Running head: COMMON PRACTICES IN RELIGION 1

Common practices in religion

Timothy Brown

REL/133

January 21, 2019

Dr. Arthur Gray

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Common practices in religion

Since the dawn of the age of man there has been the desire by man to be closer to the

world in which they live and the universe they are a part of by creating Gods and spirits that they

worshipped. These Gods and spirits were in part man’s way of understanding their place in the

world while also bringing them closer to something they felt as divine. Over the centuries many

religions have come and gone while newer ones arise in their ashes and this will review some of

the ideas and theories of some of these religions.

Academic study vs. devotional practice

There is a very large difference between academic study of something and the practice of

something, especially, in a religious context. Academics seek to delve deeper into a subject by

analyzing it and its various parts while coming up with a hypothesis to the problem or subject.

Practitioners of religion instead look into the unsubstantiated and faith-based side of the

experience. A practitioner of a religion will not look for the dots to connect for a deeper

understanding since their understanding grows deeper through the practice of the religion.

Key charactersistics1

Religion is a unique thing with the basic idea of religion being a belief in something you can’t

see, touch, or hear. Religion is mostly based on the strict idea that belief and faith are strong

enough to push beyond the simple idea of is it real or isn’t it. Faith plays a major role in religion

as it stands as the basis for all the actions, ideas, and possibilities related to religion.

Common questions, concerns, and practices.

Indigenous religions are based on ideas or beliefs that are hard to relate to considering the

monotheism that has taken over the world’s religions. Many indigenous religions based their

beliefs on the earth, environment, and the objects/animals around them being part of the spirits
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that controlled the world. Native American Indians, Aborigines, Mayans, and other indigenous

religions all looked at the world through similar eyes and how all things related to the earth and

its living beings were part of and participating in the spirits that were the Gods of the time.

Characteristics of Indigenous religions.

Indigenous religions were characterized by their strong belief in the spirits that inhabited

all the things around them from the plants to the animals. Their belief was that the world was one

entity in both being and spirit and things that were done improperly would upset the spirits that

inhabited the planet. Indigenous religions were unique in their point of view and faith that all

things were linked and circular in their actions. The most unique factor of indigenous religions is

that they were passed down through the years not by writing but by vocal storytelling. There

were no written books that told the tale of their religious beliefs.

Conclusion.

Religion is a touchy subject and something that has evolved greatly over the centuries

going from stories told through the generations to something read from books and taken in a

literal sense. While the religions have changed with the time the basic tenets and needs from the

religion have remained unchanged over the years. We are a part of the world we live in and

though we may no longer aim to appease the spirits within the earth and animals we still aim to

appease the needs for something more than us within ourselves.

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References

Martin, L. (2014). Deep history, secular theory : historical and scientific studies of religion.

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