Abstract It is ironic, but entirely understandable, that black slaves in the American south so readily embraced the religion of their oppressors. Christianity was used by the slaveholders as a justification for slavery as well as a tool of mental control. However, because slaveholders prohibited the practice of African religions among the slave populations, Christianity became central to the slave's spiritual, social and personal life. The paper shows that, moreover, a unique syncretic religious culture emerged in the antebellum South, one that differed from that which was born in the Caribbean or other parts of the slaveholding Americas. African religions were most noticeably combined with the dominant white religion of Christianity in the revivalist meetings and in the spiritual songs sung by the slaves, rather than in the rituals of Haitian Voudoun and Cuban Santeria. The paper shows that for southern American slaves, slave masters? hypocrisy did not interfere with a genuine religious faith and belief in an omniscient and benevolent God. Christianity offered for the slave a means to transcend the pain of mundane existence; the next world would offer the joy, abundance, freedom, peace, and love that slavery denied them. Religion therefore served as both diversion and divine intervention in the individual and collective African-American soul.
From the Paper "Praise meetings arose from the combination of Christian evangelism and the intense emotional experience of bondage. Blassingame notes that blacks had a "more intense emotional involvement with their God" than the whites who introduced them to Christ. The passionate longing for freedom and emancipation contributed to the unique character of black-led praise meetings in the American south. These meetings combined elements of traditional black religious practice such as music, song, and dance with Christian theology. Shouting and singing were methods of inspiring slaves and emboldening an otherwise degraded spirit. The tenets of Christianity were combined with themes of freedom to create a specifically African-American experience of that religion. This experience and the practice of Christianity differed from that of the white slaveholder. For a slave, Christianity had immediate relevance. Praise meetings served as direct communion with God, as a vehicle to transcend the brutal conditions of daily life. God was personal, not abstract. God was immanent and omnipresent. Praise meetings infused Christianity with emotionality, passion, and sorrow."
Abstract This paper largely focuses on the debates between Job and God concerning Job's righteousness and the toils he is forced to endure. The essay takes a look at the validity of Job's complaints and the structure of his argument. The critical analysis commentary is supported by many scriptural quotes from the Book of Job.
From the Paper "Job loses his debate with God, because he attempts to compare his mortal credentials to those of the omnipotent. Job believes that he is justified in questioning the Lord, because he has lived a righteous life. Job does not understand the source of his punishment, and therefore he feels justified in challenging the Lord. Job says, "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was a robe and a diadem"(Job 29:27-28), and now "Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposes thyself against me" (Job 30:33). Job feels that he should be compensated for his righteousness, and cannot understand why the Lord is punishing him. This parallels the common belief that if one is obedient, he should be rewarded. Job disregards the hierarchy of nature, and places himself at the top of the pyramid with the deity. Job expects God to think like a mortal, and his pride, audacity, and ignorance ultimately lead to the renunciation of his challenge."
Abstract This paper details the origins of the religion of Scientology, discusses its basic philosophy and principles and explains how this philosophy is different from, and yet similar to, both modern science and modern religions. The paper goes on to discuss some of the dangers and criticisms associated with the religion and cites some of the reasons people continue to be drawn to the practice of Scientology.
From the Paper "Scientology was founded in the 1950s by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. The basis if the religion is to improve mental health and personal emotional well-being through scientific and spiritual principles. Scientology adheres to the notion that regular science has not been able to answer many of the questions that man has asked himself from time immemorial. Some of the most important of these unanswered questions are the questions of who we are as people, what we consist of, where we come from, where we are going, and what we are doing here on this planet ("Scientology: Its Background and Origins"). Since science has not been able to answer any of these questions with any degree of certainty or accuracy, it has been left up to mankind to find the answers to those questions through alternate methods. This is where scientology comes in."
Abstract This paper compares the treatment of women in the West with the treatment of women from the Middle East. The writer states that while there are many different types of women in the Middle East, for the purposes of this essay, the analysis makes some generalizations of a religious axis upon which to base the study of the treatment of women in the Middle East. Namely, the treatment of Middle Eastern women following Islam, and those following Judaism, are compared with the women of the West.
