Religion can be defined in various ways and means different things to different people. Some key aspects that are often present in religions include shared beliefs, traditions passed down through generations, and mysteries that cannot be fully explained. Religions from ancient times like primal religions, as well as philosophies like Confucianism and Taoism, demonstrate aspects of authority, tradition, and mystery in their beliefs and practices. While what constitutes a religion can be debated, most involve some combination of these common features.

1. 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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2. 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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3. Roman Religion Essay
Religion played a significant role in the Roman civilization but, "many people believe that Rome
was not a religious place. What they probably mean is that it was not a moral place." (Burrell, 65)
The Romans had innumerable gods that they worshiped which included giving gifts and sacrificing
for their gods. Sacrificing animals was common for ancient Roman civilization. The idea of
sacrificing came from the people before the Roman Empire was built. Religion primarily used
sacrificing as a means of showing appreciation to the gods but later became a way to get things
from the gods. The increases in the expansion of Rome lead to an increasing number of sacrifices.
Roman sacrifice was done in many different ways and there were numerous...show more content...
Romans utilized praying to gods to make them successful or likely, not to make them better or
nobler therefore, "Romans never seemed to mind how many different beings they had to worship."
(Burrell, 65) Romans would pray more often to increase the chance they had of their prayers being
heard by a god.
Romans sacrificed or offered gifts to gods, heroes and the dead to request assistance. There were
six categories that they sacrificed for based on motives, "fulfillment of a vow, thank offering,
offerings made in the expectation of favours, sacrifices made at the instigation of the gods, sacrifices
as a result of divination and anniversary dedications." (Adkins)
The most common type of sacrifice was the fulfillment of a vow. Through this method, a person
is requesting an action from a god a promise of a sacrifice is made. The next method, a thank
offering was a result of a favor granted freely. Offerings made in the expectation of favours is a
sacrifice would be made to a god and with anticipation of the request being granted, usually the
request would be for the health of a given person. Unlike the vow method the person doing the
sacrifice is not expecting a guaranteed fulfillment. Sacrifices made at the instigation of gods are
preformed when a person felt that a sacrifice was necessary through a dream or another sign from a
specific god. Sacrifices as a result of divination, "were a result of consulting oracles." A person
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4. 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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