Living Religious Traditions

Religious belief and practices are deeply rooted in traditions and teachings from sacred scriptures and texts. Indigenous religions are specific to a tribe, region, and cultures that have had various influences in their core religion. Religion is a very personal issue for most people and therefore closely guarded. Studying religion is necessary to have an understanding of the connections and foundations that have been built throughout its history.

Historically, the major religions of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism began to spread across Eurasia and Africa from the 5th century through trade routes and conquest. As these ideas and practices traveled to new and distance places, local populations adapted and transformed many of them in ways that reflected traditional beliefs and customs, also known as syncretism. The rise of rulers, such as Sundiata in Mali helps illustrate this process of partial adaptation, or syncretism, in order to get a boost of support from the subjects of the kingdom. The actions concerning syncretism, can be explanation of the rise of kings such as Sundiata. These examples can be seen through the texts “Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali”, “Worlds together, Worlds

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.

In The Sacred Quest, University of Notre Dame professor Lawrence Cunningham attempts the search for a coherent definition of religion. While he doesn’t strive for a one-sentence interpretation of what indicates a real, organized religion, he arrives on several elements and functions to give meaning to his definition. To Cunningham, there are five elements that make up a religion: belief, feeling, action, individual and community aspects, and values. Cunningham argues that these five elements exists in order to explain what could not otherwise be explained, enable people to sustain hope in the face of difficult experiences, and provide ways of thinking that provide goals and respond to “great problems” in life (158). All of these aspects work

With the major religions constantly crashing together, the principles and customs of each religion seem to always build similarities each time you study them. This is what occurred to me when i began reading “Living religions” studying practices and rites. Beginning with the traditional indigenous groups - descendants of the original inhabitants of lands now controlled by larger political systems in which they may have little influence (33) -, I observed the common rites performed by the different indigenous groups. Many groups lean on the word “spiritual”, rather than “religious”. There’s really no clarification as to why this is the case, but the author, Fisher addressed that religion has

“An understanding of Religious Traditions provides a perspective for the human view of reality and deals with daily living as well as with the ultimate source, meaning and goal of life”, is a direct quote from the Studies of Religion Syllabus. A dynamic living religion relates to any relevant religion that has change and development in order to avoid stagnation, predictability and becoming ultra-conservative. This includes all aspects of religion involving sacred texts, ethics, rituals and ceremonies, and belief and believers. “Religion deals with daily living

Religion manifests itself everywhere around the world. Although all beings are different we come together as one transcendence being the host. Sacred rituals are performed, honoring beliefs in accordance to ones religion. Rituals are performed for a wide array of reasons, some being a sort of rite of passage, healing the sick and even birth or death rituals. Judaism, Santeria, and Christianity all have ceremonies and rituals, some carried out as different as night and day, and some for the same purposes. These religions in depth have more in common than the eye can see, devotion, transcendence and worship to a higher absolute power. All participating in Sacred Ritual.

Scholars prefer to focus on religious traditions rather than just “religion” because religious traditions are “a tradition is an historical context or network of linguistic, personal, and cultural relationships” (Portier 19). Traditions can be limiting like the legal tradition in America where we carry it around because it shapes our ideas of what is right and what is wrong. Traditions can also be freeing like the civil rights movement which ended slavery and ended a limiting tradition. Traditions are used as a resource to answer the deeper questions about life. Also, scholars prefer to focus on religious traditions due to a problem associated with “religion”. The problem with “religion” is what does the term “religion” actually refer to?

Traditions are common part of culture and religion in the world today; almost everyone has a tradition that they follow. The traditions you practice can be new and only just have started with your generation or the generation before yours. The traditions could also have been old, spanning many generations before your generation and your parents’ generation. Some traditions could be small and last for a few generations; an example of this would be like a yearly family cookout. One would invite their families to their house or local park to have fun and eat. It could be something small

What is the Great Tradition, and what two key elements make up this tradition within the different groups; is there any resemblance or inequality as to one’s religious preference. So, what is the Great Tradition, “it refers to the sectors of culture that are codified or systematized by a literate elite” (Scupin, 2012. Pg. 158). Therefore, stating that Judaism is a religion that is controlled through others powerful sphere’s, while applying the ultimate decisions as to how they will enforce obedience; through their administrator’s religious ways. “In Judaism, the Great Tradition includes a body of sacred texts, prayers, liturgy, rituals, and a cycle of holy day observances determined by a lunar calendar” (Scupin, 2012, pg. 158). In addition,

Christian beliefs of life are a sacred gift from God. For me personally, I do believe that life and all of its wonders is a gift given to us from God, and that all life should be respected. My belief as a Christian is that our lives are not our own, but God’s. He created us in His image and for a purpose, giving us a type of sacredness. As Christians, at least how I believe, we are suppose to want to give our lives up to God, and through His son Jesus Christ in us, to be a light to the world to show God’s love and grace to others. This action resembles a type of duty, or an obligation that is assigned to us by our Creator, making our very being sacred.

Throughout history, religion has been a guiding force that determines a person’s core values and directs a person down a path in their life. It is a basic belief that a person practices which can determine an individual’s life. There are hundreds of religions in the world. They evolve from different traditions and customs, as well as practices and values. Two of the most influential religions in the world are Hinduism and Buddhism. Both religions originate from South Asia and are similar in their basic beliefs and practices; though they differ in many aspects.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and engage in the comparisons between my Christian faith tradition and the faith tradition of the Buddhism. The purpose of the essay is not to defame another tradition nonetheless, to engage in comparative religious examine to aid in my understanding of other religion and traditions.

Religion has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Where years ago, it was limited to a few specific set of beliefs in which the majority of people conformed to and few people deviated. Nowadays, religion is immeasurable and varies depending on where you live. Despite all the changes, there are a few basic elements that every religion follows such as; a set of stories, sacredness, community, belief of a higher power, rules/ethics, offer hope and a way to connect with the divine. Although the building blocks are the same, each organizations, religious practices and beliefs are unique.

Define religion in terms of its six characteristics – sacred, myth, ritual, community, morality, and religious leaders – and explain the possible relations among them.