Religion and Theology Essays

The researcher will begin with the statement that as with most American households, Sunday morning church was a part of his family’s routine. The researcher can’t remember missing a single time.  It seemed as natural and customary as going to school and evening dinner. Going to church is simply what people did as far as the author knew.

In addition, the different opinions that many scholars raise about when Satan was created, when, why and how he fell leave no doubt that he is real and that he truly fell. Satan is the Hebrew word that is derived from a root meaning to oppose, to be, or to act as an adversary. In Christianity and some other religions, he is the enemy of God, the lord of evil and the tempter of human beings who rules Hell.  

Actually, the verb believe has two meanings that should be distinguished. On the one hand, it may refer to an intellectual acceptance of the truth of certain propositions, without any emotional coloring being involved. One's beliefs, then, are really the undergirding of life. As such, they may remain only implicit.

This paper tells that the Judeo-Christian religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have several common characteristics.  All three of them originate from what is presently referred to as the Middle East and thus share a common cultural and geographic heritage.  Islam, being the most modern of the religions, has derived some of its precepts from its immediate predecessor Christianity. 

Sumney further notes that the book is one of the few books in the Hebrew Bible which is apocalyptic in nature, as it suggests that God will save the Jews even after and because they are persecuted in life (Sumney 164).  This would have been a message that resonated well with Jews who were being persecuted in Israel in the second century BC.

This paper tells that while in some religions alcohol is a part of the religious ceremony, others prohibit it totally. In most societies, religion plays a vital role in food consumption. Eating patterns evolve as the society evolves but is basically governed by religious restrictions. The religious group to which people belong determines their food practices.

Christianity did not establish as a mighty movement but this religion of Jesus and a couple of his disciples exploded awfully in the society of the First Century. This was the inception of a gigantic Christian movement. Beyond that, the gospel hastily spread from Palestine into Africa Syria, Asia Minor and finally into Europe.

For the first time, the term Hindu was first used in the 14th century by the Arabs, Persians, and Afghans in India to describe the people of the region. It was not until the 19th century when the British colonial administration in India started referring to Hinduism as a form of religion.

The author states that there are reported several cases of a variety of crimes, inspired by the Black Pope’s Satanic teaching. A classic example of a ritualistic crime committed by self-styled Satanists is the story of La Vey’s disciples, ordered by their leader to perform high-profile murders. 

Clark's study is not a book for the learner, for whom the mixing together of actually many unique writings could raise a greater number of inquiries than it declares to reply. Clark exhibits a bewildering recognition with such different messages as those composed by superstitious medievalists and contemporary anthropological and semantic scholars.

The author believes that religion is here to stay despite the secular views and scientific progress of people. If scientific evidence is all that is needed to eradicate the need for religion, then he should have happened a long time ago. As the world has gotten “smaller”, a lot more information has been made available about traditions and cultures.

Facing opposition from other religions and traditions had led to its early fall but later it was re-introduced. With Christians facing oppression and harassment from the local authorities and the government, the church had a big role to play in convincing Chinese citizens to transform into Christianity 

Wife of Baths prologue supports marriage because she had married five husbands. She supports the notion of marriage by quoting the case of Solomon, who married many wives and the God’s command that people should go and multiply in the world. On the issue of virginity, she asserts that sexual organs have a functional and pleasure purposes.

Edwin Friedman’s insights emanate from his inner world and the foundation of his assertions is truth and as such, they have stood the test of time. He has the perfect grasp of the importance of loving familial relationships and as such he sees the all other organizations as the extension of the family and advocates family therapy

A close analysis of the book reveals its extensive use of scriptural references as well as other related texts and studies. Effective use of references in developing any text is a critical aspect that determines the validity of any work. Being a religious book on leadership, the use of scriptural references serves as a foundation.

Abu Rehan Al-Beruni was the first astronomer to calculate the circumference of the earth in the eleventh century and gave the notion that earth revolves around its axis. He wrote over 130 books on astronomy. Being a religious scholar, he worked on scientifically fixing the direction of Makkah from all corners of the globe.

