Our world’s major religions all profess to be based in love and peace. Each religion observes a higher power or several higher powers that they believe are all knowing, omnipotent, and authoritative over mankind. It’s not just what each religion believes that is different: it’s the way each religion approaches topics such as gender, ethnicity, politics, and power. Regardless of which religion is really the ‘true religion’, the same principles of sociology apply to all faiths. Society at large greatly affects how a religion functions. While the Catholic faith, for instance, believes that money is the root of all evil, there is still a long history of people paying indulgences to buy there way to heaven when really they were financing the church’s
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Everyone uses God as an excuse to make a profit. Priests become priests to make money and could care a less about doing good. They’ll sell statues and ways to attain enlightenment.” Persaud explained that social class and power is not only very defined within Hinduism but in all of India. In order to fully explain the caste system, Persaud drew it out on paper and identified where he and his family fall within it. “There are five levels of the caste system. Starting from the bottom you have the untouchables, above them you have the suavas who are the unskilled and above them are the vaisyas who are the merchants. Then you have the Kshatriyas who are the warriors; that’s where my family and I belong in the system. The top of the system belongs to the Brahman and they are the priests. In fact, only a Brahmin can be a priest and your last name and geographic location determine if you’re a Brahm. Brahmin commonly come from Northwest India but they come from all over so it’s not required you were born there. Your last name is what ultimately determines if you’re Brahm,” Persaud held a puja in his home, a household worship that takes …show more content…
Sitting in front of the shrines of Hindu gods Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesh was a tray holding seven items: a bell, a diva lamp, joss sticks, a water container and spoon, a container for red powder, and a plate of fruit and rice. Persaud lit an incense stick and moved it in circles around the shrine while muttering. After doing this for several minutes, he placed the incense stick down and meditated. Persaud explained, “I sit and meditate on my gods and their attributes. By waving the incense I’m purifying the air for them and attracting them into my home.” Catholic worship isn’t entirely different from Hindu worship. Anna Roberts, a Catholic, is a college-aged woman very devout in her faith. “During communion in mass, I meditate on the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The priest stands at the alter and raises up wine and small pieces of bread called the Eucharist” Roberts explained. The priest standing at the altar during mass offered the wine and bread as sacrifices to God as atonement for sin. Worshipers all recited a prayer before receiving the communion and praying the rest of the service. “Communion is the most important part of mass. The sermon the priest gives at the beginning help us learn
Everyone uses God as an excuse to make a profit. Priests become priests to make money and could care a less about doing good. They’ll sell statues and ways to attain enlightenment.” Persaud explained that social class and power is not only very defined within Hinduism but in all of India. In order to fully explain the caste system, Persaud drew it out on paper and identified where he and his family fall within it. “There are five levels of the caste system. Starting from the bottom you have the untouchables, above them you have the suavas who are the unskilled and above them are the vaisyas who are the merchants. Then you have the Kshatriyas who are the warriors; that’s where my family and I belong in the system. The top of the system belongs to the Brahman and they are the priests. In fact, only a Brahmin can be a priest and your last name and geographic location determine if you’re a Brahm. Brahmin commonly come from Northwest India but they come from all over so it’s not required you were born there. Your last name is what ultimately determines if you’re Brahm,” Persaud held a puja in his home, a household worship that takes …show more content…
Sitting in front of the shrines of Hindu gods Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesh was a tray holding seven items: a bell, a diva lamp, joss sticks, a water container and spoon, a container for red powder, and a plate of fruit and rice. Persaud lit an incense stick and moved it in circles around the shrine while muttering. After doing this for several minutes, he placed the incense stick down and meditated. Persaud explained, “I sit and meditate on my gods and their attributes. By waving the incense I’m purifying the air for them and attracting them into my home.” Catholic worship isn’t entirely different from Hindu worship. Anna Roberts, a Catholic, is a college-aged woman very devout in her faith. “During communion in mass, I meditate on the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The priest stands at the alter and raises up wine and small pieces of bread called the Eucharist” Roberts explained. The priest standing at the altar during mass offered the wine and bread as sacrifices to God as atonement for sin. Worshipers all recited a prayer before receiving the communion and praying the rest of the service. “Communion is the most important part of mass. The sermon the priest gives at the beginning help us learn