Essay Question #1
It is said that religions help humanity come to terms with and accept that death is inevitable, as well as accept the hardships of life in general. Personally, I have witnessed this phrase being implemented in every day life since I can remember. I grew up in a very religious, Catholic family, both from my mom and dad 's side and I recall going to church every Sunday and hearing the priest talk about the will of God, accepting everyday hardships and the hope of redemption and a wonderful afterlife.
From what I have been able to learn from this class, I notice this seems to be the case not only in Catholicism but also other religions like Judaism, Buddhism, etc. Not only does religion help accept the hardships of life in general …show more content…
As per stated in Stein’s The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft, in Hinduism individuals believe in reincarnation and the concept of karma, which concerns the individual’s actions and the consequences of those actions. The individual believes that the life they are living is a result of a past life and they are accepting of the general adversity in their life as well as the inevitability of their death and consequences they must face in the next life. In Buddhism, as stated in Stein’s The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft, the individual’s physical body, understandings, feelings, will and consciousness are caught up in an never-ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The Four Noble Truths dictate that an individual’s life is not perfect and that it involves inevitable suffering that comes from the individual’s desires. This suffering will end if all desires stop as well. If an individual put an end to all desires by following the Eightfold Path they would then achieve Nirvana. The Buddhists also believe in karma, which continues after death and believe that rebirth is karma’s transmission. The Buddhists believe in The Wheel of Life which shows the thirty one planes of existence that include hells, hungry ghosts that are tormented by unfulfilled desires, animals, humans and gods. According to Buddhism, …show more content…
Like everyone else, I am sure that I have used my own culture as the basis for interpreting and judging other cultures; but because of this class I have been able to realize that I could never achieve a real understanding of other cultures through interpretations that are ethnocentric. I now try to maintain a neutral stance and accept the way of life of other individuals, without judging those individuals and their way of life. In the case of the friend I spoke of, even though I don’t fully understand some of the things she does because of her new religion, like eating in a separate room from her husband and going out wearing the hijab, I try accepting them as appropriate for
It is said that religions help humanity come to terms with and accept that death is inevitable, as well as accept the hardships of life in general. Personally, I have witnessed this phrase being implemented in every day life since I can remember. I grew up in a very religious, Catholic family, both from my mom and dad 's side and I recall going to church every Sunday and hearing the priest talk about the will of God, accepting everyday hardships and the hope of redemption and a wonderful afterlife.
From what I have been able to learn from this class, I notice this seems to be the case not only in Catholicism but also other religions like Judaism, Buddhism, etc. Not only does religion help accept the hardships of life in general …show more content…
As per stated in Stein’s The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft, in Hinduism individuals believe in reincarnation and the concept of karma, which concerns the individual’s actions and the consequences of those actions. The individual believes that the life they are living is a result of a past life and they are accepting of the general adversity in their life as well as the inevitability of their death and consequences they must face in the next life. In Buddhism, as stated in Stein’s The Anthropology of Religion, Magic and Witchcraft, the individual’s physical body, understandings, feelings, will and consciousness are caught up in an never-ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The Four Noble Truths dictate that an individual’s life is not perfect and that it involves inevitable suffering that comes from the individual’s desires. This suffering will end if all desires stop as well. If an individual put an end to all desires by following the Eightfold Path they would then achieve Nirvana. The Buddhists also believe in karma, which continues after death and believe that rebirth is karma’s transmission. The Buddhists believe in The Wheel of Life which shows the thirty one planes of existence that include hells, hungry ghosts that are tormented by unfulfilled desires, animals, humans and gods. According to Buddhism, …show more content…
Like everyone else, I am sure that I have used my own culture as the basis for interpreting and judging other cultures; but because of this class I have been able to realize that I could never achieve a real understanding of other cultures through interpretations that are ethnocentric. I now try to maintain a neutral stance and accept the way of life of other individuals, without judging those individuals and their way of life. In the case of the friend I spoke of, even though I don’t fully understand some of the things she does because of her new religion, like eating in a separate room from her husband and going out wearing the hijab, I try accepting them as appropriate for