Religion and Theology Essays

The most effective explanation of the persistence of religion maybe its promotion by the state. As early as Napoleonic times, political leaders had recognized the powers of religion as a tool of social tool. Since states know that religious people refrain from wrongdoing to avoid punishment and damnation they promote religion to maintain power over the masses.

Christianity was not begun within the social spheres of the more prominent people of the time period. The beliefs were spread through the impoverished, the lesser citizenry of Rome, and through connecting to the needs of those who were suffering. Therefore, those who believed became a threat to those who were satisfied with the state of society.

The Western political pattern is highly distinctive from the Islamic political pattern. As Islamic political patterns reflect Prophet Muhammad’s Sunna or traditions (also known as SAW) and the Holy Qur’an’s teachings, the Western political pattern purely depicts man-made systems of law that are designed to endeavor the interests of the ‘democratic’ West.

This paper aims at investigating the reasons why there is a high rate of Islam growth in developing countries of Africa and Asia, and this will be achieved through the establishment of a clear understanding of the trend of growth of the Islamic religion in various developing countries of Africa and Asia.

The poured out lava of the volcanoes kept piling up after every eruption and then cooled up resulting in mountains sticking out of the ocean (Griffins, 2nd par.). The Hawaiian Islands is situated in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles southwest of the US mainland and 3,500 miles southeast of Japan.

The human mind is a complex thing and when it believes something to be true, it can make occurrences or events appear to be true even if they are not. I have had the experience of going through this process when my schizophrenic brother went missing and we were already desperate to know where he was.

Nowadays, followers of the Islamic faith believe in the absolute genuineness of the Quran as the authentic revealed teachings of God. Faith in all God’s Messengers and Prophets is a deep-seated doctrine of Islam (Abu-Hamdiyyah 2000). Therefore, believing in the Prophets Muhammad, Moses, and Jesus is an obligation for adherents of the Islamic faith.

A number of thinkers and historians have emphasized the major role that specific historical periods have played in forming worldviews, political systems, or strategies which were to govern the center of the next historical period before being, subsequently, challenged, then overthrown, or changed and merged into new schemes.

Waugh seems to have deliberately carved out Charles’ spiritual journey beginning with his encounter with Sebastian. Charles’ quest for the ultimate happiness seems to have a mythical pattern. It resembles the journey of attaining salvation with the overcoming of all temptations and earthly longings and the final moment of renunciation.

It helps to remove the monotony of watching and listening to one single person talking without a break. The producers have subtly included clips and news events from the Western world that show people from the Middle-East in poor light. The whole interview has put the issue of modern-day violence in a new light. It is up to the detractors of professor Said to prove that his views are not correct.

It is performed by some communities of the Christian religion also in some parts of the world.  Goldman (1999) has mentioned that the USA is the only country in the world that circumcises most (60%) of its male infants for non-religious reasons whereas in Canada and Australia also circumcision is performed on a significant minority of male infants for non-religious reasons (Goldman,1999)

The author states that the onset of rationalism has split much of the world into what Pearcey refers as to as false dichotomies. Christianity ever sought to provide but one vision for the world because it saw the world as just that one. The idea that God exists only for religious questions and not for others has been the inevitable outcome.

This analysis shall draw on the Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, theological commentaries, the Catechism, and liturgical texts. This study is being undertaken in order to arrive at a more academic and analytical understanding of the statement – fully supported by experts, research, and by specifically qualified theological analysts.

Practicing the Buddhist Tantra people focus on the energy of life and vitality, it helps them to influence on the dynamics of life and to shape their better future. “There will always be at least a few [people] who hear and understand the word of the Buddha: about the way towards the termination of suffering” (Naik 143).

Upon the ripening of time, Jesus stood at that moment as the prophetic speaker proclaiming God’s scriptural Word, declaring the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah in his person. He spoke in the revelation of the fulfillment of written words to a congregation, laying down the foundation of Christian preaching that has since been the basic implement in the sustenance and propagation of the Christian faith throughout the world.

The author states that the Bible which has been the only source of direct information of the happenings during the life of Christ is also today, the source where the faith of the Christian religion derives from. The issues of symbols derived from the Bible are also a source of theological discussion from ages.

