Religion plays a crucial role in the lives of people. The major world religions are Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. They also have different set of beliefs on issues such as life after death. They also have core tenets which guide the lives of their members and their relationship with other people.
What is religion?
Religion is a cultural system that relate humanity to spiritual or supernatural elements. The cultural system encompasses worldviews, behaviors, prophecies, and ethics, among others (Tremlett 496). Religions seek to give meaning to life through their narratives and sacred histories. What defines a specific religion are the beliefs or religious practices, faith, and unity in its community of members (Tremlett 497). It is important to note that there are critical differences across all religions. For instance, Buddhism emphasizes on enlightenment for its followers while Christianity teaches about a connection to God through Christ.
What is “deep down”?
“Deep down” means a strong feeling that is hidden from other people. In the context of religion, it may mean the deep beliefs that human beings have concerning certain subjects of religion. For instance, a person may practice Judaism but not fully believe all its teachings such as that concerning life and death or he may believe that the primary purpose of religion is to promote co-existence between people when they are still alive.
What is “real”?
It means a fact and not something imagined. It is an actual existence of a phenomenon. There have been many discussions and arguments on which among the many religions is the best. Members of a given religion have always proclaimed that their religion is the best. For instance, Muslim scholars have always tried to convince members of other religions that Islam is the real religion. The “real” religion may be just dependent on an individual. If he believes that his religion is the real one based on its teachings, then one can say that is his real religion. There is no universal agreement on which is the “real” religion even among the five major world religions.
The role of escape in religion
Some people have argued that religion is just a form of escapism from the reality that people face on a constant basis. It is a way in which people seek to connect to a supernatural being to help them find assurances of such things like their life after death and also to help them attain peace through the forgiveness of their sins. For instance, a terminally ill person may seek solace in a religion such as Christianity to seek a guarantee that they will receive life in Heaven after their death.
How the physical impacts religion
The physical means the actual occurrences that people can see, feel, touch, taste, or smell. The physical is a critical aspect that can make people have more faith in religion. The physical encompasses such phenomena such as earthquakes and death. People may connect what is happening in the physical real with the religious teachings of such occurrences (Bulkeley 672). For instance, the death of a loved one may make people become more religious by believing on the spiritual teachings of what happens after death. For instance, a Christian priest may pray for the soul of a dead person so that he may achieve life after death. On the other hand, the physical may also make some people adhere less to religious teachings. For instance, one may explain that death is a natural process that occurs to all living things and that it is not necessary to have a spiritual or religious interpretation.
Works Cited
Bulkeley, K. “Review: How Religion Works: Towards a New Cognitive Science of Religion.”
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 71(3), 2003, pp. 671-674.
Tremlett, Paul-Francois. “What is Religion.” Culture and Religion, 15(4), 2014, pp. 496-498.
