Ultimate Dimension and Ultimate Reality - Essay Example

Religion Ultimate Dimension and Ultimate Reality According to Frederick Streng, ultimate dimension is the reality that comes out when an individual lives within an extremely insightful strategy for action and profound sensitivity to life. Transforming knowledge, otherwise known as religious knowledge, maintains to have its ultimate basis in a transhuman aspect of existence. This source is known as ultimate reality, defined as the true state of how things are. It offers the standard for measuring the nature of man and reality in relation to Him or It. The norm for a person’s understanding of divine reality is linked to the norms of meaning in manly structures of apprehension, as well as, the self-affirming norm that is given in a religious setting. Enlightenment or revelation is achieved when the inner norm of a religious background and a person’s normative structure of meaning come together (The Gale Group). CITATION FOR QUESTION ONE Regarding ultimate reality in Christianity, Christians believe that God exists as the Father; he reveals himself as both triune and personal. He has no beginning or origin in a primeval impersonal essence. The term “person” was initially used in Greece as a term for actors’ mask. Nonetheless, in Christian theology, each person on the Holy Trinity has fullness in the divine nature. The Ultimate Reality ontological character is defined by relation and reality that is between the three. This means that, the Holy Trinity is not a tri-theism (sum of three Gods) or a monopersonal God that takes the modalistic heresy (assuming the three distinct forms successively). God as a being is not outside the three as described in the Holy Trinity. God only exists as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; therefore, there is no Ultimate Reality above or beyond the Holy Trinity. None of the three should be taken as some type of god like the Hindu Ishvara, which refers to a first manifestation of the Brahman personalization. The accent, in defining divinity, must be taken from Ultimate Reality impersonal view to the individual character of the Holy Trinity, including the relation that exists between the three. God exists through omniscience, omnipotence and love, characterized by perfect harmony and unity (The Gale Group). The Holy Trinity is characterized by perfect love, will or deed; therefore, none manifests itself by infringing on the other. In the Bible, God does not show Ultimate Reality that goes beyond himself. He is not a God that comes and goes or is situated far outside the impersonal absolute. 2. Cultural Dimension of Religion Cultural dimensions refer to a number of value constructs or psychological dimensions that can be used in the description of a culture. There is always an element of symbolism in every religion, and since symbolism is the centre of culture, it means religion has a crucial cultural dimension. Nonetheless, religion is also made up of status and power relations just like the rest of social institutions. Frederick Streng suggests that the cultural dimension of any religion is linked to historical conditions. During the time of Jesus, Rome had imposed many aspects of its culture on the world of Jesus at the time. However, the Semite nation has its own unique and long historical background. The Jewish people stuck to their religion despite being ruled by the Romans, for instance, they continued celebrating Passover and sustaining their sense of liberty. The Jews were offended with the way King Herod used Roman architecture to dictate the Roman way of life (Rabbi Eckstein). CITATION FOR QUESTION NO. 2 King heavily taxed the Jews to build an expanded Jerusalem Temple. These heavy taxes led to the disintegration of the family life in the land of Jews as addressed by Jesus in the Gospels. Jesus and the early church had to navigate their way through the uncertainties of imperial dominion during their time. The life of Muhammad as a child was a difficult one. Born in Mecca in 570 AD, Muhammad grew up with his mother, since the father had died before he was even born. The mother later died when he was six, thereby living him under the care of Abd al-Muttalib, his grandfather who died two years later. All these deaths did have a negative impact in his life. When he was on a trip to Syria, a Monk stated that he was the final prophet and should, therefore, be hid for some time from the Jews. He received his calling through Angel Gabriel at the age of 40. He then began to spread his revelation to immediate family members and other followers. He helped spread Islam by conquering cities in what he would term as Holy War. He finally conquered Mecca in A.D 630. In all these, the conditions during the rise of Islam appeared to have been tough ones too. There was poverty and misery from the start. Nonetheless, his teachings are based on the Quran, which believes in one God and declares Muhammad as the last prophet. 3. Personal Dimension of Religion Streng’s concept regarding the personal dimension of religion challenged the idea of an underlying or common religious experience. According to him, a man is not just a body and is not limited to the biological, physical or social forces but is free to choose whatever he wants, which will help in the ultimate transformation. Frederick Streng maintains that religious traditions possess shared conceptual structures and attitudes that are somehow closely linked to reorientation and personal transformation. He thinks of religion as a means of living and ultimate transformation. The five pillars of Islam act as a framework that guides the lives of Muslims (Islamicity). CITATION FOR QUESTION NO. 3. The first is the testimony of faith, which states that there is no other true deity apart from God, and Muhammad is his messenger, or last prophet. In the first part, it means that God has no son or partner. It is the most important pillar, also called the Shahada, which has to be said with conviction when one becomes a Muslim. Muslims also have to pray five times every day as the second pillar. Prayer acts as a direct link for the worshipper to communicate with God (Al-Muzzafar). CITATION FOR QUESTION NO. 3. There should be no intermediaries. Prayer brings inner peace, happiness, and comfort since God is pleased with a prayerful individual. Prayers can be performed at dawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and sometime during the