Seven elements of religion, from the textbook Living Religions

Summary

 Fisher asserts that the main role of the religions is to help people express the experienced reality of the material world. Philosophers such as Marx argue that religions have the absolute truth and people from social and political arena use this truth as a weapon. However, other philosophers reject religion claiming that it is unscientific (Fischer, 1997). From the 17th century, scientists argued that minds and spirits are not connected with physical realities. The spiritual beliefs of the material world were not honored since they were not scientifically verifiable and were irrational.  Despite all these accusations, the opponents of religion have returned to religions. The majority are supporting religion by claiming that religion meets basic human needs such as happiness, understanding and personal growth (Fischer, 1997). The book has presented different religions and their historical background. An important point to note is that all these different religions have common characteristics or they are made up of similar elements.

  Ultimate reality/ beliefs

             All religions have an ultimate reality that they hold on, either a reality that comes from the present world or a reality that is outside the material world. The ultimate reality is unchanging since it comes from the conscious mind. Most religions believe that the ultimate reality is the God or Spirit and this common reality makes the religion to make common goals such as the goals of salvation, enlightenment and more (Fischer, 1997). When it comes to the ultimate reality, religions may define different things as sacred though some religions may refer to a similar thing as sacred. However, many religions hold different beliefs and the difference sometimes leads to violent conflicts. Other believe that religion is one but with many faces.  Father Griffins supports this idea by trying to unite the Eastern and Western traditions.  He argues that "In each tradition the one divine Reality, the one eternal Truth, is present, but it is hidden under symbols…"(Fischer, 1997). In general, whether religions have similar or different beliefs, the point is that there is a divine reality which a common element in all religions.

 Worship and symbols

All religions have the ultimate reality that shows the reverence of the religion.  Human beings express the ultimate reality in different ways including rituals, prayers, and spiritual practices (Fischer, 1997). In other words, religions hold religious ceremonies to reveal universal worship. Some religions have similar images such as the sun and the sky that are used to symbolize a sacred meaning.  It is important to know that religions express their religious facts using symbols and these symbols are significant as they promote the relationship between the sacred realm and the believers (Fischer, 1997).  Each religion has its unique religious symbols that serve many roles including strengthening the unity between the members and presenting the religious traditions

 Traditions

 In all religions, people interpret the traditions by using unique labels. People follow religious doctrines to stay stable and avoid relationships break up, poor behavioral codes and other life challenges. Religious leaders act as role models by encouraging people to read the scripture since it contains absolute truth.  Similar to symbols, religious use traditions to unify people, to shape a society and to give directions.  Each religion has its unique tradition that represents the culture (Fischer, 1997). They use tradition in doing things in order to gain a sense of comfort, gain freedom and faith and build lasting memories.

 Supreme Being

 All religions worship a supreme being which is known as the Great Spirit, All-powerful, among other names. Some religions refer to a Supreme Being as male whereas others believe that the Supreme Being is a female.  Others do not make distinctions but they believe that a Supreme Being as a high God.  Supreme Being is an element in all religions since each religion has a high God who has a greater power (Fischer, 1997). In addition, each religion has a supreme being whom they believe that he is the creator of the world and who need to be worshiped.

  Relationships with power

 All religions believe in the power of spirit that provides people with strength and vision.  People also believe that in sacred sites, there is a power. Indigenous people used to build ritual sites and when they left their ancestral lands, they felt dejected by leaving the sacred power.  There was always a conflict between the indigenous people and the outsider who bought the land since the former was interested in the spiritual values whereas the latter focused on money (Fischer, 1997). Indigenous people believe that their scared practices and objects carry power and spiritual energy.  Many religions believe that for them to do the work of the supreme power, they must be filled with the Holy Spirit because this spirit will empower, strengthen and help them resist temptations.

Spiritual specialists

            Spiritual specialist is an element of the religions and this means that there are specialists who interact with the unseen. The invisible spirit is the natural world and the specialists have the role and responsibility to use their secret knowledge and conduct ritual purification and other scared roles. Religions have sacred roles which that are carried out by the specialists (Fischer, 1997).The roles may be divided among the specialists or one person may play all roles.  Example of sacred roles includes telling complex stories and songs.  Example of religious specialists includes priests, diviners, healers, elders, and protest who have the authority to communicate with the spirits.

 

 Relationship with all creation

 This means that all religions form a spiritual interconnectedness with the tangible world. Believers respect the earth and everything in it. Indigenous loves knowledge and knowledge is gained by forming an intimate relationship with the natural things such as the sun, lands, seas and more (Fischer, 1997).  Religions tend to value the creations of the Supreme Being such as the sky, the water, and oceans as well as the humanity.

Conclusion

Living Religions by Fisher is a great book that has presented a wonderful information regarding the modern religions in the world. The author has done a comprehensive research and confirmed that all the religions are made up by seven common elements.  He talks of the supernatural power which each religion believes in and he also talks of the relationship with the powers or the spirit that is provided by the Supreme Being.  Even though religions have their own unique ways of practicing things, they must have beliefs and practices. These beliefs and practices control the nature of human life and help the members create moral principles and adhere to them. The main point that is presented about the religions is that even though the religions have a complex belief system, these beliefs have common characterizes. In other words, the difference is only seen in the religious cultural forms but there is a similarity in the religious elements in terms of the supreme power, nature as well as the attributes.

 

 

 

Reference

 

Fischer, M. P. (1997). Living religions: An encyclopedia of the world’s faiths. London: I.B. Tauris.