The Major World Religions

Important Concepts Related to Religion and SH1910 Belief System \"the worship of the gods can be seen as an effort to live The Major World Religions successfully amid the awesome nonhuman forces of the natural world.\" Introduction Religion is usually formed as a human response to a felt need East Asia People in ancient China believes in animism and polytheism. within one's context that is perceived as efficacious and adopted by a group of people. There are two (2) different aspects that we This means that they believe that the earth and sky are inhabited should look at to understand a religion and its traditions: first is by spirits, and all things have particular spirits attached to them. its geographic origin and second is its historico-cultural origin As a result, all other beings should be treated with respect and (Manaloto & Rapadas, 2016). care as it is inhabited with spirits that have feelings. In order to appease these spirits, the Chinese emperors together with their There are plenty of religions that exist in the world today. subjects offer sacrifices to deities of the earth and sky and other However, this text would only be limited to discussion of the local deities and spirits to ensure bountiful harvests and receive following religions classified according to their geographical protection from the evil spirits. Daoism, which emphasizes in roots: India (Hindu Dharma and Buddhism), East Asia (Daoism, living in harmony with the Tao which means \"way\", \"path\", Confucianism, and Shinto), and from the Middle East (Judaism, \"route\", or \"road\" (Strickman, Ames, & Seidel, 2019) and Christianity, and Islam). Confucianism, which is an all-encompassing way of thinking and living that entails ancestor reverence and a profound human- India centered religiousness, is both originated in China (Cohen et al., India, which is the cradle of both Hindu Dharma (Hinduism) 2019). and Buddhism, is described as an agricultural land that is On the other hand, Shinto has always been considered the isolated from its neighbors. Indus and Ganges river makes its original native religion of the people of Japan. Shinto has no soil fertile by its abundant drinkable water. However, the rivers founder, no omnipotent deity, no sacred scripture, and no also wreak havoc to the population through floods. This made organized system of theology. The followers of Shinto worship the population view nature as a \"generously nurturing but kami or sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts sometimes moody mother.\" The alternating abundant and important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, and catastrophic experiences of the farmers in this country fertility. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's influenced their religious outlook. Because of this, water is most important kami (Japan Guide, 2018). given great importance in Indian worship. According to Niels and Nielsen Jr. (1988) (as cited in Manaloto & Rapadas, 2016), Middle East Judaism, one of the Middle Eastern religions, traces its 01 Handout 3  [email protected] beginning to the divine covenant made between Adonai and *Property of STI Page 1 of 2

Abraham, whose family of origin migrated from Mesopotamia SH1910 nearly 4000 years ago and ended up settling in the Middle East region called Canaan. In this covenant, Adonai promised tribes as the former exchange their dates and wheat for sheep, Abraham several things: a great name, numerous descendants, goat, and camel wool that may be used in making clothing, and a land of their own. Jews believe in one transcendent God carpets, and tapestries. These pre-Islamic people worshipped and Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the several local and tribal deities who resided in stones, wells, trees, world. and animals, but recognized one supreme god they called Allah. They offered blood sacrifices to carved images of local and tribal Meanwhile, Christianity, which is an offshoot of Judaism, gods to appease them and ask for their help. Aside from that, started in a turbulent period of history. There is widespread they also acknowledged the existence of lesser divine beings, poverty, exploitation, greed, class division, repeated bloodshed, such as angels and demons (Manaloto & Rapadas, 2016). and massive unrest. In addition, the Palestine during that time is occupied by the Roman empire with thousands of soldiers who The discussion above in the previous paragraphs presented were supposedly there to maintain peace but were more the connection between geography and historico-cultural interested in increasing their wealth and status. aspects which could have affected the establishment of religion in that place or region. These factors are important in Islam, another religion from the Middle East, started in the understanding a belief system and its religious traditions. Arabian Peninsula. This area is an arid region of mountains, steppes, and desserts. The fertile land in this region only lies in References: the southwest, mostly along the coast, and few other places, such as scattered oases. Cohen, G., Greenberg, M., Feldman, L., Gaster, T., Silberman, L., Hertzberg, Before the emergence of Islam, most Arabs lived in male- A. … Dimitrovsky H. (2019, February 8). Judaism. In dominated tribal groups, following their herds and flocks, seeking food and water. This kind of life made them known as Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from Bedouin, which came from the Arab term \"badawiyyin\" or \"desert wanderers.\" Aside from water and vegetation, the https://www.britannica.com/topic/Judaism survival of the Bedouin depended on the strength of their tribe. They should have the capability to protect themselves from Japan Guide (2018, April 16). Shinto. Retrieved from https://www.japan- looters and raiders and have the ability to loot and raid to gather necessities. Aside from the Bedouin tribes, there are also people guide.com/e/e2056.html settled in cities which trade their goods and products. These people formed economic interdependence with the Bedouin Manaloto, C. & Rapadas, M. (2016). Pilgrimage to sacred spaces: an 01 Handout 3 introduction to world religions. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing  [email protected] House, Inc. Strickman, M, Ames, R., & Seidel, A. (2019, February 1). Daoism. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Daoism Weiming, T. (2019, March 8). Confucianism. In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confucianism *Property of STI Page 2 of 2