Elements of Religious Traditions

Elements of Religious Traditions

There are many religious traditions throughout the world, each unique to their belief.

The initial training and beliefs in a religion come from upbringing and personal exposure to a particular religion. Some of the beliefs by religion are Christianity - the largest religion in the world based on faith in Jesus Christ, Buddhism - no belief in a divine being, and no written sacred scripture, and Shinto - No written commandments or moral codes. Regardless of their individual beliefs, all are called religions. Without any elements in common, they all maintain a central belief when it comes to religion (University of Phoenix, 2010).

Relationship with the Divine

Here in the western part of the world, the term "most used to describe the Divine (sacred reality) is the word God", and the belief in a single God is Monotheism. Another word used to describe God is "omnipotent (having total power over the universe)" (University of Phoenix, 2010, para.2, pg. 7). Most monotheistic religions agree that god is compassionate, infinite in virtues, and spiritually pure. Another word for monotheistic faith is Abrahamic religions where the origins can be traced back to Abraham.

There are three primary religions that believe a God beginning with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Judaism stemmed from the descendants of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, Christianity was born out of Judaism, and Islam from Arabia. They all believe in their individual book and teach readings of their beliefs. Judaism has the Torah, Christianity has the Bible, and Islam has the Holy Qur'an; their readings, histories, and sacred grounds rarely differ between religions. The religion of Wicca believes in more than one god, including goddesses.

Our individual relationship with our God is a way of dealing with our mortality. When death is approaching, our faith gives us strength to endure what is about to come upon us. Many seek solace in prayer for comfort, asking for answers to our problems, such as the good health for us and our families, plentiful food supply, and good weather. In the ancient past, prayer to a God was a daily event.

Relationships with Sacred Time

Every day is time and time is continuous on into the future, but sacred time is considered eternity. Before the discovery of time, ancient cultures used the seasons to create an understanding that life was lived in cycles. The Hebrew calendar was the first to mark events that identified agricultural patterns. Later, the calendar established by the Christians discarded the seasonal calendar after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Time itself is not sacred, but instead was used to further human's ability to celebrate life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Time is still