (although there are many who believe this man is purely a mythical figure). In reality, while Taoism can be viewed in terms of religious practice, it is essentially more of a system of philosophical thought. It is based on a few simple principles which include the belief that there is a kind of universal life-force that is inherent in all things. Therefore, respecting and caring for all things is a vital element within this system, and individuals are duly encouraged not to use force but should rather be prepared to compromise and have faith in more natural forces. 2 Around a century later, Confucius (551-479 B.C) reacted somewhat against the teachings of Taoism and set about creating his own system that became known as Confucianism. Again, it can be argued that this system, while it is generally considered as a Religion of China, is in reality more focused on both political and social morality. Nevertheless, Confucianism was to become enormously influential, especially during the Han Dynasty that ruled from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D. In simple terms, this doctrine asserts that people should remain faithful to both their rulers and their Gods and that humbly carrying out their duties is the way to peace and happiness. Let us now move across the map and look at the religious views of Ancient Greece. In fact, the original motivation behind the religious views of the Ancient Greeks lay in a reaction against the gloomy religion of Ancient Egypt. In addition, we find there is a fundamental difference between the religion of Greece and many others (including the above Religions of China) and that is the fact that it was not founded by any one figure and had neither sacred scriptures nor system of priestly hierarchies. The religious views of this country were in fact not limited to faith or belief but were rather focused on incorporating a positive practice into the quotidian life of its inhabitants. This is mainly due to the fact that the Greek gods were largely based on the image of man, and were little different with regards to character from man himself. For certain, the gods were seen as both stronger and more intelligent than mere mortals, but neither holy nor omnipotent. Therefore, man was regarded as their spiritual equal. 3 In particular, the people of Ancient Greece are said to have taken great joy in participating in the practice of looking into the future and thereby attempting to predict its outcome. For this reason the so-called oracles were both much revered and respected. Of all the known oracles, the oracle known as Delphi was said to be the most revered of all. Delphi was in fact considered to be something of a center for the earth and thus was consulted often with regards to matters of earthly significance. In fact, the powers of prediction bestowed on Delphi as well as those of all the other oracles were said to be literally infallible and, on the occasions where their predictions appeared to fail, their credibility was upheld by suitable alternative explanations. Now let us turn our attentions towards India. The religion that was to dominate the whole of ancient India was in fact the religion known as Hinduism. The roots of this religion actually originate in Northern India and they first took hold in the period known as the Vedic period (1500 BC to 500 BC). Hinduism is in fact believed to be the earliest of all the most important religions that are known today. Moreover, we find that a great deal of Indian culture both ancient and modern has been widely influenced by the main tenets of Hindu thought. Specifically, the ancient sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have both been consequent founding guides for the vast majority of artistic creation (including music and literature) for subsequent generations. In addition, Hindu astrology is still widely practiced, as is one of the original six systems of Hindu thought – the meditation system on which Yoga is based. 4 As well as Hinduism, the religion known as Buddhism was also relatively dominant in Ancient India. Buddhism (originally known in India as Buddha Dharma) was also to originate in northern India, specifically in what is known today as the state of Bihar. Founded of course on the thought of the Buddha, this religion was to increase in popularity fairly rapidly during his lifetime. In fact, even as far back as the 9th century, the number of adherents to Buddhism who originated from India is said to have stretched to the hundreds of millions. The main tenets of Buddhist thought lie in the belief in both Karma (literally meaning action, including thought) and reincarnation. The specific state of an individuals Karma will consequently determine their particular cycle of reincarnation. Let us now turn to the religion of Islam Islam was to originate on the Arabian Peninsula. This region was in fact made up largely by areas of desert and was essentially dominated by so-called pastoral nomads. The nomadic tribes known as Bedouin mainly held goats and camel and eventually trading towns were to develop where they could sell their livestock. The Bedouin tribal culture was subsequently to provide the foundations upon which Islam was built. The civilizations that were influenced by monotheistic religions such as Judaism and Christianity slowly began to extend their influence to the region of Arabia. It was then that the prophet Muhammad duly responded and created a religion that, while unique, also adhered to the belief in a single, all-powerful supreme being. Now Muhammad was in fact a relatively wealthy merchant, nonetheless he decided to dedicate himself to meditation and it was then that he began to receive the so-called revelations that eventually were to comprise The Quran. 5 Islamic law was consequently drawn from the teachings of The Quran and was to provide the foundations of the whole of Islamic society. Islam basically provided the Arab world with the possibility of uniting themselves into a single, coherent movement regulated by a religion that was uniquely theirs. This position enabled them to be independent of other civilizations whilst at the same time granting them the means of effectively reducing the gap between classes. The wealthy were consequently encouraged to help the weak and the poor, while the so-called Zakat (a tax to help support the poor) was effectively left to the responsibility of the faithful. Islam was eventually to extend its influence to regions such as Europe, Asia and finally Africa – a region we shall look at next. In fact, until around the third century of our era, the continent of Africa was dominated by various (and largely vague) polytheistic religions. It was then that many were to follow the example of the populations of the Roman Empire in converting to the monotheistic religion of Christianity. One of the more prominent of all the Christian theologians, St Augustine was in fact originally from the North of Africa, and by the 5th century Christianity had all but extended throughout the whole of the continent. Nonetheless, factions were to continue and the Christians of Africa were effectively divided into the Donatists, the Catholics and the Vandal Aryans. In addition, the religion of the Bantu people continued to hold sway in many regions especially in southern Africa. While this particular religion was also predominantly monotheistic, it emphasized the belief and the power of ghosts who were said to capable of holding great influence over the living. A century later however, the religion of Islam was to finally reach the African continent. 6 In fact, in a little over a century, Islam effectively spread to the whole of the continent and thus became the dominant religion, especially in the north. Moreover, Islam also reached across the Sahara desert to Sudan where most were to become Muslims. Meanwhile, due to the work of both Arabic and African traders virtually the entire east coast of the continent was to convert to Islam. Nonetheless, Christianity continued to hold sway in countries such as Ethiopia, for example, while the Bantu religion continued to dominate in central and western Africa Suffice to say, having looked at the religions of these early civilizations we can conclude that each of them can bring fresh insight into our own modern religions. Examining the past and our origins can help us to better understand where we are today. Indeed, we have seen how certain religions extended to different regions and subsequently resulted in new religions being created. In addition, there are certain scholars - such as the religious historian Holger Kersten - who firmly believe that the teachings of Jesus, for example, were in reality a simple continuation of the some of the teachings found in Buddhist doctrines. In the world of today, where natural recourses are put increasingly at the desultory disposal of humankind, and technology and communications become ever more dominant, the ethical standards of Christianity remain those of limitation and restraint. In fact, despite the undoubted advancement of moral insight in the contemporary world, we dont actually appear to have effectively superseded the moral and ethical teachings of our religious forefathers very much at all, at least as far as the bigger issues of life and destiny are concerned. Works Cited Hastings, James and Selbie, John. Encyclopedia of Religion & Ethics (1908): v. 14 Kessinger Publishing Co. 2003. Print. Hinnells, John, ed. Ancient Religions. Penguin. 2009. Print Kersten, Holger and Gruber Elmar, The Original Jesus: Element Books, Shaftesbury 1995. Print Read More