Dialectical Journal Of Life Of Pi

Dialectical Journal Of Life Of Pi
The Life of Pi is a novel written by Yann Martel, that involves a young teen named Pi in survival
after suffering a tragic ship accident. The novel starts out with mostly the author's thoughts and
ideas. The first part of the book excluding the author's page mainly describes Pi's thoughts, beliefs,
life, and the events that take place before the tragic accident he is involved in. Pi has a brother
named Ravi and an uncle called Francis. Pi is remarkably connected and interested in religion and
zoology. Pi and his family soon move to Pondicherry in India, where they buy a zoo. Soon as they
move, Pi discusses his feelings on living in a zoo. After moving to the zoo, Pi starts to get involved
in a lot of religion. Talks about religion are ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Eventually, things get better for Pi as his parents allow him to get baptised and explore religion
more. Big news strikes Pi when his parents announce that they are moving to Canada. As a result,
most of the animals at Pi's zoo are sold to other zoos, while only a couple of animals head with the
family to Canada such as a tiger, orangutan, and more. The Life of Pi (Part 2) The second part of the
book starts off quite dreadful. Previously in part one of Life of Pi, the family takes off from India
and onto Canada. Part two begins with the words, "The ship sank". As of yet, it is not really possible
to know what has happened to Pi and his family. Pi is in a lifeboat with Richard Parker, a tiger the Pi
family took to Canada. Pi eventually tells the reader events right before the sinking of the ship. As
the ship sails smoothly for a couple of days, a engine failure causes the ship to explode. Pi escapes
onto a lifeboat, unluckily Ravi and his parents are still asleep. Eventually, couple of other animals
and Pi survive, including Richard, a Orangutan named Orange Juice, and a hyena. Sadly, Orange
Juice dies very quickly as he
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Comparing New Orleans Voodoo And Manchu Shamanism
Paganism, spiritualism, witchcraft – call it what you may, there's no denying that the occult is ever–
present. In Vancouver, one is particularly accustomed to the crystal shops and new age book stores
hiding around each corner – a walk along West 4th in Kitsilano attests to that. With melting pot
populations, cities tend to host unconventional 'schools of thought'; and at the turn of the eighteenth
century, two cities, New Orleans and Beijing (formerly Peking) became hubs for the supernatural.
Though different in many ways, the similarities of New Orleans Voodoo and Manchu Shamanism
are striking. In this essay, I will compare and contrast many aspects of the occult in each city.
Specifically, how did it arrive in each city? How was it received

Analysis Of By The Waters Of Babylon
Has one ever wondered about what would happen if our society ended and had to start completely
over again. In the short story " By the Waters of Babylon" talks about after society ended after a
huge nucleus war. In the story , it mainly focuses on how normal people do not obtain knowledge
about what happened as well as basic still like reading and writing. In this society the people believe
in supernatural beings as their religion and in this the higher class was the priests and these priests
know all of the knowledge of this. society.The main character of this short story John , a son of a
priest, goes to forbidden lands and discovered what got him and his people in this situation. Do you
think that our government should inform us on ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Have this privilege of knowing everything comes with consequences, like getting punished more
strictly than everyone else. This is stated"...He punished me more strictly than my brothers."
Paragraph 3 Sentence 4.
What religious practices or beliefs does John and his people believe in their society? In John's
people don't believe in just one god , but multiple gods. The people believe that the people before
them were gods. They also that how they are in the situation that they in now is because they believe
that they once was a huge war between the gods and the Tree people millions of years ago. In this
society, there were certain things that were forbidden to do, like the people could not go to the East,
only the Priest could only go to dead places ,or go to the Land of the Gods. This is stated" It is
forbidden to go to any of the Dead Place..."Paragraph 1 Sentence 2 "It is forbidden to cross the great
river and look upon the place that was the Place of the Gods." Paragraph 1 Sentence 3. The people
believed that if you did anything that was forbidden, that you would be punished by the gods.
In the short story, when John grows up, John tells his father that he want to go to the East and go and
see the Land of the Gods. The reason why John wants to go to the Land of the Gods was because
when John when to sleep, he kept have the same dream over and over again. When John told his
father this his father allowed

Essay The Pagan Faith and Christian Holidays
Since man first had conscious thought, he has sought the answers to life affirming questions. How
was life created? Who created this world? What lies after death? What is the meaning of life? Time
has created many answers to these questions. Many of these answers are lost in time, along with the
peoples who believed them. As archaeologists search the past for a better history of the planet, old
questions are answered and new questions asked. There are also ideas that have only been
transformed through history, reshaped by society.
There are common themes in the answers to those questions. When they are combined, believed and
ritualized, they become religions. The polytheists of ancient civilizations worshipped the ... Show
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Christianity began in what was the Roman Empire. Largely ignored by the masses, it was a small
monotheistic cult in a polytheistic society. The simplicity of it quickly attracted converts (Veyne
525). Where once they only had Roman idols, a new one was added, that of Jesus Christ. It is not to
say that they simply quit believing in the Gods and Goddesses that had safeguarded their crops,
homes and families, only that this God offering salvation was added (Veyne 545). Popular society
saw a world under control of demons, and to ensure their safety they worshiped a variety of Gods
and Goddesses (Veyne 396). As the cult spread, new beliefs were added. These include the
forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of Jesus, the belief in one God (Noss 636).
The rapid growth of Christianity caused alarm in many people. Between 195 and 212, Christians
were sporadically persecuted. After 212, persecution slowed, and they were "allowed to exist"
(Frend 294). A major force in the popularization of Christianity was when Constantine converted.
Constantine, a late Roman Emperor, discontinued the policy outlawing Christianity, and made it an
acceptable religion in the Roman Empire (Frend 294). Christianity spread when the clergy
canonized saints, building temples and altering rituals to match those in the Roman Empire.
Marriages also brought Christianity new followers. It was often the women of the house that led

Skyclad: Wicca Religion
What is the Skyclad?
The term skyclad is used to refer to the ritual of nudity. This for pagan and neo–pagan cultures,
especially the Wicca religion. Some Wicca groups, or traditions, carry out all or some of their
skyclad rituals. While nudity and the practice of witchcraft have been associated in the visual arts,
the contemporary ritual of nudity is often attributed to the influence of both Gerald Gardner and the
work Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, and as such it is mainly due to the Gardnerian translation
and Aradiana covens.
The work of Gardner Witchcraft today was published in 1954. The book affirmed about the
contemporary practice of pagan religious witchcraft in England, which had supposedly survived as a
religion over the centuries.