It is more than an expectation for the future: it is a way of understanding the present and the past. Traditional images are the victory and return of Christ, the last judgment, and the resurrection. Particularly have theologizes stressed the life of the Church as a community within itself and in relation to the rest of the world.

William Paley, a famous theologian came up with creationism in 1802 in his publication the Watchmaker Analogy. Paley comes up with the reasoning that the natural world consists of plenty of evidence that supports the fact that there is a supernatural creator. However, the growth of modern science has obstructed the effectiveness of the religious belief that God created the universe.

Beginning as the first witness to the resurrection, she later became a prostitute.  With the releases of Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, she became the wife of Jesus.  It was not till Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code was released that this idea became mainstream and caused much commotion amidst the Christian world.

In the life of a man where Christ is present, sin has no place as it is already overcome by the spirit of God. Sin is a violation of God’s given law. In the Old Testament, an individual commits sin when he violates any of the ten commandments of God. However, in the New Testament, it is clearly stipulated that sin can be committed not just by doing the “actual” violation.

The author states that Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska United States and died in New York, New York. His nationality was American and his ethnicity was African American. He became an African American civil rights leader and a major 20th-century spokesman for Black Nationalism. He was called many things.

The works of whom the Bible refers to as the Holy Spirit is woven throughout the New Testament. John mentions and reflects on the Holy Spirit within his gospel in a number of manners but all relevant. Namely, the Holy Spirit used John as a vehicle for completing God’s will not only by established the gospel of John but also by revealing the nature of God throughout that Gospel.

The Russian Federation has been chosen as a target for the presented research due to its, first of all, reach history of religious institutions, and, secondly, being one of the most influential world countries at present.  Religion and religious institutions of the country play an important role in its social and political development.

Having their roots in India, Buddhism, and Hinduism have many comparable aspects, e.g. the belief in rebirth and Dharma (duty or obligation).  Moreover, both religions seek to attain final peace; Hindus aspire to attain oneness with Brahman while Buddhists seek Nirvana.  The two religions also share the law of karma ("law of consequences").

Christianity believes in the trinity of God while Islam truly believes in monotheism. Likewise, Christianity believes in purgatory whereas Islam truly believes in the good or bad deeds and Jannah and Jahannum. There is no purgatory system in Islam. These two are the biggest differences between these two major Abrahamic religions of the world. 

The suffering of people all around him disturbed Buddha, which became the reason he left his palace in search of the causes and solutions of the suffering of people. His spiritual quest lasted six years after which he was committed to spreading his spiritual findings amongst the people living in northeast India.

In this paper, I will discuss the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE (AD) and what happened after this in the Holy Land. The destruction of the Temple was a major event that shaped the paths of two religions, namely Judaism and Christianity. I will discuss the historical events as far as they are known to us today.

An argument which approaches how the book of Job may be interpreted will state that, first of all, many books of the Bible, as well as stories in the Bible, are meant to be parables or allegories for the purpose of teaching right from wrong as well as why certain aspects of human nature are viewed by God and ultimately suffer His wrath. 

The new scientific discoveries of the sixteenth and seventeenth-century brought in an element of conflict between science and religion which was mostly reflected in the interpretation of god, the scripture and the origin of the universe. Another impact of this opening up of new avenues in science was an attempt to redefine religious concepts in tune with scientific facts. Thus new isms were born and new approaches to theology were derived.

Depending upon the way in which the reader approaches the story, God is presented as an anti-hero, a loving and forgiving diety or an overly demanding spirit, among several other interpretations.  This ambiguity is somewhat surprising given that Milton himself set out his goal as being to “justifie the wayes of God to men” (Book I).  

Abraham’s faith was sufficient to make him blameless, or virtuous, in the eyes of God, it was only when he proved the existence of this faith through his action and “offered his son Isaac on the altar” (2:21), that his faith was consummated. Notably, it was Abraham’s works which made his faith whole.  

This project is multi-dimensional and the researcher has tried to pinpoint the poor attendance of youth in churches due to the declining leadership. This project tends to make recommendations to set high goals for the youth with the aim of drawing them towards the church. The first step to be taken in this direction would be to integrate the youth. 

The identity of Buddhism amidst other major religions is that there are no congregation gatherings, preaching, and worship, or existence of any supreme deity. It has more than 346 million followers worldwide. Buddhism has its strong foundations in various countries and specifically, Asian countries. These include Thailand, Tibetan regions, China, India, Mongolia, and Japan among many others.

