Essays on Religion

... tries to show the different steps that can prove God does exist and that the world had to have been created by God. This article is comprised of five different ways in which Aquinas tries to prove that we can be sure that God exists. In the third way, Aquinas tries to show that God exists if it is true that we exist. In the article Aquinas says that it is possible for things to exist and for them not to exist. He means that living things will one day become non- living things. Aquinas believes that all things can not be mortal because if it were true, then at some point nothing would exist. What he means is if all things were living things, meaning that ...

... This dream was soon interpreted by the wise man Brahmin who came and said if her son were to remain in the castle he would become the wisest king in the world, but if he were to leave he would become the wisest prophet far into future generations. In around the year 563 BC, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a life of pure luxury. His father wanted to make sure that his son was well taken care of as he grew to prevent him from desiring to leave the palace. Suddhodhana, listening to the prophecy, kept Siddhartha away from the pain of reality so that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a well-respected leader. As Siddhartha grew, he became v ...

... which the whole of Buddhism is based, and provide a solid foundation for a philosophy which is applicable several millennia after its formulation.{1} "What we call a 'being,' or an 'individual,' or 'I,' according to Buddhist philosophy, is only a combination of ever-changing physical and mental forces or energies...." - Walpola Rahula{2} In order to fully understand the Four Noble Truths, it is necessary to investigate the Buddhist view of the individual and its makeup. In some respects, the manner in which Buddhism deals with the mind/body problem is much more advanced than most religious views, and closer to science's understanding of the mind and body. Rath ...

... that told him to establish the restored Christian Church. He was "directed" to some thin metal plates that he translated into what is now called the book of Mormons. This book describes the history, wars, and religious beliefs of a group of people who migrated from Jerusalem to America. Smith attracted a small group of followers who settled in Kirtland, Ohio, and Jackson County, Missouri. Because of persecution, the church moved to northern Missouri, then to Nauvoo, Illinois. The people of Illinois welcomed the persecuted Mormons, and Smith began to construct a temple and a hotel there. In 1843, Smith secretly instituted the practice of plural marriage among a ...

... two. The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the world and everything in it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. That source is not a god or a supreme being, as Taoism is not monotheistic. The focus is not to worship one god, but instead on coming into harmony with tao (Hartz, 8). Tao is the essence of everything that is right, and complications exist only because people choose to complicate their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as hindrances to a harmonious ...

... the Boston area in the early nineteenth century."5 Transcendental beliefs focused on "the importance of spirit over matter."6 Ralph Waldo Emerson, a well known Transcendentalist, felt that "all men aspire to the highest, and most of them spend their lives seeking money and power only because they see nothing higher."7 Followers also believed in a spiritual hunger, or the need to find themselves one with the world. In addition, they believed in "an ascending hierarchy of spiritual values rising to absolute good, truth, and beauty."8 Transcendentalists also believed in a supreme being, the Oversoul, and felt that "if the Oversoul is all powerful and at the sa ...

... the account of different theories and view points from one belief to the next. Land and lives taken only for the sake of disagreements between churches. The settlers exploring the New World were trying to leave all of the chaos of these churches. Not that they did not want to be religious but they wanted a choice. Coming to the Americas in the time frame from fifteen hundred to 1770 was promising for settlers on a journey for new lives. Many people were looking for wealth and fortune but most of all freedom. Freedom was about all that was available. Freedom of few choices, most of the new people worked heard for others or even became slaves against their wil ...

... pleased by followers that love not only God, but each other also. These seem like simple, logical rules to live by. But, they reflected a time in history where that kind of love for one another was hard to find because of the hardships inflicted upon the people. I find some conflict in Jesus' actions, however. Jesus never (as far as I know) says to ignore to commandments of God in the Hebrew Scriptures; however, constantly breaks the Sabbath (Matt 12:13 and others), and gives VERY flimsy and unconvincing explanations for it. I am not sure what his message was in those actions. Perhaps he didn't care? In general, Matthew was a good, entertaining story ...

... a patch on their arm that said, "Heaven’s Gate, Away Team." The leader’s of heaven’ Gate were Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. They believed that the humans above all others sent Jesus to teach on how to get to the "Kingdom of God." They carried on this belief, but in a different form. They said that a UFO would come and take them to the level of the "Kingdom of God." The ability to accomplish this was by leaving behind the body in which their soul live. To prepare themselves, each person gave up possessions, hid who they were, watched their diets, and accepted abstinence. Upon the coming of the Hale-Bopp comet, were they thought the UFO maintained, ...

... the power of weapons, and was sure that a sword and spear would win the battle. It's difficult to say what this meant to the Hebrews, but I interpreted it as symbolizing that the superiority and strength of their Lord was stronger than was any weapon. I gathered this, since one of the statements mentioned in 1 Samuel was: "the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand" (17:47). Since the Lord's followers were the Israelites, the Lord savedhis people from harm through sending David to conquer Goliath. The story of David and Goliath is a tale still told in modern day. I assume it signifies the fact tha ...