In the work, there is a special section on each of the traditional faiths, indigenous religions, and new religious movements of the world. Moreover, the section on Christianity comes in Chapter 10 of the book, with the title “Christianity” and the subtitle “Jesus Christ is Lord”.

Armstrong is reminiscent that there were no strict tenets imposed on the Israelites until the Post-Babylonian captivity. It was actually the exile that encouraged the high priests and academics to “canonize” the texts of the Bible and to erect boundaries around faith, strengthening their perception of the truth

Protestant theologians would justify the prosecutions of these witches upon the belief that they are in violation of the first commandment. Their accusations and teachings would even go as far as citing the Roman Catholic Church as an example of a cult that practices witchcraft (Hamilton 1990).

 From there, it hopes to convert freethinkers into becoming Christians. On the other hand, Jehovah's Witnesses’ website is dedicated to providing topics about current affairs and healthy living, offering possible explanations to how and why such events occur based on the Bible.

From his life, there are very many examples that demonstrate that he is the role model for societies of Muslims and individuals. The life of Prophet Muhammad was dominated by good habits, superior skills, superior morality and gentle feelings that are explained in various teachings of Islam.

The author states that Nietzsche’s life history also brings many questions that can challenge his opinions. He lost his father when he was young and this could have resulted in a psychological complication. This is supported by his rebellious reactions against Wagner and his reaction after failing to win Salome to be his lover

Hinduism holds necessary that the soul is allowed a reasonable number of births and deaths before it leaves this cycle and finally comes into union with the Divine One. Equivalently, it proposes that this process gives soul an opportunity to further refinement through the system of karma which makes essential the cumulative human deeds. 

Lawhead’s book explores the questions, and other philosophical works done by previous philosophers in embarking on a philosophical journey as well as a variety of conceptual tools vital in this philosophical process. It, therefore, presents philosophy actively and spicily. It also exhibits different philosophical perceptions.  

The author concludes that a religion plays a fundamental role in the lives of the people and should be respected as such. This is because the followers have a responsibility to not only respect their own religion but allow others to respect their own as well. It is a good way of letting people live their lives as and how they wish to live it

The author states that the relationship between Christianity and Judaism is that they have had strains for over two thousand years of history before the coming of Jesus. Christians accused the Jews of refusing Christ Jesus as their Messiah. The Jews accused Christians of interfering with the aspect of one God by emphasizing on Jesus.

This essay analyzes that all world religions have rules governing food choices that are used in daily life including but not limited to special ceremonies, sacred rituals, and cultural practices or traditions. It can be understood that people make a decision on food choices according to the taboos and obligations of the society’s religion.

The explanation stating that the friends of Jesus took his body and brought it to a safe place in order to protect from outrage is rather convincing. An empty tomb is not a proof of the bodily resurrection. However, Miller doubts that “Besides, this theory is full of problems. Just hours before, they were all scared and abandoned Jesus.

This research tells that Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (born in 1469). He used to preach the message of love and kindness and criticized the sightless rituals of the Muslims and Hindus. His teachings were passed on to nine successive Gurus. The last Guru (Tenth one), Guru Gobind Singh died in 1708.

The recent ideological clashes in the United States on the debate about creationism versus evolution have led to the perception that science and religion have a wide gap between the two that seems unbridgeable (Brandt-Rauf, 2006). This is an indication supporting the fact that science and religion will never co-exist. 

The Chinese Tujia people have a one of its kind ceremony within which the potential bride, as well as her wedding partner, cries on daily basis for a whole month prior to the wedding day. They do not tell whether these tears are out of joy or sad tears. It is true that all weddings and marriages do experience times of weeping.

 By separating the sexual act from the biological drive and placing it into the context of spirituality, a sinner can begin down the long road of overcoming self-centered, sinful behavior and thoughts. This process is more difficult, perhaps than in the earlier works I read on speaking redemptively and counseling, but the solution to each problem is the same. 

The process of genetic engineering includes new DNA installed in the host anchor genome by the initial isolating and imitating the genetic material of interest by using molecular cloning practice to kindle a DNA sequence or through synthesizing the DNA and then lodging this structure into the host organism.