The Importance Of Paganism And Christianity In Beowulf
Religion, to some people, is a huge part of their everyday lives. Throughout time religion has played
large roles in history. The entertainment in which people indulge in can stem from religion. Before
modern time religion was the center of most people's lives. Being in the church was the most
important thing, if they did not have the church, they had nothing. Religion has influenced writing,
songs, plays, movies, and architecture. Now the most common religion is Christianity. However, it
was not always like that. Paganism ruled parts of the world for some time. Paganism and
Christianity influenced the story of Beowulf. The differences in the Pagan and Christian religion can
contradict themselves and leave the question on which religion the epic belongs to. Beowulf is an
Epic Poem that was told by mouth for centuries. The poem tells about an amazing human who could
do inhuman things. Known for his strengths, he was a hero to many. Beowulf had superhuman
strength was not categorized as having super powers. To further show what Beowulf was known for
across Kingdoms Burton Raffel translates, "...themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness
of war, Dripping with my enemies' blood. I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that
race from the earth. I swam In the blackness of night, and killing them one by one..."(Kinsella 246–
253). Beowulf implied in the quote he knew how strong and heroic he was. Beowulf was the only
one who could take Grendel down, and he

Polytheism In Poverty
Polytheists Forged in Poverty
Poverty has many negative effects on many people. In this paper I will be focusing on how poverty
effects a person's faith. Will this person's life values and meanings become more centered on wealth,
power, and materialism? I will view how this is sometimes the case in popular culture, sociological
studies, and even my own life. When impoverished people lust for things they never had in their
childhood such as money or happiness, then they chase these life aspirations turning these pursuits
into their source of meaning in their life. These pursuits become their faith and makes them
polytheistic. To understand polytheism, we must look to a Fordham University Professor of
Theology and Chair of the same department, Terrence W. Tilley. In Tilley's book titled "Faith: What
It Is and What It Isn't". Tilley refers to polytheism saying, "Those of us who have faith in multiple
irreducible centers of value and meaning can be called polytheists (poly is "many" in Greek; theos is
the Greek word "god"." (Page 39). Tilley refers to faith as "One's god or gods are the irreducible
source(s) of meaning and center(s) of value in one's life." (Page 32). Building upon the definitions
of faith and polytheism, to me, I am a Catholic, however I have multiple gods. I worship the Trinity,
conflicting to what I should value are values such as materialism. I have great value for material
baubles. Along with my ambition for accumulation of wealth. I am a polytheist, or I am at least from
Tilley's perspective. I never realized I was a polytheist until I read Tilley's "Faith: What It Is and
What It Isn't" and used it as spectacles applying what I read to my own life and what I have faith in.
My Family never had a lot of money. As I have grown Catholicism I have believed that God will
provide for my family. Sometimes God did provide a lot of the and a lot of other instances he did
not. In all this I grew up having money as a second faith alongside Catholicism. I was always trying
to make a quick buck. This one time I bartended my aunt's wedding when I was five. I was trying to
make some money off tips. I have done other little schemes and odds and ends that I would rather
not go into detail

Religion And Its Impact On Religion Essay
Over the course of the semester, various types of religions and practices have been discussed.
Religion has proven to be one of the oldest of human customs and many a time is formed on
supernatural basis. Yet various similarities emerge in its literary usage, customary practices and
societal impact. I argue that although religion is generally regarded as a scared aspect of a group and
is sometimes used for narrative, explanatory and preservation purposes within these texts; it has
been manipulated to serve and cover up the ideologies and practices of its followers. These
ideologies and practices would on the most part be regarded as wrong not only on a contemporary
basis, but also to those at the opposite end of its effects.
First, the development of religion must be laid out. Religion, for the most part, began with animism.
In this practice, inanimate objects are regarded as holy and subsequently worshiped. Herodotus
provides a prime example of animism with Xerxes. "...he was travelling along this road Xerxes
came across a plane–tree/ which was so beautiful that he presented it with golden decorations/ and
appointed one of the Immortals a guardian to look after it." Herodotus: (Book 4, paragraph 31).
Xerxes comes upon a strange tree and judges it as holy and even calls on a god to protect it. This can
lays the underlining basis for how animism can be explained: people associate objects to be of
divine semblance and virtue due to properties they possess.
Religion then took a

Ritual In Wiccan Religion
Wicca is the most popular Neopagan religion in the world. Many facets of the religion focus on
ritual, in particular sacred ritual. This paper will discuss ritual as action, as performance and how
Wicca is related. The relationship between Wicca and communitas will be covered, as well as, ritual
time/space and transformation. And final the changing of or invention of new rituals in the Wiccan
religion will be covered. All Wiccan rites and ceremonies are sacred ritual. "Sacred rituals are those
associated with, expressing, or enacting religious beliefs." When Wiccan ceremonies and rites are
performed, wiccans are enacting their religious beliefs. Many times sacred and secular ritual
intertwine, but this is not the case with Wiccan ceremonies ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Since Wicca is an earth religion, its practitioners believe in a cycle of new beginnings, and many
Wiccans believe in reincarnation. Reincarnating in itself is a transformation. They also have a
ceremony call wiccaning. It's the celebration of the birth of a child that welcomes the child into the
religion, much like confirmation for Catholics. The main idea is that the child is blessed and prayers
are offered as the parents celebrate their child's entrance to the world. Another ritual the transforms a
Wiccan is handfasting. Handfasting is the Wiccan version of a traditional marriage ceremony, but it
has some key differences. The first rite of handfasting is "for a year and a day, or as long as love
shall stay." If a couple is still serious after this, they may go through a second rite of handfasting,
which usually involves a legal marriage agreement, therefore transforming the couple from
individuals to a married

What Is Paganism?
I. Introduction
– An introduction never goes into too much detail
Paganism is categorized into groups which consists of things based on religion or faiths drawn on
traditional religions. Paganism incorporates manifold community which consists of Wiccans,
Druids, Shamans, Sacred Ecologists, Odinists and Heathens make up a chunk of the Pagan faction.(a
religion other than one of the main world religions, specifically a non–Christian or pre–Christian
religion)(Dictionary.com). Most Pagans also measure an ecologic imaginative that comes from the
Pagan belief in the animate high spirits of the natural world.
II. The beginning of Paganism
Paganism is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity for populations of the
Roman Empire who accomplished polytheism. Both throughout and after the Middle Ages,
"paganism" was a slanderous term that's petition for any non– Abrahamic or unfamiliar religion, and
the term conjecture a belief in false god. They are told and raised to love nature, to take nature into
you life is absolutely amazing and it's something that i've even done in the past 18 years i've been
alive ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Modern Paganism
How does the age old practice of Paganism convert into 21st Century Western cultivation? The
amazing world we live in now is categorically. 60's and 70's was a time of drastic social changes.
Witchcraft became a huge part of paganism thought though this time period. The different from the
worlds of our primogenitor so change is inescapable as modern culture collided on prehistoric
belief. Other sometimes even have a different definition of paganism of their own, (its sheer energy
and the dependency of humans upon on its fruits as the means to

