Elements of Religious Traditions Essay

The term religion screw tote up up mixed emotions in people. Many people have incompatible religious views and their traditions usu eachy follow that religion. Religion is very vast and thither atomic number 18 many divergent forms, views, traditions, and beliefs within each religion. Certain religions are monotheism, some are polytheism, and others are pantheism. Each religion encourages relationships with the divine, quasi-religious quantify, tabu shoes or the natural world, and relationships with others.relationships with the divineAccording to Molloy (2010), All religions are concerned with the deepest level of reality, and for most religions the core or origin of everything is taboo and mysterious (p 7). Each religion often calls the tabu by work such as Divine Parent, Great Spirit, the Divine, and the Holy to name a few (Molloy, 2010). Monotheism is a term that means belief in unrivaled graven image (Molloy, 2010). Polytheism is the belief in many Gods or Godde sses the multiple Gods whitethorn be separate or a multiple manifestation of the equivalent sacred reality (Molloy, 2010). Pantheism is the belief that the sacred as being determinable within the physical world, in other words nature itself is set apart (Molloy, 2010). Recently there are people who tend to deny the origination of any God or gods which is described as atheism (Molloy, 2010).Relationship with sacred TimeAccording to Molloy (2010), Our everyday stand ups go on in fair condemnation, which we see as moving forward into the future. Sacred time, however, is the time of eternity(p 43). Many people have different names for this bill of time such as the Artic people refer to it as long-distance time, Australian aboriginals refer to it as dream time(Molloy, 2010). Although there are many different names for sacred time they all refer to the time of eternity and each religion has a different theory on sacred time. Some people believe that sacred time is cyclical and r eturns to its origins for renewal. Others feel that by recalling and ritually reliving the workings of the gods and ancestors (Molloy, 2010).Indigenous religions even structure their day-to-day lives to conform to mythical events in sacred time which creates a sense of theology in their daily lives (Molloy, 2010). Certain religions strongly encourage a relationship with sacred time and others tend to not worry about sacred time. Christianity for instance knows that someday Christ will return to earth however most Christians do not center their lives on waiting for this day. However some Christians live everyday as if it will be the day He returns and filter out to be worthy in His eyes when that day does come.Relationship with Sacred Space or the Natural WorldJust like ordinary time there is also ordinary space. Sacred space refers to the doorsill in which the other world of gods and ancestors back contact us and we can contact them (Molloy, 2010). Sacred space is often consid ered the center of the universe where powers and holiness are strongest where we can go to renew our own strength (Molloy, 2010). In certain native religions sacred space is a mountain, great volcano, or other striking natural site. In Australian aboriginal religions Uluru (Ayers Rock) is their sacred center (Molloy, 2010). Sacred space can also be constructed into a certain shape, special building, or a boundary. For some religions, sacred space is often in the form of a church where people go to worship, pray, and learn about God some churches are even construct extremely tall to be closer to God.Critical IssuesWhat should we study in order to properly understand religions? What attitude should we have when we study the religions of others? How can researchers be objective? These are just some of the complex questions that researchers should aim before attempting to study religions. Some of the issues in the first century include inability to travel, incomplete scriptures, or th e translation they depended on were not dead-on(prenominal) (Molloy, 2010). One of the main critical issues when poring over religion is forming a introductory opinion that can create a bias on the research. If a Buddhist is studying Christianity his opinion could be bias because of his own in-person opinions on religion or a preference of his own beliefs versus the other. shutdownReligion is sometimes defined as to join again. According to the customary dictionary the word religion is defined as a trunk of belief that involves worship of a God or gods, prayer, ritual, and a moral code (Molloy, 2010 p 5). Within each religion there are specific beliefs, traditions, and values. Many religions encourage the relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or the natural world. It is also crucial to identify critical key issues when studying religions. Whether someone worships one God, many gods, goddesses, or denies any existence of God or gods it is important to look in side each religion with an move over mind.ReferencesMolloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the worlds religions Tradition, challenge, and change (5th ed.). New York, NY McGraw-Hill.