Religious Traditions and History Essays - 1587 Words

Religious Traditions and History Thomas Lee History 233 February 2, 2013 Introduction to the Beginnings of Religion Religion is a staple of life in all countries of the world. There are many types of religious beliefs. This paper will attempt to piece together the different beliefs at various times of history and what the motivation behind each one was. Today’s religions weren’t always about the afterlife. The author, Kevin Reilly put it best when he said: â€Å"By what appears to be a remarkable coincidence, a number of the world’s great traditions turned to the goal of salvation or escape from the world at about the same time.† It†¦show more content†¦Buddha, which means â€Å"the enlightened one†, which was the name he received from his followers. Buddhism is different from Confucianism in that it didn’t teach about the family or rituals of this world, rather it taught enlightenment which leads to nirvana. There are eight awarenesses of enlightenments. â€Å"Freedom From Desire, Satisfaction, Serenity, Meticulous Effort, Correct Remembrance, Samadhi, Wisdom, and avoiding idle talk.† The Chinese during this time asked the Buddhist monks, why do you not marry? Their answer was â€Å"Wives, children, and property are the luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction are the wonders of the Way.† The Buddhist’s wanted was to live a simple life and reach enlightenment and thus nirvana. Christianity Christianity is a salvation religion. Christians and Buddhists turned to the idea of salvation around the same time. Salvation means escape your earthly bonds. If you don’t follow a righteous path, meaning free of sin, then you are destined to be cast into the pit of darkness, otherwise known as hell. The new testament of the bible is what guides these true believers. The Catholics say, for instance, that if you sin and repent by going to confession your sins will be forgiven. This is the only way to ensure that the soul is clean. The idea of all Christian orthodoxy is that they follow the teachings of Christ, which has many different interpretations. Thus it follows that when you die you willShow MoreRelatedZionisms Greatest Conceit Essay1594 Words   |  7 PagesZIONISM’S GREATEST CONCEIT For a people whose traditions and rituals originate from the age of Egyptian pharaohs, modernity can be a relative term. The Jewish people have one of the oldest traditions of any culture on earth and have been a part of nearly every major civilization, from the ancient Egyptians, to the Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and British empires. Over the centuries, they have traditions both of successful self-governance but also of persecution, hostility and exileRead MoreReligion At The University Of Dayton1552 Words   |  7 PagesAs a private, religious institution, the University of Dayton requires students to obtain an education that includes religion courses. 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