Study Of Religion example essay topic

Why Study Religion It seems as if there has never been a time known to man when there has never been a religion in some guise or another. Nor has there been a race of people who have never tried to practice it in some shape or form. The study of religion should not be regarded as a new venture for mankind or a new idea that man is trying to grasp and understand. Also, it could be argued that by researching such a phenomena as religion, it does not look like man will come to any unified agreement in the near future. Especially, if it all comes down to what religion means to you, and whether you believe in such a thing or not. So what is religion Can it be a way of life, Does there have to bean element of the supernatural and what are the consequences if we ignore it Clifford Geert z sees religion as 'a system of symbols wich acts to establish powerful, pervasive and long lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.

' One has to keep the definition of religion fairly loose in order to encompass the many diverse religions of the world. If we familiarise ourselves with the essence of many of the worlds religions then we would find they contain simple comparisons such as, rituals, morality and heritage. The study of religion should involve in-depth knowledge into a collection of facts about the worlds religions and about how these religions have evolved throughout history. It is quite possible that there has never been any race of people since the beginning ofm an on earth that can claim that they have no religion. The study ofreligion should not just involve the study of a few insignificant groups of people but it should necessitate the study of the whole of mankind. This could be regarded as a powerful if not intriguing subject.

Studying religion may be understood as just a collection of ideas or concepts which relate to God or some other kind of supernatural entity. Sometimes it merely comes down to one group of people arguing that their source of revelation is more correct than that of some other group which has competing claims, but surely it must be something much more deeper than this because it might be something that is far more closer to home than we think. Therefore, to study religion is to study ourselves because religion cannot exist without the emergence of man. Religion arouses mans feelings, affects how he thinks and the way he behaves in certain conditions, either individually or in a group, and also what effects these issues have upon each other. Science uses the criteria of 'fact' and 'theory' in its study methods which in collaboration with real life applications can yield very positive results. Every religion has a similar criteria, and that is " truth' and 'falsehood', but this formula is quite inter-changeable as regards to the study of religions.

So one cannot have one large blueprint to understand all of the worlds religions but rather a template needs to be made for each religion. Only then may we proceed to study and judge a particular religion's 'truth' and " falsehood' by its own merits. So one could study a religion like a behavioural science like psychology were peoples theories can be analyzed in an environment of intellectual academic prowess. One could also study religion for personal reasons or one could study it for the purpose of deepeningone's faith, beliefs or whatever commitments that one already possesses. That way at the end of one's studies one can either confirm one's preconceived notions or strengthen their belief in whichever specific chosen religion or realize that there may be more greater 'truths' than what had originally been thought established. One has to be careful because there may be times when one could get into difficulties by letting one's subjective thoughts affect one " 's impartiality.

Especially, when judging the 'truth' and 'falsehood " of any specific religion. One has to be objective at all times otherwise we run the risk of being confused and inevitably end up being lost. Maybe, this is what Wilfred Cantwell Smith meant when he wrote that 'religious truth is utterly crucial; is the paramount and inescapable issue, before which all other religious matters, however mighty, must bow. It is final. ' (Smith, 1967: 67). This could be viewed as the reality of religion, in this way everyone can have access to the 'truth'.

This does not necessarily mean that everybody can have conflicting truths while at the same time agree with the 'Ultimate Truth'. Rather it is to say that one can have a'truth' that agrees with one's conscience and beliefs, as well asone's understanding of something as important as religion. We need a reference point for all the problems that we are facing inthe world today. We can see the impact that religion can have on social behaviour for example the role of the religious movements inthe struggle for civil rights in the United States and against the former apartheid system. Sometimes at the central point of conflict religion may it be Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism or Islam can lead to increasinghostilaty between religious groups within society.

The study ofreligion can help us to find out why these conflicts exist, especially when they all share the basic concept of peace to all. i.e. in former Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland. Many people have the misconception that there would be less wars if there were no religions. This is maybe because many wars throughout history have been fought in the name of religion. If we study the teachings ofthe religion that men are supposedly fighting for, we may come to the conclusion that the bloodshed on this earth is not so much due to the sword of religion, but rather the dictates of selfish leaders which may not even believe in the religion that he is calling the people to fight for. Since the power of religion is so great, what better ways there to clothe your bad intentions. If man was to educated himself in the study of religion then surly he would see it as a tool of peace, not war.

Sometimes religion may be misrepresent ated by some people who breakin to minority sects that go against the grain of the religion wich they profess to follow. For example ritual suicides, or ritual murder is a dramatic way of following religion as was demonstrated bythe cult movement in Sweden and Canada in October of this year (1994). The study of religion can help us to understand the reasons and motives behind such religious behaviour. The study of religion can reinforce our original beliefs and preconceptions. You may be sitting on a chair that you think is the most comfortable chair in the world, but how can you be sure if you have not tried anything else Why go through life in discomfort i fall you had to do was to get up and sit on a comfortable chair It could also be that you sit on other chairs and you may feel why did I bother because your chair was indeed better, but this is the point. Before you felt it was the best.

Now you 'know' it is the best. On the other hand you may not believe in any one particular religion or even in none at all but you want to understand the way other people live and what they believe in. Either to exchange ideas or get closer to them for business, social or humanitarian reasons. For example how could journalists make a balanced report on religious wars around the world if they have no insight into the motives and beliefs of those who are fighting What better way is there to know mans culture, customs, feelings and outlook on life than through his religion.

What if all the worlds religions were wrong, where do we stand the nIf this was the case then this gives us an even more urgent reasons to study religion. It means that mankind has been living a lie and we would need to understand where we had gone wrong and what new ideas would be needed to be implemented for the future generations. Maybe we would be more like our environment of plants and animals in that survival of the fittest would rule the land. These are the many things that one may seek answers for in the study of religion. There can be only one Truth and religions tend to contradict each other, so which one is the right way There can ben compulsion in religion. The only way is to study them and follow the way that is right for you.

To conclude, if one believes that there is a God who sent messengers to guide those whom submit to God's will and seek the absolute " truth', then if religion turns out to be the reality, then what instrument could possibly measure his bliss Are we really here ont his earth just to be tested, or is religion something that is just merely an expression of the workings of the human heart, mind and imagination Let us not be ignorant. If there is a Truth of an afterlife to be sought after, then let us try to find it's face smiling before it finds ours grieving.