The Meaning of Religion

[Guest guest]

[This is the original to see if the text wraps by iteself in this new

update.]

 

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 tremen-dous

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.