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Hinduism is a collection of religions that are based on Vedic principles. Despite the contradictions between the various versions of Hinduism, all of them are based on several specific fundamental provisions. Outside the ever-changing physical world, there is a single universal, unchanging, eternal spirit called Brahman. The soul (atman) of...
There are several similarities between Islam and Christianity as both have the same belief in One God. In Islam religion, it’s a mandatory belief that all the four holy books were sent by the same God, Allah. Namely Quran, Torah, Injeel (Bible) and Zaboor, but all these were sent on...
Hinduism is complex and a very refined system of very diverse religious beliefs, which literally means “the eternal path’ or “the eternal law.” Hinduism is a way of life. This Hinduism has been open to the philosophies of many great theologians and religious leaders. The most debatable discussion among theologists...
The world initially being illiterate considered religion as the basis to avoid human weaknesses and to wrestle between justice and injustice in the society was the main reason to believe in a theology. In a social milieu of civilization vulnerable to transgression and misdeeds, there was no option left for...
Vedic religion is a separate branch of Hinduism, which considers Vedas as the central religious text. The main difference from Hinduism is that in the Vedic religion brahmin priests have the primary authority.
These terms are problematic to use for an understanding of Hinduism because “religion” is interpreted differently in Eastern and Western cultures, “India,” from a historical perspective, is a very broad term, and “Hinduism” has many branches.
According to Karl Marx, religion is the opium for the people: it facilitates its suffering. Originally, religion maintains the general human values among people. It is claimed that by keeping these values actual, religion maintains the status quo in society. Calvinism, in its turn, emphasizes God’s sovereignty or control over...
Karl Marx identified religion as a social institution that is closely dependant on economic and material realities in the society; he stated that it could be realized only in its relation to social structures keeping the society functioning through providing illusions and excuses. Marx demonstrated his dislike of religion, stating...
God’s purpose for the earth was wonderful and that is why he planted the garden of Eden which the bible says was pleasing to one’s sight and good for food. He then put a man in charge of it. God commanded man to eat from all the trees except the...
Speaking about Saint Augustine, we should first mention that he lived in the most crucial period of Christianity. Emperor Constantine gave liberty of worship to Christians and in 325 basic Christian doctrines were defined, it should be taken into account that any other interpretations of the bible were declared heretical....
According to Christianity, evil desires, greed, lust, sexual immorality, idolatry, anger, rage, filthy languages, and other negative emotions and actions are sins. If the person fails to get rid of them, he will die forever; his soul will cease to exist. However, if the person leads a righteous life, follows...
According to Christianity, death opens the door to eternal life. Jesus has died on the cross to offer all humankind the opportunity to live forever, without suffering and earthy problems. Death is not feared by the true Christians because they have a clear understanding of what will happen to their...
Buddhism holds that life and death are interrelated. Death is the logical result of life and everybody dies to be reborn again. Buddhists believe that the meaning of life is to find the essence of it, to understand the true meaning of all things. Death should not be feared because,...
The Islamic concept of revelation is close to both the Christian and that of Judaism too. Like Moses who got his revelation, Mohammed had his revelation when he was alone and in the mountains. The revelations kept happening for the next decade so that all that Allah wanted to convey...
Islam’s success and spread could be attributed to two major reasons. One, it was a practical religion. The Prophet also lived a life that was more in line with the normal lifestyle that was being led by people in Arabia. This made the life of the people closely associated with...
Islam’s written tradition dates back well beyond Mohammed. Pagan recordings indicate the rise of Mohammed and the nature of life that was being led in the towns of Mecca before Mohammed started preaching. This tradition has brought about a strong sense of recording the life and times of Mohammed and...
Sunni branch believes that Mohammed’s successors rightfully took his place as the leaders of Muslim people. These heirs of four caliphs (also the religious leaders) ruled in the Arab world until the break up of the Ottoman Empire. Shiites, on the contrary, believe that only one caliph (Ali) is the...
Religions help individuals to form certain beliefs regarding the purposes of existence and the overall value of their lives. For instance, the view on the meaning of life in the majority of monotheistic religions implies that the goal of human existence is to serve God. Besides the compliance with major...
