essay in religion

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, a casual glance at world affairs would suggest that religion is at the core of much of the strife around the globe. Often, religion is a contentious issue. Where eternal salvation is at stake, compromise can be difficult at or even sinful. Religion is also important because, as a central part of many individuals' identity, any threat to one's beliefs is a threat to one's very being. This is a primary motivation for ethno-religious nationalists. Additional insights into religion and conflict are offered by Beyond Intractability project participants. However, the relationship between religion and conflict is, in fact, a complex one. Religiously-motivated peace builders have played important roles in addressing many conflicts around the world. This aspect of religion and conflict is discussed in the parallel essay on religion and peace. This essay considers some of the means through which religion can be a source of conflict. Religion and Conflict Although not necessarily so, there are some aspects of religion that make it susceptible to being a latent source of conflict. All religions have their accepted dogma, or articles of belief, that followers must accept without question. This can lead to inflexibility and intolerance in the face of other beliefs. After all, if it is the word of God, how can one compromise it? At the same time, scripture and dogma are often vague and open to interpretation. Therefore, conflict can arise over whose interpretation is the correct one, a conflict that ultimately cannot be solved because there is no arbiter. The winner generally is the interpretation that attracts the most followers. However, those followers must also be motivated to action. Although, almost invariably, the majority of any faith hold moderate views, they are often more complacent, whereas extremists are motivated to bring their.
Home : Essays : The Truth in all Religions I have and still am studying many religions and I feel that there is truth in all religions. There have been and are many people on this planet who have found the right path - for them, at least. There are many paths to the Divine, mine is but one. Picture, if you will, a huge field. At the center is the biggest tree you can imagine. There are perhaps a million or more ways to get to that tree. It all depends on where you are currently standing. There is no one right way to get to the center. Will not any path to the center of the field get you to the tree? No matter what side of the field you are on, your path is to the center. The tree is the Tree of Life. It is the source of all knowledge. I feel that all religions stem from the same source. Just what the source is, I am not sure. Call it whatever you wish. We are all also a part of that source. We are one. One human family, one world, one universe. As the Dalai Lama says it: All human beings come from a mother's womb. We are all the same part of one human family. We should have a clear realization of the oneness of all humanity. All religions are essentially the same in their goal of developing a good human heart so that we may become better human beings. I have a deep respect for the Dalai Lama. He has his path to the Divine and also has a respect for all religions. If only we as the human family could also find that respect for each other. In finding that, we would also find a great respect for ourselves. Why do we seem to like to define ourselves with labels? Labels are mere words. If we want others to know what we are, why not show them? Show them through action. Actions still speak louder than words. I do not care if you are a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, a follower of the many Pagan paths; or any of the countless other faiths, traditions, paths.
Here is your essay on religion, it’s meaning, nature, role and other details!Religion is an almost universal institution in human society. It is found in all societies, past and present. All the preliterate societies known to us have religion. Religion goes back to the beginning of the culture itself. It is a very ancient institution. There is no primitive society without religion.Image Courtesy : upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9d/Religios_collage_%28large%29.jpg/1280px-Religios_collage_%28large%29.jpgLike other social institutions, religion also arose from the intellectual power of man in response to certain felt needs of men. While most people consider religion as universal and therefore, a significant institution of societies. It is the foundation on which the normative structure of society stands.It is the social institution that deals with sacred things, that lie beyond our knowledge and control. It has influenced other institutions. It has been exerting tremendous influence upon political and economic aspects of life. It is said that man from the earliest times has been incurably religious. Judaism, Christianity, Islam (Semitic religions), Hinduism and Buddhism; Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto (Chinese-Japanese religions) etc. are examples of the great religions of the world.Meaning of Religion:Religion is concerned with the shared beliefs and practices of human beings. It is the human response to those elements in the life and environment of mankind which are beyond their ordinary comprehension. Religion is pre-eminently social and is found in nearly all societies. Majumdar and Madan explain that the word religion has its origin in the Latin word Rel (I) igio. This is derived from two root words.The first root is Leg, meaning “together, count or observe”. The second root is Lig, meaning ‘to bind’. The first root refers to belief in and practice of.
To most people religion offers salvation, enlightenment, and a place in heaven. Religion identifies a way of life. It tells one a complete code of life. Religion emphasizes the importance of being good and of being right. It condemns those who are bad and those who are wrong. Those who practice a religion strive to be perfect. If they fail, they may be condemned, and if they succeed, they may become intolerant of others. Many religions have many gods and some believe in the oneness of God. All religions try to make human beings better and reach at the highest level to live a good life. It has been said that thoughts of death lead to the development of religion. It is difficult to imagine what need there would be for religion in a world in which no one ever died or became ill. All religions attempt to give answers to basic questions: From where did the world come from? What is the meaning of human life? Why do people die and what happens afterwards? Why is there evil? How should people behave, etc.? In the distant past, these questions were answered in terms of mythology. However, nowadays much of literature deals with them and modern sciences try to investigate them. It is also believed that religions were created to maintain peace over large areas of rule. People need to be calmed and by giving them a reason for their existence, it gives them something to grasp as a foundation of knowledge. It also creates unity and makes it easier for someone to lead, not to mention rule. As a word, religion is difficult to define, but as a human experience, it seems to be universal. The 20th-century German-born American theologian Paul Tillich gave a simple and basic definition of the word: Religion is ultimate concern.  This means that religion encompasses that to which people are most devoted or that from which they expect to get the most fundamental satisfaction in life.
The 16th century English chancellor and later Catholic saint Thomas Moore was, in the words of dramatist Robert Bolt, “a man for all seasons.” Religion itself is an ever-present “topic for all seasons,” but in a presidential election year it seems more so than ever. Remember the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy in 2008? Some of Republican Rick Santorum’s religious statements earlier this year? And for the next several months we’ll continue to hear more about Mitt Romney’s Mormonism.But religion is not only a fit subject for public discourse, but also a very personal matter. Just recently, two writers have demonstrated this. One is Bill Keller of The New York Times, and the other is physicist and former Oberlin College president Robert Fuller in a series of essays that are appearing on the LA Progressive. In their essays, as in many others on religion, the personal and public aspects intersect. And so they shall in this present essay.Let’s start with the personal. I was raised Catholic. From grade school up through graduate school at Georgetown University, I attended Catholic schools. Then, my first teaching job (1967-1970) was at the Jesuit-run Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University). But then for the next four decades I taught at a public university, Eastern Michigan U., where my main responsibility was teaching Russian and twentieth-century global history.Meanwhile, the Catholic Church was changing, mainly due to the leadership of Pope John XXIII, who was elected pope in 1958 and died in 1963, a year after calling together the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Like many liberal Catholics, I was delighted with the changes he introduced into Catholic life, such as a more ecumenical spirit and masses in one’s native language instead of Latin.One of the highlights of my six months in Europe with the U.S. Army was a trip to Rome and being part of a large.