Academic Study Of Religion Essay

How and to what extent did Enlightenment ideas about religion and society shape the policies of the French Revolution in the period 1789 to 1799?

Religion is that which grows out of, and gives expression to, experience of the holy in its various aspects. (Rudolf Otto)

Defining Religion "Religion is only the illusory sun which revolves round man as long as

          Ever since man has chosen to write down his history, organized religion has been a prominent topic and has influenced and shaped all people’s lives. There have always been believers and non-believers. Since the beginning, non-believers have been persecuted by inquisitions, prosecuted by witch trials, and murdered by stoning and crucifying for even questioning the “truth” about a supreme being and supposed crimes against that being. Religion had a purpose in earlier times to explain life, but today science provides more concrete answers. Religious beliefs are old and outdated and people should trust the scientific facts that have been proven, not what has been

Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.

Pakistan, May 2007 around 8:00 pm, I existed the local madrasa (religious school), completing the 5th daily prayer and recitation of the Quran, and proceeded to head home wearing my light blue Kameez, White Salwar, and a Kufi on my head to offer a sign of humility before God. The reason I remember that warm windy night is because that day the mullah taught me that we humans are sent to earth by almighty god so he can test our loyalty to him. Those who follow his true path will ascend to the heavens upon death, and those who disobey him and his prophets will suffer in hell for eternity. I was 8 back then and life was good. Despite the Taliban decapitating captured soldiers and letting them rot in the intersections to

Defining Religion The most fundamental question when examining a religion is "what is religion?" That is a distinctly hard question to answer considering that what is ordinarily considered to be religion is not all it is, and what many consider not to be religion may be near religious (i.e. sports). The truth is that there are no genuine answers to the question of "what is religion".

This would include the activities, traditions, and social interactions of my religious denomination, Catholicism. The same principles would also apply to the study of other religious denominations. However, at the same time, the academic study of religion could help me improve my understanding of my religion by helping me create a new perspective on Catholicism.

Philosophers & scientist challenged the church’s beliefs by giving out logical reasoning and scientific facts to prove their points during the enlightenment

The Enlightenment (1687-1789) began a sort of “application process,” applying the ideas and findings of the Scientific Revolution to social, economic, and political principles. However, the main focus was to promote a new rational way of thinking upon religious views, and to explore outside the realm of religious tradition. With this came religious toleration, this “…meant that people of one faith would less often torture and execute others for having the ‘wrong’ religion” (Pavlac, 230). This would result in openness to religious freedom and continue the progression in scientific

New scientific discoveries not only enhanced man’s comfort in life but also his appreciation of human potential and reason. It was becoming increasingly evident that it was to man’s benefit to reason and understand. With this realization came the need to determine the proper place of human reasoning in man’s life. The philosophies of the early post-Reformation period dealt with this issue—how to relate and balance faith and reason. Gone was the blind, unquestioning faith of the medieval period. Men were now free to doubt and deny. Those who believed in Christ and His claims found themselves increasingly shifting to a defensive stance and trying to accommodate human reason.

In An Examined Faith James M. Gustafson uses a hypothetical student to discuss how studying different subjects affects her thoughts and views of the human and religion. Should she deny new scientific sources and explanations, or accept and deny her religious beliefs, or find some way to accommodate the various sources? I had contact with several different subjects, most about biology, with different explanations during my high school and college time, and I can say it affected me.

We all have some experience with religion. Whether our parents are religious, our own religious views, or others who try and convert you to a religion, we have all come in contact with a religion. But what do sociology and religion have to do with each other? The answer to this question is that religion meets sociology in the affects that it has on an individual or society (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323).

     According to the American College Dictionary, religion is a noun defined as the quest for the values of the ideal life. This definition is vast and general, allowing for a variety of interpretations by people from all cultures. There is no single path to follow in order to lead an ideal life, only personal beliefs and experiences. Religion is non-finite so there is no way of determining a boundary (Smart, 5). In my quest for a true understanding of what religion is I explored my own traditions and religious beliefs as well as life experiences. Slowly, with the added insight from the text and videos, my own definition of religion has begun to take shape.

What religion am I? In my life, I have been told many things about my religion. My mother is a Roman Catholic, while my father is Jewish. I have learned about both religions, and I have tried to practice both as best I could, but I am now faced with the decision; which one am I?