Religion and society: interconnections and contemporary impacts

¶ … religion and society. There are two references used for this paper.

Religion plays an important role in people's lives throughout the world. It is interesting to look at the origins of religion, as well as its different varieties.

Origins

The majority of the "classical religious beliefs emerged in a pre-scientific era before the application of the methods of science. The ancient religions of prophecies and revelations -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- all claim that God intervened at one time in history, spoke to Moses and the prophets, resurrected Jesus, or communicated through Gabriel to Muhammad (Kurtz, 1999)." The sacred books of the religions, the Bible and the Koran, were written to tell of another life beyond this one, and to convey the promise of salvation. Since they were written, believers have "accepted them as gospel truth; after centuries they became deeply ingrained in the entire fabric of society. The great monotheistic religions were eventually intertwined with the dominant political, military, and economic institutions and were enforced by both priestly and secular authorities (Kurtz, 1999)."

The ancient Jewish religion, "inspired by Moses and the Old Testament prophets, came to express the ideological yearnings of the Hebrew nation. Christianity was eventually declared to be the state religion by Constantine. Islam, from its inception, was reinforced by the sword of Muhammad (Kurtz, 1999)." These faiths all promise their followers they will be blessed by a divine being. The religions also present a number of common features such as "historic claims of revelation by charismatic prophets promising eternal salvation; sacred books detailing their miracles, prescribing the rituals, prayers, and rites of passage; a priestly class that seeks to enforce religious law; great temples, cathedrals, and mosques where the Lord is present in the mysteries of the sacraments. The entire artistic, moral, philosophical, economic, social, and legal structures of ancient societies were rooted in religious institutions (Kurtz, 1999)."

Hinduism

Hinduism originated in the "Indus Valley civilization sometime between 4000 and 2500 BCE. Though believed by many to be a polytheistic religion, the basis of Hinduism is the belief in the unity of everything, which is called Brahman (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)."

Hindus believe that by knowing they are part of God, they will eventually leave this life and be joined again with him. This "enlightenment can only be achieved by going through cycles of birth, life and death known as samsara. One's progress towards enlightenment is measured by his karma, which is the accumulation of all one's good and bad deeds and this determines the person's next reincarnation (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)." It is felt that one will achieve a higher level of rebirth if he or she is devoted to God, and is selfless in thoughts and actions. However, "bad acts and thoughts will cause one to be born at a lower level, as a person or even an animal (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)."

Hindus abide by a "strict caste system which determines the standing of each person. The caste one is born into is the result of the karma from their previous life (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)." The only Hindus who have authority in the temples or are allowed to perform religious rituals are the brahmins, who belong to the religion's highest caste.

Judaism

The Jewish people believe in "one creator who alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe. He monitors people's activities and rewards good deeds and punishes evil (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)." God presented Moses with the Torah, and while it is believed that the prophets tell of God's wishes, Jews believe the Torah must remain unchanged. It is felt that since God created all in the world, there is goodness all around, and therefore one does not need to be saved from sin by a savior. Jews feel they are "God's chosen people and that the Messiah will arrive in the future, gather them into Israel, there will be a general resurrection of the dead, and the Jerusalem Temple destroyed in 70 CE will be rebuilt (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)."

Christianity

Christianity originally began as a "breakaway sect of Judaism nearly 2000 years ago. Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph, but conceived through the Holy Spirit, was bothered by some of the practices within his native Jewish faith and began preaching a different message of God and religion (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)." During his time on Earth, Jesus not only taught through parables, but also performed a number of miracles. Jesus was "crucified on the cross for his teachings, during which he revealed that he was the Son of God sent to Earth to save humanity from our sins (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)."

Christianity and Judaism have a similar basis for their beliefs, but then they change with the birth of Jesus Christ. There are two main differences in the religions. One is that "Christians believe in original sin and that Jesus died in our place to save us from that sin. The other is that Jesus was fully human and fully God and as the Son of God is part of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. All Christians believe in heaven and that those who sincerely repent their sins before God will be saved and join him in Heaven, while belief in hell and Satan varies among groups and individuals (www.omsakthi.org/religions.htm)."