English
Running head: RELIGION 1
RELIGION 3
What do religions have in common?
Emmanuel Kai
Miller Alea J
ENG2209
04|27|22
Introduction
Religions refer to practices that relate people to spirituality. It is also a collection of worldwide views, cultural systems, and belief systems that relates humanity to moral values and spirituality (Eade, 2020). The majority of religions worldwide have beliefs about the origin of the universe or what they believe in. Moreover, they also have traditions, symbols, and sacred histories that explain the basis of the universe or tend to give meaning to life (Höllinger and Makula, 2021). Additionally, many religions also have organized places where they worship their gods or deities. Zinnbauer et al. (2015) note that the beliefs in the spiritual dimension may have existed since the universe was created. Many societies have left the historical evidence of their religions, including the places of worship or the images of their gods, for example, the ancient worship temples in Egypt or Israel or the old photos of the god of Artemis in Greek (Eade, 2020). Despite all these practices, not all things may be shared among the religions. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze beliefs to determine what they have in common and the differences between the faiths.
What do religions have in common?
All the religions in the world usually try to answer the most complex or ambiguous questions about life (Höllinger and Makula, 2021). For example, who created the universe? Is there life after death? Is there a spiritual world? These questions aim to prove that there is a deity or God who created the universe and controls it. Zinnbauer et al. (2015) support this statement by giving examples of Christian or Muslim beliefs. According to him, Christians believe that the universe was created and is being controlled by GOD. However, Höllinger and Makula (2021) have different views and opinions to these opinions. According to them, some religions, including the Greeks and Chinese, worship idols that cannot explain how the world was created. Furthermore, Preston and Shin (2017) also state that there is no tangible evidence that indicates if the Universe was created or is being controlled by the universe. Although most religions believe that the universe was created and maintained by gods or deities, some beliefs that worship idols cannot provide tangible evidence to prove how their artificial gods created the universe or controlled it.
Secondly, religions set rules and regulations on how their followers should live. Eade (2020) notes that religions try to answer proper behavior and morality questions. Moreover, most believers always turn to religion if they are unsure how to conduct themselves. Additionally, Krumrei-Mancuso (2018) states that most religions have a golden law indicating that people need to treat others fairly as they would wish to be treated. However, Höllinger and Makula (2021) state that religions also have variations regarding various cultural practices such as marriage, sexuality, and foods that people need to eat.
Most religions often require their followers to live in fear of God and believe in life after death. Furthermore, religions also have books that guide people on how they should live (Preston and Shin, 2017). For example, in Christians and Muslims, various guidelines instruct people, such as; people shouldn’t steal, kill or abuse their neighbors and only worship god. Therefore, such principles, rules, and procedures help people live a holy life according to the expectations of their gods. However, Eade (2020) refutes this idea by stating that religion has little influence on people’s behavior. According to him, people still live wild lives despite these religions or the laws that guide people. People still kill or steal despite the presence of these religious laws. Krumrei-Mancuso (2018) also states that people’s behavior may not be influenced by religion but by other external factors, including their genetic modifications and the environment they grew up in. However, these religious rules and regulations may still apply to people strictly devoted to their spiritual practices.
On the other hand, religions have unique patterns or rituals that followers perform. Zinnbauer et al. (2015) state that almost all religions pray to their gods, hoping they will be answered. Furthermore, most religions also have special holidays that represent significant historical events in their respective religious calendars. For example, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December, Muslims also fast on the holy months of Ramadhan, while Indians also celebrate Diwali, the god of lights (Höllinger and Makula, 2021). However, Preston and Shin (2017) have different opinions regarding the patterns or rituals performed by various religions. He states that religions such as Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate events yet believe in GOD or deity. Therefore, Yaden et al. (2021) state that this factor raises questions about various events celebrated by religions worldwide. Eade (2020) states that religious events celebrated by multiple denominations worldwide may only exist theoretically with no tangible evidence on whether they happened. For example, there are serious questions about the exact date that Jesus Christ was born in Christianity. Preston and Shin (2017) state that various Christian denominations argued and continue to say about the same day Jesus was born. Therefore, the religious events celebrated are unique to specific religions, but there is no tangible evidence on whether they existed in any calendar.
