In the Summer semester of 2015, I began the course Religions of the West, an upper-level offering through the University of Maryland Global Campus. Although I had a Christian understanding of religion at the time, I yearned to dive deeper into my knowledge of other religious paths. I previously turned away from religion and searched for a connection with The Divine Spirit. The first contribution in my series on religion is dedicated to exploring the definition of religion, and the class was asked to create our own.
August 23, 2015
Assignment
TOPIC ONE: Write your own, original one paragraph definition of religion. Religion is a tough word to define. The course provides this definition of “religion”:
A religion is a dynamic cultural complex with positive or negative impact that stakes a claim to legitimacy based on a foundational connection to reports of hierophany [i.e., a sacred manifestation].
You can pick this definition apart, build on it, or take parts of a dictionary definition to help you come up with your own definition. If you use this definition, or a dictionary definition be sure to tell from where you took the definition. But don’t stop there! Go on to elaborate what you think the most important elements of religion are.
My Response
In the past two years, I have begun to question and analyze the concept of religion and how it influences the world. My definition has been that religion is a tool designed to control people and sustain those in power by either taking advantage of or supporting people’s need for belonging and self-actualization. I think about the Christian Crusades against the Muslims in the Holy Land beginning in 1095, or the use of Christian missionaries to minister to the peoples of Africa in order to take control and colonize the continent during the late 19th century. Yes, that is a very cynical view of religion, and it does not address the positive impact religion may have for some or many, nor does it attempt to address the reasons people gravitate towards it.
Before I continue any further, I must state that I do not actively follow any religion. However, I was raised Christian and many of my beliefs and actions cater to what is written in the Holy Bible. I believe in a supreme being, and my goal is to find my own truth to that being by exploring religion, spirituality, and/or science. With that being said, I appreciate the definition in the module that states “A religion is a dynamic cultural complex with positive or negative impact that stakes a claim to legitimacy based on a foundational connection to reports of hierophany [i.e., a sacred manifestation].” Every religion has believers that are adamant in their beliefs in the context of their understanding. That is the dynamic energy behind each religion. Each religion also caters culturally to its believers; in Christianity alone there existed approximately 43,000 denominations worldwide in 2012 (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). Denominations form because of a group of believers’ cultural convictions. Stakes a claim to legitimacy is a nice choice for something like the Holy Bible. Christians believe, sometimes blindly, that everything written in it is God’s word. My belief is that the Bible is a collection of stories where people interpreted their experience of a supernatural event they could not scientifically or logically explain.
I believe the most important element of religion is how it sets moral standards for cultures to live by. As humans, if we did not have these standards, how animalistic would we be? Although these moral standards are in place, many bad things happen in the world and throughout history in the name of religion. With our capacity to think logically above all other life forms, many choose to use religion as a weapon. Where is the moral standard in that?
Assignment
TOPIC TWO: Decide what elements of your definition of religion were “substantive” and which were “functional.” Also think about which academic discipline was most important to your definition. Finally, say whether your definition was more “religionist” or “reductionist” in approach. Explain.
Additionally, your classmates will already have analyzed their definitions — but you are to help deepen their own understanding of the definition by responding.
My Response
I believe much of my definition was functional. My whole point in the definition was to show how religion has affected the world. A functional definition explains how something works in a particular context. The academic discipline most important to my definition and this discussion is psychology. Religion may fulfill a person’s need for belonging and self-actualization, based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Finally, my definition was reductionist in approach. My focus was strictly on the political and economic function of religion on society and the world, and I do believe religion was created in the minds of humans in an effort to explain phenomenal and supernatural events beyond their understanding.
Reference: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2014). Status of Global Mission, 2014, in the Context of AD 1800-2025. Retrieved from http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/StatusOfGlobalMission.pdf .
Response to Student 1
Our views are almost identical! By the end of this class, I hope to find the good in religion from a historical perspective. Or at least improve my argument with religious persons instead of making the statement “I don’t do religion”. Then again, maybe by the end of this class and the following Religions of the East, I will decide to follow a particular religion based on what I learn here. But that is a big maybe. As far as I am concerned, religion is not the only path to the Creator or to explain creation.
The human desire to belong within groups produces this groupthink among people. If the culture you are a part of deems a particular religion as the only way to live righteously and to get to heaven, chances are you will follow and not even research this way of thinking for yourself. That is the biggest problem I have with religion. On second thought, it is not religion I have a problem with; it is how humans use it.
Response to Student 2
When I got to the part where you said, “religion to me is basically my spirituality”, I had to pause for a moment. I often view these two as different and not connected. I think historical events that have taken place in the name of religion, whether it be war or genocide, have led me to believe that any religion that condones these actions cannot be connected to the spirit of God, which has turned me off from religion in recent years. But being raised as a Christian, I can see how what we learn from the Bible can connect us to our spirit. I have a lot of questions, which I hope this class will help me answer them.
End of class submissions.
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Present Day
Religion is such a divisive and complex topic throughout the world. Millions rely on religion to instruct them on how to live a righteous life and to connect with God, whom I refer to typically as The Divine Spirit. I do not comprehend how anyone could limit The Divine Spirit to a religion – a human-made system. Also, The Divine Spirit does not belong to one religion, and anything that promotes division (Tower of Babel) and classism (the chosen people) is not loving and not of The Divine. And different Christian denominations claim to be the “true religion” when The Divine Spirit created no such thing. So many contradictions and so much double-speak that I could tear The Holy Bible apart. But this is not the post for that. Even with me saying that I still appreciate the metaphysic and esoteric gems in the Bible.
Religion is practical however to an individual or a culture when implemented through the proper lens of intuition, discernment, and historical knowledge. Capable of bringing people together in fellowship as well as starting wars, the duality of religion is the evidence of religion being a third dimension (3D) worldly system. 3D is the physical, mundane world we see and interact with daily. The totality of The Divine Spirit goes beyond our conscious understanding and 3D, and that is why The Divine Spirit cannot be limited to religion.
Reading my class notes today, I have not strayed much from my definition of religion. To add, there are spiritual gems in every holy book. But following the books with a literal understanding binds us to worldly circumstances, attachments, and forced reincarnation, all things The Divine Spirit gives us the power to overcome when the holy books are read esoterically, metaphysically, and from an astrotheological perspective. Following the holy books literally is religion and is separate from spirituality. Spirituality is a holistic, whole-person experience that organically connects one to The Divine Spirit without a go-between.
What has significantly changed over the years is my cynicism when responding to others and being more tolerant of their choice to believe what they will. However one chooses to connect with The Divine Spirit is their business, and my eyes must stay focused on my walk. But what I said to student 1, it is not religion itself that is bad. It is how humans choose to use it. The intention is everything in all that we do, and our choices create our reality, making us co-creators with The Divine Spirit. In conclusion, the definition of religion will continue to evolve. Religion is going to keep adapting to the changing times. Today I see a glimpse of good in religion, more so than I did in 2015. Only because I see how it has positively impacted some people around me. But from a world-historical point of view, I still see more bad than good. The divisiveness of religion has shaped racism, classism, capitalism, sexism, and all the isms of the world. But every human being has the right to find their way to The Divine, even if that way is through religion. If you are on a religious path and it works for you and your life, I am so happy for you and wish you well. Please, however, extend the same courtesy to me on my spiritual path. Understanding is not required of each other, but respect is for us to coexist.