The Sacred And The Profane

Conclusion This paper has presented a definition of religion, as well as an examination of its parts to determine if the definition is adequate to apply appropriately. Secondly, this paper has examined several practices and experiences common to both major religions of the worlds, as well as indigenous religions. Lastly, the key critical issues of the study of religions and reasons for their consideration have been identified and discussed.

The comprehensive text of Confucian ideology, the Analects, is a complex work aiming to teach followers of Confucianism how to live a moral life in human society. In Herbert Fingarette’s The Secular as Sacred, Confucius’s philosophy consists of ideas the author calls Human Community as Holy Rite, the Way Without a Crossroads, and the Holy Vessel, metaphors which explain the complex, community-based teachings of the Analects.

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.

Mircea Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane analyzes a wide variety of components that are found within various world religions. Eliade uses the history of religion to support his ideas as the the book itself is a brief introduction to religion as a whole, particulary the religions of primitive societies. Nonetheless, when looking to the past one can see that mankind’s desire to associate itself with the sacred has been occuring for thousands of years. From temples to passages of intiation, religious man is a unique microcosm that follows and repeats the structure of the religious macrocosm, the creation of the cosmos. One can conclude that Eliade views religion as the “paradigmatic solution for every existential crisis.” (p210) and

In his essay “Space”, Thomas Tweed characterizes spaces for religious practices as “differentiated” locales that are sensually encountered and imaginatively figured. They are “more or less ‘special,’ ‘singular,’ or ‘set apart’” from “undifferentiated” or unnamed generic places (Tweed 2011: 119). He also states that spaces are “always interrelated with ‘nature’ and with ‘culture,’” and they are shaped by political processes, social relations and economic forces. Furthermore, defining religions as “confluence of organic-cultural flows” about “dwelling and crossing, about finding a place and moving across

Since their creation, humans have sought to find meaning from the mundane existence of mortality. This quest for answers has motivated many to seek out the divine and sacred spaces forged by the divine. Biblical scholar and historian Mircea Eliade argues that, “man becomes aware of the sacred because it manifests itself [and] to designate the act of manifestations of the sacred [is the] proposed term hierophany” (Eliade 1959: 11). In other words, a hierophany exists when the divine chooses to reveal himself, by defining a space or object as sacred through the divine’s presence. After a hierophany occurs, the chosen object or space is deemed an axis mundi. Eliade defines axis mundi as, “a universal pillar which at once connects and supports heaven and earth and whose base is fixed in the world below” (Eliade 1959: 36).

In the article “Space”, Thomas Tweed tackles the true definition of religious space. Tweed rejects the idea that space is “a preexisting static container isolated from other spaces” or “a void to be filled” (118). Instead, Tweed describes sacred spaces as differentiated, kinetic, and interrelated.

Here is my sacred space, Carlin Park, which is located in my hometown, Jupiter, Florida! The park features tennis courts where I often practice, a running trail, a delicious restaurant, and of course beautiful beach access to Juno Beach. You can spend an entire day here and never get bored, although many people simply set up a picnic at the many picnic tables or just relax. This place is sacred to me because whenever my life got hectic, I knew I could pack up my car and head over to Carlin Park and spend a couple hours at the beach to clear my head. The space itself is so bright and open since it is right on the water. There is so much to do and appreciate. I had my first cross country meet ever in this park, and I was not even nervous since

David Uriarte Professor Grant Marler Philosophy 345 Prompt #2 7 December 2015 Sacred Life 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.

Critique of “Why the Secular Needs the Sacred” Kilpatrick, William Kirk. “Why the Secular Needs the Sacred.” In College Composition Workshop, by James A. Chapman, 150-155. 2nd ed. Pensacola, FL: A Beka Book, 2015. Summary of Major Ideas In William Kirk Kilpatrick’s article, “Why the Secular Needs the Sacred,” the need for spirituality to be the basis behind the rules of this world is accurately presented. Six reasons the world rules need spirituality behind them are to: give a reason to the secular laws, give authority to parents, give a moral reason to keep the laws, instigate love and respect rather than hostility, give the power to discipline, and explain why things are done this way. Kilpatrick suggests that in order for one’s daily actions to make sense, one must recognize the sacred values hidden in them. Those actions will not make sense without

Sacred texts and writings are very beneficial for Christian people since they are the word of God and can be deliberated as supportive indication of understanding the principle beliefs of Christianity which include the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the nature of god and the nature of trinity, revelation and salvation. This essay aim’s at assessing the significant role of the sacred text in providing authentic information in regards to sacred texts.

The Human and the Divine 1) Introduction Through out history, as man progressed from a primitive animal to a "human being" capable of thought and reason, mankind has had to throw questions about the meaning of our own existence to ourselves. Out of those trail of thoughts appeared religion, art, and philosophy, the fundamental process of questioning about existence. Who we are, how we came to be, where we are going, what the most ideal state is....... All these questions had to be asked and if not given a definite answer, then at least given some idea as to how to begin to search for, as humans probed deeper and deeper into the riddle that we were all born into.

Abram leaves his home and family, and departs into the "strange land" of Canaan, showing an extreme obedience to God and understanding of his duty to father this great race. Throughout Genesis, Abraham builds altars to God and sacrifices animals. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains". The next day, Abraham sets off for Moriah "and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." After God stops the sacrifice, he tells Abraham, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

Eliade, in his book “The Sacred and Profane,” poses an interesting conjecture that all people are inherently religious. What one does and the decision they make in their lives are all reflections on what they find sacred. Sacred in this context is an extension of one’s belief held up in high esteem to the point where what is deemed sacred is god like. Religion is the frame that interprets what is sacred and gives it a name and a face. Christians, for example, view Christmas as a sacred time as it is the season of the birth of their savior; Jews view the Passover as sacred as it represents a time in their religious history where God passed over the Jews while sending a message to their enemies. What is sacred can manifest itself in any shape, form, or time; truly entering the fourth dimension of space. If something sacred is god like, what is sacred to those who do not have a God? How can something be sacred if there is not a frame of reference for the thing to be sacred? How can every decision a person makes be reflect what they find sacred, if they do not have a religious language to reflect this phenomena?