Overview over Religion :: essays research papers

Overview of Religion In this tutorial, you will learn about the religious experience in general and some of its variations around the world. The focus will be on the types of religious beliefs and religious leaders, especially in small-scale societies. An exploration of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any other major religion is beyond the scope of this tutorial. The approach taken is that of cultural relativity--religious practices or beliefs are not evaluated in terms of their "correctness" or "sophistication" but, rather, in terms of their function within the societies that maintain them. What is Religion? A religion is a system of beliefs usually involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings. Religious beliefs provide shape and meaning to one's perception of the universe. In other words, they provide a sense of order in what might otherwise be seen as a chaotic existence. Religions also provide understanding and meaning for inexplicable events such as a loved one being killed in an earthquake or some other unpredictable force of nature. For most religious people, their beliefs about the supernatural are at the very core of their world views. Importance of Rituals Symbolic objects used in Christian rituals The performance of rituals is an integral part of all religions. Rituals are stylized and usually repetitive acts that take place at a set time and location. They almost always involve the use of symbolic objects, words, and actions. For example, going to church on Sunday is a common religious ritual for Christians around the world. It usually requires the wearing of somewhat different clothing and interacting with others in a particular manner in a sacred location. At the heart of this experience is a sequence of traditional ritual acts that symbolically represent aspects of the life, teachings, and death of Jesus. Maya Temple in Guatemala built on a high pyramid base to make it a sacred location Most religious rituals are performed in special places and under special conditions, such as in a dedicated temple or at a sacred spot. This is an intentional separation between the secular and the sacred. By being removed from the ordinary world, the sacred acts are enhanced for the believers--the separation makes the rituals more effective. Only allowing initiated people to participate in religious rituals also can have the same effect. Religious ritual reinforces the basic tenets of religion. For instance, the "partaking of the host" in the Catholic mass is a symbolic participation in the "last supper" of Jesus and, by extension, an affirmation of the acceptance of his teachings.