Ancient Egyptian Religion And Religious Beliefs
Religious beliefs shaped every part of ancient civilizations. Cultures heavily based their daily lives,
government, and agriculture on religious beliefs. Most people groups were polytheist and adhered to
traditional obedience to multiple gods. Egyptians culture prided themselves on ritualistic tradition.
The things of the past remained the backbone throughout their cultures life. They philosophy
depended on a changeless universe, which resulted in no value in change. Institutional traditions and
authority were the cornerstone to Egyptian life. Ancient Egypt demonstrated their traditional
religious beliefs through a divine kingship, their understanding of nature, and their sense of afterlife.
Egyptians lived in constant fear of their gods, not knowing when they might provoke their deity's
anger. The Egyptians viewed their king as divine, which means their ruler was part god and had
absolute dominion over the land.
Since Egypt was heavily based on religious tradition, having a divine monarch was a direct
connection to the gods. "The Egyptians saw a rule by a god–king as the only acceptable political
arrangement: it was in harmony with the order of the universe and it brought justice and security to
the nation." (Perry 14) The Pharaoh was the human voice of the gods. He expressed the will of the
heavens and oversaw justice in the land. Opposed to other cultures at the time, Egyptians believed
their king was god and supreme overlord. This gave them stability in their monarchy

Hinduism Is A Monotheistic Religion
Religion is a combination of beliefs, ceremonies and set of rules used to follow god or group of
gods. I myself belong from a monotheistic religion, known as Islam. Islam is second largest religion
in the world. Islam is revealed through Mohammad as a prophet of god. Quran is the holy book of
Islam. The Quran was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad, being a messenger of god he started
telling those teachings to the people of Mecca and Madinah. After that, people started to convert to
Islam. I always wanted to know that how Hinduism is a monotheistic religion because Hindus
believe in so many gods. I also wanted to know that why Hindu temples have a bell at their
entrance. That's why I choose Hinduism as my experience project.
Hinduism is the oldest religions. The most interesting thing about Hinduism is that they have no
specific founder or date of origin. Based on their beliefs Hindu's are divided in to two casts. In the
current world, there is still a big conflict about whether Hinduism is a monotheistic religion or a
polytheistic religion. Because according to Hindus believe it's one God with many different faces.
This concept regarding Gods is accepted by some scholars, but not all of them. Hinduism has four
sacred text Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Epics. The two most common sacred texts are the
Vedas and Bhagavad Gita. The authors of all sacred texts are still unknown.
On March 16, 2015 I attended a daily service at Durga Temple called Aarti. I went there at 9:30

Paganism Vs Neopaganism
When people hear the word pagan some get scared but others are intrigued. Perhaps it was the time
period that people would born into weather it was a an accepted term or it was not. Weather it was
what type of paganism were people being drawn too. Paganism is envisioned from different
perspectives due to the effect of different time eras, the comparison of historical to neopaganism,
and the way that society views it.
Paganism is viewed in many different perspectives around the world. While some people highly
advocate that paganism is earthly based and life fulfilling, others believe that paganism is associated
with the devil and witchcraft. Harvey Graham states that Pagans are inspired in their quest to
understand and celebrate the natural world by a wide range of literature, including botanical
treatises, ancient epics, archaeological reports, and fantasy fiction. (par. 5). Pagans believe in life
fulfillment, they want to live their life to a full extent. They are very invested into themselves and to
the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
They believe that Wicca is associated with the Devil Cunningham explains that many neo–pagans,
including Wiccans, have adopted the pentagram as a symbol. This symbol consists of a circle with a
five–pointed star inside, with the tips of the points touching the circle (par. 11) This symbol can be
commonly connected to association with Satan. This symbol is one of the reasons why some people
are still against Wicca. Another concept that people are weary about is the fine line between sorcery
and witchcraft. Smith and Green says The lines separating witchcraft form sorcery are not clear
from one society to the next or from one observer to the next (1132–1133). Society does not fully
understand the difference between the two. Some might say that although they might seem similar
they are different and other might say even though they are different words they still have the same

Christianity, Judaism, And Islam
Whether or not one believes in a God or in many gods there is an important ethical question raised
by their possible existence. Should we fulfill their role and play God; manipulate the genes of other
creatures to make them better and make decisions for others under the premise that we know better
than them. These are some of the questions that philosophers have argued for centuries. The famous
Prussian/German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed we have a moral obligation to become
God because we have "Killed God" as he stated in his book "The Gay Science". More modern
philosophers, such as Julian Savulescu, believe that we should play God because humans should be
the best that they possibly can.
The idea of a God is the central ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Whether it's an empire discovering an indigenous people and seeing them as uncivilized, in need of
converting to "the right path" or a relative making a medical choice for an incapacitated family
member. There may be good intentions behind the actions but does that make them ethical? Using
an example from a video game called Mass effect 2, I will attempt to answer the question of whether
we should "play God".
The idea of God and his role and powers differs from religion to religion. In monotheistic religions
such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam God is the all–powerful creator of everything and we are all
judged in the afterlife. God speaks to us through prophets and his teachings are handed down in
different texts that are revered as "Holy". Polytheistic religions, on the other hand, have multiple
gods who assume different roles and responsibilities. Hinduism has three major gods: Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva. They are referred to as the holy trinity and each of them plays a important part in
the world. Brahma is the creator responsible for creating the universe, Vishnu exists to preserve the
universe that was created, and Shiva is the destroyer. Although religions may have one or many,
often their God or gods will be similar in function with the power to create or destroy; to preserve or
to change the world and its people.
Over the years philosophers have challenged

Christianity, And World View Of The World
Christianity, and the world view of the believer. Introduction How does Christianity influence
people 's view of the world? How for example does it differ from the pre–Christian world views of
the Romans and the Greeks? Do Catholics and Protestants see the world in the same way? And what
about the the many sects within Protestantism? The Greek Orthodox? The Coptics? The early
Christians? The question is ultimately about how, and in what way does religion influence people´s
view of the world. An essay as short as this one cannot give a definite answer to all these questions,
Christianity has after all changed remarkably in its 2000 years of existence. The early Christians had
very different ideas of the faith, and the world they lived in that did later Christians. Here, only a
brief overview of the most important points that distinguish Christianity from pre Christianity, and
Christian sects from each other can be given. In this essay I will discuss the pre Christian world and
how its ethos differed from Christian ones. I will also discuss the characteristics of monotheism, as
well as the special characteristics of Christianity, and finally the differences between major Christian
movements such as Catholics and protestants, liberals and fundamentalists shall be explored.
Monotheism and Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion and as such it shares a few
characteristics with other monotheistic religions. The one true god is the creator and the

