I. The
Definition Of Religion
Religion is
any set of normative (i.e., action guiding) beliefs and practices designed to
connect a community to the divine, i.e., the holy, or the "other"). The practices within
a religious system are often referred to as 'rituals' (though
the term certainly has broader connotative meaning). Ritual practice is thus any
set of activities believed to foster a connection between the participant(s)
and the divine. While
ritual is often, if not usually, formalized in a liturgy, it can be less
prescribed as long as the participant(s) recognizes the act as one aimed at
fostering a divine encounter. Ritual practice can be corporate or individual,
social or private and includes, but is not limited to:
·
prayer (or supplication)
·
curse
·
meditation
·
praise
·
sacrifice
·
washing
·
fasting
·
tattooing/scarification
·
burial
II.
Basic Religious Concepts
A.
Belief in God
1.
Theistic God: the concept of a being which is (1) purely
spiritual, (2) all good, (3) all knowing, and (4) all powerful.
2.
Theism
a.
Narrow : belief in
the existence of the theistic God.
b.
Broad : Belief in
the existence of some divine being other than the theistic God.
3.
Atheism
a.
Narrow : disbelief in
theistic God.
b.
Broad : disbelief
the existence of any divine being whatever.
4.
Agnosticism
a.
Narrow : neither
belief nor disbelief in the existence of the theistic God.
b.
Broad : neither
belief nor disbelief in the existence of any divine being whatever.
B.
Types of theism
There are some types of Theism, they are as below:
1.
Animism :
belief that inanimate objects (such as statues or mountains) have souls.
2.
Polytheism :
belief in a multiplicity of gods.
3.
Henotheism :
polytheistic belief that each nation or country has its own god.
4.
Dualism :
polytheistic belief in two conflicting deities, one good and the other evil.
5.
Monotheism : belief
in one god, but not necessarily the theistic God.
6.
Deism :
monotheistic belief in a god who set the universe in motion and thereafter left
it alone.
7.
Pantheism :
monotheistic belief that god is identical with nature as a whole.
C.
Revelation
1.
Special revelation :
divine revelation to humans which is (a) specific in content, and (b) for a
specific audience (such as the Bible or the Koran).
2.
General Revelation :
divine revelation to humans which is (a) general in content, and (b) for a
general audience.
3.
Theology :
the human attempt to understand special revelation.
4.
Natural theology :
the human attempt to understand general revelation.
D.
Approaches to theistic belief
1.
Mysticism : experiencing a union with divine
nature by means of ecstatic contemplation.
2.
Rationalism :
theistic belief from rational grounds.
Interculturalists, particularly those working
in the field of missiology, differentiate “high” versus “low” religions. High
religions are more formal and answer questions
about: (a) origins, (b) the purpose of life, and (c) ultimate destiny. Logical
consistency is important. In contrast, low religions are more informal and answer questions people face in everyday
life, that is, (a) how to assure a productive crop, (b) why a sudden death, and
(c) who stole the money. They are less concerned about ultimate realities and
more focused on immediate access to power.
High religions generally have written texts, such as, the Bible, Qur’an, or
Vedas. They are highly institutionalized with formal places of worship,
prescribed rituals, and moral codes. However, low religions are more informally organized. Rather than sacred texts, tradition
is passed along orally accompanied by reenacted drama and songs. Pragmatism is
more important than moral directives or destiny (http://www.gpccolorado.com/religion-across-cultures/).
Concerning with the religion all over
the world, each religion has their own rules. That’s why as social beings, we
have to keep our tolerance to other religion. It also should be applied to
traditional religion of society. Richard Bonney, BA, MA, PhD, Director, Center for the History of
Religious and Political Pluralism, University of Leicester, Leicester,
United Kingdom in his journal “Reflections
on the Differences Between Religion and Culture” explain that traditional religions are defined as those religions
which, unlike the world religions that have spread into many countries and
cultures, have remained in their original socio-cultural environment. The word traditional
is not taken to refer to something static or unchangeable, but merely
localized. This illustrates the important point that cultures tend to be
localized, whereas religions are not. For example, the headscarf (hijab), which
is universally adopted by women in the Indian subcontinent, or other forms of
covering adopted by women in Islam, the most extreme being the burqa. A
Quranic basis, that is to say, a view based on the Qur'an, the sacred
text of Islam (Q.24:31) is found for women's modesty in dress, although its
interpretation is debated. Also, in Islam there is an important precept commanding
what is right and prohibiting what is wrong (Q.3:104).
(http://www.harryhiker.com/poster.gif)
(http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/assets/files/burqa2.jpg)
However,
considerable differences exist among cultures as to right or wrong; eg, witness
the collision between West African and Islamic attitudes to female nudity,
where in the 15th century it was found that south of the Sahara "all the
most beautiful girls walk naked among people with no covering at all. ''Most
women in Afghanistan wear the burqa, but few do so in neighboring
Pakistan. People often confuse traditions rooted in local culture with
religious requirements. Regional specificity is a relatively easy and straightforward
test of what is distinctively a cultural rather than a religious practice. This
does not mean that the distinction is always observed. "Traditional
dress" in this case would be a more appropriate term than "proper
Islamic apparel," because devout Muslim women elsewhere in the world do
not feel obligated to cover themselves entirely (Bonney: 26).
Sekedar pengetahuan...Masih Comot sana comot sini...untuk lebih jelasnya bisa liat di referensi aslinya...hehe, terimakasih....
References:
Bonney, Richard. Reflections on the
Differences Between Religion and Culture.
