Religious Philosophy Final Essay
By Rev. Cynthia Ewing
When I first started taking this class I did not know very much about religions other than my own. I had no clue why and how religions came about. So I thought it would be a good idea for me to learn about religious philosophy since I deal with so many different people of different religions and backgrounds. It would help me to understand people even more than I do now. I feel like I have learned a lot from this class that will be very helpful to me in my future understanding of people and their beliefs.
It never dawned on me that the definition of religion was so important. If it were not defined as it is we would each have our own individual religions, one per person. Instead we have around 5000 different religions. Some religions are open to other religious beliefs while other religions classify any other beliefs as a cult. I have always been open to others having their own beliefs. I was raised Protestant, but have grown so much from those roots. I believe that whatever path you take to reach God/Goddess is the right path for you.
It was mentioned in the lessons that when a Great Ape passes away the other Apes view the dead body and pay their respects. Some people believe that the apes are showing signs of having religious inclinations others believe we are just assigning human attributes on them. I may believe that they are showing actual feelings, but it has helped me to understand others may not agree and that it is fine. Even in the beginning of time the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon Men showed signs of religious tendencies. They created rituals and altars. If the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon Men showed religious tendencies why couldn’t the apes show it as well.
I liked learning about the different forms of religions. There are Individualistic Faiths, Communal Faiths, Shamanistic Faiths and Ecclesiastical Faiths. Today the New Age is referred to as the individualistic Faith since most of the people do not want to identify which religion they belong to and talk of their spirituality. I seem to fall into this group. The second group, Communal Faiths, uses ritual to bind the group. Hawaiian dances were said to tell a story. The third group is more tribal, but includes many other groups that may use the terms witch doctor, medicine man, wizard and warlock. I myself have taken Shamanism classes and use some of the techniques in my healing sessions. The Ecclesiastical Faiths are more bureaucratic and highly organized. The church building or temple is what separates this faith from the last two faiths.
While taking this class I have learned many things. I learned that man is not the only animal on this planet with religious tendencies. Also I have gained knowledge about the four different types of faiths, their differences and similarities and how they all use common types of stories to teach each generation in their history or their future. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. Thank you for the growth opportunity.
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