Critical Appriciation of the Two Minuets Hate in 1984

Write a critical appreciation of pages 16-18 â€Å"in its second†¦ uttering a prayer†. How does the two minutes hate contribute to your understanding of the nightmare world in which Winston lives? The two minutes hate is almost a celebration of a cult, a sort of gathering of religious fanatics to honour their ruler, Big Brother. Orwell uses it to show the expressions of anarchy amongst the ‘leaping and shouting' people and how this would be their only chance to express their human feelings in the nightmare society in which they are forced to live. Winston's dystopian world is displayed in Orwell's unsympathetic parody of the two minutes silence in commemoration of WWII and epitomises the ‘frenzy' of emotions, the terror and violent culture that Winston has to tolerate. His elaborate view of religious or political fanatics scrutinises these kinds of obsessions and demonstrates how it can over-power a person's life. Control is one of the main components of the two minutes hate. The people are helpless, they are ‘like that of a landed fish' in the robotic machine that is Big Brother. They cannot escape from ‘the voice' that ‘continued inexorably' and there is no escapism to be had in the ‘frenzy' of voices yelling at the screen. This reflects a nightmare that is inescapable until we awake. Winston longs to awaken in a society capable of love, without suffering, but it seems he knows that can never arise. The world for Winston is a steady destruction of all good virtues and basic human rights that they are so cruelly being denied, which is shown so clearly through this extract. Winston finds it ‘impossible to avoid joining in'. This reflects the lack of control he has in all elements of his nightmarish life. The sheer violence of the episode overwhelms Winston's mentality and creates an isolation of his mind to the rest of the ‘sheep' and is inescapable. He has the power to rebel, although he submits to a ‘hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer'. This juxtaposition of hideousness and ecstasy shows Winston's abhorrence is all towards the party and Big Brother instead of the loathed Goldstein. In Winston's conscious mind he changes into a ‘grimacing, screaming lunatic' and is capable of switching his hate ‘from one object to another'. These images are distinctive of a dystopian novel and relates to the time of obsession and paranoia that was experienced during World War II, when the novel was written. Winston's hate develops into an ‘inescapable' sexual lust for ‘the black haired girl'. He describes his desire to ‘flog her to death' and how it would be a ‘beautiful' sight. This contradiction is Winston's flicker of rebellion against the ‘sinister enchanter' that is Big Brother. This introduces the theme of love versus hate, which is explored throughout the rest of the novel. The pointlessness of the hate strikes Winston as we see Winston's weakness; he has a perplexed mind that cannot comprehend the point to the rage inflicted upon Goldstein. The fickleness of the Party members distresses Winston ‘the sandy haired woman shouting what sounded like â€Å"my Saviour†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ as he seems to realise the stupidity of the ‘frenzy'. Orwell contradicts the whole of the Party's endeavour to create a ‘perfect' world and stamp out all feelings, as ‘his heart went out to the lonely, derided, heretic on the screen'. Winston is conveying how he is himself a ‘heretic' and rebelling against the beloved Big Brother which we see later in the novel also as Winston recognizes his rebellious potential. This shows his refusal of living ‘in a world of lies'. This ‘world' epitomises the depression of Winston's nightmare and the society he exists in and at this point, Winston becomes ‘at one with the people about him', his mind is distorted ‘and all that was said of Goldstein seemed to him to be true'. Winston's seemingly only flaw it that subconsciously he switches his thoughts from one side to another and it is only ‘the black haired girl' who lays bare his real personality and sets him straight. The two minutes hate represents Orwell's character and his novel as a whole as we see his hate for the outward expression of human feelings and his ultimate desire for control. We find his detestation of religious extremists on course throughout the novel, which replicates its dark and dystopian themes. He has channelled his hate in to his work and through what may indeed be a representation of the author himself, Winston's Character. Every element of hope is lost for Winston during the two minutes hate. This raises our understanding of an embodiment of a nightmare world that hopelessly celebrates a religious cult and its inescapable anarchy, which will ultimately have its revenge on Winston's mutinous mind.