This paper illustrates that over the past half-century, tremendous changes have been witnessed in family patterns in Western societies. This has elicited concern from various persons and the church. One of the most prominent changes is the increased incidences of divorce among married persons. The rise of this phenomenon has prompted a wide range of responses from various Christian quarters.

The power of a Messiah reveals when this ready tendency to share and care for fellow men is present. This is a very important aspect of a rabbis role in which not only does he exercise mentally and physically to stay close and listen to Gods voice, but also shares his wisdom to uplift fellow human beings and take them Godwards through his own conviction.

Wicca creates a living, exciting world from one that has become mundane in modern society, not something to be taken lightly.  In fact, the authors see Wicca as a valuable contribution in creating a “transgendered divine” (77) that can heal the absence of the female lacking in religion and society at large.

Zeus upheld the laws of nature and the moral laws and punished the individuals who infringed the moral laws and norms. Zeus was considered to be the god of the entire aerial phenomenon, who shaped the weather. The one main thing about the Greek theology was that it happened to be polytheistic, which believed in a hierarchy of deities.  

They have an obligation to the poor to cater for their needs because they are disadvantaged. According to Christians, it has always been the will of God to free people from their oppression. He demonstrated this when he freed the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Moreover, Jesus stated that one of his missions on earth was for the poor.

The author concludes that Christianity has faced the radical changes which have caused the split of the original church but all the existing denominations have the same belief system. Syncretizing Christianity with Confucianism, therefore, will serve to threaten the belief base of the Christian family 

The author examines On Earth as In Heaven website which is a comprehensive repository of Eastern Orthodox Church documents, doctrines and theology that allows visitors to study its message and teachings. From the basic information about the Church, its rituals, several treatises, to essays, the site’s content is indeed comprehensive

 As a modern Rabbi, I share a similar opinion with Shahak (1994, p.1) who shares the evidence that the heritage of Jewish fanaticism, particularly in the domain of the Jewish attitudes in the direction of the Gentiles is a major hindrance to the development of the secular and enlightened Jewish civilization. 

Anishinaabe is widely known for their various myths and unique cultural and religious practices across the world. Consequently, various talented and creative authors have detailed books and articles on the myths and religious traditions of Anishinaabe tribe. Benton-Banai - a writer who has a documented book on the Anishinaabe community. 

Somehow, one of the most imperative differences among the three includes that KJV appears to be employing the traditional age-old classical English language while translating the Hebrew text into English; on the other hand, both NIV and NLT stick to applying simple and layman English.

The priests and bishops of the church carry Jesus work while the pope is the sole successor of Saint Peter of the New Testament. Catholic Church has a flawless doctrine of faith, which its members to advise them into decent lives. In addition, Christians in the Catholic Church share bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus death on the cross. 

In order to discuss cultural manifestations resulting from religious teachings, it is important to define what culture denotes. The culture “embrace all the manifestations of social habits of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives".

I firmly believe in one particular teaching of his and have practiced that belief throughout my life. That teaching is about forgiveness. Jesus tells us in Bible that we should forgive our enemies and by doing so God will forgive us of our sins. I totally believe in the teaching of forgiveness. 

The creation stories admit of a deity that established the earth and the heaven and then created man. The three creation stories states of conflicts in the beginning. The Tanakh writing uses the serpent to represent the force that opposes God.

This was my first experience of attending a religious ceremony of a religion with which I was utterly unfamiliar. The only knowledge I gained about this festival was either through Television or newspapers, where I had seen pictures of people throwing colors on each other.

Speaking of the issue of freedom and the times which feature the biggest amount of it, the author notes that these situations mostly include conditions when he has the absolute control not only over his actions but also over their consequences. He does not know that the former always brings the latter.

Ogmios is presented as the god of eloquence, with the wisdom of age to use this gift to counter brute force. Likely related to the Irish god Ogma, Ogmios is one of the closest Gaulish parallels to the Irish Dagada, meaning "good god.”