Religions also affect the way governments are set up. For example, in most constitutions, some laws give people the freedom to choose any religion they wish to follow (Yaden et al., 2021). On the other hand, various factors supported by faith, e.g., gender equity, must also be included in the constitutions of multiple governments. Krumrei-Mancuso (2018) states that the relationship between religion and government has existed long as religion is seen as a critical pillar of enhancing peace and promoting good morals in society. However, Zinnbauer et al. (2015) state that this freedom is not standard in all religions. According to him, various governments practice autocratic leadership characterized by individual choices and decisions. In China, for example, Christians and Muslims face many challenges. The government has strictly regulated their religious activities (Yaden et al., 2021). Therefore, it is difficult for these religions to influence the Chinese government. Other countries that practice Islam phobia or Christian phobia are North Korea. In China and Korea, the worship of Buddha is common, and there is no freedom in choosing religion (Preston and Shin, 2017). Therefore, not all religions affect how the governments are set up or their decisions within their respective governments.
Religions often use rituals or specific patterns during worship. For example, Christians may sing, pray or kneel as a dedication to GOD (Höllinger and Makula, 2021). Such rituals are every day, and they signify loyalty and trust in the god or deity. However, Eade (2020) states that not all religions worship or believe in a god or deity. For example, Buddhism and Jainism do not believe in God, and therefore, they do not follow a specific pattern when they worship. However, despite not all religions worshipping god, they help their followers find hope, assurance, and meaning in life. Yaden et al. (2021) state that rituals are crucial in religion in helping to enhance the faith of believers. For atheists and other religions that only believe in science and not in the existence of deities, rituals practiced by various religions only raises more questions than answers. Höllinger and Makula (2021) state that atheists believe prayer can be a poetry of the heart. This means that people can express their wishes in their hearts without necessarily relying on a god or deity. Zinnbauer et al. (2015) support this opinion by stating that faith and a positive mindset lead to hard work and success.
In most societies around the world, religion is a community event. Every religion has its followers who gather in specific places to worship and thank god or the deity they believe in (Yaden et al., 2021). Mosques, churches, and temples are all striking constructions, and they are central to the communities in which they are built. Moreover, bringing people together in the places of worship promotes peace and cohesion in the community. Furthermore, Krumrei-Mancuso (2018) states that most religions promote democracy. This means that they are free with converts who may join from other religions. However, Höllinger and Makula (2021) state that not all religions can allow their members to join other denominations or religions. In Muslims, for example, converting to another religion is an eternal sin. Zinnbauer et al. (2015) state that most people who try to convert to Muslims are either killed or banished from their societies. Other religions that do not allow converts include; Druze, Yarsans, and Yazidis religions. Therefore, gathering together is expected in most religions and shows loyalty and commitment to god. However, only a few religions, such as Christians, allow their members to convert to other religions.
On the other hand, religions usually create a belief system that can influence our identity. In almost all religions, Yaden et al. (2021) state that is showing loyalty to god and following all the rules of your religion helps to prove whether a person is holy or not. Those who abide by the laws are identified as religious, while those who do not abide by the rules of their religions are often identified as sinners. However, being holy or a sinner has become controversial in recent years. Krumrei-Mancuso (2018) states that it is difficult for communities that worship idols like Buddha to identify rules that differentiate the holy from the sinners. In such a religion, Yaden et al. (2021) state that showing loyalty to Buddha and following the government laws are enough to identify the person as being ‘righteous or holy.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper has established that not all aspects are similar to all religions. However, most religions have specific deities or gods that they worship. This is the most vital aspect that is similar to all religions. Secondly, all religions have a certain degree of rituals or celebratory events. However, the most common religious celebrations are mainly celebrated by Christians and Muslims because they are the main dominant religions in the world. Moreover, most religions usually have different laws that dictate the moral behavior of their followers. The majority of these laws are mainly found in their specific religious books. However, only a few religions agree that deities created the world. From this essay, it is clear that most religions worship their idols, and hence, they do not have tangible evidence that indicates that a deity created the world. Furthermore, not all religions have the power to influence the decisions made by the government. In China and North Korea, for example, the activities of Muslims and Christians have been strictly prohibited; hence, the majority of religions have no apparent relationships with governments nor influence their relationships.
