Notes On : Reviving Religion

Faith, defined as a strong belief in something which cannot be proven, has been argued over countless generations. Still, even without proof, individuals worldwide hold true to their faith each day. After studying faith and religion in texts written by scholars with varying backgrounds, it is easy to see faith is something which is widely disputed. Comparison of Sigmund Freud’s The Future of an Illusion and Paul Tillich’s Dynamics of Faith, fully displays the discrepancies in points of view on the function of faith, as well as the necessity of faith, in society; while the comparison of Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and Karl Marx’s “on the Future of Religion,” demonstrate both similarities and differences

The First Great Awakening, was a religious revitalization movement that came through the Atlantic region, and even more so in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, forever impacting American religion & is widely known as the most important event for American religion during the eighteenth century. The First Great Awakening was inspired by an English Methodist known as George Whitefield along with other ministers, when many people in the rural areas rejected the Enlighted and rational religion that came from the Cosmopolitan pulpits and port cities. George Whitefield began this movement with speaking tours through the colonies (“The Great Awakening”).

Mariam and her mother ‘Nana’, reside in a kolba (hut) outside of Herat. Her father was a successful businessman named Jalil who was a polygamist and had nine children. Mariam disobeyed her mother’s wishes and hiked into town to see her Father. Mariam returned to her kolba to her mother’s suicide – forcing her to live with Jalil until he insisted an arranged marriage with Rasheed who was thirty years elder. Once in Kabul, Mariam discovered her infertility complications. Rasheed became angry towards his wife’s inability to carry a child – in particular a son, so he became extremely abusive. Laila grew up in Kabul with Tariq who eventually became romantic despite the boundaries between unwed men and women. War took over Afghanistan and Tariq’s

Clifford Geertz, in his essay “Religion as a Cultural System”, presents what he considers to be the definition of religion. According to him, religion is about symbols and people use these symbols as a guide for their view of the world and how they should behave in that world. Religion, states Geertz is “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic” (Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures, page 90). What he is trying to do in this essay is provide the reader with a way of understanding religion by

Then after a little while Brigham Young came and seized power of the Mormon Church and kicked Rigdon out of his seat as president.They then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to escape the Americans, because the Americans did not have control of Utah back then. Then after they settled in Utah the Americans came and conquered the Mexican army and the Americans gained ownership of the West Coast, including Utah. So Utah became part of the U.S.A. and Brigham Young was really upset. He didn't let the Americans come into his state.

Societies depend on the presence of religion to unite, control and maintain its population. The scientifically directed and methodical modern cultures rely on the role of religion despite their scientific theories and advances. Groups of people have the tendency to seek shared beliefs and to support each other, as also provided by religion. Religion provides the answers to the meaning of existence life. People fear death, which furthers entrances religion as it often promises eternal life. Religion is a prominent focus within many cultures as it can act as a governing influence. They regulate what is acceptable and determine what is wrong. Aldous Huxley demonstrates the extensive role of religion in cultures throughout his novel Brave New

Around 1520 Puritans formed an innovative religious movement known as Protestantism which challenged Catholic guidelines. Instead of starting a church of their own, men like Martin Luther and John Calvin, started practices of their own in different parts of Europe. The different conflicts that resulted from these new denominations helped shape the way the empire was being developed in North America. This religious revolution in Europe drove the construction of empires in America because it forced devout minorities to pursue new opportunities there. Also, these new religions assisted in tearing apart Spain’s American domination.