Egypt And Mesopotamia Similarities
Both Egyptian and Mesopotamian Views of Living
Egypt is a country found on the northeast corner of Africa. While Mesopotamia is found between the
two rivers Tigris and Euphrates in the western part of the Middle East. Both of these countries share
the Mediterranean Sea. Even though in distance they did not seem far apart they had similarities,
and differences in their two cultures. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia had unique religions, writing
systems, literature, scientific achievements, art, and intricate architecture. The Egyptians and the
Mesopotamians both had unique ways of worshiping, and going about their own religion. Both
believed in deities, and both were polytheistic. Polytheistic is the belief of "many gods and
goddesses ... and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Thus to keep the "gods happy" the Mesopotamian people often did actions and followed rules given
by the king, in order to please the gods. Egyptian people also believed that their pharaohs were gods,
and they were saw their "society as sacred"(18). Therefor Egyptians made it a priority to please the
pharaoh since he "could venerate any deity he pleased" (18). Egyptian religion was unique in the
fact that they believed in an afterlife. In the Old Kingdom of Egypt immortality was originally for
kings, later it was given to nobles and other assistants to the kings. "Later, immortality was
apparently opened to all Egyptians" (18). Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a "carefree continuation
of earthly existence..." (18). Egyptians developed a new type of religion which was the first of its
kind when it was thought of. This religion based was formally called henotheism which was the
"worship of one god without denying the existence of the other gods..." (18). Like other religions
that are practiced today Egyptians sang hymns to praise their gods. Sumerians which were the
people that lived in Mesopotamia created a simply way to record information and laws written by
officials. Their earliest system of communication was through pictograms which were pictures that
represent objects. Then came the ideograms which were "pictures drawn to represent ideas or
concepts" (8). Later on the picture began to stand for a word rather than the object it

Analysis Of The Book ' A History Of The World '
Synthesis Essay In the book A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage it is explained
how the Mesopotamians saw beer and bread as a way to distinguish those who are civilized and
those who are savages. Standage explains how beer had a great role if the Mesopotamian culture and
how in many cases it was told in their stories and legends. The Egyptians were not far off the
infatuation with beer either. The Egyptians also cherished beer greatly and was a great deal of
importance to them especially because it was used as an offering to their gods. In both cases beer
holds an important value to both societies. Tom Standage explains the similarities between the
Mesopotamian and Egyptian views and values of beer, and how it affected their religion and culture.
Tom Standage describes how beer was greatly engraved in both Mesopotamian and Egyptian
culture. Standage explains that in Egyptian culture the phrases "to make a beer hall" and "to sit in
the beer hall" were very popular expressions that meant "to have a good time" It is explained how
beer was a staple food which was necessary in order to complete a beer. This especially came true
with the Mesopotamians. The expression "pouring of beer" meant the Mesopotamians were about to
have a banquet or celebratory feast and this was usually in regards to formal visits by the king. Beer
was a universal drink in both cultures. Notice how in every one of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian
expressions the involvement of beer is

Paganism Research Paper
We will be going back into time when paganism was the religion of choice and will be further
examining through the ideas of who they believe in, where their religion originated from and the
main characteristics of paganism, along with the centralized History of this religion. Most Pagans
start their seasons off with a ritual of the Fall, Summer, and winter.Most of their rituals are meant to
clean, protection, consecration, healing, divination, thanksgiving, and community building.
They can't be classified as a pagan if they don't worship a god they have to be a goddess or such as
many gods. The pagan is not like a Christian that only believes in one god they believe in like nature
gods and elemental gods. How these type of religion will worship ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Paganism was not a popular religion but it was very much based on polytheist times.They have traits
and characteristic as a polytheist but they both worship a lot of element and nature gods, but what
made paganism far better than the others. Paganism did not fall like the two other religions that were
available at the time.
Paganism was centralized among the Europeans when it was starting to sway people to this new
founding religion. So the places where they were around back then were, England traced their
ancestry back to a god, usually Woden, and the Celtic kings traced their descent from the god Beli
and the goddess Anna. The gods and goddess were based in the pagan religion so the paganism
wasn't just in one area is was spread across Europe and paganism is still here today
Pagan traditions have a strong focus on ritual, and practitioners may draw from multiple sources or
follow a single contemporary Pagan tradition. The largest of the Wicca, a form of religious
witchcraft that includes a lot of lineages, paths, and styles. Other traditions include Druidry, non
Wiccan forms of religious witchcraft, Heathenry and Austra, Goddess worship, and a variety of
reconstructionists including Greek, Egyptian, Celtic, Roman, Canaanite as well as other historical
religions. Some practitioners of African Caribbean religions also may consider themselves to be
Pagan, while others

Shinto Research Paper
For week 7 I decided that I would do my assignment on Shinto, since taking this class and reading
about Shinto it started to interest me, especially now that I can look back and think about what I saw
when I was in Japan and wondered what the religion was that they were practicing. Shinto's
meaning is "way of the gods", this is one of the oldest religions in Japan, which began during the
period of the Yayoi culture (c. 300 BCE – 300 CE). The faith has neither a founder or prophets and
there is no major text which outlines its principal beliefs. Shinto's key concepts of purity, harmony,
family respect, and subordination of the individual before the group have become parts of the
Japanese character whether the individual claims a religious affiliation ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Together they created a new race of gods who ruled the earth. Over time Amaterasu became
concerned at the power/control that the gods wielded. Amaterasu then went to her grandson
Honinigi, these were the jewels and mirror the gods used to persuade Amaterasu out of her cave and
the sword that was given to her by Susanoo, known later as Kusanagi. These three objects would
become part of the imperial regalia of Japan. Another symbol carried by Honinigi was the
magnificent magatama jewel which had special fertility powers. The most powerful god was
Okuninushi, Honinigi landed on Mt. Takachio in Kyushu and made a deal with Okuninushi. For his
loyalty to Amaterasu, Okuninushi would have the important role of protector of the future royal
family. Later, the god would be regarded as the protector of all Japan.
Other important divine figures include The 'Seven Lucky Gods' or Shichifukujin specifically
Daikokuten (considered the god of the kitchen) and Ebisu who represent wealth, Inari the rice god,
Amida (ruler of the Pure Land, i.e. heaven), Kannon (protector of children, women in childbirth, and
dead souls) and Jizo (protector of those in pain and the souls of dead