References
Eade, J. (2020). The invention of sacred places and rituals: A comparative
study of pilgrimage. Religions, 11(12), 649.
Höllinger, F., & Makula, L. (2021). Religiosity in the primary religious cultures
of the world. International Journal of Sociology, 51(5), 345-359.
Krumrei-Mancuso, E. J. (2018). Intellectual humility links to religion and spirituality
and the role of authoritarianism. Personality and Individual Differences, 130, 65-75.
Preston, J. L., & Shin, F. (2017). Spiritual experiences evoke awe through the small self
in both religious and non-religious individuals. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 212-221.
Yaden, D. B., Giorgi, S., Kern, M. L., Adler, A., Ungar, L. H., Seligman, M. E., &
Eichstaedt, J. C. (2021). Beyond beliefs: Multidimensional aspects of religion and spirituality in language. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., Cole, B., Rye, M. S., Butfer, E. M., Belavich, T.
G., & Scott, A. B. & Kadar, JL (2015). Religion and spirituality: Unfuzzying the fuzzy. Sociology of religion, 29-34.
Annotated Bibliography
Eade, J. (2020). The invention of sacred places and rituals: A comparative study of pilgrimage. Religions, 11(12), 649.
Eade (2020) gives a brief history of how sacred places and rituals influence people’s worship. According to him, the invention of holy places led to the formation of modern-day churches, mosques, or any other places of worship in the current society. He states that sacred places of worship also made people come together, promoting peace and cohesion.
Höllinger, F., & Makula, L. (2021). Religiosity in the primary religious cultures of the world. International Journal of Sociology, 51(5), 345-359.
This article notes how religion has brought conflicts in modern society. The authors feel that the current religious beliefs are overemphasized, and they deny people the freedom of choice. The authors lament how religions have banned their members from eating certain foods (e.g., pork in Muslims), yet all foods are crucial for the survival of human beings.
Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., Cole, B., Rye, M. S., Butfer, E. M., Belavich, T. G., & Scott, A. B. & Kadar, JL (2015). Religion and spirituality: Unfuzzying the fuzzy. Sociology of religion, 29-34.
In this article, Zinnbauer and co. Believes that religion and spirituality are not what many think. According to them, most people follow all the laws and practices of their beliefs, yet they continue to practice sin. Religion and Christianity should lead people to care for the needy and the sick and address various social injustices, e.g., gender inequality.
Emmanuel, good job! This is a great start to your paper. You have good content, but the argumentative claim and specific key points that you are trying to argue are not clear. A typical research paper structure like this will have three key points that are used to support your argument. I am not getting a clear sense of this organizational structure of how you are arguing your claim or what your overall claim is intended to be.
Throughout your paper, there is a general research/informational style, while some moments tend towards a more argumentative angle. The argumentative thread is mostly consistent, you just want to make sure that because this is first and foremost an argumentative paper designed to persuade people to agree with your claim each point remains focused on this goal. I have attached a document that provides two sample essays: one an illustrative/informative essay and the other an argumentative/persuasive essay so you can see the difference. One is clearly trying to write with the intention of convincing readers of the validity of their claim.
As you revise your paper, consider creating a reverse outline. Write out each key point, your sub-claims, and the evidence you are using. Do these logically follow from the other, are there any missing links, and how do these claims point readers back to your thesis statement and what you want to persuade them to believe?
Another aspect of this will be your use of transition sentences as you navigate between key points. Transition sentences are like road signs or direction points that instruct the reader when you are moving from one idea to the next and how the ideas are connected to and build on each other. They hint at the logical connections between your ideas. So, for your final draft , think about how you can structure transition sentences that show the path and logic of your argument as a whole and amongst the key points.
Keep looking for additional sources as you revise as well.