The word religion comes from the Latin word Religio. In our society it means believing in a higher power. This higher power is usually a God and people are taught how this God came to be. When one believes in a God there are set ways of worship and a moral code that is lived by. Not every religion has a God and sometimes there are many God’s or in some instances there is no God. In any case this general definition does not do justice to all the religions because of the different beliefs that each religion has.
There are many aspects to religion like animism, magic, divination, taboos, totems, sacrifice, myth, rituals, rites of passage, and ancestor veneration. Not every religion has all of these but a combination of them. Animism is the belief that everything around has spirit. Magic has many definitions but for the use of religion it is the belief that performing certain formulas, dances, and or incantations correctly one can change the course of nature. Divination is the belief where a priest or
Myth and rite of passage are most common in all religions. Myths are carried over from generation to generation and they tell stories of the Gods and how they dealt with humans. They also tell us how certain societies came to be as well as how the world was formed. Myths are usually fictional with some truth to them. The rites of passage are the celebrations of ones key transitional points in life. They vary from religion to religion but are the same points in ones life. These key transitional points are birth, puberty, marriage, and death. In Judaism the male newborn child is circumcised and in Christianity children are baptized and given a name.
a prophet tells of the future to be. Taboo is a belief where people observe rules pertaining to their religion, like Hindus don’t eat the flesh of cattle. Totems are symbols that resemble a certain religion, clan, nation, or a group of people. Sacrifice is a very common practice throughout most religions, it entails giving something to the gods so that
Example Essays Home
