religions based on the 4 elements of nature

Examine the nature of sociological explanations of religion.Explain the differences between various types of religious organizations: Churches, ecclesia, sects, and cults.ġ5.2.Differentiate between the five world religions.Understand classifications of religion, like animism, polytheism, monotheism, and atheism.Describe the four dimensions of religion: Belief, ritual, experience, and community.Explain the difference between substantial, functional, and family resemblance definitions of religion.570 - 632 AD: Time of Muhammad, who records the Qur'an as the basis of Islam.15.1. 40 - 90 AD: The New Testament is written by the followers of Jesus Christ.Ĭ. 32 AD: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.Ĭ.

2 to 4 BC - 32 AD: Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and founder of Christianity.Ĭ. 200 BC: The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is written.Ĭ. 551 - 479 BC: Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism.Ĭ. 563 - 483 BC: Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism.Ĭ. 1100 - 500 BC: Hindus compile their holy texts, the Vedas.Ĭ. 1200 BC: Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus.Ĭ. 2000 BC: Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel.Ĭ. Origin of Religion - Important Dates in History:Ĭ. Muhammad believed he was the ultimate prophet of God, and his teachings became the precepts of Islam as recorded in the Qur'an. About 600 years later, Muhammad began preaching in Mecca. After Christ's ascension into heaven, the Christian church grew in His name and the New Testament was written. The ministry of Jesus ended in about 32 AD with His crucifixion and resurrection. During the period of the Roman Empire, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as the long-awaited Messiah. During a period of about 1500 years, God revealed what became the Old Testament of the Bible, relating the history of Israel with the character and laws of God. The Jewish Scriptures record the journey of the Israelites from slaves in Egypt to the 'promised land' in Canaan under the leadership of Moses. From this point in history, God began revealing Himself to the world through the nation of Israel. The origin of religion and monotheistic systems: Monotheism (a belief in one God) is the foundation of the Judeo-christian-muslim line of religions, which began with a man named Abraham in about 2000 BC.

We must live in harmony with them, understand them, and learn from them, focusing on the relationship between mankind and the elements of nature. Mankind is no different than any other animal. We must nurture it and be nurtured by it. Generally, pantheism is the principle that god is everything, and everything is god. Pantheistic beliefs are also finding resurgence among various New Age movements. The belief that the universe itself was divine was typified in the Animism beliefs of the African and American Indian cultures, the later Egyptian religion under the Pharoahs, and Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism in the cultures of the Far East.

The origin of religions and pantheistic systems: Pantheism (a belief that all is God) prevailed in numerous ancient cultures. The Greeks and Romans developed polytheism to a highly structured pantheon of gods and goddesses. Baal controlled the rain and the harvest, while Ashteroth controlled fertility and reproduction. For instance, the Canaanites sacrificed to the male god, Baal, and his female counterpart, Ashteroth. Generally, polytheistic cultures believed in sacrifices to appease their gods. The ancient polytheistic belief systems viewed gods as being in control of all natural events such as rainfall, harvests and fertility. Polytheism was also the religion of many other ancient cultures, including Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Hindu beliefs were recorded in the Bhagavad Gita, which revealed that many gods were subject to a supreme Brahman god. The origin of religion and polytheistic systems: Polytheism (a belief in many gods) is thought to have originated with Hinduism in about 2500 BC. Atheism is really a modern belief that resulted from the 'Enlightenment' period of the 18th century. The origin of religion can generally be traced to the ancient Near East and classified in three basic categories: polytheistic, pantheistic and monotheistic.

Religions based on the 4 elements of nature