Philosophy of World Religions

Philosophy of World Religions

A . Create a typology of religions that is , a set of classifications that categorize religions by their nature and principle concerns . In your essay , use your typological terms to characterize each of the religions covered

Like the family and the economy , religion is a universal and pervasive phenomenon , a part of the cultural system , because it is assumed to meet some basic need of human being . Religion is an integrated part of human experience and shows remarkable continuity through time . Even in the modern secularized societies in

the West , religion has persisted and still exerts a great influence in the lives of people . Almost all known peoples in all places and times have some set of specific cultural patterns made up of beliefs and codes of conduct , tinged with emotional views , an explanation or justification of human behavior and social organization regarding the distribution of power between the leaders and the governed , the moral code , the distribution of wealth , or the success of some and failure of others may be found in religion

Because the modes of religious experience are diverse and religion means many different things to different people , the definition of religion varies that it is difficult to reach a generally accepted definition of religion . Religion is commonly thought of as concerned with spiritual beings and the supernatural but Giddens (2004 ) pointed out that religion cannot be identified with belief in the supernatural which involves belief in phenomenon outside nature . He cited Confucianism as concerned with accepting the natural harmony of the world instead of finding truths that account for them

Etymology of Religion

Etymologically , religion comes from the Latin word religare , which means to bind together ' In the religion of preliterate societies the various phenomena of nature are associated with a number of different personalities , and in many instances , numerous nature deities are honored . Ethical qualities which correspond to the prevailing ethical standards are attributed by different peoples to their perspective deities . In other religions , the supernatural being is conceived as a spirit , one and invisible , and present in nature yet distinct from it . Durkheim (2001 ) defines religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things , that is to say things set apart and forbidden - beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church all those who adhere to them Religion belongs to sacred things , things protected and isolated by prohibitions and set apart from the mundane , the everyday worldly objects and activities . Religion embodies beliefs or representations which express the nature of sacred things as well as rites prescribing how a person should behave in the presence of sacred objects . The essential thing is that religion is a collective thing , that is , the beliefs and the values are the possession of a group which imposes them upon its members . Nisbet (2001 ) avers that the deepest root of any religion lies in the experience of the social and moral community which professes it . The...