Religious Life of Planet Earth This Report

¶ … Religious Life of Planet Earth

This report seeks to establish if planet Earth is a religious planet. In so doing, the report will primarily outline the criteria used to determine if the inhabitants of the planet are religious and the various beliefs and behaviors they exhibit in line with the criteria. Further, the report will also highlight the function of religion (as it appears to be) on the planet under consideration.

To establish whether or not Earth is indeed a religious planet, the very nature of religion on the planet must first be understood. This can be accomplished using a number of approaches. On of the most effective approaches in this case has got to do with evaluating the primary characteristics of religion. This is the criteria the report utilizes in an attempt to determine if the inhabitants of planet Earth are indeed religious.

Characteristics of Religion: What Religion Looks Like on Planet Earth.

In general, there are many characteristics of religion. Some of those taken into consideration in this undertaking included:

Belief in a Deity

As Hinde (2009) notes, "belief in the supernatural is the essence of religion." This is more so the case given that a majority of religions are theistic. Thus evidence of belief in supernatural beings can be taken as an indicator of a religious belief system.

Performance of Religious Rituals

In the opinion of Hinnells (2009), an action of a religious nature can be viewed as a ritual if and when "something significant is understood to have transpired in the act…" The author also notes that the result in this case should either be negative or positive i.e. A curse or a blessing. Religious rituals include but they are not limited to the performance of elaborate religious ceremonies and acts.

Evidence of Accepted Salvation Teachings

Yet another critical element of religion is the doctrine of salvation. In basic terms, any form of religion is based on the promise of salvation. In this case, salvation is regarded the utmost goal for all those who subscribe to a certain religious belief. As Gogerty (2001) points out, "each religion has faith that they are moral and that their beliefs will lead to eternal rewards."

Presence of a Code of Conduct Whose Origin is Considered Supernatural

All religions have values derived from certain religious teachings. These values ideally govern how those who subscribe to a certain religious belief relate between themselves and with others, conduct their lives etc. As Gwynne notes (2011), "each religion has its own list of core principles, whose content are remarkably similar in essence."

Behaviors Observed

A number of behaviors conformed to the criteria I highlight above. To begin with, most of the inhabitants of the planet believe in a deity. This is more so the case given that most of the religions on the planet are theistic i.e. they tend to believe in the existence of a deity or deities. Some of the major theistic religions on the planet include but they are not limited to Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

Secondly, most of the planet's inhabitants commonly perform rituals most of which can be considered religious in nature. An example of a religious ritual commonly performed on the planet is baptism. To highlight the relevance of this ritual on planet Earth, Hinnells (2009) points out that when an infant is baptized, "the status of that infant is considered to be changed and he/she is henceforth recognized as a member of the Christian communion." Lastly, most inhabitants of planet Earth also follow codes of conduct associated with their specific religion. For instance, Christians have the Ten Commandments. In this case, they believe that the Ten Commandments originated from a Supreme Being - God.