The case of Islamic terrorism clearly shows that these terrorists are guided by religious intentions, but their actions are immoral as they damage other people. The moral foundation of Islamic terrorism claims that religious reasons dominate the secular ones. In fact, this example demonstrates that religious motivation should be considered...
It is a common opinion that the Roman empire underwent a brutal invasion in the West, which caused the decline of the classical culture of Rome. However, recent studies suggest that the barbarians were merely accommodated into the Roman empire and started serving as its defenders. As a result, it...
The spiritual condition at the time of captivity the Jewish people were forced to stay in Babylonia can be described as good since, during this time, the people learned to practice religion without essential attributes such as a temple. During this time, Jeremiah helped people retain their faith during the...
The Eastern Orthodox and Western Christianity have taken different paths of development since the East-West schism of 1054, having different socio-political roles and theological doctrines. Harrison defines the central theological conflict between these churches, stating that Eastern Orthodox adhere to the creation-deification principle, while Western Christians believe in a program...
Carl Henry was a noted evangelical Christian theologian who has led the foundation to numerous aspects of the religious beliefs in the 20th century. He also led the general belief of the church on genetic research by emphasizing the dictum ‘restore rather than manipulate.’ Evangelical Christianity itself does not oppose...
Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire changed in different ways with time. The former region became fragmented under the influence of various settlers and travelers, while the empire tried to maintain its unity. Therefore, in Western Europe, the power of the papacy started to decrease because each ruler brought some...
Mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque indicating a qibla. Qibla, in its turn, is the direction that a Muslim should face while praying. Masjid is an Arabic name for a mosque, while a minaret is typically its part that looks like a tall tower built into...
For some people, religion is an essential part of their identity. Adults seem to become more religious with time and use it as a coping mechanism. Both the religion and ethnic groups are sources of support in an adult period of life. The communities based on religion and ethnicity are...
The 19th-century religious revival was laden with a series of social reforms that influenced a wider temperance movement. This means that the religious revival was a turning point for motivating the Second Great Awakening. During these camps or large gatherings, the devout had an opportunity to apply religious principles such...
Saint Ignatius was a noble Spanish hermit and priest from 1537 to 1556; founder of the Jesuits during the times of the Christian reformation led by the late Martin Luther King, and he strictly observed unquestionable devotion to the hierarchy, power, and authority of the Roman Catholic Church after being...
Praying Towns were the settlements founded by the Puritans coming from New England, who attempted to convert native people to Christianity. The process of forming these towns lasted from 1646 to 1675. Explanation: The Puritans were ardent followers of Christianity; therefore, believed it was going to be easy to turn...
Rastafarianism is a religious and social movement that appeared in Jamaica in 1930 and rose to prominence throughout the XX century. Rastafarianism has roots in Christianity and Ethiopianism and calls for righteous living and exodus of African people from the West, or Babylon, to Africa, which is regarded as Zion,...
Polytheism is a religious faith system based on the belief in the existence of several gods, each of which has its own sphere of responsibility. Together, the gods of one polytheistic religion form a unique pantheon. Polytheistic religions are opposed to monotheistic worldviews, on the one hand, and atheistic, on...
Iconoclastic controversy is a dispute over the use of religious images (icons) in the Byzantine Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Iconoclasts (those who rejected images) objected to icon veneration; the defenders of the use of icons insisted on the symbolic nature of images and the dignity of...
Hinduism is one of the largest religions in the world, which is considered polytheistic because those who confess Hinduism do not worship only one god. Hinduism implies the cultivation of thousands of deities. Also, there is an idea that there are 33 million Gods of Hinduism. This belief is not...
Christianity, as a religion, originated from the teachings of Jesus, a son of a carpenter. The timeline of the expansion of Christianity throughout the world started in the 1st century AD, after the death of Jesus. This religion was spread by Jesus’ disciples, emperors, nuns, and monks around the Mediterranean...
Jesus Christ is most widely recognized as the founder of Christianity as His life and death are the foundations of faith. However, there is an opinion that Paul founded Christianity as a religion by setting its doctrines and sharing the word of Jesus among the early church. Explanation: The roots...