Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Those men operated not only from a sense of devotion to their country, a hatred for the United States, but also from a religious fervor that encouraged them to take their own lives and the lives of thousands of others. This brought home to me that religion, in whatever form, could be not only a comfort, but also a greatly destructive force.
Even if I think of my own religion, Christianity, I am forced to admit the reality of the situation; it has not always been the gentle, caring lifestyle that's so often promoted today. In fact, even today, many Christians use their religious zeal to hurt and destroy. If I think of the past, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Salem Witch trials come immediately to mind when I think of how religion can inspire pain rather than joy.
Even among themselves Christians in the past have disagreed so strongly that they resorted to torture and murder. One thinks of the many "heretics" that were burned or otherwise maimed and murdered for daring to speak what they believe. Today, churches continue to fight amongst each other while forgetting the central message that Christ tried to bring us. Surely love and forgiveness should be at the heart of our world if we hope to survive in anything like the long-term. Instead, we pass laws that are based on ancient belief systems that we hardly even understand anymore.
Although...
In my own life, I feel that I need to be very careful how I interact with others. We can't all be the same or believe the same. But when it comes to religion, I feel what we can do is to remember that we are all here for a short time.
Each of us must work on his or her own redemption; whatever form this may take. The 9/11 events and everything I experienced in the Navy showed me the worst that people can do to each other in the name of religion, in the name of ideology, and simply in the name of power or politics. This creates a very negative idea around religion for me. I do feel, however, that I now have a much more realistic view of the situation than had previously been the case.
Religion can be a beautiful, fulfilling way of life. When it is, however, used to hurt, maim and kill for a cause that serves only a certain aspect or sector of humanity, there really is no more use for it in today's world. I feel that, rather than using religion to divide us, we should recognize that it is a manifestation of our humanity. As such, we can use it for endless good, as so many people, churches, and other institutions do. Only be healing others can we be healed ourselves.
Examples where religion has become intersected with politics are present throughout the entire history, and in more recent years, include the debates on same sex marriages or on abortion. A more specific look at the relationship between politics and religion has revealed at least three points of intersection -- the role of churches, the evolution of human rights and the emergence and impacts of religious conflicts. In terms of the
Religious Traditions Religion has played an essential role in the history of mankind. Throughout history many religious traditions have emerged -- some of them have disappeared -- and there are myriad of differences among religious traditions today. While people profess many religions, each religion then has a great deal of diversity within itself, and within each sect or religious movement (be they within Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, or any other
American Religious History Defining fundamentalism and liberalism in Christianity is hardly an exact science, especially because prior to about 1920 there was not even a term for fundamentalism as it exists today. While present-day fundamentalists often claim descent from the Puritans and Calvinists of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Puritans were not really fundamentalists in the modern sense. They were not in conflict with 20th Century-style liberals and supporters of evolution
Religious Life of Planet Earth What does religion look like on Earth Religion depicts a relationship between spirituality and humanity and also shows how moral values are related to them. It comprises of an organized collection of world views, cultural systems and belief systems regarding spirituality and humanity. Many religions explain the origin of life or Universe through symbols, narratives, traditions and sacred histories. The concepts of ethics, religious laws, preferred lifestyles
In contrast, there are some symbols of Christmas that remain strongly religious in connotation. Nativity scenes, certain carols that mentioned figures that are specifically Christian, and also gift-giving that is described as being for Christmas itself rather than just "for the holidays." In general, these things are frowned upon except when they occur exclusively among members of the Christian Community. Many find public displays of these sorts to be particularly
histories of the United States address the matter from a secular point-of-view. The government, the society, the economy and other such matters have been examined and discussed thoroughly but religion and its history has been largely ignored. Religion played an important role in the formation of the American government and played an even more important role in the development of American society, yet, studies related to how these roles