Assignment 1
Professor Mceachin
Submitted by: Rosanne Clouse
February 03, 2013
If I were an outsider looking at earth from a religious standpoint, I would be confused. I would have to ask myself if religion is a system of beliefs or is it a cultural way of life. As I researched this paper I found my self-separating religion from faith.
The Earth is divided into many religions, and each of these religions thinks that theirs is the only true religion. Depending on the area in which you live beliefs are different, some believe that God is our Creator, some believe in nature, and some believe in a Higher Power. In order to decide if people are in fact religious we would have to walk in their shoes and understand their beliefs?
There are a couple of beliefs that are common to all religions. Empathy is seen in the teachings of Christianity, in Confucius teachings, Judaism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The “Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have others do unto you would be a common thread in all religions. All religions concentrate on the internal state of the spirit, even though the rituals are different. With these commonalities, I would have to ask myself: if religion is considered a basic foundation for life and human existence, then why as a planet do we have so much suffering. If all religions have empathy, then why are people starving, why do we walk pass someone who is hungry? If we love one another, then how do we explain the violence? (Robinson, 2009)
I would have a hard time describing the earth as religious. I think most people believe they are religious because they go to Church three days a week, they read the Bible and they follow the rules that they believe are necessary for eternal salvation. We have so many variations of religion because most people are looking answers and need to be lead.
They would rather follow a system of beliefs than be accountable for their own actions. Looking at earth you would have to notice
Bibliography: Fisher, M. P. (2011). Living Religions (Vol. 8). (P. L. Solutions, Ed.) Pearson Education,Inc. Robinson, R. E. (2009). What do the Worlds Religions have in Common. sermon, Universal Unitarian Meeting House .