The Meaning of Religion

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[i am reposting it after wrapping the text around manually.]

 

1.1 The word Religion meant originally, 'obligation', or 'bond'. It

was used to describe the bond between human beings and gods.

Religion explores the ultimate relationship of Man with the Universe

and its creation. It dictates a system of wisdom and practice to be

followed by Man in life and daily living. Some of the major

religious beliefs have been expressed in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism,

Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

 

1.2 Religion starts with the awareness of the immense creation that

surrounds us. This awareness is followed by a wonderment about this

boundless space and the overwhelming variety of things in it. One is

overcome by a desire to explain this existence to oneself. This

forms the foundation of our sense of religion.

 

1.3 The first impulse toward explaining this existence is to

postulate a tremendous Cause which somehow produced this tremendous

effect we call the physical universe. The concept of this Cause, as

gods or God, underlies all religious beliefs. It is followed by

various personal attempts to define the Cause and one's relationship

to it.

 

1.4 This Cause is worshipped or simply acknowledged in one form or

another in all religious beliefs. It is described variously and

assigned different names to make it understood and agreed upon. The

prophets, whenever and wherever they appeared in the world, have

expounded upon it with the purpose to bring a populace together in a

common survival effort.

 

1.5 To the degree a person is aware of and is imbued by a desire to

understand the creation, and is attempting to find its relationship

to oneself, the person can said to be religious. However, a person,

who is practicing the prescribed religious beliefs rigorously but

doing it all mechanically, may still not be religious because a

conscious involvement and the desire to understand is absent.