Essay on Religion

Religion

Kory Anthony Lavine

REL134

March 2, 2015

Johnny Boudreaux

Religion

Religion is a touchy subject that can turn a conversation and anger a person just as quick as discussing politics. With a multitude of religions spanning the globe, the definition of religion its self is often in question. Equally in question is the origin, as each has its starting point. However, one clear point is they steeped in tradition. Whether it is the belief system, the community, certain rituals, etc., tradition is the starting point for all denominations.

What is something that you have done because you believe that it will put in closer connection with whatever deity you follow? What do you believe about this deity? In other words, what are your beliefs? Western religions, i.e. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, all have monotheistic, belief systems. Monotheism means to have faith in knowledge is one God (Felix Just, 2012). While they share the belief in only one god/deity, each faith calls their deity something different. Islam’s deity is called Allah, which translates into “The God,” Judaism refers to their deity as YHWH or Yahweh, and Christianity while being monotheistic, sees their God as three separate entities called the Holy Trinity, or The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit (Unknown, 2014). Within these faiths the practitioners a blind trust, fear, and complete submission to their particular deity. Under these deities, each faith has a particular prophet, held almost equally sacred as the deities themselves. Christianity has Jesus of Nazareth; Judaism has Moses, and Islam has Mohammad.

Rituals and symbolism are other focal points of tradition that has created religious denominations. A common symbolic item and ritual staple in all religions is Water. Hindus bathe in the Ganges River; Christians use water for baptisms; Jews use water for ritual purification, and Muslims and followers of Shinto wash before prayer (Malloy, 2013). Rituals are ceremonies held for either a particular event that can be historical, or a life event. For example, Judaism has a ritual called a Bat Mitzvah, which celebrates a young boy’s ascension to manhood. Christianity has their submergence in water called a baptism, which symbolized the purification of one’s body and mind as they fully devote themselves to God, just as Jesus did during his lifetime. All three western religions share the ritual of circumcision or the removal of the male foreskin from the penis. In Judaism and Islam, this is a required practice, however in Christianity this is not a staunch requirement.

We cannot begin to fathom the ideals that religion has when looked at from different fields. According to Jacob Belzen, “Although psychology has taken an interdisciplinary approach to religion, at present most studies are aligned with mainstream psychology, which largely disregards the constitution of psychic functioning by cultural forces.” (Belzen, 1999, para. 1). Belzen further states that theologians have attempted at psychological reasoning for some time. However, in the nineteenth century, colonists began their religious studies. Instead of outright conversion to Christianity, Religionswissenchaft began. Religionsswissenchaft, is the science of religion as an empirical phenomenon, and out of this spawned cultural anthropology. He was convinced that religion is not an individual psychology topic, but for cultural psychology instead (Belzen, 1999).