Religion has played an important role throughout history. It helps provide answers to fundamental questions about life's meaning and the afterlife. While some argue religion has played a negative role, others believe it positively influences morality, community engagement, and cultural identity. In ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, early religions focused on appeasing gods that controlled unpredictable natural forces like floods. Priests and kings communicated the gods' will. Egyptians also developed burial rituals demonstrating their beliefs about the afterlife. As the world grows more multicultural, understanding different religious traditions has become increasingly important.

1. Essay on Why Religion Is Important
"You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself."
–– Swami Vivekananda
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."
–– Albert Camus
In this essay, I will explore 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 majorreligion is beyond the
scope of this essay. The approach taken is that of cultural relativity––religious practices or beliefs are not evaluated in terms of their "correctness" or
"sophistication" but,...show more content...
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.
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. Rituals are often charged with high emotions. The exalted
feelings people experience during rituals provide positive reinforcement for continuing them. When rituals make people "feel good", they reinforce the
belief that their religion is the "correct" one.
Non–Religious Rituals
Not all rituals are religious. Brushing your teeth every morning in the same place and in the same way is a non–religious ritual. Like religious rituals, it
also can make you "feel good", which reinforces your continuance of the practice. However, it rarely involves a belief in supernatural beings or

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3. What Is Religion? Essay
What is religion? Each person's definition of religion is different. Each person's faith is different. This is a question that has been asked for
centuries, and regardless of the answer given there is no right or wrong answer. Religion can be defined as a group of people who have shared
beliefs who feel their life has purpose or meaning. This feeling or belief that their life has meaning can come from outside of themselves, as well as
within. Taking this one step further, these shared beliefs put into action in the form of worship, can be easily identified because they happen regularly.
It can be said the Primal religions were in fact not religions. Some may argue Confucianism is not a religion. Others may say Taoism is not a...show
more content...
They are teachings learned by previous generations then passed down, they are not always actions. The fifth feature of religion is grace. Grace is
defined by Smith as "the belief and assurance that reality is on our side and can be counted on." Lastly there is mystery. For this there is no exact
definition, but it is all of what a religion cannot explain, it is all that the human mind cannot grasp, it is the certain "higher power" that religion offers.
Of these six features, there are three that are present in most all religions, they are: authority, tradition, and mystery. Authority, tradition, and mystery
further explore and define religion when looking specifically at Primal Religions, Confucianism, and Taoism. Primal Religions are often mistaken to
be the religion of the primitive man, often thought to be unintelligent. There is a definition of "primal" that is better suited than unintelligent or
primitive. Primal in terms of religion, refers to the lack of exposure to technology, it is not "knowing" the state of consciousness given to many by
the technological environment. Primal religions preceded organized religion as we know it today by thousands of years, in some cases millions, but
are still present in the world today; we now call them tribal religions. Within primal religions there are people who are knowledgeable about life, who
are knowledgeable about
Defining Religion–4 traditions, and who are
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4. Religion Importance
Let's discuss the importance of religion in the ancient world. Religion has played a positive or negative role in our history for a very long time.
People use religion to oppress others while others use it for good. There are different communities of believers that used their religious traditions to
shape and transform themselves. Religion influences people to engage more with their morals, family, and more likely to volunteer for their community.
Religion also creates a practice of communication. The world we live in is both multicultural and global. Culture is everything that gives a society its
identity. Both culture and religion are very similar concepts the relationship between culture and religion is what makes the world what it is...show more
content...
Both Egypt and Mesopotamia are the cradle of world's first religion. In the Mesopotamia Culture the region they live in has unpredictable floods,
droughts, and storms that can ruin harvests and planting. Religious concern in those times was the power of nature since nobody knows why their
crops get destroyed they thought maybe they need to appease their own gods who controlled nature. Mesopotamia city–states have gods/goddesses that
are seen as the supreme controllers of law and weather. The Mesopotamia gods were viewed as military leaders and protectors among the
Mesopotamia. These guardians were to bring love and prosperity to it citizens besides their roles of being violent gods. God wishes were translated
by priests and kings who gained access to divine power. Mesopotamia is one of the earliest regions in the world that created agriculture across the
world. In Egypt they have a positive view of life than in Mesopotamia when it comes to the religious system. For example they made tombs/coffins
for funeral rituals that way they can take the embalmed body to the afterlife. Slaves in Egypt use pyramids and tombs as evidence of their belief
existence. Compare to Mesopotamia Pharaohs are considered gods themselves without gods approval. The Mesopotamia uses religion for personal
concepts of sin and
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5. Essay on Why Is Religion Important?
"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life."
–– Buddha
"So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you."
––Jesus Christ
Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, or whether you think religion has played a positive or negative role in history, it is an
incontrovertible fact that from the beginning of time, humans have engaged in activities that we now call religion, such as worship, prayer, and rituals
marking important life passages. Moreover, religions have always asked fundamental questions, such as: What is the true meaning of life? What
happens to us after death? How do we explain human suffering and...show more content...
By studying different religious doctrines, rituals, stories, and scriptures, we can also come to understand how different communities of believers–past
and present, East and West–have used their religious traditions to shape, sustain, transform themselves.
More than ever before, the world we live in is both multicultural and global. We no longer need to travel across the ocean to visit a Hindu temple or
an Islamic mosque or to meet a Sikh or a Jain. The chances are that you can find a temple or mosque within a few miles of where you live, and it is
almost certain that you will be meet someone from any and all of these religious traditions on campus or on the street. This makes it even more
essential that we cultivate our ability to understand and interpret other people's religious traditions.
Finally, the academic study of religion is inherently multidisciplinary. This is reflected in our program here at Washington University, which draws
faculty from different disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, such as history, anthropology, literature, art history, and political science.
Studying religion thus provides you an opportunity to learn about a range of disciplinary approaches, and, even more
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