Shinto Vs Buddhism Essay
Temple and shrine are both used interchangeably because many visitors to Japan can't tell the
difference. To point out, using these terms interchangeably is like saying a church and synagogue
are equivalent. In Japan, there are two major religions practiced by the Japanese people. A shrine is
where Shinto is practiced and Buddhism is practiced at a temple.
Both Shinto and Buddhism date back to thousands of years. Shinto, a spiritual principle, is an
ancient religion of Japan based on the belief that powerful deities called kami (gods) inhabit both
heaven and earth. According to mythology, various kanami were worshipped by their own
individual clans. They often built shrines dedicated to their chosen kami and utilized a shaman or
diviner to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It gained wide acceptance in the following century when the nobility advocated it. Bukkyō, a
combination of two words, is the Japanese word for Buddhism. Butsu translates to Buddha and kyō
means doctrine.
In Japan, most people practice both faiths ambiguously as they are nearly parallel to one another.
Shinto primarily focuses on earthly matters, and shrines are often used to host weddings or pray for
good fortune. Whereas Buddhism is considered the religion of spiritual beliefs and practices.
Temples usually host funerals and are a place to pray for ancestors.
You are probably at a Shinto shrine if you cross the threshold of a torii gate, see a pair of guardians
(usually dogs or lions) sitting on each side of the entrance, and cleanse your mouth and hands at a
purification fountain before prayer. Shinto shrines have the suffix "jingu", such as Ise Jingu.
The name of Buddhist temples use the suffix "ji", such as Todaiji. You may find yourself at a
Japanese temple if you see an image of the Buddha, as this is always housed at a Buddhist temple. A
large incense burner is usually located at the front of the temple; it is believed that the smoke has
healing properties. On top of that, there is often a pagoda at a Buddhist

Elements of Religious Traditions
Elements of Religious Traditions paper
Lesly Jeanpois
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
Elements of Religious Traditions paper In today's world, there are many religions and, they all
practice and worship in different ways. They all have certain beliefs, certain rituals and, traditions
that they carry. This paper will explain how religious traditions describe and encourage the
relationship with the divine; the relationship with the sacred time; the relationship with sacred space
or the natural world; and the relationship with each other. This paper will also identify key critical
issues in the study of religion. The relationship with the divine is understanding of the divine such as
whom or what is sacred. Monotheism ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Moslems pause through the day for prayer times, and they may even have certain areas or a special
rug and candles that they use. They pray to Ali (which is their God) the highest spirit there is. They
believe that Ali is their father and in everything that they do has to come from or be accepted by
him. There other certain holy days and festivals these religions have. Some those are most known
are Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah which, is celebrated by Jews, Ramadan, which is celebrated by
Moslems, and Christmas and Easter, which is celebrated by Christians. Next these religions have
sacred space, let's see the relationship in which each religion shares with this. Sacred space usually
relates to a special place of worship and beyond that to places within that space, for example
Christian the sacred place is the Church and within the church they go to the altar. Jews have the
synagogue and within the synagogue they have a confessional and alter. Moslems have a mosque
and within the mosque is usually a carpeted area light with candles where they pray on their knees.
Some others are burial mounds native Americans most commonly have these. Buddhist temples and
so forth. These may also be considered the dwelling place of the religions. God We will explore the
relationship they carry with each other. The relationship to other people explains or establishes who
may become a part of the

Religious Traditions and History Essays
Religious Traditions and History
Thomas Lee
History 233
February 2, 2013
Introduction to the Beginnings of Religion
Religion is a staple of life in all countries of the world. There are many types of religious
beliefs. This paper will attempt to piece together the different beliefs at various times of history
and what the motivation behind each one was. Today's religions weren't always about the
afterlife. The author, Kevin Reilly put it best when he said: "By what appears to be a remarkable
coincidence, a number of the world's great traditions turned to the goal of salvation or escape
from the world at about the same time." It ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Buddha, which means "the enlightened one", which was the name he received from his followers.
Buddhism is different from Confucianism in that it didn't teach about the family or rituals of this
world, rather it taught enlightenment which leads to nirvana. There are eight awarenesses of
enlightenments. "Freedom From Desire, Satisfaction, Serenity, Meticulous Effort, Correct
Remembrance, Samadhi, Wisdom, and avoiding idle talk." The Chinese during this time asked the
Buddhist monks, why do you not marry? Their answer was "Wives, children, and property are the
luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction are the wonders of the Way." The Buddhist's
wanted was to live a simple life and reach enlightenment and thus nirvana.
Christianity
Christianity is a salvation religion. Christians and Buddhists turned to the idea of salvation around
the same time. Salvation means escape your earthly bonds. If you don't follow a righteous path,
meaning free of sin, then you are destined to be cast into the pit of darkness, otherwise known as
hell. The new testament of the bible is what guides these true believers. The Catholics say, for
instance, that if you sin and repent by going to confession your sins will be forgiven. This is the only

way to ensure that the soul is clean. The idea of all Christian orthodoxy is that they follow the
teachings of Christ, which has many different interpretations. Thus it follows that when you die you
will

Research Project: The Celtics
World Culture Research Project 'The Celtics' Many people believed the Celtics were all evil and
worshiped the devil, but that is not true. They were simple people who practised either a animistic or
polytheistic religion. Sacrifice of both animals and humans was a big part of their society however,
it is not all they were. Women in the Celtic society were not like woman in most other early
societies, they were allowed to own land, have power and even get divorced. Headhunting is
probably the thing they are most known, for they believe the greatest prize of battle was the enemy's
head. Now, that we have established a basic understanding of who the Celtic people were, let's look
at; the daily life, political structure, and the creation myth. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
In the beginning there was no time or gods, only land and sea. Where the sea meet the land a white
mare burst forth from the sea foam, her name was Eiocha. Eiocha soon found some sea–foam seeds
and ate them, soon they grew into a child in her, she gave birth to the god named Cernunnos. While
she was giving birth her pain was so great that she ripped off a piece of bark that she catapulted into
the sea, as it fell to the watery deeps of the sea it grew to deep–sea giants. As for poor lonely
Cernunnos he felt that he was outnumbered for the great number of sea giants, he along with his
horse–mother they created more gods, their names were Maponos, the God of Youth, Tauranis, the
God of Thunder, Teutates, the Protector, and the fertility goddess, Epona. After Eiocha's children
grew into adults she became sad and depressed, while she longed for the sea she finally returned to
her life as a sea–mare, and became known as Tethra, goddess of the deep. Soon the gods and
goddesses created a paradise like land, while the deep–sea giants looked upon the gods with hatred
they declared war upon the gods. After a great war and successfully making the giants return to the
sea, the gods turned to the place they once called paradise. It was in ruin, as well as almost all
humans were killed, all except for two that Epona had saved and they were charged with recreating
the human

