How to Enhance Your Understanding of Different Religions

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20-10-2016, 03:00
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In modern societies, billions of people are in constant contact with each other. Frequently, you find them from a diverse cultural and geographical background. It is worthwhile to have a basic understanding of the different religions that modern people affiliate themselves to.

Steps

  1. Remove any preconceptions or bias that you may have if you follow a particular religion. Try to get into the mindset of the religions you are studying. You may also want to listen to both arguments for and against the religion.
  2. Start from a brainstorm of the three inner concepts of Law, Education, and Religion ruling a society within three concepts of Politics, Industrialization, and Urbanization in the outer layer
  3. Read about the concept of communication between humans. There is a sender and a receiver, as well as a channel of communication. In particular, "meaning is created in the receiver end based on the layers of information already there rather than those explicitly sent by the sender."
  4. Study the first fork of division between atheists and religious people. The second fork comes inside the religions as a division between Abrahamic religions and other religions. The third fork comes between Indo-Iranian religions of Zoroaster, Hinduism, and Buddhism on one side and ancient and tribal religions (known as paganism) on the other side.
  5. The study of ancient and tribal religions are very fascinating, especially those related to ancient Greece and Rome. In particular, they have had a lot of influence within the literature of European languages. This will need separate endeavour and commitment.
  6. The study of tribal and pagan religions can help to improve our understanding of anthropological concepts and human symbols.
  7. Carefully learn about the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism as many people confuse the two.
  8. Learn about the different flavours of adaptations of Buddhism in China, Indochina, and Japan.
  9. Understand that although Zoroaster's religion has diminished to a very small population, it has had a deep influence on the modern world through the ideas of Plato. In fact, an offshoot of Zoroastrianism known as Mithra-ism has given much to Christian rituals, such as Sunday, Christmas and Easter.
  10. Divide between Northern Abrahamic religions of Judaism and Christianity on one side and Southern Abrahamic religion of Islam.
  11. Study the origin of all religions over a modern map.
  12. Find out about major sects, interpretation, schools or religious movements of the Religion you are studying. For Christianity these may be Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox, Baptist, Lutheran, Calvinist, L.D.S, Humanist; Islam : Sunni , Shi'a, Deobandi, Salafi (Wahhabi), Reformist, Quraniyun, Barelvi, Ahl Al-Hadith, Islamist. Judaism: Hasidic, Sephardic, Reformist, Masorti, Orthodox and the Many "sects" in Hinduism.
  13. Learn about mysticism as a faction or an elite in all religions.

Tips

  • To gain a deeper understanding of a religion different to your own, it is recommended that you study the history of the religion.
  • If you must, study a religion from its sources rather than people who affiliate them to those religions.
  • Talk to scholars both from and outside of the religion you are studying. This provides a deeper insight into the religion and both have their benefits, for example, if you have a problem with a teaching of the religion go to a scholar who follows it to answer you, whereas you may not want to go to the same person to find out about other features of the religion (i.e. they may try to preach to you).

Warnings

  • Arguing religions could frequently harm relationships and should be handled with extreme skill.
  • In certain communities one might decide not to argue about religions as a matter of discretion.
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