REL 113 Common Practices in Religion
Common Practices in Religion
Calvin Young
REL 133
March 31, 2015
Mr. William Sunday
Common Practices in Religion
Although religions today take on many shapes and forms, and may seem so dramatically different from each other, in order to study and understand these religions, their similarities must be identified. This paper will first present a definition of religion that will connect to all religions at the simplest base. Then this paper will examine the common practices and experiences that are present in both the primary religions of the world, as well as the indigenous religions. Finally, this paper will discuss the issues that are critical to the academic study of religions.
Definition of Religion
The most common failing in defining religion is in failing to account for the many different nuances and possible expressions of religion (Molloy, 2013). One possible definition of religion is a unified set of beliefs, shared among a group, to connect with an idea of the sacred. This definition may be discounted due to its lack of reference to the worship of the divine; however not all religions are focused on the worship of a divine (Molloy, 2013). Another objection to the proposed definition is the requirement of a group. Requiring that a group hold the beliefs, however, can be said to what separates personally held faith and religion. The separation of faith and religion is vital to the study of religion because, even within a single religion, the privately held faith can change from one individual to the other. Lastly, this definition, by relying solely on the beliefs rather than the rituals, symbolism, and myths, allows for the existence of religions that may lack them, so long as the group shares the underlying beliefs of the religion.
Common Practices and Experiences Throughout the religions of the world, there are common practices, even among the most isolated indigenous religions, which are dramatically different to each other but hold the same basic
Calvin Young
REL 133
March 31, 2015
Mr. William Sunday
Common Practices in Religion
Although religions today take on many shapes and forms, and may seem so dramatically different from each other, in order to study and understand these religions, their similarities must be identified. This paper will first present a definition of religion that will connect to all religions at the simplest base. Then this paper will examine the common practices and experiences that are present in both the primary religions of the world, as well as the indigenous religions. Finally, this paper will discuss the issues that are critical to the academic study of religions.
Definition of Religion
The most common failing in defining religion is in failing to account for the many different nuances and possible expressions of religion (Molloy, 2013). One possible definition of religion is a unified set of beliefs, shared among a group, to connect with an idea of the sacred. This definition may be discounted due to its lack of reference to the worship of the divine; however not all religions are focused on the worship of a divine (Molloy, 2013). Another objection to the proposed definition is the requirement of a group. Requiring that a group hold the beliefs, however, can be said to what separates personally held faith and religion. The separation of faith and religion is vital to the study of religion because, even within a single religion, the privately held faith can change from one individual to the other. Lastly, this definition, by relying solely on the beliefs rather than the rituals, symbolism, and myths, allows for the existence of religions that may lack them, so long as the group shares the underlying beliefs of the religion.
Common Practices and Experiences Throughout the religions of the world, there are common practices, even among the most isolated indigenous religions, which are dramatically different to each other but hold the same basic