Celtic Mythology Research Paper
"Trees are silent guards, they are listeners and they hold knowledge mankind has long forgotten." A
culture that once was all across Europe to nearly facing extinction amazingly survived thousands of
years. Celtic Mythology was more than just whimsical stories to it's people it was a way of life,
including tales of these gods and goddesses who served a purpose of meaning the world and the
qualities of a good person. First, the history of Celtic Mythology traces back centuries ago. For
example, there is a long history of their people. At their height they were a large and diverse group
that was spread out all across Central Europe. After the Start of christianity however, the popularity
or Celtic went down. Also, scientists have discovered many different celtic villages. The Hallstatt
village in Austria is the oldest one of its kind ever found and many different celtic artifacts have
been found there. This is why the early stages of Celtic Mythology was known as the Hallstatt era.
Another village in Switzerland called La Tene also had many artifacts uncovered there and is also is
why the second phase of the celts was known by same name. Although overtime, archeologists are
making new discoveries most aspects ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Harp was believed to be a common instrument among the celts and is now the national emblem
of Ireland. "The oldest surviving celtic harps date back to the 15th century but the music of the harp
has been an important emblem or Ireland since the 10th century (ireland–calling.com). Also, as the
celtic belief goes, everything comes in threes which brings us to another iconic symbol... the
shamrock. It's believed to have mythical powers and was even used by Saint Patrick to spread the
teachings of christianity. That's just a few of the reasons why it's the national flower of Ireland.
Overall, Celtic culture is still evident today from its

Pagan Movement Essay
One of the fastest growing and most diverse faith traditions in the United States is the recent pagan
movement. As individuals embrace this new path they join a diverse assembly which is developing a
distinct sense of group identity and solidarity An analysis of previous research will be combined
with a series of interviews conducted by the author in an effort to outline the characteristics of the
pagan movement and to explain its self–awareness in terms of a growing sense of symbolic ethnicity
with a focus on the intense focus on the creation of individual religious paths within the community,
diversity of traditions in paganism, and the sense of stigmatization by mainstream society.
Literature Review
The modern pagan movement in the United States originates from a fusion of several philosophical
and religious thought patterns including traditional European folklores, esoteric thought, feminism,
Western occult beliefs, and rejection of traditional monotheistic religions in Great Britain during the
1950s (Jorgensen, D. L., & Russell, S. E., 1999; Moe, J. L., Cates, K., & Sepulveda, V., 2013). Since
spreading to the US in the 1960s paganism has continued its development as a distinct religious
philosophy and has become one of the fastest growing religions in North America (Jorgensen, D. L.,
& Russell, S. E., 1999; Lewis, J. R., & Tollefsen, I. B., 2013; Reid, S. 2005). Because this
movement developed relatively recently there has been little quantitative research

Compare Contrast Gilgamesh and Beowulf
Comparison and Contrast Essay Final Draft: Gilgamesh vs. Beowulf
The epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh are about a pair of heroes who had many common
characteristics as well as characteristics that contradict one another. Beowulf is a Christian epic that
roots from the Anglo Saxon culture. Throughout the plot, there are numerous biblical allusions.
"Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth.
He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures
banished By God," (from Beowulf part one, translated by Burton Raffel pg. 21, lines 17–21)
Gilgamesh is a story from the Mesopotamian culture, which is now present day Iraq. As Beowulf,
Gilgamesh also has ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Beowulf has numerous battles. He fights with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. Going into
these fights, Beowulf already had God's favor, because Grendel and his mother were descendants of
Cain, and they were from hell. "Hail to those who will rise to God, drop off their dead bodies, and
seek our Father's peace." (from Beowulf part one, translated by Burton Raffel pg 23 lines 101–103).
Although Gilgamesh is favored by many gods and Beowulf is favored by one god, it is this favor
that makes them both heroes. In contrast, Beowulf and Gilgamesh had different endings to their
lives. Beowulf died after his battle with the dragon. "That final day was the first time when Beowulf
fought and fate had denied him glory in battle." (from Beowulf Part two translated by Seamus
Heaney pg 45 lines 723–725) Gilgamesh's life went a bit different. He eventually died, but in the
story, he went on a journey to find the secret to everlasting life. "Seven days and nights I sat beside
the body, weeping for Enkidu beside the body, and then I saw a worm fall out of his nose.
Must I die too? Must Gilgamesh be like that? It was then I felt the fear of it in my belly.
I roam the wilderness because of the fear.Enkidu, the companion, whom I loved, is dirt, nothing but
clay is Enkidu.Weeping as if I were a woman I roam the paths and

What Were The Similarities Between Mesopotamia And Egypt
In early civilization a lot of advancements were used to help build into our society today. From the
geological aspect down to the basics that make up a civilization like religion, government, a written
language, to even the inventions that made a huge impact. It all started as early as 3200 B.C. with
Mesopotamia and Egypt over by the Mediterranean Sea. Although, both Mesopotamia and Egypt
fall under the criteria of being a civilization when compared to each other they were vastly different
civilizations with how their people acted in that era. First, lets start with Mesopotamia and what its
civilization was like. It was in between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that established rich soil to be
able to grow and harvest food, and thus survival ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The area Mesopotamia and Egypt built their communities allowed a varied response. This varied
response was because Egypt had stability and protection with the desert being a boundary line that
no very many could survive through let alone charge an entire army and with Mesopotamia the mini
communities there were in constant battle with each other for water and food for their people. Then
even though with religion they both were polytheistic Egypt took religion a lot more seriously with
the belief of an afterlife as a good thing, yet Mesopotamia thought going to the afterlife was a
punishment and more like our view today on Hell. Mesopotamia's government was through strict
brute force that ended up leading to their own ruin and the Egyptians ruled through a kind of
hierarchy with the bloodline of the Pharaohs that lead to respect, as long as you didn't mess with the
worship of the Gods. The inventions were different as Mesopotamia had only basic math and Egypt
had algebra which created stepping stones to society's math today. Egypt even went as far as to
make one of the first kind of paper instead of using clay tablets. Although Mesopotamia invented the
wheel long before Egypt

