Religion and Theology Essays

Well-known thinkers and philosophers like Russell, Hitchens and Dawkins have put forward their own interpretation of religion and non-belief in the existence of God. However, it remains a debatable topic to discuss the universal creation and relation of god with it. In the present age of technological enlightenment, these thinkers have their own arguments towards the roots and basis of religion.

It began in the 1930s and ever since has spread across the globe. As compared to other religions, Rastafarianism come into existence quite recently and its ideologies generally seem to address the issues affecting contemporary society. Nevertheless, the movement is almost evident across the world either through adherents or music.

The present paper aims to make a comparative analysis of the theories articulated by Emile Durkheim and Sigmund Freud elucidating the origin of religion. The main objective behind making an investigation into these theories includes the influence of the religion on the individual and collective life of the people, and popularity the theoretical frameworks of both these theorists have obtained during the contemporary era.

Generally speaking, Christianity is considered to be the biggest religion in today’s world. According to the article “Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents,” in 2005, it was estimated that over 2 billion people identified themselves as Christians (“Major Religions Ranked by Size”).

The majority of the people in this world believe that nothing can be evolved out of emptiness and all the creations in this universe are the contributions of a superpower called God. At the same time, atheists question this argument. In their opinion, if nothing can be evolved out of emptiness, from where God comes. 

The paper aims to present two religions other than Christianity and structure the report in terms of defining what type of question one would ask someone practicing that type of religion and how one would prepare oneself for an interview with that person. Likewise, the discourse would present the answers to the indicated questions or what relevant comments one believes that the person would have responded.

The pipe is not even meant to be seen by a person who is unworthy to take possession. This may sound to be something unreasonable but it is only upon an understanding of their culture that this principle is one founded on sensibility. Everyone has at least one possession that is important to us not because it is valuable but for the sentimental value.

Since the era of resurrection, Christianity and its standpoints have apparently one of the most discussed, critiqued, and frequently assessed phenomenon in mythology. The most imperative question identified during this era was whether God Himself took birth as Jesus or, Christ was a human being who, by his destiny, became the bearer of a vital responsibility to communicate God’s intentions playing the role of His son and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Zen’s enlightenment is a way of improving life by manifesting the natural harmony and beauty of this world. The usual mentality is repeatedly engaged in making such distinctions; if they are made, they initiate concerns and wishes. In Buddhism's view, there is no foundation for all these judgments. Everything is beautiful, right, or good.

Biblical allusions and echoes are used to make indirect references to the Bible. This requires that the writer be familiar with the entire Bible or a portion of it. These allusions and echoes are used to pass out the hidden meaning of the words in the Bible. Some of the commonly used allusions in the Bible are “The Grapes of Wrath” used by John Steinbeck and “He slew his Goliath” used to refer to the story of Goliath and David in the Bible.

Judaism. Monotheism One of the most important features of Judaism is the fact it is a monotheistic religion. Judaism is the oldest still practiced religion which first introduced the concept of one and only one almighty god. Unlike most ancient religions which postulated the existence of a collection of gods each with specific power such as the power of fertility, the power over the sun, the power of the heavens (weather), Judaism is the first religion to have been based on the belief of one God.

These three sections are each identified with a set of chapters based on distinct subject content, as follows: Section I (Genesis 1 – 11) provides account of the full story of how God created the natural world with all the living and non-living in it among which human beings are at the highest order ranking far above the rest of creation for having rational intellect and freewill.

The paper reveals information about the debate conducted between Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. The debate was based on the 13 aspects of the religious matter, which were important according to them, and the subsistence of God. The authors have provided differentiated viewpoints with regard to the given topic. Among them two were atheists, one was Christian and the other was Moslem.

According to Schauss (2009), during this time, Jews are required to look into their souls and improve their ways. Practices of this festivity include eating apples dipped in honey. This has a symbolic meaning of wishing others a good and ‘sweet’ year (Schauss, 2009). In addition, during this period, it is believed that this is the time that God decrees each Jew’s fate for the rest of the year.

Euthanasia is a word that originates from a Greek word, which means good death. The Canadian Senate Special Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide defined the term euthanasia as the act undertaken deliberately by an individual to intentionally take the life of another person with the aim of relieving them from the pain they are feeling and thus leading to their death.

