History of Religion: Regulations Throughout the History - Essay Example

1. Animism vs. Anthropocentrism. Animism is a belief that is held by almost all indigenous religions of the world, it purports that humans are not the only beings with souls but that other creatures or beings other than humans also possess a soul. Thus, animism puts humans on the same level as other beings, necessitating that humans respect other creatures, whether they be plants, birds, fish, or other animals, as they are as much a part of nature as these other creatures are, and not set apart from it or on a special footing. In an animistic world, a human is as important as any other creature. Anthropocentrism, on the other hand, is the exact opposite belief. It postulates that humans are the center of the universe and that just by being humans they are set apart from the rest of nature’s creatures. In fact, it suggests that humans are superior beings and everything in nature is present to serve them and cater to their needs. This is pretty much the view of most Western religions. Interestingly enough, it is precisely because of anthropocentric ideals that capitalism economy thrives. To believe that everything in nature is subservient to humans causes us to exploit as much of nature and its resources as we can for our own benefit. Thus, anthropocentric beliefs fit very well with a capitalist economy; it convinces humans that they are well within their rights to manipulate everything in nature for their own use and ease. It is, perhaps, part of the reason why the level of energy consumption is the highest in the USA, where most residents believe in the anthropocentric worldview. The animistic beliefs, however, do not fit that well with a capitalistic economy. According to this view, all of nature is on equal footing with one another, which, in turn, necessitates that humans respect everything nature has to offer them as much as they respect one another. Such views make it hard for a capitalist economy to thrive, as there will not be enough mass production and mass utilization of natural resources to make it viable, which, of course, means that such beliefs necessitate energy consumption to be as conscientious as possible. I feel closer towards animistic beliefs than anthropocentric, for example, for me we are well within our rights to slaughter an animal to feed ourselves, however, we need to do it with a certain amount of respect, affording the animal some dignity in its death. That is one of the reasons why I choose to eat free-range farm products, because the animals in a traditional farm are afforded respect, even in their slaughter. Perhaps that is also the reason why I am very conscious of the energy I consume, trying to keep my levels of energy (electricity, gas, fossil fuels etc.) to the lowest minimum, e.g. if possible, I would rather walk to a place than drive. 2. This World vs. Next World. The concept of this world as opposed to the next world, which most religions offer to us, is pretty complex. There is no way of gauging the authenticity of a concept of an “eternal life” where we will lead our “true” lives, as most religions put it, this life being merely transitory or a test, the result of which will determine our place on the eternal plane. None of us can ever claim that we know for sure what will happen when one dies, nor is there any eyewitness account of the “other life.” Therefore, as all religions that put forward this concept state, one has to take it as a matter of faith or belief. This causes a few problems, firstly there is nobody who can say for sure what happens after a person dies. Secondly, humans, by nature, are afraid of the unknown, so often to placate themselves they are wont to make up stories about the unknown, so that they are not so scared by it. Hence, the idea of the “next world” can be, perhaps, just such a story that we have made so that we do not fear death. I agree with Deloria in that the concept of the “next world” is often used to control and manipulate people. The poor are told that there will be another life where all their wants will be met, so they should be patient. This causes people to suffer in silence and not try to raise their voices to achieve any semblance of economic liberation or equality. This is, of course, the same ploy that is used to control and subjugate women, they are, for example, told to be submissive to their husbands or male relatives in exchange for an honor that will be granted to them in the “next world.” This concept results in people yearning for the “next world” while completely neglecting the world they are in right now. They do not endeavor to make “this world” a better place, because they feel that as in the “next world” they shall be rewarded with perfection, hence, there is no need to work on bettering this world. 3. One Truth vs. Multiple Truths. Unless religion is a mathematical equation there can be no set answer that can be termed right. Since there is no set mold regarding how to lead a happy life, therefore, it stands to reason that there cannot be only one true path to eternal truth. Perhaps I can believe that there is only one truth, but I cannot believe that only one path leads to it. There is always the possibility of the truth being subjective, since most things in life are subjective too. I have observed that those who hold strictly to the idea of one eternal truth with only one path leading to it, are very rigid in real life. Such people are never open to new ideas and are not at all accepting of those who hold different ideas than themselves, not just regarding religion but other aspects of life too. This has been proven time and time again where religious intolerance has resulted in one form of persecution or another. In Christianity, I feel, the biggest example of this mindset (of there being only one eternal truth with only one eternal path leading thereto) would be the Inquisition, whereby not only those who were not Christians, but many Christians, who were termed heretic for holding beliefs different than those of the mainstream believers, were tortured and killed. In Islam, a tug-of-war of sorts has always been going on between the Shi’ahs and the Sunnis regarding whose beliefs are correct and orthodox, whether in Iraq, Egypt, India or Iran, each faction wants to impose their beliefs on the others, citing them as the truth. People who believe that there are multiple truths, or that there are multiple paths at least to get to the eternal truth, I have found, are more respectful about other people’s beliefs. They are more open to hearing the point of views of others and are more willing to accept their own lack of complete knowledge about any given subject. Such people do not claim to know everything and neither do they try to impose their beliefs on others, knowing that there can be paths other than their own that can lead people to truth. A person holding to the “one truth” view of religion will have certain strict beliefs that he will always adhere to and never let go. Religions that promote such thinking are very restrictive in their approach to certain things like drugs, prostitution, gambling, euthanasia etc. For example, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, religions that promote the “one truth” ideal, all such things are illegal. Hence, those who follow these religions to the letter will always want such things to be illegal. However, people who do not hold such a strict view of religion and morality would be more open to assessing data and coming to a conclusion on their own regarding the legalization or not of the same. Such people would give analytical reasons for their stance on such things, whereas the “one truth” people always resort to the “because it says so in our religion.” So, even if their conclusion is valid, they make it clear that there is no room for discussion and, thus, improvement. 