The author of the paper states that Casper Labuschagne views the songs as two of the five hymns in the Deuteronomistic History, functioning as stepping stones towards the ultimate goal of the Exodus: the occupation of the land of Canaan and the establishment of settled nationhood under a chosen king.

The author states that religion is one of the strongest bonds that not only teaches tolerance and promotes love and peace among the followers but it also defines the cultural values that are embedded onto the social fabric of the society. The various ways and means adopted by the religious clergy promote their individual ideologies and beliefs.

The rich heritage of Sufism in India is inseparable with the rise of Islam in the Indian subcontinent.  While there was much opposition to the liberal and sensual elements of the Sufi sect, it has to be remembered that without Sufism’s strong base, the Indian subcontinent would not have seen the growth of Islam as it is today.

Isaiah 61:1-11 is rich in meaning to both Judaism and Christianity.  Christianity’s understanding of the text is much different than that of Judaism.  Judaism takes the text literally while Christianity interprets the text figuratively.  Christianity’s interpretation of the text is understood as a prediction of what’s to come in the future.

Unity is defined as the state of being one, the state, quality or condition of accord and agreement. This means that for the unity of religions to exist certain pre-existing conditions have to be present. When one looks at Christianity and Islam in the light of these terms, on one hand, some features may be present to assert the fact that there is indeed the unity of religions.

All Gospels of the New Testament agree that Jesus died sometime during the Jewish feast of the Passover. But the point to be noted here, before reckoning the time of Jesus’ death is that the Jewish way of reckoning days differs from the one more commonly used today. The official Jewish day begins when it gets dark. The Passover meal is taken at night when according to Jews the day begins.

Mark gives a detailed explanation of the encounter of the Jews with Jesus and his disciples and other historical details that Matthew avoids. For example at the beginning, he helps us to see that that the disciples were seen eating with unwashed hands. He also goes ahead to give us a small background of the traditions of the Jews about purification and washing before eating.

The author states that the Catholic Church became the most powerful institution in Europe, even more, powerful than the rulers. The activities of the Church in the Dark Ages provided the base for the call for reform in the Church. The reform movement gathered pace prior to the fifteenth century, but the Catholic Church managed to control these fires. 

We take the case of religions’ viability in the Silk Road. Firstly, we settle on what we mean by viability.  Lexically, viability is the capacity to grow, develop and germinate normally.  From different perspectives or academic disciplines, the viability of religion is accounted for by myriads of elements. 

The section introduces the subject matter with a brief explanation for the approach to be taken in response to the subject matter.  Offering a definition of the term heresy the author explains the significance of the term in the context of its most prevalent existence and influence in the history of Christianity.

Based on several historical articles concerning the said transition within Christianity, there is no clear event as such since they are merely counterparts of each other. No concrete evidence in the historical claims of the historians shows that there is truly a transition from superstition to religion.

The popes never fully or continuously exercised these wide claims, they were the bases of the following asserted papal rights, rights that the pope exercised with effectiveness in political and civil affairs until the decline of the papacy in the 14 and 15 centuries, though some of the incidents cited took place after the close of the Middle Ages. 

Understanding the features of a ritual comparatively would best emphasize their logic. Comparing the rituals with the Christian practice similarity is observed in the fact that a religious specialist carries out the ritual. A monk did it and in Christianity, a pastor or bishop would have conducted the requiem mass. 

Human beings co-existed with religion since the beginning of time. It provided Christian teachings that governed human society for thousands of years. Classical social thinkers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century postulated that after some time, religion would actually disappear and give rise to the secularization thesis.

Haught (Haught, 1990, pp. 2) describes religion as an accumulation of belief and cultural systems that associate humanity with spirituality and moral values. Most of the regions in the world use either a symbol, a narrative, or a slogan which all aim to give meaning to life and to give an in-depth explanation of the origin of the cosmos.

Religion has always played an important role in binding society and defining social relationships. Turner (2006) emphasizes its importance to sociology and refers to religion as the “processes and institutions that render the social world intelligible, and which bind individuals authoritatively into a social order” (p.284).

The author states that within this time, there had been historical records in the form of extra-biblical literature, such as the scrolls discovered at Qumran, that described the developments that led to and impacted greatly on the religious thought, culture and governance, and events of the first century.