What Makes A Religion?

Ultimately, people are the common factor in all religions. People are looking for a connection with other people who are looking for a higher or greater purpose than their own. People seek comfort, hope, companionship, a place of belonging, and love. People need the knowledge that they are part of a common understanding and belief that unites them with other people.

Religion is one of the oldest and most sacred traditions of the human species. Religion started off as a basic belief in an afterlife, and then further developed into tribal religions, which evolved into ancestral worship, then to polytheism, and lastly into monotheism. Monotheism in the form of Christianity is the largest religion of the modern world, and it has similar beliefs to other world religions such as Buddhism. Christianity and Buddhism are similar because both religions teach about the equality of people and that making good choices reflects the positive teachings of that religion. They are also similar in how they formed, as both broke off from another religion that was exclusive, and both became popular and spread easily

All religions are similar in a manner, appreciating life, doing good, respecting others..etc yet they still have their differences, the differences that gives it, its uniqueness. And the person practising it, his individuality.

With the major religions constantly crashing together, the principles and customs of each religion seem to always build similarities each time you study them. This is what occurred to me when i began reading “Living religions” studying practices and rites. Beginning with the traditional indigenous groups - descendants of the original inhabitants of lands now controlled by larger political systems in which they may have little influence (33) -, I observed the common rites performed by the different indigenous groups. Many groups lean on the word “spiritual”, rather than “religious”. There’s really no clarification as to why this is the case, but the author, Fisher addressed that religion has

In general, there are hundreds of religions all around the world. All people respecting and following what they worship. What they all seem to have in common, is that in some way or some form, a spiritual being came to be powerful and above everyone else.

There are may religions in the world, but through out the different religions there are many crossovers and similarities. Mattie Stepanek said “It doesn't matter how you pray. Just pray. All religions are beautiful and they all have one common belief. There's something bigger and greater than us that can give us and take from us life. It is better than the here and now”. Religion itself means “a belief in and worship of a greater power” (dictionary.com). By people believing in any kind of religion, it means that similarities can start there. With so many religions having similarities, it might be hard to distinguish from certain religions from another. Religions like of African and Native Americans might not at first seem alike, but as you look deeper into their religions and see they have similarities. These similarities are attributed as beliefs, rituals, and history. Their growths and struggles might not have happened at the same time, but both religions are still celebrated today.

Religion has played a very important role in society and the history of mankind for over thousands of years. Originally created by ancient peoples as a way to explain the unknown, religion has greatly evolved and spread across the globe. As new religions have formed and spread, the diversity and similarities between these new religions have also increased, especially due to their geographic locations. Two civilizations in particular with both similar and distinct religions are ancient China, and ancient Egypt. Ancient Chinese religion and ancient Egyptian religion share many things in common with each other, yet at the same time they are

Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.

Religion has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Where years ago, it was limited to a few specific set of beliefs in which the majority of people conformed to and few people deviated. Nowadays, religion is immeasurable and varies depending on where you live. Despite all the changes, there are a few basic elements that every religion follows such as; a set of stories, sacredness, community, belief of a higher power, rules/ethics, offer hope and a way to connect with the divine. Although the building blocks are the same, each organizations, religious practices and beliefs are unique.

“Rivers, ponds, lakes, and streams—they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do—they all contain truths,” said by Muhammad Ali. Religion is the belief and reverence for a supernatural power and powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe (2003). The religions I’ve chose to compare and contrast would be non denomination/ Christianity and Buddhism. Each religion would be broken down by their religious belief, religious ritual, and religious experience. The definition of these religious things are: religious belief is a statement to which members of a particular religion adhere, religious ritual is a practice required or expected of members of a faith, and religious experience is the feeling or

What defines religion? What defines politics? Where is the line that separates the two? Google defines religion as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.”, while politics is defined as “the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.” When Martin Luther led the Reformation, he was not making any personal attacks against Pope Leo X, but simply telling of the errors of Catholic ways through his work, titled “Of The Matters To Be Considered In The Councils”, Luther was only being informative ; not forcing anyone to shun the Catholic Church. While the Catholic Church was losing its following, Pope Leo X wrote a document titled, “Exsurge Domine”, which began what was known as the Counterreformation. He wrote, “Let all this holy Church of God, I say, arise … to banish all heresies from the lands of the faithful and be pleased to maintain the peace and Unity of His holy Church”. Although the disputes and disagreements between Martin Luther and Pope Leo were over religion, the way they were handled added a completely political aspect to the Reformation and Counterreformation. Pope Leo essentially stated that he wanted his religion to rise above other religions and that he wanted to be able to execute anyone who went against the orthodox religion.

Thielicke begins by pointing out how many "ordinary" Christians have a strong prejudice against theology, warning those who study it about being corrupted by their unbelieving and godless professors (3). He explains that while it may be easy for a young theologian to brush these sorts of concerns off as naive and uninitiated. However, Thielicke maintains that the young theologian ought to carefully consider them. For if it is true that theology has nothing to do with the "common people" then there may actually be something wrong with it it indeed. This is because Christianity as a religion is meant to happen in a community of believers together. If something which is supposed to be as vital as theology is to Christianity does not aid the community then the theologian attempting it is probably going about it in the wrong way (4). It then follows theology can often be a sort of hindrance to young people who study it, in so far as it can act a something which obscures the fervor of the faith that they had. A simple study of the biblical text can often be more enlightening to the young theologian than it is for them to study something abstract and complicated, as he has not yet had the experience needed to fully appreciate the sentiment behind what he is being given to understand about God (7). He can understand much of what is being said intellectually, but he has not yet grown into the spiritual experience behind the concept being communicated to him. As such he cannot

On this vast planet religions are becoming more prevalent and are being studied more frequently in recent times. Many individuals want to study and learn about the origins of some religions, on where they were developed and what was the cause of this glorification of a divine. The art of religion is processed by many ideologies, background, beliefs, myths, and rituals. The five major religions of the world include: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are solely based on these ideologies, and ultimately leads to one goal, to follow the path of god, or to seek a euphoric state of salvation. In spite of all the differences among the world’s five major religions, they have very similar ethical constructs, which should encourage more mutual respect among them.

Religion can be found almost everywhere around us, influencing ones lifestyle and surroundings much more than we are aware of. Often becoming a huge element of society in several areas of our lives. Though some argue one is born already knowing their religious faith, classifying religion as something that cannot be learned but more as an inner spirituality present at birth. Other would say there is no doubt religion is socially constructed and subconsciously learned plus spread through peers, family or close ones, strongly impacting societies and cultures. Some sort of hidden objective or purpose whether is it political, spiritual or other, motivates the creation of a religion through a "designated"

In studying the world religions I learned that there are similarities; they all seem to