The moral code of conduct assumes that there is a solid base of rightness or wrongness in human behaviour. However, the rightness or wrongness in human behaviour depends upon various norms and values accepted by the individuals. Therefore, the individuals who are interacting with a social environment which comprises of diverse religiously and culturally defined values and norms, commonly face with moral issues or ethical dilemmas.

It is a matter of principle that human societies do take their transcendental matters into contemplation. Given that the same matters seem not to be adhered in the animal kingdom. We will be looking at some of the matters, which they include the advancement in morality when it comes to matters of international relations.

The author of the paper is of the view that Schleiermacher recaps the preamble to The Christian Faith concisely by saying that the intention of the Introduction is primarily to bring the perception of Dogmatic that inspires the work itself forward, along with the reader's preparation for the approach and displays that follow in his book.

Talking about the developed countries, it has been observed that America is most religious as far as the demographics is concerned. In 2002, a survey was conducted which revealed that citizens considered religion as a very important part of their lives and it was an area which was given high respect and priority.

All regions of the world have similar beliefs about good deeds. For example, in all religions, it is good to speak the truth while it’s bad to cheat, steal, lie or kill fellow human beings. After 9/11 divide between religions has increased manifolds due to the pursuit of terrorism by a few fundamentalists.

The issue of suffering among blacks has been largely ignored/avoided for a long period, thus completely disregarding the concept. The emergence of black theology, and the simultaneous changes in the political liberation of blacks, however, paved the way for much deeper probing into the theological significance of a range of issues.

A covenant is a binding agreement; a compact. Most sources indicate that this is an agreement between men that require action and fidelity from both parties, but in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament, God has allowed himself to agree with the man despite himself being all-knowing and all-powerful, while man being fickle, volatile and shaky.

Women in Islam: Assets Women in Islam: Their Acquisition and Keeping of Assets and Other Properties. Islam, which has long been believed to be a religion that sees women being lesser than men, was actually a religion that revolutionized the status of women, long before the Western civilizations even regarded women to be individuals with their own ideas and beliefs.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” On closely examining the events that surround this statement, we realize that Jesus had just revealed himself as the light of the world while he was teaching in the temple complex. On hearing this, the Pharisees stated that this testimony is not valid because Jesus was testifying about himself. 

When God created man in his own image, the intention was to reveal God’s decision to choose man and to bless man as ruler of all the living and non-living creations (Genesis 1: 27-28). However, it turned out that man has a natural weakness to be easily deceived, tempted, and to fall into temptations of the devil.

Prophet Muhammad's commentaries include both favorable and unfavorable opinions. Some authors insist Prophet Muhammad is mentally ill and a liar. Some Koran verses, the personality of Angel Gabriel, etc. conflict with Christian and Jewish stories. The Muslim people accept Muhammad as the ultimate prophet of God.  

This approach is outdated and implies an elitist view of the Christian life, which regards women and lay persons as lesser beings. In fact, within the book, Smither describes the positive influence that Augustine’s mother had on him, and this is an argument for extending the idea of mentorship to a broader range of responsible Christian believers.

The author’s description of leadership is allowed in all places such as churches and the leaders need to have qualities such as humility, loyalty, commitment, trust, honesty, and care. Developing a strategy that can assist in spreading the word of God just because of being Christian disciple-makers is cannot be enough.

One thing that strikes me about Basho’s writing is the vivid way he describes the landscape of Japan as he travels through it. The mention of Mount Fuji and Ueno cherry blossoms reveals his love for his homeland. These two natural features are even today still highly characteristic of Japan.

The author of the paper will begin with the statement that various religions hold various beliefs about many aspects of life. While science attempts to define many concepts based on their testability, it is astonishing how widely people subscribe to various religious positions that are non-empirical. 

The Bereans serve as prime examples for us Christians, especially us who are scholars of God’s Word – examples of how we should not just follow blindly but confirm, through our own research and examination of the Bible, the theological soundness of the things taught us in Bible school and even in the pews.

Sufis practicing sufi devotion often congregate around a holy place often referred to as zawiyahs or tekke with a spiritual master leading in the devotion. However, since there are different Islamic orientations, sufi devotion takes different orders depending on the Islamic orientation. Therefore, Sufi orders otherwise known as turuql could either be Sunni Shii, or a combination of both doctrines.