4. Body/Senses/Sex. I think there is too much attention given to the body/senses/sex, whether negatively or positively. Coming from a background where these three have always been devalued, it baffles me that despite the lip-service given to the evils of falling prey to one’s senses, most of those raised in such traditions end up doing just the same. There have been many incidents, in almost all religions that devalue the body, senses and sex, of their clerics being involved in scandals that relate to these three. So it gets a bit hard for me to reconcile the reality with the theory. I feel that I can identify more with the worldview that exalts these three things as sacred. I would not go so far as to say that I consider my body to be a temple, however, I do try my best to take care of it and make the best use of it as I can. I do not endorse or believe in making myself bodily uncomfortable, whether by kneeling for a prolonged period of time or not eating for a long stretch of time, all under the guise of renouncing everything that is base. This does not, I believe, bring one closer to one’s Creator as such religions claim it would. I believe in taking care of my body, as best as I can, because it is a gift to us from the Creator, and if we misuse it, then we are the ones who will suffer. In a society that devalues sex, and yet uses it to sell everything, from cars to shaving gels, it seems that there is a cheapening of sex, resulting in everyone thinking that using it to get something is not a bad idea. I believe that sex is, in its own way, sacred. It is not something to be flaunted, as people are inclined to do around us more often than not. But rather it is something that is personal and sacred. This is not to say that I believe in post-marital sex only, or that for me pre-marital sex is a sin. I only believe that sex is a very personal and sacred matter. It should be kept between those who engage in it, and it should not be anybody’s business. On the same note, it should not be flaunted around to be a means to achieving something. 5. Economics. I feel that too much attention and importance are given to material gains and economic success. We are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us that if we are not economically successful then our lives will not have much happiness. On the other hand, there are those who postulate that we can only be happy if we own nothing, thus, it is important for us to give up all our worldly and material possessions so that we can be happy. For me, it has been a very difficult and strange concept to grasp. On the one hand, I feel that if I do work hard enough and am not economically successful, I will not be able to achieve my dreams or happiness, while on the other I feel that if I work very hard, then I will have no time to enjoy life. However, after much contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that it is much more important that I live my life the way I want to, rather than be forced to run in a rat race. For that reason, I have decided that I will work part time, and only for as long and hard as is necessary to furnish me with basic necessities in life. For me it is much more important to be able to spend time with your loved ones and doing things you enjoy than to be an economic success, yet lonely. I believe that Christianity has departed from its original message; the Prophet of Christianity, Jesus, did not look favorably upon the rich, rather he was in favor of renunciation of all material wealth. Whereas now we see, not just in Protestantism, but also in Catholicism (even in the Catholic priests) a deep desire to acquire wealth, I believe that it is to acquire power and status over people. There is a need in organized religion to be controlling of their congregation and followers, and for that money is always needed, as it can be used both as an incentive and as a deterrent. 6. Rituals. Some religions value rituals a lot, these are as varied and different as shamanism and Islam. There are a lot of ritualistic practices in shamanism, as there are in Islam. For instance, in the Navajo tradition, there is a certain ritual of greeting each day with a pinch of pollen being scattered at sun rise, on the same note, Muslims have the ritual of washing themselves in a certain way for their prayers that are set at various times in the day. One of the biggest rationales given for following rituals is that those who follow them feel God-conscious, or conscious of the presence of God around them, all the time. They, therefore, lead their lives in accordance with their religious teachings because they are reminded of their religious duties by living their lives following these rituals. However, there are certain religions that are quite open to disregarding rituals; Christianity is a case in point: there is no dietary law as such, nor are there any certain set of rituals that need to be followed. Although the Catholic version of Christianity is pretty adamant about following rituals, however, most of the other denominations do not hold the same view. For them, they do not need to parrot certain words, or mime certain movements to be reminded of their Creator and/or their belief in Him; their point being that rituals make a religion very mechanical without any real zeal to it. I am not ritualistic by nature, therefore, I do not agree with following rituals so strictly and adamantly. However, on the same note, I do have some non-religious rituals that I engage in my own life. For instance, as long as I can remember I have always taken a certain coin with me whenever I have to travel, it has come to the point where I do not remember why I started carrying it around with me in the first place. Perhaps that is why I am averse to rituals, because by the end of it the soul or essence of the act is lost on you, and you end up merely performing miming actions to something you have forgotten the essence of. Read More