Basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred
Religious traditions are a set of beliefs widely held and practiced by a group of people. This involves the worship of a supernatural being with supernatural powers. However, although religious traditions differ across communities, they all have common characteristics used to define religion. They include, Belief system; they consist of a belief system used to explain the myth as all Christians have universally held belief that God is their creator. Community; religious traditions are practiced by a group of people with the same belief system.
Myth; they are the stories of a religion told across generations. The stories according to the religion are true. An example is that of the Islamic religion where they hold Mohammed in high place when he managed to escape from Mecca to medina. The stories explain the supernatural component of the religious beings.
Ritual beliefs; they are rituals carried out during certain ceremonies. Their aim is to appease the gods. A good example is when the Indians burn incense for their gods as a sign of holiness in the presence of their gods. Buddhists also practice burning of incense and long periods of meditation as a sign of holiness and connection with their god.
Ethics; they include the rules and regulations of the religion believed to come from the gods through an intervener. They spell out the moral responsibility of the group. Christians derive their ethics from the commandments given to Moses by God. Emotions are another component and feature; members always have feelings resulting from a religious act. Some of the feelings include guilt, fulfillment, desire, happiness, rebirth, devotion, and inner peace.
Material expression; all religious traditions have a way of associating tangible materials with their divinity. They are normally a symbol of devotion and they include the cross for the Christians, the cow for the Buddhist, the long “khanzus” & “buibuis” (vails) for the Muslims.
Sacredness; religious traditions were always sacred. Religious leaders restrict Ritual performances to specific places, with specific songs and dance and even clothes. An example is the mosque for Muslims and churches for Christians and temples for Buddhists. With the sacredness of the mosque, one cannot enter with shoes. This simplifies purity.
Teachings, texts, doctrines, stories, and myths of religious traditions
Different religious traditions have different teachings. The commonness is that they all teach about their god. Each religion describes differently how their god created the universe. The teachings may also include reciting the laws given to them by the supernatural realm, which also are different for each religion. An example is the African religion where any form of death of an individual carried out by a person either accidental or intentional always brings a misfortune to the community. This is not the case with the Muslims who believe that death carried out by a person in protection of the Islamic religion is acceptable and this guarantees one eternal peace with their god.
As adverse as the religions are, so do their myths and stories. Religious traditions have different stories narrating the origin of man. The kikuyu of Kenya believe that god dropped the mother and father of their tribe on Mount Kenya who gave birth to nine children, which defines the nine tribes of the “Agikuyu” people of Kenya.
Role of traditional religion
Religious traditions were for unity. By worshipping the same divinity, one feels connected to another. The practice was through prayers, ceremonies, and rituals. Specific people conducted prayer and they were the ordained. Sacrifices and offerings were a way of communicating with the divinity. Depending on the sacrifice, one can tell the type of ritual. For example, offering a young lamp by the Jews showed gratitude. Pilgrimage was of great value. The Muslims make the religious trip to Mecca while in the African religion, one makes trips to the sacred places like mountains. The travels bring spiritual fulfillment.
Organization of religious traditions
Just like any other institution, the religious traditions had a form of organization. As seen earlier, those ordained were the leaders who received maximum respect. They have the powers to delegate some of their duties to other members of the community whom they deem fit for the work. Some of the works included teaching the young ones about the religion of the group, offering sacrifices, and punishing those who do contrary to the norms of the community. The medicine men were also religious, as they got their healing powers from the divinity. Among the African religious tradition, religious leaders included the rainmakers, as it was a divine power. This entire people with their specialization were the leaders of the group and they were regarded as holy.
Key critical issues in the study of religion
In the study of religion, we have to appreciate its versatility. Religion plays a key role in the socialization process of all the communities in the world. The critical issues associated with religion include the understanding and appreciating of all the religions in the world. This problem affects both members and the non-members. No judgment should be made of a person practicing his/her religion but appreciation as we all come from different religious backgrounds.
References
Beckford, J. A. (1975). Religious organization : a trend report and bibliography. The Hague: Mouton.
MacDonald, J. (2003). Religion and Myth. London: Kessinger Publishing.
Olson, C. (2007). Celibacy and religious traditions. New York: Oxford University Press.
