Compare Rastafarianism

Around the world there are countless religions being practiced, and each retains their own set of viewpoints on topics discussed throughout history. Today the two religions of focus are Rastafarianism and Buddhism, and the topics are ecology, sustainability, and the environment. Whereas Buddhism and Rastafarianism appear quite different in their terms of environmental greed, they show important similarities in their values on sustainability and the physical environment. Before discussing their values, a brief history on each religion, as one is widely known while the other has a much smaller following.

Although religions today take on many shapes and forms, and may seem so dramatically different from each other, in order to study and understand these religions, their similarities must be identified. This paper will first present a definition of religion that will connect to all religions at the simplest base. Then this paper will examine the common practices and experiences that are present in both the primary religions of the world, as well as the indigenous religions. Finally, this paper will discuss the issues that are critical to the academic study of religions.

Religion is a universal term that is widely used for a human’s belief system. The views on how religions compare to one another can be defined differently. One view explains religions using a united belief system by their common goals. Another view explains that different religions are just a shared essence and have vast differences between their specific traditions and customs. This shared essence, but vastly different theory, is explained by Stephen Prothero, using the term “pretend pluralism”. There are many major and minor religions that have guided people in their morals and beliefs. Religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. All five of these current, major religions have vast differences, but may have common goals in their morals, traditions, etc. Two of the most practiced religions, of these five, are Christianity and Islam. These two religions are constantly at battle with one another, but what many people don’t see is that there are just as many similarities between these two religions as there are differences. Through this paper we will discover the underlying similarities and differences between these two religions and, hopefully, conclude that supports either the common goal theory or the “pretend pluralism” theory.

b. Reason to Listen: Unlike the popular negative conceptions, Rastafarianism is actually a movement that promotes positivity.

A Puritan defined is “a member of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church of England under Elizabeth as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship.” Puritan society in America depended on the belief that all members were working for the glory of God. The Puritans did not allow deviations from the strict code of behavior which would not allow any member to have individuality. They restricted any type of entertainment, except that which was endorsed by the church. They worked and worshipped.

1. Puritanism was a reform movement that grew up in the church of England, Anglican church. They wanted to purify all aspects of Catholicism (anti-separatist) or to worship in separate forms so purified (separatist).

The Puritan movement originated in England, seeking to purify the church there; they sought to remove any extravagance or luxury from their lives thereby being dedicated fully to God. Many Puritans left England taking their principles with them to colonize New England. One Puritan colony

This will be based on the chapter 4 Religion as "Truth-Claims", posted on Blackboard. First of all, Dianne L. Oliver makes a preface about her writings saying that religions claim to get the truth, and followers of diverse religions say that their truth is the only one true, and cannot be compare with any other. Also, she remarks that many of those religion followers use violence to uphold their own version of truth. Moreover, she let us know that she is going to consider the "True-Claims" of different religions, and show how those claims can influence the practices, behaviors, and ideas of religion followers. Next to the introduction, she considers that religion is very essential for understanding the fundamental questions in our daily lives.

Molloy, M. (2012). Experiencing the World’s Religions. Tradition, Challenge, and Change (6th ed.)Chapter 5. Retrieved from https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom

Christianity and Rastafarianism are both rooted in Judaism and draw from the Hebrew sacred scriptures. Rastafarianism evolved as a reaction to the Christianity that was imposed upon African-American slaves and their descendents. There are several other aspects in which these two religions are similar, the purpose of this paper is to explore some of those similarities.

“Puritanism was a religious reform movement that arose within the Church of England in the late sixteenth

The North American community in today’s worlds has embraced Christianity, Muslim and other popular religious beliefs. Finding the ancient religious practices in action is rare, but not impossible. The communities had their own believes concerning gods and philosophies of good and evil before they were colonized. The communities have lost most of their beliefs and practices as they took place in the earlier community to popular religions which were introduced during and after the colonialism periods (Bonvillain and Porter 23-43).

The Rastafari, Jediism and The Raelian Movements are all smaller new religions that believe in some type of force. One is they have ethical beliefs as well as code of conducts even though they do not share the same beliefs they all have their own set that they believe in and live by. They all have a set of community because all it takes a group of likeminded people to become a community and eventually a religion in most aspects, there are always a few people that believe and have a passion the same thing and live by their chosen ethics. These movements they all share is they all believe in some type of God, sprit or force. Rastafari is a movement that believe in the Black race almost everything has to do with the color of their skin from their

The Puritans were a group of "congregationalists" that didn't support the Anglican church because the church was too "catholic".They also believed reformation was needed and an egalitarian environment was necessary.

These alternative faiths are favourable for those who have had dissatisfaction in traditional religious expressions, but still wish to seek personal fulfilment in their lives. Rastafari is an example of a new religious expression that aids its African adherents in the search for personal fulfilment through the ideas of black supremacy and the back-to-Africa movement. Rastafarians lead an alternative lifestyle, with dietary customs of being vegetarian or vegan, using drugs such as cannabis and not cutting any of their body hair. Alain de Botton states that we should be able to ‘pick and choose from religion’ (de Botton, 2012, ABC), which is relevant to the concept that humanity is entitled to both agree and disagree with certain components of religion that benefit their personal fulfilment. As appose to traditional religious that are bound by time consuming rules, new religious expressions are able to ‘adapt and respond quickly to social pressuring issues’. (Hartney, 2011, ch. 16). The inability for traditional religious to adapt to an individual, oriented society has given rise to new religious expressions and spiritualities to contribute to humanities search for personal fulfilment and meaning in a modern day