From the Paper "In the Islam tradition, the view of women is no different to the view held of men; they are both here on Earth, as God's wishes, and their goal is to worship their God, do righteous works, and to avoid evil. If they follow these guidelines, as laid out in the Quran, they will both be judged equally and accordingly in the eyes of God. Indeed, special treatment is given to people who give birth to daughters, as the Quran says "He who is involved in bringing up daughters, and accords benevolent treatment towards them, they will be protection for him against Hell-fire". This, and other quotes like this from the Quran, show just how open Islam is to the idea of the preciousness and importance of women's place in society."
Abstract This paper looks at how the process of globalization affects world religions. It asks whether religion is somehow exempted from this phenomenon affecting all aspects of the world and whether religion is so well protected or insulated that it is immune to the changes. The writer concludes that religion is not immune to change.
From the Paper "It was religion that first preached the idea of the oneness of humankind. More than 2600 years ago Zoroastrianism espoused the ideal of a single human family. And yet, as globalisation drives humankind towards some sort of interdependent world the voice and vision of religion has all but faded into oblivion. The religious vision of the unity of humankind has very little in common with the motives and goals of globalisation. For religion - and almost every major religion embody some notion of the oneness of the human family - the essence of universal unity is our common humanity derived in some instances from our faith in the one God. "
Abstract Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe were both medieval mystics who had a profound impact on the image of Christian feminine divinity. One of the most interesting aspects of their religious philosophies and of their private communications with God, was the way in which both women portrayed and used motherhood in their perceptions and understandings of the divine.
Abstract Saint Augustine presented the idea that faith and understanding (in the broad and narrow senses) go hand in hand. Because of this, his teachings were that to understand life, one must have faith, and to have faith, one must pursue an understanding of life. Augustine has proved to be one of the most influential thinkers in European and western history. While still a teenager, Augustine converted, became a priest, then the leader of the Church in North Africa, and, before he became Bishop and his writing career was virtually choked off, Augustine was a prolific producer of scriptural scholarly works. The "City of God", which was written between the years 413 and 426, was Augustine's response to the criticism leveled at Christianity by the pagans after they had sacked Rome in 410. This work represents Augustine's most significant contribution to Western religious thought and, like many personalized texts, takes on the Aristotelian method of posing questions to the self in an argumentative fashion and systematically refuting and explaining away each.
Abstract The discussion of Spinoza's monism and its impact upon our understanding of the autonomous self necessitates - prior to addressing the issue itself - a choice as to whether or not to accept the assumptions upon which is based the "truth of Spinoza's monism". In this context, this paper will take a dualistic approach to this question. First, Spinoza's assumptions and his monistic theory will be examined to demonstrate some of their flaws, and therefore their irrelevance to the issue of the autonomous self. The second approach requires the provisional acceptance of Spinoza's assumptions and his propositions as to the monism of God. It will be argued that, although Spinoza's argument allows a degree of limited autonomy for the self as a causal agent, this freedom is based upon our finite ignorance of the causal relationship between ourselves as finite beings and God as an infinite entity.
Abstract This paper explains how the belief of the Egyptians and Mesopotamian peoples that their administrative systems had divine origins shaped those systems. Urban areas and architecture are emphasized.
Abstract This paper provides a content analysis of the major sociological theories in the study of religion, and focuses upon the theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.
Abstract This paper will discuss a summary of the book "Who Wrote the Bible?" by Richard Elliott Friedman and show his philosophy on archaeological studies which have discovered the 'true' authors of the Bible. Also, a portion of this paper will go into revealing an opinion on the author's validation of his arguments presented.
Abstract This paper will show how both religions of philosophy called Taoism and Confucianism are interrelated by various means, but also have very differing qualities of rule. By analyzing these different means, we can see why they differ and how they are similar in the context of the people that pioneered the thought that they create. Both spheres of thought tell us that they are both related in certain ways and that they are different in other; these facets of the Chinese philosophy will be explored here.
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper offers a comparison between the life and actions of Jesus Christ compared to what is given or shown in the film "Jesus of Montreal" concerning the life and actions of Daniel Coloumbe.
