Religious Symbols, Rituals, And Metaphorical Language

There are many religions throughout the world today. Although there are several different religions, many individuals are not educated about the other beliefs besides there own. Religions today do have differences but are also very much the same. This is demonstrated between the religion of Yoruba, and Christianity. The Gods that the people in these religions worship are different but have the same purpose throughout the lives of each individual. Each individual’s purpose and goal in these religions also display similarities. Furthermore the rituals that are done throughout these religions are done for directions and to improve the relationship between the individual and their god. There are various differences and similarities between

In, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, there is a quote “they all carried ghosts.”, this metaphor can represent the many things the soldiers carried. Every soldier carries things that represent memories or security. In war, the soldiers are confronted with death every day so they carry things that remind them of people, memories, or hope.

Soldiers throughout the ages have had to carry the burden of what war brings upon them. The physical strain is a huge weight to carry, but the mental turmoil that a solider must endure becomes most strenuous and lasting of the burdens placed upon them. When soldiers carry these burdens into a war zone, it is so the majority can live a life free from violence and turmoil. There is strong underlying metaphor in Tim O’Brien’s Novel The Things They Carried. Metaphor is used throughout the text of the book to create a sense of understanding or to convey a different meaning then the text originally suggests.

Symbols have a major impact on both Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible. They help display the story in different perspectives and help us understand concepts we don’t always pick up on when first reading the novels. These symbols reveal more in depth detail about the themes of each novel as well as add to the development of characters. Some major symbols seen in Things Fall Apart are the locusts which make a reference to the Bible and are a metaphor for the coming missionaries, Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, who symbolizes Okonkwo’s failures, and fire which symbolizes destruction. The major themes in The Poisonwood Bible are the snake which represents a character from the bible, Methuselah who symbolizes the fate of the Congo and the poisonwood tree which symbolizes Nathan’s mistakes.

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.

Respected Puritan minister, Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God (1741), warns the unrepentant sinners of his congregation that they will be damned to hell if they do not confess. Edwards’s intent is to manifest terror in the people of his congregation about the consequences of their sinful behavior. He adapts a condemning tone in order to convey a strong message in his congregation. Although Edwards’s use of extreme imagery was the strongest in the sermon, he also uses vivid metaphors and logos to convey his message.

Even with their opposing values of coexistence versus vengeance, both have developed reputations as sinister customs when in reality they are both simply different means of trying to enhance a person’s existence. In the end, society is not always aware of the origins behind its beliefs and traditions; occasionally it is good to reevaluate what knowledge is known and how it is known. It is through learning and coming to understand those with differing beliefs that society can overcome its apprehension, and recognize that a contrast in beliefs do not make people any less

Just as we formerly pointed out that “hatred and violence have no sanction in our religious and political traditions,” we also point out that such actions as incite to hatred and violence, however technically peaceful those actions may be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems.(372)

Human beings carry many different things with them, both physical and metaphorical. In Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” he presents an exploration of the many burdens that people can carry. Throughout the story, he presents many detailed descriptions of the equipment and tangible things that the characters carry with them to help them survive their ordeal physically. O’Brien also describes the various ‘things’ that the men carry both physically and emotionally to help them deal with the mental and emotional stress of war. O’Brien also details the additional ‘things’ that the men pick up over the course of their experiences, both physical and mental/emotional. Through the metaphor of carrying objects, the descriptions of the items and

On the other more extreme side of things, religious persecution can be extremely fatal, leading to loss of life over differing beliefs and attitudes. Just look at today’s political climate. ISIS, an extremist radical group known for being religiously charged, takes credit for virtually every act of mass violence across the world. This has caused people all over the world to be afraid of Muslims even though their religion really has nothing to do with these acts of violence. People have made the religion out to be the problem when that isn’t the issue.

Many of the ancient and historical conflicts are believed to be connected to religion in a various ways and proven that religion can be used as an excuse for violence. For instance, The Crusade Wars ended in the brutality of both Christians and Muslims during the mass dispute (Burton 1984). The Jews have perpetrated massacres through nations for the solitary reason to attain their belief. During the reformation of Christians thousands of people were killed because of their religion. In Yugoslavia, the war in 1991 pitted Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Catholics against each other in a brutal combat (Avalos 2005). Also, thousands of monks were being persecuted in Burma

Although widely accepted in the United States, Jews and Christians are also involved in issues of extreme prejudice, oppression, and conflict. Much of this conflict stems from the inaccurate belief that only one religion can be “right,” and is constantly perpetuated even by those who have been its victims. According to Falcon, “Every individual path is an avenue to a shared universal.” This view lies in direct opposition to those of many major world religions. The three believe that members of all religions would benefit from sharing their inconsistencies and taboos on a personal level without seeking to convert the other party. According to Rahman, “Interfaith is not about conversion; it is about

In addition to the areas of ambiguity, there is the problem of religious ignorance (Giess, 2012; Haynes, 2011). There is a marked and dramatic ignorance among Americans about religious traditions including their own (Giess, 2012). Ignorance is no virtue and especially so when the opportunity to harm one’s students through intolerance and ignorance is more prevalent than ever before. The US, the predominance of the Christian religion notwithstanding, is becoming more and more diverse religiously (Gunther & Purinton, 2011). This type of ignorance is a contributor to the escalation of religious intolerance that has manifested itself in increasing numbers of hate crimes (Haynes, 2011).

Religion has its shares of promoting violence. Many will argue that a cause of religion wars is for economic and political reasons, but others argue that those who start wars are, by definition, not religious. In reality, separating religion out of economic and political motives can be involved in such a way finding religious motives innocent of much. Excuses for Christianity responsibilities cannot be accepted whether the person has misappropriated the message of Christ. The primarily set of doctrines is not Christianity, but by living through past background it personified the visible actions of Christians. In other words, Christianity, Islam or any other religion has no intention of excusing from survey. Given certain conditions,

According to renowned author William Scott Downey, you must “Never be angry with your neighbor because his religious views differ from your own; for all the branches of a tree to not lean the same way.” In the history of our planet and our contemporary society, there has always been conflict between individuals over their religious views. Religion influences our daily lives to a great extent, and without it, our modern society would be much different. However, religion has caused much conflict and hostility that still exists today. In our contemporary world, prejudice has been placed against people of various beliefs through popularized media, false notions and violence involving religion in many parts of the world. The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the story of a man in an African village, fighting for his religious beliefs and his family amidst the settling of Christian missionaries in his homeland. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie follows the story of a young girl trying to discover her true self amongst religious familial pressures. In both novels, there are illuminating incidents that outline the hatred that various religious peoples have for one another and the great lengths to which many individuals go to protect their identity and beliefs.