RELIGION ACCORDING TO THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA.
Mother goddess figures are found in almost every ancient religion, but
these
figures, who were usually only goddesses of fertility and reproduction in
general, should not be confused with the Great Mother of the Gods, who was
regarded as the giver of life to gods, human beings, and beasts alike.
An acceptable definition of religion itself is difficult to attain.
Attempts
have been made to find an essential ingredient in all religions (e.g., the
numinous, or spiritual, experience; the contrast between the sacred and
the
profane; belief in gods or in God), so that an "essence" of religion can
be
described. But objections have been brought against such attempts, either
because the rich variety of men's religions makes it possible to find
counterexamples or because the element cited as essential is in some
religions peripheral. The gods play a very subsidiary role, for example,
in
most phases of Theravada ("Way of the Elders") Buddhism. A more promising
method would seem to be that of exhibiting aspects of religion that are
typical of religions, though they may not by universal. The occurrence of
the rituals of worship is typical, but there are cases, however, in which
such rituals are not central
The fact that there is dispute over the possibility of finding an essence
of
religion means that there is likewise a problem about speaking of the
study
of religion or of religions, for it is misleading to think of religion as
something that "runs through" religions. This brings to light one of the
major questions of method in the study of the subject. In practice, a
religion is a particular system, or a set of systems, in which doctrines,
myths, rituals, sentiments, institutions, and other similar elements are
interconnected. Thus, in order to understand a given belief that occurs in
such a system, it is necessary to look at its particular context-that is,
other beliefs held in the system, rituals, and other aspects.
every religion has its unique properties, and attempts to make
interreligious comparisons may hide these unique aspects. Most students of
religion agree, however, that valid comparisons are possible, though they
are difficult to make. Indeed, one can see the very uniqueness of a
religion
through comparison, which includes a contrast.
Sophist, Critias (5th century BC), considered that religion was invented
to
frighten men into adhering to morality and justice. Plato was not averse
to
providing new myths to perform this alleged function-as is seen in his
conception of the "noble lie" (i.e., the invention of myths to promote
morality and order) in the Republic. He was strongly critical, however, of
the older poets' (e.g., Homer's) accounts of the gods and substituted a
form
of belief in a single creator, the Demiurge or supreme craftsman. This
line
of thought was developed in a stronger way by Aristotle, in his conception
of a supreme intelligence that is the unmoved mover. Aristotle combined
elements of earlier thinking in his account of the genesis of the gods
(coming from the observation of cosmic order and stellar beauty and from
dreams).
Christianity's own contribution to theories of the genesis of polytheism
was
through the doctrine of the fall of man, in which pure monotheism was
believed to have become overlaid by demonic cults of the gods. Such an
account could help to explain some underlying similarities between the
Judeo-Christian tradition and certain aspects of Greco-Roman paganism. In
this view there is the germ of an evolutionary account of religion.
Essence of Religion, a view of religion as a projection of the aspirations
of men, a thesis that was to be taken up in various ways by, among others,
Marx, Freud, and Barth.
In itself, this is a theory having possibilities, for the study of
religion
cannot rule out a priori the thesis that religion is a projection-e.g.,
that
it rests upon an illusion-or other such theses; but the question arises as
to whether or not the methods espoused in the scientific study of religion
have already secretly prejudged the issue.
When religion itself is so mythical and defuse, how is anyone able to
believe any particular god is real?
The whole foundation of religious and God beliefs is man's need to assuage
his panic fear of the finality of death and no after life. He feels
compelled to 'create' a protective master and after life.
|