How I Did Not Care About Religion
Eric Morla
Professor Johnson
Humanities 1
27, April 2015
Christianity
When I was in high school I can honestly say I did not care about religion. It is not that I did not
believe in it, I just did not give it any attention. All I cared about was hanging out with my friends
and going to parties. I was not living my life how I should have been. I would do stupid things
trying to make myself look cool, and it was working I was getting the attention I wanted. I was so
blind from stupidity I was not giving the Lord the attention he wanted. I was giving men and women
more attention than God Now in a way I was living with a mindset that the more popular I was I
would look like a god to others and it does not work like that. Now if we go back to Ancient Greece,
Egypt, and Mesopotamia we can see similarities to my own life in the 21st century. They were all
living by a religion known as polytheistic. Polytheistic religions believe in multiple gods not just
one. Each of these civilization viewed religion and supernatural deities in a different way. Ancient
Greece believed in preforming rituals and cult practice. They believed in multiple gods and
goddesses like Zeus, Poseidon, and Apollo. Zeus or Poseidon would intrude on the human's lives.
Ancient Egyptian was also a polytheistic religion. The Egyptians had interaction with the deities and
they thought they were in control and forces of the elements of nature. They would do anything to
make the gods happy. They performed

Religious Intolerance And Scientology
Religious intolerance and Scientology
The world can be a dangerous place. It can be even more dangerous if someone proves to be
different, or are seen as unusual in any way. Scientology may be one of the strangest religions in the
world. Because of this, Scientology has experienced intolerance since it was first founded in 1954.
Religious intolerance is a social issue, and affects every level of the religious community, from the
followers to the conductors of Scientology. Even though many view Scientology as a cult or
fraudulent religion, as well as that that the religion is so small and the beliefs so strange it can
simply be written off, and the intolerance ignored, Religious intolerance is a huge problem for
scientology because Only one side of the argument is broadcasted, so scientology receives a lot of
hate, simply because they believe differently than many other people. Scientology has responded to
biased and intolerant media and their replies have been covered up, or scarcely brought up at all, and
scientologists have been threatened with violence and even received hate mail and death threats
Widespread intolerance has always been a problem for Scientology for many reasons and a serious
issue which faces all religions of the world. However, the practice became popularized when
monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Judaism became popular. Since Scientology is also
considered a monotheistic religion, and describes a single creator, this belief is one of

Shintoism: Human Search For Peace Within The World
As established, its' understandable to see that the human search for meaning within Shintoism is
closely reflected in their beliefs, rituals, origins and culture.
To understand this idea to a greater degree, I've split responses for human searches of meanings into
four sections:
Simplicity
One with the world
Peace within the world
Individual journey to self discovery and potential
Simplicity: Shintoism does not pride itself on a confusing and congested structure but rather a
simple, independent view of the world. The lack of scripture, ethical/moral codes and doctrines
allows the individual to not be crowded with information, expectations and rules, but rather with
their own interpretations.
One with the world: As Shinto is an immanent religion,

Shinto And Religion
"Shinto practices include shrine visits; blessings done by priests at the shrines and in the
community; participation in festivals and seasonal holidays, especially New Years; water
purifications; and offerings and prayer at home shrines. Perhaps because of a lack of organizational
structure, Shinto has generated an amazing variety of sects that often borrow from Confucianism,
Buddhism, and even Christianity". (Molloy 2008 p. 274–275) Is it wrong to celebrate one's country
as a religion? No is not wrong for some body or groups people to celebrate the country birthday or
some event that in the past, but what is wrong at least in my opinion is to celebrated your country as
a religion, and worship the moon or other nature things as a gods,

Wiccans Goddess
Although some Wiccans focus on particular gods from particular world mythologies, Wiccans may
worship many gods and goddesses by many different names. Most worship some form of the Great
Goddess and Her consort, The Horned God. Such duo–theistic forces are often conceived as
embodying complementary polarities, not in opposition. In some traditions worship of the Goddess
is emphasized, although in others the Goddess and God are seen as complementary co–equals. The
Goddess and God may be seen as associated with certain things (such as the Goddess with the earth
or moon, God with sun and wildlife, etc.), but there are no hard and fast rules. Some traditions
worship the Goddess alone while others see Divinity as essentially beyond human understanding, ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Some Wiccans conceive deities as similar to thought forms.
According to current Gardnerian Wiccans, the exact names of the Goddess and God of traditional
Wicca remain an initiatory secret, and they are not given in Gardner's books about witchcraft.
However, the collection of Toronto Papers of Gardner's writings has been investigated by American
scholars such as Aidan Kelly, leading to the suggestion that their names are Cernunnos and Aradia.
These are the names used in the prototype Book of Shadows known as Ye Bok of Ye Arte Magickal.
For most Wiccans, the Lord and Lady are seen as complementary polarities: male and female, force
and form, comprehending all in their union; the tension and interplay between them is the basis of
all creation, and this balance is seen in much of nature. The God and Goddess are sometimes
symbolized as the Sun and Moon, and from her lunar associations the Goddess becomes a Triple
Goddess with aspects of "Maiden", "Mother" and "Crone" corresponding to the Moon's waxing, full
and waning

Examples Of Societal Expectations In The Epic Of Gilgamesh
Societal Expectations
Just as humanity has always seen itself as "an orphan bereft of family", Mesopotamians believed
that humanity differed from animals and the supernatural and could not be placed into either of
those classifications (Harari 11). Humans were granted more knowledge than animals and the ability
to understand the world around them, but for some aspects, were unable to do anything about it. As
Benjamin Foster writes in his "The Person in Mesopotamian Thought", "human beings unlike
animals [had to] learn to live with the advance knowledge that they will die, though without
knowing when or how" (Foster 118). Gods and demons, on the other hand, were incapable of dying,
but animals were unaware of their inevitable deaths. However, the reconciliation of that inevitability
was not always easy for humans. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh tries to find a fountain of
youth following the death of his best friend, Enkidu, but was unsuccessful as it did not exist for
mortals. Unlike animals and demons, humans were expected to live with justice (Foster 118). Nature
does not exhibit justice, as biologically, organisms are not endowed with rights like life, liberty, or
the pursuit of happiness (Harari 97).
Since humans are not omniscient, their sense of justice was served in the best way they could think
of. For the most part, justice was based on the concept of reciprocity which is an imagined order
(Harari 118). Reciprocity, or the concept of trading equivalent goods, services, etc. between people,
only works as long as both parties believe in the equivalence between the two things. In relation to
justice, reciprocity best manifests itself through the writings of The Code of Hammurabi and the
Sultantepe Tablets. In The Code of Hammurabi, the value of a human life is defined. The kidnap of
the youngest child in a family results in the death of the perpetrator of the crime (Roth 84). This
equates the value of the life of a criminal to the value of the potential of a child. The Code continues
by stating that if a slave of any kind leaves through the city gates by the help of a free person, that
free person would be put to death (Roth 84). Along with what historians have gathered from texts
talking about

