Everyone believes in something and most of the time not everyone believes in the same thing. Religion has been a part of history for as long as anyone can remember. There are so many different religions that people are born into or chose to be a part of. This essay will explore the history of religion beginning with Buddhism (500BCE-now), then examining Rome and Christianity (30ce-now), and ending with the Protestant Reformation (1450-1565). Each topic will be discussed by first introducing an important person involving the topic and then the topic will be discussed in more detail. After those three topics are discussed this essay will then compare and contrast the topics involving religion and history. Once the topics are compared and …show more content…
He realized he was not truly happy knowing the reality of other people’s lives and decided to leave his family behind to find the meaning of life and happiness. He started by starving himself until he came to the realization that he needed to try something else. Meditation became a big part of his life and after 40 days he attained enlightenment by reaching his goal - nirvana. He wanted to educate others of the Middle Path so he traveled northeastern India, spreading the Middle Path and his knowledge. Siddhartha started to gain followers all over India and his followers began to call him the Buddha because it means “Enlightened One”. Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path to his followers to guide them to enlightenment. The Buddha spent 45 years of mentoring and spreading the Middle Path before he died in 438 BCE. After the Buddha passed away, in “300 BCE, Buddhism was a major religion in India” and it even spread to Asia “under the reign King Ashoka Maurya (272-232BCE)” by Buddhist missionaries (Harris Wk #4 Dynastic China ppt). King Ashoka also sent monks to spread Buddhism and the religion spread internationally over China, Tibet, Burma, Nepal, Ceylon, and many more regions. Though the Buddha has passed away, he still has about 350 million followers today. All of his followers still live by “his last…four words of inspiration:
Buddhism is based on the teachings of an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama who lived around 500 B.C. Buddhist tradition says that one day the prince looked beyond the walls of his palace and saw the suffering of his people and wanted to make a change. Siddhartha left his wife and 2 kids and began the path to become Buddha (enlightened one) and after years of practice, he spent the remains 45 years of his life teaching “dharma”(the path to liberation from suffering) and established Sangha (a community of monks).
Tomoko Masuzawa’s literary work, The Invention of World Religions, provides a meticulous analysis of how the term “world religions” is categorized and used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Masuzawa addresses how the categorization of world religions has changed throughout history and how different elements of each religion, such as texts, origin, and ability to expand have shaped the classification of that religion by scholars. By using the works of well-established scholars, she is able to provide an accurate account of how the perception and analysis of these religious occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Institutions within the public domain, such as universities and hospitals, can then shape interaction with their specific audiences to abide by the practices of these world religions in order to connect with the public in a culturally competent manner.
Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread contemporaneously in during the Classical Period different territories. Both of them share some similarities as well as differences. Both of these religions were founded based upon different principles taught by different people; in Buddhism’s case Gautama Buddha a thinker and in Christianity’s it is Jesus Christ who is a prophet. These two universal doctrines spread in times of chaos, in which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of any kind. Although alike these two doctrines didn’t have a
We don’t know details about the life of Siddhartha “Buddha” as nothing was written down by him or his disciples until hundreds of years after his death. However, the legends that were passed down paint a very humble and intriguing picture of the man known as Buddha. The story states that Buddha was born into a very lavish lifestyle; he was given anything and everything he could ever want and kept very sheltered in order to protect him from the realities of the world around him. Eventually becoming curious of the surrounding world he escaped the royal walls and seen what the world
Throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, religion changed through each empire and time. In these times, there were people with the religion of Hindu, Judaism, Christianity, and Muslim (which contained two sects: the Sunnis and Shiites.) Three empires during this time included the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and lastly, the Mughal Empire. These three empires between the 16th and 18th centuries were different and similar in many ways, however all three had different outlooks on religion and were very diverse. They were diverse because each ruler had his own opinion about religion and made the whole empire follow whatever he thought, meaning that each empire had a different amount of religious tolerance, if any at all. The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires varied in their views about religion.
For purpose of this essay, religion will be defined as a collection of institutional beliefs and customs concerning humanity and the purpose of the universe [1]. Key beliefs within religion that will be explored, as well as there relation to reason, are:
Religion has influenced an entire range of changes in the elongated history of the world. The alterations that have taken place in the past are clear and concise evidence that the underlying and ultimate influence is religion. Religion has been apart of a plethora number of events in the past because, religion gives humans a clear source of origin of the universe, and carries an everlasting assurance that provides protection and happiness among the permutations in life. Religion also served its purpose in all aspects of life, especially during the events between the 1600’s and 1800’s.
Religion transmuted rapidly over the years in modern Europe as many key figures spoke out in protest or suggest reform of the system they were acclimated to. This rapid change influenced numerous different parts of life as well. This period in time included not only reformation for religion, but also ordinary life. Change was formed in other areas such as politics, economics, and culture. Political change was greatly affected by religious change in this period.
Religions have changed constantly throughout history, beginning with the Egyptians and continuing through current day. Most of all new religions begin as polytheistic. This most likely developed because the people of the ancient world suspected that one god could not take care of all their needs. Therefore, they created several gods to take care of everything in the natural world such as water, fire, animals, etc. The first evidence of written religion was on the Sumerian tablets, around 3,500 B.C. The Egyptians demonstrated the first progression of religion in the area, during the time period around 4,000 B.C. The Egyptians believed humans ranked as partners with the gods to maintain order; it characterized similarly to the Mesopotamian’s religion. After a while, a change in religion transpired.
Since the dawn of time, religion has been the staple of humanity. It has been our explanation for the unexplainable, as well a way for us to form a community with those around us. Due to the natural diversity of humans, a varied set of separate religions has formed throughout the world. Religions continue to adapt and inspire each other, however, they all have their differences, as well as internal differences through the observations of each believer.
Religion is a fundamental element of human society. It is what binds a country, society or group of individuals together. However, in some instances it destroys unity amoungst these. Religion is a belief in a superhuman entity(s) which control(s) the universe. Every religion has its differences but most strive for a just life and the right morals. The three major groups are the primal regions which consist of African, Aboriginal and Native American religions, Asian which consist of South Eastern Asian religions and Abrahamic religions which consist of Middle Eastern religions. The foci of this essay are the differences between the Abrahamic religion, Christianity, and the Asian region Buddhism as well as making reference to the Islamic
The history of religion continues to play an important role in defining why certain aspects of religion are the way they are today. Understanding religion’s history can also help one appreciate the importance, value, and determination that certain individuals went through in order for that particular religion to gain freedom and acceptance in society. Throughout history, Christianity has shown exactly this. By learning about its history, one can gain an understanding of how it emerged into being one of the most popular religions in the world. Furthermore, better understanding of the religion, both historically and contemporarily, can help dispel any negative preconceived notions about Christianity.
Religion has existed for countless centuries. Christianity is one of the major religions in this world, which had people be criticized, battle in wars, and killed for, but it still survived to this day. The purpose of this paper is to study the source of the religion, recognize the teachings, observe its spread throughout the world, and to identify how it stands among people today. Approaching this paper by a factual report I will explain these major points and why we need to know about this religion and other religions that existed before our generation.
Legend says the Buddha was originally born Siddhartha Gautama and his father was a prince of the Shakya tribe. The legend is that he was conceived after his mother’s “miraculous” encounter with a white elephant and his mother passed on a week after his birth. His father took great measures to prepare Siddhartha to succeed him. Raised in a life of luxury and affluence, things changed when he visited a nearby town and saw suffering first hand. According to the legend, Siddhartha at the age of 29 after a moment of realization decided to leave home (The Great Going Forth). He left the luxury of home taking nothing with him and set forth into the world to seek
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.