night. Muslims can also pray almost anywhere while facing Mecca. Giving Zakat means giving to the needy since all wealth belongs to God. Human beings are merely holding it in trust (Islamicity). Giving Zakat is all about giving some percentage of certain goods to the needy. All possessions will be purified when Muslims set aside their Zakat. The other pillar is fasting during Ramadan; Muslims have to abstain from drink, food or sexual contact. It is taken as spiritual purification. The last pillar, the pilgrimage to Makkah, is seen as an obligation for those who are financially or physically able. They should put on simple clothes that make all men equal before God. M. Ayoub associates the pillar of giving Zakat with granted status of non-Muslims referred to as the “protected peoples”. These people were supposed to pay certain amounts of taxes in exchange for protection and continuance to follow their religion. It is because of the belief that all of us will return to God and should be given back to him as Zakat towards helping the needy. 4. Judaism, Christianity and Islam The importance of Jewish sacred texts goes beyond the religion (Hare). According to Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, they embody the religion’s religious teachings, as well as their social, historical and cultural heritage of the Jews. The texts act as a moral, practical and religious guide to everyday activities. The Tenakh is a collection of ancient Jewish sacred writings written almost 1000 years ago (between 1000 and 100 BCE) (Hare). CITATION FOR QUESTION NO. 4. Tenakh comes for the Torah, Nev’im and the Ki’tuvim. Christians use the Bible as their main sacred text. Christians use the bible as their guide towards a moral path. They see the church as the successor to Israel (God’s chosen people). The New Testament is seen as a novel agreement between the Church and God almighty. Muslims refer to the Quran as the only Sacred Scripture or Text in their religion. They believe that God gave the book to Mohammed via a series of visions (Hare). He memorized the words from God and dictated them to his followers to launch the accurate writings of the texts in a book. It is divided into parts known as Suras, which have to be memorized as part of the daily prayers. The Hadith refers to a secondary text full of Muhammad’s sayings. Christianity, Islam and Judaism are among the world’s well established religions with several similarities, as well as dissimilarities between them. All the three believe in the existence of one and all powerful creator of all mankind, who is also the ruler of the universe. They also acknowledge documented characters like Abraham, Moses and Jesus in their ancient texts and the covenant made between the Hebrews and God. Another similarity is in the close geographical proximity. They all have a common ancestral background in Abraham, in the area encompassing the Middle East. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe that one can live a good life characterized by peace and tranquility if they follow God’s word. However, the religions differ in acknowledging the holiness of Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad, as well.. Christianity and Judaism reject that Mohammed is the holy prophet and is the last messenger of God. Their similarities end with Moses. Muslims use the holy Quran while Christians use the holy Bible. The Jewish people use the Tenakh, which resembles the Old Testament of the bible. However, they agree in a heaven and believe that the good people will go to heaven on the Day of Judgment. 5. Cornerstone of Judaism Epstein, in his articles, writes about the cornerstones of Judaism as being the belief in One God who is everything and the responsibility of Israel to God. This statement is reflected in a number of settings including the Jewish law and the way they refer to Abraham. The Jews look at Abraham as the first patriarch of the whole Jewish nation. He was the first to teach the presence of one God since many before him believed in many gods. It has been stated that God told Abraham that through him, he would bless the Jews and the world at large. The Jews also referred to Abraham in the covenant they had made with God that they will be Yahweh’s chosen nation. The Jewish law is described in the most sacred text, the Torah. According to Torah, humans are in partnership with God as His perfect creation. As a practical religion, the Jews have a responsibility to pray only to God since He rewards those who keep the Law but punish those who disobey the word. Though there are certain movements within the religion, Jews are unified when it comes to the sacred texts that state the relationship with God as a holy nation. Jewish religious leaders, also known as rabbis, oversee the numerous ceremonies and rituals that characterize their religion. Practicing Judaism on a daily basis shows the awe a Jew has for his creator. Jews pray three times a day. The Torah guides individual thoughts and beliefs throughout the whole day. Studying these texts and laws go towards deepening their understanding of God. Traditional Judaism believes that the Mashiach (the anointed one) will eventually come for the second time and usher the world into a better one. The coming of the mashiach will restore worship at the Temple, end evil, sin and death, rebuild Jerusalem, reward righteousness, and restore the family line of King David. The Jews also believe that the Mashiach will be a descendant of David, but no one knows the day he will come (Rabbi Eckstein). CITATION FOR QUUUESTION NO. 5. They expect him to bring about spiritual and political redemption by restoring Jerusalem and the Jewish nation at large. The government he will establish will act as the center of the world government. By rebuilding the temple, the mashiach will have reestablished its worship. The Jews have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah because, to begin with, he did not bring world peace when he came two thousand years ago, as prophesied by Isaiah. Works cited QUESTION 3. Islamicity. Pillars of Islam. 14 Oct. 2010 QUESTION 4. Hare, John Bruno. Sacred Text. Internet Sacred Text Archive. 14 Oct. 2010 QUESTION 1. The Gale Group. Christianity. Jewish Virtual Library. 14 Oct. 2010 QUESTION 2 AND 5. Rabbi Eckstein, Yechiel, Jewish-Christian Relations, Jewish Virtual Library, 2012. 14 Oct. 2010 QUESTION 3. Muhammad Rida al-Muzzafar. The Faith of Shi'a Islam. 14 Oct. 2010 Read More