The City Of The Ancient City - 849 Words

As I walk the grounds of the ancient city to the beautiful sounds of birds chirping and the sun shimmering, I observe the ruins that were left behind from the inevitably of decay as hundreds of years passed and am immediately filled with astonishment by the aspects of the ancient city, allowing for my imagination to visualize the past: the gigantic Theater and Stadium with a roaring audience, the all-mighty Acropolis standing strong, the north and south agora consisting of merchants meanwhile business deals arise in the Civil Basilica, the spacious baths full of chitchat and laughter, the conflicted Bouleuterion (council house), the gracious temple of Aphrodite and Basilica church, the holy Bishop’s palace, the studious Sculptor’s academy, the aesthetically pleasing monumental gate (Tetraplyon), and keenly sculpted statues of Aeneas’ flight from Troy and emperor Claudius. By examining the social, cultural, political, economic, artistic, and religious aspects of t he ancient city, the ancient city will unravel the values of the inhabitant and the influences from complex societies and arraying the role it plays in significant historical events during the 5th century B.C.E. to 5th century C.E of Ancient Rome. The foundation of Ancient Rome is marked by the statue of Aeneas’ flight from Troy and the statue of the emperor Claudius. The statues unravel that the inhabitants valued strong leaders such as Aeneas and Claudius. The statue of Aeneas’s flight from Troy is an illustrationShow MoreRelatedModern City And City Of Ancient China801 Words   |  4 PagesIn 2008, my whole family has moved to Hangzhou, the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province, in Eastern China. Hangzhou is a mix of Garden City and Modern City. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou was the capital city of Ancient China. The long, rich history and cultural connotation make Hang prominent, as well as a necessary terminus of the Grand Canal. Nowadays, Hangzho u keeps its rich historical elements, also developments with modernization construction. Back to my home descriptionRead MoreThe City Of Ancient Greece1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe city-states of ancient Greece were at constant strife with each other. They utterly detested each other and were solely independent. However, many factors unified the Greeks, loosely, at all times, and they even brought the Greeks together at times. These factors came to be because of their similarities of traditions and beliefs. Language, religion, and athletics were all results of these factors. Language unified because everyone would understand what was being said by anyone, and athleticsRead MoreThe City Of Ancient Rome1835 Words   |  8 PagesThe city of Ancient Rome was a major center for the regional and international trade of goods. Rome was colonized in the 8th century BC that expanded and soon became one of the largest empires during the time and is still one of the most famous cities in the world. In the beginning, the empire was only a small town located on the Timber River, whi ch was used for trade. Over time, the city expanded over most of the territory around the Mediterranean Sea and was made up of more than one million peopleRead MoreThe Ancient City Of Palmyra2207 Words   |  9 PagesINTRODUCTION The ancient city of Palmyra in Syria has had a turbulent history. Due to its proximity to water, the city of Palmyra became an oasis. It was a stopping point for caravans trekking through the Syrian Desert. With lush green land, it was a destination for many. Within the city, the Temple of Bel was erected honoring the god Bel, the Babylonian ‘Lord of the Heavens’. Since religion played such an integral part of Palmyrenes society, I quest to find out: what was the role of the Temple ofRead MoreAncient Greek And Ancient Roman Cities876 Words   |  4 Pagessimilarities between Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman cities, mainly because Roman cities were highly influenced by the Greek. Roman culture reflects the Greek’s culture, their mythologies are closely related and so are the characteristics of the architecture. From one grew the forms of the other and the result created were two beautiful cities with massive amounts of history. This paper will go over the three mai n areas in which Greeks influenced the Romans the most. The first being, the cities and their layoutRead MoreAncient City Of Ur Report934 Words   |  4 PagesANCIENT CITY OF UR REPORT ANCIENT HISTORY REPORT BY DYLAN NAGLE Yr. 11 The ancient Sumerian city of Ur was a southern Mesopotamian city located in what is now modern day Iraq. The city of Ur was established in approximately 3800BC, being inhabited until 450BC. In its prominent state Ur was a city of large scope, size and opulence. That and its position on the Persian Gulf allowed trade with countries as far away as India, bringing the city a vast amount of wealth. In 1922CE Ur becameRead MoreThe Tower Of The Ancient City Jericho870 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the oldest structures in architectural history, there is no definitive answer of when the first set of stairs was created. However some historians have made claim that some of the oldest surviving staircase’s are found in the ruins of the ancient city Jericho, suggesting that the birth of stairs may have been as early as 7,000 years ago. Stairs have throughout the history of humanity played an integral role in civilisation, and continue to do so today. Some of the first examples of the mostRead MoreAncient Greek City States ( Polies )1112 Words   |  5 PagesIn this essay two Ancient Greek city states (polies) will be compared and contrasted showing how despite their differences, they both rose to become predominating powers. Ancient Greece consisted of many small city-states, two of which were Athens and Sparta. Athens was considered the center of fine arts, music, and educational opportunities. Sparta was known for its outstanding military strength and tactical abilities at war. Life for a Spartiate was comprised of constant training and conditioningRead MoreAncient Inca City Of Machu Picchu905 Words   |  4 PagesAn ancient stone city hidden away in the massive Andes Mountains. A city that hold countless secrets and endless beauty. This is the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is a very popular tourist attraction, but many tourists do not know its true signifigance.This â€Å"city in the clouds† is of high importance because it not only is considered an archeological wonder but it is also very important to nature and has much historical and cultural signifigance. Huge stones make up Machu PicchuRead MoreEvidence for Urbanization of Ancient Cities Essays1561 Words   |  7 Pagesurbanization of any ancient city has the best advantage of being seen through our modern day eyes. Looking at the evidence recovered from various sites definitely poses some problems for scholars in trying to place it in the context of the time-line of that city; yet these scholars have the knowledge of the end result of our modern-day societies. Archaeologists and classics scholars know historical trends of human socialization and urbanization for hundreds of years in societies unrelated to ancient ones. Despite