Former SLCC Students to Review Exotic Religions
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Nik Sartain
Soc. 1900
Religion C&C
Final Project Two Coins of Religion: The Social Consciousness In this paper, I will attempt to compare many
institutions from the well known Christian religion to the lesser known civil religions such as fraternal orders. I will discuss
the main differences between common religion and civil religion and what makes each more influential over another. Throughout
history these two forms of social organizations have created a hierarchy of power and a structure of morality. By way of religion,
whole societies can be controlled and used for the purpose of the institution as defined by its form of laws and practices.
But first, what exactly can be defined as a religion? Many disagree on this and it cannot be held constant, as previous attempts
have failed. This is also what makes a religious organization so strong; it is dynamic. A religion can be called such because of several similar factors from having a group of
people, which is more than two people. At this level, many institutions could be considered a religion, but it needs a purpose
and guidance to why it exists, otherwise it is a mere social circle. After a group has more than two members, to become more
of a religion it must have a few more factors. It has to have effective communication. This does not mean that they speak
daily or even weekly, but enough to share the goals and spread the group (if of the two larger group sizes). This communication
is not even necessarily face-to-face, but can operate on a number of levels, such as symbolism. Also the group seems to have
these shared norms which will be addressed shortly. And lastly, for the group to be more proper in this religious environment,
every member must fulfill a role and take part in the essential practices.
One could say that a structure of power is
typical for a religious group. This is almost necessary because of itself, these groups need purpose, and to get a purpose,
someone must be instructing this purpose. Whether it be a deity or human leader, someone must be guiding the members, because
if it is guided by its members, it is based on opinion rather than fact, and that doesn't seem like the archetype of what
you would normally consider a religious affiliation. There can be several types of these groups that are guided by the powers
that be. As defined by J. Paul Williams, the four typologies of religious
institutions include the secret, the private, the denominational, and the societal (Williams, 1962). This is important because
some institutions decide that they would rather not keep everyone informed of their doings. Such an example of this would
be a fraternal order such as the stone Masons. If it is decided to keep the group close-knit, it is usually because they have
something they hold sacred that only certain types of people can fulfill. Furthermore, they will all be expected to have the
same ideologies so that the common goal of the group can be met. On the higher levels, the doctrine is spread to as many people
that will accept it, and is generally associated with a power struggle for which group is the most correct. This leads us to doctrine. Most organizations have some form of formal doctrine guiding them to a purpose, goal, or
scenario that they must enact several steps to gain. A belief system is something set up by the original founding group, or
some higher power. This system will tell the organization what it is to believe and why. Usually, but not always, this doctrine
or sacred texts are related to a supernatural phenomena or being, other times it can be a interrelated symbolism that carries
the place of centerpiece. Also, the group will usually have some system of justice and cooperation so that once the member
is included, it is much more difficult to be exiled, for fear of whatever has been defined. By being guided by something higher
than themselves, each member feels it necessary to live up to a standard that will eventually, or instantaneously in some
ways, reward them for good behavior and commitment. This diligence is what keeps these groups together and perpetuates them,
in my opinion, to be so overwhelmingly hungry of more members and social power. In order for the group to have solidarity,
the common ideals and beliefs must be constant, and if a member starts questioning these beliefs, there are usually two options,
leaving the group, or the group reinforcing these principals. If the latter fails, the former will almost always take place
unless the punishment is truly worthy of the individuals fear. Once the rules of the organization are assembled, the next
thing that creates a sense of religion are its practices such as ceremonies and events, holidays, and other forms of reinforcing
exclusivity and solidarity. The rites and practices that are included in
these institutions vary greatly depending on what they celebrate, worship, or focus on. They can be an event utilizing physical
means to represent something spiritual or supernatural, or they can represent brotherhood and the human links within us all.
Depending on the level of solidarity in the group, these rituals can be in private or public and also can include meals, speeches,
dances, or anything that conveys the attitudes of the group and its members. Furthermore, the act must be acknowledged as
such a ritualistic, meaningful event. In these events, special utensils and garb can be used, and sacred acts committed. The
definition of sacred in this context is incredibly dynamic as it is up to the group, its members, and/or the leadership or
deity to decide whether or not it is a ritual of spiritual importance. Usually these are interrelated with the morality of
the group, however it is defined to be.