The life, work, and contribution of Justin Martyr (considered as the first true Christian) to the church have made a significant contribution to the understanding of the Scripture both from the Old Testament and New Testament perspectives. The significance of Justin Martyr (his conversion to Christianity and the message to the pagans) is clear when one deliberates on his dialogues.

The phenomenon that is the emerging church is not a movement but a conversation. This is what its leaders and members want to call it. Its definition can be explained by the experiences of the individuals and communities formed, but there are patterns that members practice with respect to their theological implications and of what they perceive a church should be. 

Taking the cue from Batman begins the movie by introducing the audience to the deteriorating condition of the Falcone crime family. The family is so scared about the present situation of Gotham city that they plan to launder their illegal money offshore with the assistance of a Chinese crook named Lau (Chin Han).

Some creeds argue with each other based on the polity and ordinance. We will be looking at confessions that are coming from the same trace of the religious branch, the Baptist. As History is very much concerned, the subsequent confessions are made: New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith (1833) with the Treatise on Faith and Practice of the Free Will Baptists (1834).

Tantra, which is translated in Sanskrit as “principle, system, doctrine” (Samuel 9), is an inter-religious spiritual movement that became known in India and ran rampant throughout during the fifth century. Tantra is considered to be inter-religious because of the impact that it had on all of the major Asian religions of medieval times, such as Islam and Jainism.

Since they are so much absorbed in performing their professional obligations that they do not perceive how much distances have been created between them and their family on the one hand, and between them and their friends on the other. The just wake up from deep and calm sleep at the moment when their career meets with its ultimate end, and they find themselves as isolated and companionless leading the remaining years of life in repentance and remorse, just in wait of death only.

The section is dedicated to the Orthodox attempts at the formulation of the New Testament canon. One of the earliest Christological traditions was connected with Judaism and is referred to as “Jewish Christianity”, an umbrella term that encompasses different groups which adhered to both Christian rites and Jewish prescription.

It has placed more emphasis on the family rather than demanding restricted adherence by the members. Most of the traditional Chinese religions are based on cultural practices, philosophies, or a system of thoughts - that go beyond the definition of religion - to encompass ethical, social, and political order. 

Islam is one of the world’s major religions having followers in all races, nations and colors. The term Islam is Arabic in nature and means ‘peace’ and ‘submission’ that is, the followers can be at peace by submitting to Allah their thoughts, their acts and their hearts and souls (The Message of Islam 2012).

According to Stephen Taysom, the origin of Mormonism has its roots back in the 1820s in MYC with revelatory experiences and ideas of Joseph Smith. It was a saint movement for the restoration of Christianity. In 1830, Joseph Smith managed a church with a small number of members. The religious group of Mormons has expanded to a greater extent.

The first part of the book raises many questions and the answers to these questions have been given in the second part of the book. The first part focuses on the emergence and development of the “Me Centred” approach. The author Highfield starts with depicting the modern conceptions about relationships.

Being a leader has to do more with nurturing the rest of people to grow in the areas relating to their spiritual growth. Michael, in his book, ‘leading, teaching and making disciples has described’ the various ways in which this can be achieved. He states that accomplishing this mission requires people to be trained and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge.

This research will begin with the statement that published in 2006, the book with the title Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament serves as a remarkable historical research volume by John W. Walton, which aims to investigate into the art and culture, cult and religious values, literary developments and social traits etc.

An investigation into the justification and the cause of the crusade whether it represented the Christian worldview and whether its legacy has been positively beneficial to the Western World. In 1095, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus I sought the help of the pope to send in help to keep the Seljuk Turks at bay.

The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical text grouped in the Nag Hammadi writings, a collection of scriptures discovered in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, with the date of its authorship ranging from 50AD to 140AD. This Gospel brings together obscure and previously unknown quotations of Jesus with quotes recognizable from the Canonical Gospels.

Becoming great does not just come as a miracle, rather, is coupled by many trials that mold a person. As gold would be purified through extremely high temperature and as diamonds need cutting and polishing to bring out their beauty, so does a leader need to be trained through tribulations.

Based on section 14 of Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae in 1968, contraception is defined as “any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” (Brom). 

However, Islamic dispensations experienced a myriad of occurrences that were characterized by serious philosophical disagreements and also spiteful deliberations that preceded socio-political catastrophes. Moreover, this terminated in revolutions and also transformation levying or military coup d'états.