Essays on Religion

... and sayings were written down by his disciples in the analects. CONFUCIANISM Confucianism was the single most important thing in Chinese life. It affected everything in China; education, government, and attitudes toward behavior in public and private life. Confucianism is not a religion, but it is more a philosophy and a guide to morality and good government. At the time Confucius was born, China was in a constant state of war, and rapid political change altered the structure of Chinese society so much that people no longer respected the established behavioral guidelines. Confucius stated that the ideal person was one of good moral character. The ide ...

... or Transliteration Our English word “baptism”, comes from the Greek work baptizo, meaning to dip or immerse. However in our English translations of the Bible, this Greek word is transliterated (the Greek letters are replaced with English equivalents) instead of translated. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines “baptisma” (translated “baptism”) as “consisting of the process on immersion, submersion, and emergence.” Is water needed to be immersed? Baptism does not always mean “dunking in water”, but it does always mean “immersion.” An example of this would be Matthew 20:22 where Jesus asks James and Jo ...

... people started to seat themselves. The inside of the room was well lit up with no pews, but there were many chairs connected by metal bolts on the bottom of each chair. Amazingly though there was no cross and no altar. First the service started with singing, as any ordinary church would. We sung out of a book of songs that they provided for us. After the singing there was a guest speaker from Bagley, Minnesota. The speaker spoke to the congregation about topics in the bible, his speech lasted about three fourths of an hour. Afterwards the priest came to the podium and thanked the guest for coming. Then the priest leaded another song, sung from the song b ...

... belief is that prayer should not be aloud in our nation schools. I myself am a practicing Christian, and choose to pray on my own before tests, and at other times, but I strongly feel that people with other beliefs should not be subjected to my, or even the majority of the class's beliefs. In America, it is a right of the people to choose their belief, or lack there of, and we should learn to respect and honor that. I personally agree with the first two statements. The picture of Jesus should not be aloud because Jesus Christ is mainly a Christian icon. I also believe that a moment of silent meditation is much more appropriate than a prayer, Therefore I think t ...

... monks as a way of life. In this there were three specific vows, they are used to make it easier for monks to be closer to God. They are poverty, chastity, and obedience. Poverty meant that the need for money and material possessions were not needed as a means of worship. The monasteries gave the monks the things that they needed, and this was only the bare essentials. The monasteries made their own money by owning land and selling surplus products. Thus, they became very wealthy. Chastity meant that the men and women would not have sex or get married. This was said to have saved the monks from the "devilish acts" that happen when sexual desires were exploite ...

... the way to Jerusalem, pilgrims were often murdered by thieves. They were defenseless and often did not return. Some pilgrims did return from the Holy Land. They came back with tales that planted the seeds for a Crusade. "The pilgrims that returned from the Holy City of Jerusalem recounted tales, often grossly exaggerated, of the horrible pollution of the sacred places at the hands of the Turks" (Campbell p23). Other stories of the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the burial place of Jesus, by the Turks surfaced in the early eleventh century. The news of the destruction of the Sepulcher was mourned in every Christian country. The nations look ...

... then be rich, which Jesus was not. He thinks that the rich are misrepresenting Jesus because the rich are placing the poor behind themselves. Francis thinks that Jesus represents the poor as well as the rich… "all men are created equal". Francis can't help but to feel scared of lepers in the beginning. After all, being scared is a normal human trait. Being in a big, bulky, helmet must feel awkward. It feels like your being closed in. Francis also feels comfort. He sees birds as a sign of freedom. This idea helps him become independent. Francis going on the roof represents the feeling of freedom compared to his bed where he was miserably enclosed. The way mass ...

... they are drastically different. Ovid's purpose for writing the creation story is geared more towards explaining creation as it happens, in his opinion, whereas the Bible stresses the fact that the God of the Hebrews is responsible for the world's existence today. Overall, Ovid is very detailed in explaining the formless mass, creation of the earth, waters and land metaphorically. The Biblical account seems to be more plain, simple, and organized; not spending time on intricate detail. There seems to be no specific time frame for creation in Ovid's writing, whereas, the Bible states that it takes God six days to complete His creation; resting on the seventh. ...

... example, muslims cannot drink alcohol. This approach involves four theorems. Firstly, a rise in price reduces the quantity demanded. The example he gives is if people have to put more time and effort into having children then less people will do so. Secondly, a rise in price increases the quantity supplied, the example given is women in the labour market. Thirdly, competitive markets are more efficient then monopolistic markets and lead to the diversity of a product. Fourthly, a tax on the output of a market reduces that output eg the punishment of criminals is a tax on crime. Finke and Iannaccone have applied this theory to religious behaviour and understa ...

... existence dull, and after a while he left home and began wandering in search of enlightenment. One day in 533 b.c. , according to tradition, he encountered an aged man, a sick man, and a corpse, and he suddenly and deeply realized that suffering is the common lot of humankind. He then came upon a mendicant monk, calm and serene, whereupon he determined to adopt his way of life and forsake family, wealth, and power in the quest for truth. This decision, known in Buddhism as the Great Renunciation, is celebrated by Buddhists as a turning point in history. Gautama was then 29 years old, according to tradition. Wandering as a mendicant over northern India, Bu ...