Understanding Of Religion And Its Association Of Christianity Essay

Having the privilege to serve in the military has allowed this writer the opportunity to be exposed to the pluralistic society in a way which has exposed him to the beauty of the diversity enjoyed in American culture. One aspect of said diversity is the interaction which has taken place amongst the Christian and various world religions who also wear the same uniform in defense of America. It was the pleasure of the writer to attend a local synagogue in which his Jewish brothers and sisters welcomed him with open arms. The local congregation of Jewish believers went out of their way in order to ensure their newest visitor understood the flow of service and the significance of the ritual which took place on the first Shabbat or Sabbath of the month. The following essay will serve to detail the worship experience as well as how it and other beliefs of Judaism compare/contrast with the Christian faith.

Arabia to Islam. All practicing Muslims accept belief in the ‘Six Articles of Faith’ and are

Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.

This understanding of Schleiermacher’s religion will become important in our later discussion of the value of Christianity.

The first two speeches of On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers distinguish Schleiermacher as the father of Protestant Liberal Theology, at the very least (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xi). The First Speech is "Defence" (Schleiermacher 1996, 1-25) and the Second Speech is "The Nature of Religion" (Schleiermacher 1996, 26-118). Reacting to the orthodoxy, enlightened rationality and detachment, and neoclassical ideals of his time (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xvi), Schleiermacher used some established concepts to articulate a newer, liberal approach

Why is it that people, for as long as one can remember, have lived their lives following the rules and morals of something they cannot see, hear, touch, or smell? For many, when thinking of religion, one may believe that humans have the sense of spirituality and the desire to follow set rules engraved into their heads. Some people think that one’s whole religious path depends on what background a person had and what morals they were raised by. Some people believe that religion originates from both these opinions, plus many more. The definition of religion is the belief in worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially in a personal God or Gods.

There are several important ideas and most interesting thoughts that are poised by Smith that communicated to me directly. Some of the most important ideas that Smith depicted were a result of events that he experienced. He was able to observe traits from others who believed they “knew” a religion and he was actually able to explain to them the difference in sentences and phrases that one was able to understand and comprehend. It is important for one to not only study a religion and practice it but for one to be devoted to the religion. Religion is a part of life, and to live you must have religion in your life. In his article he continuously states that he is not defining the religion although he may not realize that he actually is. He is defining the religion as a concept in which an outside reader is able to understand. “The man of religious faith lives in this world. He is subject to its pressures, limited within its imperfections, particularized within one or another of its always-varying

Known as the father of modern liberal theology, Friedrich Schleiermacher was a German theologian, philosopher and biblical scholar who focused his attention on the nature of religious experience from the viewpoint of the individual and human nature itself (Mariña 3). Influenced by German Romanticism, Schleiermacher attempted to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity (Crouter 261). By doing so, he abandoned the pietistic Moravian theology that had failed to satisfy his increasing doubts and he adopted the rational spirit of Christian Wolff and Johann Salomo Semler. He then became acquainted with the techniques of historical criticism of the New Testament and of Johann Augustus Eberhard, from whom he acquired a love of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. As a result, he began applying ideas from the Greek philosophers to a reconstruction of Immanuel Kant’s system (Mariña 3). On this basis, this essay articulate Friedrich Schleiermacher’s understanding of religion and its relationship to Christianity as described in Speech I: Defense and Speech II: The Nature of Religion of his work On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers. The essay will explore Schleiermacher’s rejection of various views of religion held by the despisers, explain his identification of the true religion with feeling and describe his view of the relationship between religion and Christianity.

As of today, the world’s two largest religions Christianity and Islam share an estimated 3.6 billion members, more than half of the world’s population. On the surface, they appear to have almost nothing in common, however, as one goes beyond the surface and examines the other factors such as the rituals, beliefs, ethics, founders, and convictions, the two religions share many similarities. However, in order to truly see and understand these similarities and differences, one must date back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam.

Long time ago, I was told that Christianity was the true religion until a Muslim told me it isn't. So I studied their claims, then I asked, was Sunni or Shia the true one? Then the answer was &@^&#₩%"*!. So I once decided to be a Hindu, then I met a Sikh that they don't agree with each other in India. So I read about philosophy, then they complicate things by verifying or challenging almost everything. So I once convinced again that Christianity is the true religion, then again there are 33,000+ sects in the world, each one saying that other sects, denominations or religion is incorrect, and those who don't belong in their sect or denomination is a sinner or deserved to be punished forever. So, I decided not be a member of any religions on

     According to the American College Dictionary, religion is a noun defined as the quest for the values of the ideal life. This definition is vast and general, allowing for a variety of interpretations by people from all cultures. There is no single path to follow in order to lead an ideal life, only personal beliefs and experiences. Religion is non-finite so there is no way of determining a boundary (Smart, 5). In my quest for a true understanding of what religion is I explored my own traditions and religious beliefs as well as life experiences. Slowly, with the added insight from the text and videos, my own definition of religion has begun to take shape.

In our modern society, religion can either promote positive, optimistic actions or negative, destructive ones. From Christianity to Daoism, each different religion shapes the lives of its followers. Christianity and Hinduism can propel their followers to achieve moral greatness, while Islam and _____ can cause people to do heinous, damaging acts of violence and self-destruction.

In just the first 17 verses of Romans, the word faith is used 6 times, calling the attention of the readers of this book to faith. In reading the first chapter of Romans it is immediately evident that Paul thinks of faith in very high esteem. The dictionary defines faith as: “belief and trust in and loyalty to God.” Throughout Romans, it is evident that Paul holds living in faith to a high standard, the word and its implications are mentioned often within Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this paper, I will show that Paul emphasizes the role of faith for a Christian lifestyle throughout the book of Romans. I will demonstrate this by looking at some key passages in Romans.

The Problem of Definition of Religion The study of religion is problematic. There are so many dimensions to religion (belief, practice, experience, knowledge and consequences) that it is impossible to provide a conclusive definition. Most sociologists do not believe in God. Functionalist views on Religion -------------------------------

Regarded as one of the most influential theological thinkers of the twentieth century, Karl Barth spent a lifetime on taking a closer look at the values of the Christian Church and rewriting, quite literally, the flaws that he found. Karl Barth, a Protestant theologian, was born on May 10, 1886 in Basel, Switzerland. Notably, his father Fritz Barth was a New Testament and early church history professor at the university in Bern, which shows that he had an early exposure and close connection with religious studies. Barth was educated at “universities of Bern, Berlin, Tubingen, and Marburg.” (Torrance). His start in theology was sparked by liberal theologian Adolf von Harnack, whom he attended a seminar for. Others who inspired Barth include Wilhelm Herrmann and Friedrich Schleiermacher. After going through his education, he spent 10 years (Torrance) as “a Swiss Reformed pastor in the town of Safenwil” (Crownfield 29).