According to the linguistic roots of the term religion re-, means “again” and lig-, means “join” or “connect”. The word religion proposes the joining of the human world to the sacred world (Molloy, 2010). In my personal point of view religion is very important because it allows us to believe that there is a God who loves us and wants us to be happy. There are different types of religions and none of them are wrong if they lead people to a life of love, joy, compassion, and service. The question of why religions exist is evidently because it serves as human needs (Molloy, 2010). One of the first needs of humans is having a meaning when it comes to dealing with our mortality. It is very common that as individuals we try to look for a purpose of why different situations happen in life especially when we have no control over them. The religion we belong to can give us comfort to some level in our life. There are some elements known to involve a religion regardless of which one it is which will be discussed in this paper. Also this paper will mention the relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or the natural world, and the relationship with each other.
There are some basic Components of religious traditions. Some of the basic components are elements relating to religions all over the world regardless of what religion is being practiced. A belief system is one of the eight elements according to Molloy stating that it is a system of belief in which several beliefs fit together into an interpretation of the universe, also known as worldview. Community is another element of the religious traditions and it is a group of people sharing same ideas, stories and their faith. For example, people get together on Sundays to celebrate the Mass. Persons sing, listen to the bible and receive Communion. Myths are another way by which religions represent their traditions. For example, stories can be passed down verbally or
References: Molloy, Michael; T.L Hilgers. 2010. Experiencing the World’s Religions. Traditions, Challenge, and Change Fifth Edition. 2010 McGraw-Hill Company. Retrieved 2010.