Theravada Comes from a word meaning “The Teaching of the Elders”. Considered to be more “orthodox” of the Buddhist sects. Practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Considers the Buddha to be more human than divine. Focusses mainly on an “understanding of human nature” and on enlightenment through meditation. All things […]
Through this past semester in this class, I have had to study and analyze the tenants of the major religions that essentially run the world, namely (in no particular order) Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. I have learned about their god (or gods), ways of worshiping said gods, behavioral practices, and philosophies. […]
A lot of us grow up within a religion very passively. We are taught it by our parents or guardians, and most of us do not question it much, at least not until we are older. However, one way or another, we eventually accept some way to make sense of the world around us, why […]
China, a most ancient and antiquated civilization, owes much of its longevity to its enduring culture. However, its culture is not exactly as staunch and regular as we would find our own Western culture to be, and certainly not as cut-and-dry. Just what do the Chinese believe in? This question can be answered through a […]
Comes from the word “Messiah”, which comes from the Hebrew word “meshiach”, meaning “the anointed one”. As opposed to other Jews, Messianics believe that Jesus was the messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. They still hold traditional Jewish rituals and festivals Passover Yom Kippur Sabath Still observe laws and traditions defined in the Torah. First […]
Comp Rel Presentation on Hinduism
Chapter two starts with a warrior asking his driver a question about whether or not it is right to kill his fellow man in battle. The warrior wasn’t aware of this, but the driver was actually Krishna in disguise. Krishna informed the warrior that it was ok, as no one in the world could truly […]
The beginning of the chapter initiates the conversation about Hinduism by describing the story and significance of the god Ganesha, an elephant-headed, jovial god. He is often referenced by Hindus for “good luck” whenever starting something new, as he is the “god of thresholds”. Next, the chapter continues the discussion by referencing how diverse the […]
Sigmund Freud’s explanation of religion and faith can be summed up as a man-made creation from our constant search for pleasure. Freud continually refers to this as the “pleasure principle” whenever mentioning a value or significance that a common human act might have. He first describes how religion stems from humans who have a sense […]
In the China episode of the series Legacy: The Origins of Civilization, there is a discussion about the many cultural and religious histories that have passed through and influenced China throughout its long history. Of the more popular faiths involved, there is Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and (much later) Communist Atheism. Each of these faiths was […]