Importance Of Religion Essay

Improved Essays
Register to read the introduction… Finding a way to judge the respective merits of their truth claims is, therefore, extremely difficult." (An Introduction to Humanities, Block 4 p52) So even for the spiritual enquirer of religion, the task of understanding religion is far from easy.

There is further clouding of the issue for students when one needs to separate religions from cults. The Church of Scientology has been unable to register its centre as a place of worship in Britain - the closest an organization can get under British law to being recognised as a `religion.' (Block 3, p29) Some regard the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,) as a cult.

Generally a modern definition of a cult indicates a quasi-religious organization that holds a strange or dangerous aspect, either to the mental or physical well-being of its followers.

The student of religion must weigh up the cultural, emotional and historical aspects of a religion (sometimes from afar,) and he must realise religion is a very personal thing.

For every person, there will be a different definition. Much of religion is intangible; it can be mystic, spiritual and often so culturally

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In understanding the dimensions of religion and how the rituals of each religion have been formed, it is important to recognize that each individual religion holds its own unique methods of practice and have many different levels of complex beliefs; including ways of following and practicing the cultural expectations as well as understanding the historical events that have formed each religion. Some beliefs are formed due to the exposure of the religion that has been practiced within one’s family. Others may be formed within adulthood based upon self-discovery and one’s wishes to pursue a certain lifestyle. Those who are fully knowledgeable on the many different forms of religion are more likely to be able to form more in-depth opinions that…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Scientology was created by L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology does not focus on the body or mind of a human being; but instead it focuses on the spirt itself. The main focus of this religion is that humans are great beings, we are “immortal spiritual” beings capable of great things. Scientology does not require people to believe in one almighty God and depends on faith solely.…

    • 1560 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Interpreting the Sacred,” William E. Paden does not answer the what is religion question, in fact he does the opposite. Paden challenges the reader to ask why IS religion and to question how one can even define religion. It was an interesting read that discussed the difficulties in studying religion, and the challenges we all face with religion in our everyday lives. Paden poses the idea that our individual worldviews and lives shape religion, not just in the sense of how we ourselves interpret our own religions, but also how we define religion, culture, and society. Chapter 1 discusses the lens that we all view religion through.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Crossing several different boundaries in the human experience, religion is notoriously difficult to define. Still, many attempts have been made, and while every theory has its limitations, each perspective has contributed to our current understanding of this complex phenomenon. We can now identify several of the characteristic elements that religion consists of. To followers, religion is a way of life guiding thinking, feeling, and acting. It usually provides something or someone requiring devotion.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    I think it is totally relevant to know that a religious theorist’s family experienced religious persecution, or that another grew up with religious practices followed in convenience. Acknowledging the vastly differing backgrounds that lead to the theories presented allows us to consider the merits of each and in collusion with realistic consideration. By taking these aspects into consideration and applying them to my current opinion about religion, I found several new aspects to consider. First I will give my definition of religion; then I will explain what I feel the significance…

    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Our understanding of the issues surrounding Religion such as God, truthfulness and human experience can be modernized with the help of new and scientific methods. Scholars of Religion can debate the affect of Religion on humans, the issues is Religion is part of life now and will be in the future. Scientific methods of research will be reliable, increase our knowledge and contribute to the success of Religious studies. W. C. Smith argued that Religion could not be a field of study because of the nature of the subject. He thinks that the western modernity sees Religion as threat to its practices.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the age of innovation and information, there is little that people cannot discover with the help of the internet. Dynamic and complex concepts can be diluted into a mere sentence for almost anyone to understand. Yet, there are transmundane terms that cannot be fully grasped or understood, though many have tried. Religion, and its definition, is one of those terms. Superficially, it seems like a relatively easy phenomenon, but as soon as the attempt is made to solidify the definition, exceptions can be argued.…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The text written by Rick Rogers is a brief introduction to give students an idea of what to expect in the course. This text also builds a foundation needed for future endeavors within the course. As stated previously, the assigned text written by Rick Rogers is written with a purpose of creating the foundation needed to venture into the enigma of religion. The foundation consists of defining key terms, understanding origins, how to categorize religions, and understanding the methodologies of approaching religion (historical and scientific).…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jim Jones Research Paper

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alexa Sanchez Professor Josh Pryor Eng. 110-04 05/05/15 Cults and Charismatic Leaders What is normal for you might be insane for me; as for cults and religions many of their acts and interest are of normality. For someone on the outside of that religion or cult might seem like an absurdity. As humans we do not have the right to judge upon their religion or cults way of life, they do what they do for a reason either to protect or praise in whom they have faith. As for cults we know many are notably positive, while other could be destructive or suicidal.…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Steeler Nation Definition

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In a world where there are 4200 globally recognized religions, creating a universal definition of religion must be a difficult task. I associate religion with a feeling of comfort and fellowship. I define religion as a set of beliefs corresponding to a religious routine. Although people might take different approaches to the same set of beliefs, I wouldn’t consider someone an active follower without a somewhat frequent acknowledgment of their religion. Naturally, my definition isn’t perfect.…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cult You Re In Analysis

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Though there are many other “cults” within my community, a “cult” that I am not a member of would be the Mormon church. Just as there are certain characteristics that define me as a member of my church, there are also characteristics that help me to recognize a Mormon within my…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    For centuries the word cult brought negative connotations with it. Take for instance, the People’s Temple led by Jim Jones, which ended in a horrible tragedy. In the late 70’s more than 900 people drank poison laced with cyanide and committed mass suicide. More recently the Church of Scientology has raised grave concerns among the public and also from family members whom have a relative or relatives attending this church. With the People’s Temple and the Church of Scientology we can all three warning signs that give clues to the organizations, both are or were exclusive, both are secretive, and both have very authoritative leaders who dictate what members can and cannot do regarding both their professional and personal lives.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Religion occurs where ever societies exist, from the Sumerians and the Ancient Egyptians right through to modern society religion is everywhere. This essay will look at religion from a sociological perspective and try to answer whether or not Britain is becoming a more secular society. When it comes to religion sociologists, unlike theologists and philosophers, are not as interested in the details of religions themselves, but in what effects religion has on its particular society. The sociological study or religion is separate from the philosophical approach, which is concerned with such questions as the nature and existence of God and the relationship between God and science (William Alston, 1967), in that it does not seek to answer whether or not there, is any validity to religious beliefs. Sociologist Peter L Berger (1967) coined the term ‘methodological atheism’ to describe the process needed in comparing the different beliefs of various religions.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In my life so far I’ve been exposed to various religions. My encounters have granted me the privilege to learn and understand each religion independently. What puzzled me the most was coming across a religion that wasn’t identified as a “religion” by a believer. In this chapter of Religion Pluralism, I wish to challenge those who are Christians to first take a step back and reanalyze the definition of religion. In order to obtain a more concise and understanding of religions and their values, I believe that redefining religion in itself would be necessary.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A well-taught class is one that provides you with proper knowledge on the subject, while simultaneously putting the subject matter in the larger context of a shared history and current affairs. For centuries religion has been in conversation with almost every academic pursuit created by man. Naturally, the argument of how religion should be taught in schools is part of the argument on the best way for American students to be taught, as it should be. Currently, public schools, especially secondary schools, are merely ignoring religion altogether and have silently agreed to keep it largely outside of academic conversation. However, ignoring religion is a fruitless effort that negatively affects students.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics