In Wednesday’s class, we discussed all of the elements of religion and how they applied to our reading and present day religion. The most intriguing element we discussed, in my opinion was stories --->arts/symbols --->history.
Stories are a huge part of religion. Every current religion uses stories to tell their past. There are stories such as: Moses splitting the red sea, Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, Isra, and the list goes on and on. All of these stories are put forth to teach lessons and learn about the past of a specific religion. These stories all help to corroborate a person’s faith in their desired beliefs.
Art and symbols also play a large role as an element of religion. As seen from our reading, Upper Paleolithic artists depicted mostly animals and geometric ‘signs’ in their cave drawings. The placement of the drawings can determine the different rites and ceremonies within a religion.
Today, different religions or churches can be noticed solely by their symbol. For example, when a person sees the Star of David, they see Judaism; when a crescent moon and star symbol is seen, most people will think of Islam, and when most people see a cross they see some form of Christianity. I am a Unitarian Universalist and our symbol is a flaming chalice (as seen below). As seen, there are numerous symbols that bring to mind a direct connection with particular religions.
this post and the blog as a whole look great! The visual element with the symbols works really well..
ReplyDeleteYou should come to the LU UU Student Group! Fridays at 4:30 in the Coffeehouse.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think what you're saying is true. And I find it interesting that, unlike other religions, Unitarian Universalism doesn't a specific origin in a person or story. I have had some people tell me that this means it's not a "real" religion, just a movement, or even a cult. My own experiences lead me to believe that religions don't necessarily have to revolve around a particular person or doctrine in order to be legitimate faith communities, but many other people have disagreed with me on this point. I found myself looking at the board the other day when we were talking about what aspects make up a religion and thinking about which ones apply and don't apply to us!