Essay 1
Hinduism and Taoism
The two religions are among the dominant religions is Asia region. Hinduism in particular has many tenets that include but not limited to:
- believing the living beings go through rebirths;
- There process upwards toward Braham or backwards toward material existence is determined by the law of karma;
- Final authority is found in the Vedas and writings of great religious leaders capable of perceiving the authentic nature of realism.
- There exist numerous beings that symbolize the ultimate almighty being;
- Yogic activities are put in place to detach human beings from their connection to tangible things and to develop their spiritual faculties so that they can move toward the divine source from which they came.
Taoism tenets include but not limited to:
- Teaches the way to be harmony with nature;
- It is based in Tao Te Ching;
- Attributed to an Imaginary Lao-tse.:
- It is the way to be followed by those who seek to achieve without striving; it is unassertive, inconspicuous ,lowly, incomplete
The two stated religions have shaped the ways and lifestyle of the people practicing them. Hinduism as a religion has many Gods that they belief to including a God for business and agricultural prosperity. As a result, it has encouraged and shaped their lifestyle that has incorporated business and general production in many ways that has in turn affected their cultures and beliefs. Tao tenets have also affected the way they pursue and interpret happenings and developments in the world. Therefore, they have taken a cool approach towards solving issues and problems as they let nature to takes its course, which is a great tenet to those practicing Taoism. The religious tenets have been incorporated as part of their cultures and have shaped a lot of decisions from communities in the two regions that the two religions are practiced mostly.
Essay 2
The people that Moses persuaded were the Israelites. At the time in the ancient days, there were many gods that were being worshipped by then. The “belief if having one true God” by then as had been said by Moses meant that the people who worshiped many other gods had to change and this caused confusion and enmity among the different people who by the then subscribed to different gods and beliefs. The religious perspective of having only one true God changed how things were done in the past and laid the foundation and framework for the development and continuation of other Abrahamic religious traditions. After the people were convinced and dropped their beliefs in other gods, it allowed for the quick and faster spread of the religious practices that had been proposed by Abraham across many places and regions.
Essay 3
The beliefs that Christians have about the ascension and resurrection of Jesus Christ has shaped and determined many issues in Christian practice in general. It has given Christians hope and belief of the second life, which is eternal life that will be realized after the second coming of the messiah. It has reinforced that belief among and c between Christians that Christ will come back and take those who have well to heaven. By dying and resurrecting, and finally going to heaven to be with God, it is a clear indication to Christians that in deed the promises that they had earlier on been told are real and indeed there will be eternal life in heaven where all Christians who belief will gather and live forever. The resurrection and ascension belief is among the greatest tenets and concerns that have shaped and contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity in the world. It is what has convinced many people and assured them as well as given them hope to the many questions that normally presents themselves in religious matters. The resurrection and ascension has shaped matters and clarified questions concerning Christianity as a religion not only in the past but also in the present and current times.
The eschatology of Jesus played a great role in relation to the Kingdom of God at the time, and also continues to do so even in the contemporary days. At the time, after the crucification and death of Jesus Christ, it left many wondering and questioning if indeed Jesus was the true son of the living God. It is not surprising that he was asked a similar and related question by those whom He was crucified with. Many questions and concerns had been raised about the truthfulness of Jesus proclaiming to be the son of God, what was at the mind of the people was that considering the suffering that Jesus underwent through, God would have intervened and punished those who were responsible for that.
However after the resurrection and ascension to heaven, it made thousands and thousands of people to believe that the kingdom of God is real and Jesus was truly the son of God that had come to prepare the people on the way and means in which they will receive and enter the kingdom of God, as it had been described in the scriptures and through teachings by Christian religious leaders. It asserted and assured the people at the time that in deed the kingdom of God and Jesus had gone to prepare it for the people whom after his second coming back will take the m to the Kingdom as it is written and promised in the scriptures.
Essay 4
The Lukumi religion is a religion that natively was brought to the west a through salve trade in the ancient times. Presently, they have incorporated practices that they have borrowed from other religious groups. But basically they are a native and traditional religious practice with routes and origins from the Yoruba people coming from the West part of Africa. They believe and practice the following:
- believe in chants , herbs, and bead patterns;
- They believe in Olodumare who is their creator;
- They practice in shrines and alters in their own homes;
Syncretism has contributed to shaping beliefs and rituals of Lukumi religion in the sense that in their course of the natives that practices the religion settling in the foreign places and land that practiced different believes and cultures, including different religious practices. Due to assimilation and adapting to the new environment that they found themselves in, they had to drop and add at the same time certain issues and practices not only in their religious practices but also other sectors and ways of life, as a result they incorporated new practices and added to their that resulted in a new and different practices that had blended their indigenous religious practice and those from their new environment.
Syncretism has affected Christianity as a religion in the following ways. Christianity Is rooted in Judaism although it came to absorb elements of Zoroastrianism which is an ancient dualistic religion of Iran. It has adopted religious of ancient Mesopotamia and Roman cults. Christians present struggle between good and bad is an example of how syncretism has affected it.
