Sheila Risner
REL/133
November 29, 2010
Matthew Morrison
Religious Tradition
Religion comes in many forms. What one sect of people believe, will find another believes something totally opposite. There are so many religious rituals and beliefs that is hard for anyone to comprehend all the traditions and worship. The human race is always striving to find a sense of peace and harmony, and are searching for what will give them that feeling and understanding.
The Oxford English Dictionary (n.d.) defines religion as a particular system of faith and worship. It is interesting to note that faith and worship are the two components of religion. Religion has eight elements according to (Molloy, 2010); belief system, community, central myths, rituals, ethics, characteristic emotional experiences, material expressions, and sacredness. Each religion has its own belief system and ideas. There are three indigenous religion cultures that will be described; the Igbo, Pueblo people, and the Hawaiian …show more content…
Igdo people worship the high God Chukwu and Chineke. Igbos believe that each person has a unique spirit and they can control their own fate. No mention of any kind texts they use for instruction, but they do use masks for use in dances and ceremonies. The Igdo believe that the funeral is the most important ritual. They say that they help the deceased inter the spiritual world.
The pueblo people believed in the kachinas, and are the guardian spirits, and are believed to be with the people during ceremonial occasions. The mountains, rivers, and lakes are sacred to the Pueblos. The leader is said to live in these areas, along with the souls of the dead. They believe in that their people move upward through colored worlds. Six religious societies are mentioned as; dedicated to the sun, rainmakers, animal deities, war gods, guardian spirits, and