The morality of the group is dependent on the background of the members as well as what they have decided needs to be a foundation
and norm of its members to be included into practice, doctrine, and communication. These moral ideals come from whatever is
at the top of the power structure, or had most formerly been. This prescription can come from the deity itself if necessary
within the organizations doctrine and is usually felt by the members anyway, but reinforced through the group. Not all morality
though comes from religious groups, but while it may have stemmed from them, in this day and age, morality can be inherent
to even atheists who are not any part of a civil organization. Morality stretches beyond any formal set practices and groups,
but rather is natural. Through these organizations, morality is fostered and there can even be practices that include pro-moral
behavior. Beyond these few details, religions these days seem quite ambiguous. So what generally makes a civil religion different? While generally
civil religion is overlooked and misclassified by most, it continues to resemble the above said factors that are inclusive
to the term religion. However, civil religion follows a slightly different path and can have many different purposes and images.
Politics and civil religious groups are very closely related as the supernatural connection of the civil organization has
a moral link to guiding their country. In There
are many kinds of religions, some called cults and others denominational. The size and background determine how the public
eye views these groups, as well as how much affect they are allowed to have on politics and citizens minds. They have similar
powers to civil religions in that they are hailing their will from a supernatural source and thus, must help others find this
source. The religions I hope to tell you about range from the common Christian to the not-so-common Jainism. Many are familiar
in the West with Christianity because it has always played a role in moving West. So what makes Christianity so special? Christianity uses an ancient text known as the
Bible, which includes the Pentateuch and Torah that the Jewish use. This ancient text is the primary premise for the modern
world and generally preached in every country, even in the jungles of Buddhism is quite different in its approach,
but there are many sects, and they each have their way of fulfilling their “religious” specifications. They are
one of the top three main religions of the world, and are based on the ideal of Enlightenment or perfect awareness. This is
the goal and is commonly referred to as Nirvana. They seek the destination that their main prophet supposedly found. Buddha
was a prince that sought Enlightenment after seeing the suffering of man. This fulfills the need for a moral prescription
and guides the followers to seek change in themselves as the primary way of ending this universal transcendental suffering.
This moral prescription is defined in the four noble truths and the eight-fold path.
There are also many sacred texts and prayers, or mantras which are used in their path. In my mind, the Buddhist passive
ways are the least abrasive religious indoctrination of them all, but there are more Eastern ideologies that seek similar
result. Take Hinduism for example. The Hindu religion
believes in several deities and generally rural towns seek worship on one main deity with recognition of the rest. The power
structure is interesting in Hinduism because it has lead to a caste system in Taoist philosophy is universally familiar. They
seek to reunite with the rest of the energies of the universe. This is again, similar to every previously discussed religion.
They focus mostly around three moral principals of moderation, humility, and love. Taoists also follow a very relaxed perspective,
thinking primarily on a level of simplicity and non-action, or wu-wei. Proper moral prescription in Taoism is referred to
as “De” and is a holistic perspective on morality, meaning right actions and right thought. Another strong point
of this group is that they are very dynamic in their thoughts, that is to say that they are very open-minded. Another popular
Eastern religion is next to be discussed. Confucianism was originally started by a man
named Confucius. Yet another primarily philosophical look at the supernatural and natural, this religion uses rituals quite
often as a way of internalizing the complex combinations of philosophy. It is very old style in its reverence for family and
a hierarchy of respect. The ideals present are interesting because they are almost centralized around being human and having
loyalty to the human ancestral line. This philosophy is much more complex than most because it has such strong root in humanism.
Shinto religion is next to discuss. The supernatural
is quite prevalent in this Japanese religion. The recognition of various spirits is part of their thought. These kami are
divine beings, but are special because they also make humanistic mistakes. Furthermore, at death it is part of their “afterlife”
to become a kami. They use shrines quite often in the form of a squared archway
painted red. Their thought is primary based around the love for nature and integrating their lives with the natural. They
also have a great reverence for the family and tradition, similar to that of the Confucian thought, but they also hold dear
festivals dedicated to the kami, or previous ancestors. Quite noticeable are the effects of Shinto thought in Jainism is very much a lesser known religion,
however it has heavily influenced the development of Lastly, Sikhism is another lesser known religion
in the Western world. Again, this originated in Without the
intermingling of these groups, many could not have existed without it. The influence and will of different groups, no matter
the size, or orientation may be felt throughout history and can be said to have helped basic morality. Maybe religion is the
only inherent induction of morals in humanity, and these are general depending on region and who the parenting is done by. One thing is for sure, none of these can be said to be more correct than another,
based on the sheer fact that there are so many with conflicting ideals and foundations. |
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