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Religious Traditions: Even Though Religion Means Different Essay

¶ … Religious Traditions: Even though religion means different things to different people, religious persons have a transcendent aspect to life i.e. The existence of supernatural power above human beings. The religious perspective of an individual is dependent on how the person is persuaded by people who raised him/her. The descriptions or definitions of religion tend to be inadequate since they contain two major problems i.e. they are either too narrow or too vague. These definitions are too narrow since they exclude most of the belief systems that make up religions whereas they are too vague and uncertain through suggesting that everything is a religion. However, the best explanation of the nature of religion is rooted in identifying the basic attributes that are common to the various religions. This is largely because there are several elements of religious traditions that are used to understand studies on religion.

Important Issues in the Study of Religion:

In order to understand religious traditions, it's important to pay attention to several critical issues that provide the difference between various religions across the globe. The develop religions in the world have not only an established sacred text but they also have an oral tradition. In contrast, the non-developed religions don't have a written sacred text for their oral traditions. Actually, the study of religion, particularly religious traditions involves a critical observation of these crucial issues. One of these crucial issues is how the religious traditions are passed from a particular generation to the next since religions are organized within a particular set of themes. Secondly, the determination of...

The third crucial issue in the study of religion is belief in the supernatural, particularly gods, which is religion's most evident characteristic. In most cases, this process basically entails faith in the divine and the belief that a spiritual or supernatural power listens and responds to their prayers. An important element of this belief is trusting that the supernatural or spiritual forces will reward and punish some kinds of actions after physical death. While the existence of supernatural beings is nearly not predetermined in non-religious belief systems, it's a common and essential factor of many religions (Cline, n.d.). In addition to these religious concepts, people also believe that there is an existence of more abstract entity like nature and other invisible elements that make up the composition of things and people
Religious Traditions and Relationships:

One of the major reasons for the significance of religious traditions in the study of religions is because they describe and encourage relationships with various important elements of religion such as the divine, sacred time, sacred space, and the natural world. Religious traditions basically explain the religion's belief and relationship with the sacred, sacred space, sacred time, and profane objects. This relationship with the sacred and profane is regarded as the defining characteristic of religion that…

Sources used in this document:
References:

Cline, A. (n.d.). What is Religion? Defining the Characteristics of Religion. Retrieved March 15,

2012, from http://www.atheism.about.com/od/religiondefinition/p/WhatReligion.htm

Dubois, J. (2009). The Essential Elements of Religious Life. Retrieved from Department of Humanities & Religious Studies -- California State University website: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/d/duboisj/hob/HOB_3Ds.html

O'Neil, D. (2011, December 11). Common Elements of Religion. Retrieved from Palomar
College website: http://anthro.palomar.edu/religion/rel_2.htm
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