The Search For God, Ancient Egypt, By Jan Assmann
Jan Assmann, the famous Egyptologist, covers the essence of researching Egyptian theology in his
classic work Theologie und Frömmigkeit einer frühen Hochkultur. Translated to English under the
title "The search for God in Ancient Egypt", the book tackles the complex goal of investigating
Egyptian Theology and offers Assman's scholarly theories on Egyptology. With that said, the focus
of the book shifts away from the study of Egyptian deities and mythology but centers rather around
the implication of divinity at a societal and individual level. Overviews of theology and piety take
precedence over the specific practices and technical beliefs of Egyptian religion, though the latter is
also heavily discussed to better elaborate on the former's context.
The first chapter "Religion: Divine Presence and Transcendence" establishes the topic of this book,
summarizing the theme of 'divine presence' and the concept of a single god and multiple gods
(essentially monotheism vs polytheism). Divided into 2 main parts, the first, aptly named "The
Dimensions of Divine Presence: The Implicit Theology of Egyptian Polytheism", mainly revolves
around implicit theology and what Assmann considers to the be the three dimensions of Egyptian
religion: the local and cultic dimension, the dimension of cosmos (The visible elements), and the
mythic dimension. These three aspects form the implicit theory, activities or notions that are
associated with divine beings, and serves to realize in religion the

The Red Pyramid Cultural Differences
Egyptian culture is quite different from mine; on the other hand, there are some similarities between
the two. The book which I am comparing and contrasting is The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. This
fiction book is about two kids that are my age named Carter and Sadie. The want to live a normal
life but their Egyptian ancestry makes it a little difficult. They Learn that their ancestors were
pharaohs, and they have royal blood. They have to go on a journey to defeat the god of chaos. They
must learn about Egyptian culture and some magic! Throughout this essay I am going to go through
various topics and aspects dealing with the two cultures and comparing and contrasting them. In my
opinion the biggest differences between the Egyptian and my culture is probably religion. First off
Sadie and Carter are polytheistic. This means they believe in more than on god. I on the other hand
an monotheistic. I am catholic so I believe in one god. I believe that god created everything on his
own. The Egyptian mythology explanation for the world is "So the sky goddess Nut was married to
the earth god Geb...Geb and Nut wanted to have kids, but the kind of gods, Ra ––He was the sun
god–– and he forbade a child to be born on any day or night of the year..." (Riordan, 101). She
ended up having five kids who all became gods. In my religion I believe that God one day one, God
created heaven and earth, day two he created the sky and sea, day three God created land and
vegetation, day four, the

Kami: Ancestor Worship Around The World
Ancestor worship exists in several cultures around the world. Worshipping ancestors incorporates
the person religious practices and beliefs containing prayers and offerings for their deceased relative
spirits. They practice these rituals believing their ancestors' spirits continue living in the natural
world. Ancestors' spirits tend to act as mediators amongst the living and the Creator. Therefore,
presenting gifts, praying to them, and making offerings are done to gain favor from the spirits.
Shinto is an ethnic religion that is mainly associated with the people and the land of Japan. They are
devoted to numerous gods, or Kami. The word Kami describes a god, essence, or spirit. Shintoists
believe Kami lives in all things, moreover,

Kitchen, By Banana Yoshimoto
In ancient Japanese history, a time that predates the creation of Buddhism, Shintoism emerged into
Japan's main religion. Essentially, the main belief in Shintoism is that there is "a powerful sense of
the presence of gods and spirits in nature" ("URI Kids: World Religion") Yoshimoto presents the
character Mikage Sakurai because Mikage encapsulates the Shintoism core values. Mikage Sakurai,
a recently orphaned teenage girl, struggles with the loss of her last living relative, her grandmother.
Throughout the novel, Mikage evolves and matures into a wiser and more developed young adult. In
the novella Kitchen, written by Banana Yoshimoto, she uses the motif of changing weather
conditions to illustrate the constant evolution of human emotions ... Show more content on
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The imagery that is so focused on, in this novella, stems from the core beliefs of Shintoism.
Essentially, the main ideology of Shintoism is that nature possesses ethereal qualities; Nature
represents something much bigger than what individuals normally would perceive. Mikage lives
with the Tanabes for a couple of months and she begins feeling more comfortable in her own skin.
She is able to exercise her love of cooking and she is able to mature into a more independent adult.
Yuichi suggests that she should make new address cards. While they are preparing the cards, Mikage
notices how "Outside, a warm wind came roaring up, a spring storm (Yoshimoto 28). The "wind"
illustrates Mikage's continuation to allow people to assist with her life decisions, however, the
"warm[th]" of the "wind" suggests that the people in her life, Eriko and Yuichi, are guiding her to
the path that Mikage needs to be on. Yoshimoto writes about the "spring storm" to metaphorically
show that although, "storms" often bring destruction and loss, "spring" is a sign of restoring
something completely new (28). Often, "spring represents the renewal and rebirth of nature.
Yoshimoto uses the "storm" to emphasis that, like "storms", people are unpredictable and they are
constantly recreating and destroying parts of themselves. In a way, Mikage is essentially reborn; she
is eliminating

Similarities Between Nigerian And Egypt
Ancient people groups commonly believed in the supernatural and that another force had to control
everything that happened in their land. As people dispersed through the land on earth after the Tower
of Babel, new religions were created. The Egyptians were a very advanced society that had a very
complicated religion based on the main sun god: Ra. This concept was different for the Israelites in
the Old Testament who worshipped one God. The practice of monotheism in Israel was very
uncommon among the ancient pagan religions in the Middle East that were often polytheistic. At
first glance, the idols of Egypt and the God of Israel seem extremely different, but similarities
appear after further investigation into the roots of both religions. There are multiple differences
between the religion of Egypt and the religion of Israel. The most notable difference between the
two religions is how the Egyptians were polytheistic, meaning they believe in multiple gods, and the
Israelites are monotheistic, meaning they believe in one God. An example of this difference is found
in the Book of the Dead. To pass through the afterlife, an Egyptian must have memorized names of
multiple gods during his life on earth. They also believed that, at the beginning of time, Ra could not
control all the universe, so he had to create other gods to help maintain control. This differs from the
Israelites who believed that God was a sole ruler. Another difference in the two religions is how, to
the

Shinto: An Ancient Japanese Religion
Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion practiced by 80% of the Japanese population. Most people
practice it casually as a part of the daily routine rather than an active religion, which is why very few
people actually call themselves shintoists. The name means "way of the gods", and it has many
generations of gods. Recorded history dates all the way back to 712 AD, but oral history goes back
even further. Shinto has a very rich history, but it is not a very widespread religion.
The sacred texts of Shinto are the Kojiki, or the "Records of Ancient Matters" and the Nihon–gi, or
the "Chronicles of Japan". These texts are very important and describe the government and social
matters, like the authority of rulers and the governmental structure

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