Church and World Religion - Essay Example

church and world religion by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date Church and world religion If one takes a close look at the history of humanity, one can not help noticing that religion has been playing a significant role since the very dawn of it. Indeed, while the primitive religious system primarily focuses on rational explanation of the natural phenomena, attributing human qualities to them, the religion which emerged later feature a much more sophisticated level of understanding of the world. That is why it may be particularly advantageous to study religions as they are able to shed light on the nature of the mankind. However, one should also note that experiencing the environment of a different religion may also be important as it is able to provide the researcher with a valuable insight as well as a different perspective on the issue. This paper will provide a reflection upon my visit to a mosque, examining it from a theological point of view. To begin with, I would like to note the feelings that the above mentioned visit provoked. Thus, I was amazed by one simple fact: behind the ceremony I was able to see the unity of people. Indeed, it is often suggested that a religious congregation is a peculiar social platform; however I was not able to witness the same level of unity in a Christian church. In spite of the fact that to a certain extent the ceremonies are somewhat similar, the behavior of the believers was different. Thus, I noticed that people were focused on the religious matter and their thought did not seem to wonder around. Every person in the mosque I visited was focused and everyone was a part of a big organism. As for the impressions that I get from the visit, I might mention that they all were positive. I saw that while worshiping their God, Arab people put a tremendous emphasis on preservation of their traditions (Hedges, 2008, p. 133). Indeed, some of the people in the mosque were dressed in traditional Arabic clothes; many men had beards. I believe that this is quite important as it shows the strong connection between the religion as well as the culture. It would not be a mistake to suggest that the latter was largely influenced by the former. That is why in the minds of Arabs, worshiping is an act that has not only religious value, but also should be regarded as an activity which reinforces one’s national identity. All this made me ask some questions about some of the elements that I observed in the mosque. To begin with, I wondered why the ceremony was carried out in Arabic. I know that contrary to Christianity which recognizes national languages and allow people to pray in their own language, Islam is rather strict about the language of worship (Thompson, 2008, p. 73). This means that those people who converted to Islam will have to learn prayers in Arabic. I believe that this can be explained by the place that the Quran occupies in the religion in question. The latter is suggested to be the direct word of God, pronounced by Him and recited by the Prophet. That is why many believers point out that beauty and complexity of the language. With this in mind, it is understandable that followers of this tradition would not want to translate this text into other languages as it is virtually impossible to convey every aspect of it without losses. Another element that interested me focuses on the organization of the ceremony. I know that religions around the world urge their followers to perform different physical actions. For example, Orthodox Christians are required to stand during the serve, while Catholics and Protests usually sit. However, I was amazed by the fact that Muslims spend a considerable time on their knees and bow. I explored some elements of the tradition and learned that this is a general practice for Islam. Moreover, people are expected to pray this way several times a day. I think that introduction of this practice is closely connected to the key concept of Islam, namely submission. It must be noted that my visit to a mosque contributed to my understanding of other word regions. As it has been noted, I saw that Islam is connected to the Arabic identity very much. It would not be a mistake to suggest that the Arab world as be know it today was shaped primarily by Islam. Contrary to that, the European culture was influenced by other concept prior to Christianity. For example, paganism was particularly strong, so the Europeans often engage it in order to oppose Christianity. However, the Arabic people are not able to relate to any similar concept since they condemned the state of affairs which existed prior to introduction of Islam. In other words, I learned that Arabs have a stronger connection to their religion that other people do as the former greatly contributes to the formation of their national identity. What is more important is that I saw that Islam is specifically tailored to satisfy the spiritual demands of the people in the Eastern region. Indeed, some of the key concepts of this religion is submission, unity, cooperation and ability to defend one’s point of view in case other people attack it. If one traces the history of the Arab region, one will be able to see that at different point of time all these concepts were of great importance. Obviously, this does not mean that the above mentioned notions are not praised in different parts of the world. However, there is no doubt that Arabs are able to relate to them more than others. That is why I was surprised to see how a particular religion is able to help people satisfy their spiritual demands. While visiting the mosque, I was think about several theological themes that are important and are able to provide a person with a better understanding of this religion. Thus, one of the major concepts of theology of Islam is the idea that God is one and there can be no other deities. This is a great example of strict monotheism. It must be noted that there are not so many monotheistic religions in the world. That is why this approach towards seeing the nature of God is somewhat peculiar. Several times during the service the unity of God was praised. What is more important is that I believe that people are wrong when they think that Allah is the God of Muslims. First of all, this name is nothing but an Arabic word which means God. So, basically Muslims do not worship Allah, they worship God. Secondly, many people fail to understand that Islam recognizes the events which are included in the history of Judaism and in the history of Christianity. The next theological themes that helped me to understand Islam is the significance of submission to God. After a careful examination of different world religions, one is able to come to the understanding that each of them urges a person to submit to God in one way of another. Indeed, they all state that God should guide actions of the people and the latter should fight their evil side of their nature. However, Islam makes this quest for personal evolution vivid and encourages people to embark on it, but trusting their life into the hands of God. Finally, I would like to put an emphasis on the following: Islam should not be examined independently. It surely is a separate religion with its history and peculiarities, but it belongs to the group of the so called Abrahamic religions. As one can clearly see from the very name, they all are united by one figure – Abraham. That is why it would not be a mistake to suggest that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are closely connected to each other despite the fact that they emerged in different period of times as response to different historical realities. While being in a mosque, I felt that Christians can be welcomed there and will not be seen as those who believe in a false God. Indeed, while some people might express radical views on the issue, but I think that true followers of Islam are likely to find a common ground with Christians quite easily. Having examined all the evidence which was brought up in the paragraphs above, I might conclude that my visit to a mosque was quite successful. I was able to see who believer were united by faith and constructed a single organism. I was fascinated by the fact that many try to preserve their traditions. I understood that the use of Arabic language during the ceremony is conditions by the language of their sacred book. I also could find the answer why the believers are required to stay on their knees. While attending a mosque I saw that Islam is closely connected to the Arabic national identity and it fits best to satisfy their spiritual needs. Finally, I was noted that Islam places emphasis on such concepts as unity of God and the necessity of submission to Him. References Hedges, P., & Race, A. (2008). Christian approaches to other faiths. London: SCM. Thompson, J. (2008). SCM studyguide to theological reflection. London: SCM Press. Read More