Initially, when examining the article, The Evolution of Religion Studies, Theories, & Critiques by Tom Sjöblom the author attempts to identify what various actions taken by prehistoric humans mean. Sjöblom begins by explaining that humans are storytelling species and that this storytelling was extremely important to our cognitive evolution as well as the creation of symbolic and cultural behavior. This storytelling ability and cultural behavior he believes arises from, “a narrative mind which emerged with the appearance of early modern humans over 200,000 years ago and that some of the cognitive programs involved derive from even earlier periods” (Sjöblom, 2008, p.280). Meaning that socially we communicate through narratives, whether or

A new religion movement or a cult is explained by Myers and Twenge (2013) as a group, that is typically recognized by its rituals and beliefs related to religion or a particular person (leader). Cults are also explained by their typical isolation from others and by the intensity of their charismatic leader (Woody, 2009; Myers & Twenge, 2013). According to Woody (2009), many cults or new religious movements are identified by the power of their leaders and the influence the leaders have on their following. Members of cults tend to join cults because of the social influence the group has in relation to their search for meaning, fulfillment, social change, happiness, and sense of belonging (Salande & Perkins, 2011). Cult like organizations and

Humans are not born into this world knowing anything. Everything we know is from experience or observation. A person does not come into the world knowing anything of religion or God, it is something he has been exposed too. If someone were born into this world and not told anything about God he would not consider the idea of being religious and would most certaintly never arrive to similar conclusions as Christianity. I am highly skeptical of there being a god and am most definitely not a theist by any standard defniition.

Thomas Khun begins his first essay by affirming that every scientific community needs to practice trade with a set of received beliefs. These beliefs configure the infrastructure of the “educational initiation that prepares and licenses the student for professional practice.” A system of “beliefs is very important as the “rigorous and rigid” education aids in confirming that the presented beliefs are engraved into the students’ minds. Scientists are defensive over what they view the world to be like; and what “beliefs” they hold to be true. As a result, “normal science” will hesitate to accept unconventional beliefs that oppose its foundations. Therefore, experimentation is not about unveiling the unrevealed, rather it is "a strenuous and devoted

Another book, written by Bard Thompson during his teaching and professional career, also deals with the issue of humanism and its influence on thinking. Thompsons wrote many notes and he created written aids to help his students. Upon his death, his widow viewed his work and felt that there was further valuable use for them. The book is set up like a textbook; however, it utilizes information beyond a simple textbook format, inserting ideas and thoughts from Thomas, making it a more personal instructional instrument. This book covers the period from the Renaissance and the subsequent Reformation. Based on writings for his class on the subject, it covers in detail all of the major events leading up to and during the Renaissance and the people

The religion was first founded in New York in 1844 by William Miller. Miller started out being a deist, but he converted and became a baptist preacher. Finally creating his own religion, and his followers were known as Millerites. Later in 1854, J.N. Andrews, Miller, Joseph Bates, and Ellen G. and James Springer White created the official Seventh Day Adventist Church. The official name of Seventh Day Adventist was not officially put into place until 1863 at the first conference and formation of the Seventh Day Adventist(SDA) Church on May 21. By the early 1870’s SDA began to send missionaries to Europe and Australia. In 1849, the first SDA newspaper was printed in Middletown, Connecticut. The following year two more SDA related newspapers

As long as humans have walked the Earth, we have sought out answers. Answers for questions like: "Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? Where did we come from? and What's that?" How different people answered these questions is important to study because it shows us the spiritual side of human nature. Especially now, a time of conflict between Islam and Western Civilization, it is important to look back and trace the evolution of religion. To see where we started and perhaps, gain some perspective into what is happening now and what may happen in the future.

Throughout our course and true to our title, we have discussed a variety of contentious issues topics regarding religion, morality, and other contested claims for justice. Often we have approached these issues using “soft skills” to engage different voices both from outside of our class and from within our class, as opposed to hard skills, based on a deconstructive debate-like approach. For me, developing those skills has been the most significant challenge throughout the course. These soft skills have included, but have not been limited to: actively listening to others, developing better emotional intelligence, and learning how to empathize with the those may observe the world differently than I do. As I understand our class, we tried to use these soft skills to find common understanding, even if not agreement on controversial issues, and to build and maintain community within a culturally, ideologically, and intellectually diverse class. Throughout our class, I personally struggled to develop and use these soft skills, particularly at the beginning. However, throughout the semester, I improved my soft skill set through the instruction I received from Amy and Michael, the examples and insights provided by my classmates, and the realization that such skills could serve my interests in contexts well beyond the classroom.