The Nine Aspects of Religion Flashcards
Belief
This is the cornerstone of any tradition.
Belief is abstract, yet other aspects make them concrete.
It is the central aspect of any religion and is essential in expressing the other eight aspects of religion.
Beliefs are well-developed ideas about God/Gods, the meaning of life, the universe, and our relationship to it.
Most beliefs are said to have been revealed to humans by the ultimate reality, or supernatural experiences which is the main and fundamental belief of a tradition.
Rituals
Religious ceremonies consist of a series of actions and/ or words. Rituals take the abstract beliefs of religion and make them concrete.
It is also a way to get everyone involved in the repeated action of religious life. Examples of rituals are ‘Rite of Passage,’ ‘Coming of Age’ and ‘Marriage.’
Ethics
Every religion has an ethical framework meaning a system of rules and principles designed to guide the choices of adherence.
An ethical rule or code is a set of clearly defined do’s and dont’s that adherence is supposed to follow. An example is the Jewish and Christian traditions that follow the Ten Commandments.
Spiritual Experiences
This is when adherents who are the followers of the faith access the ultimate reality.
Some examples are through prayer , meditation and worship and other ways too. Anyone can experience it whether you are a religious person or a non-religious person- it differs from person to person.
Sacred Story
These are the most memorable and fun parts of religion. The role is to pass on complicated concepts in easily, understood, real-life examples.
By reading these ideas into practice, it casts confusing beliefs into something that is easy to understand stories. These stories will eventually be repeated time after time for many generations.
An example is the Christian belief in God’s grace, which is a complex belief however Christians often used the sacred story of the Prodigal Son to help people understand the concept better.
Social Structures
Many religions have a hierarchy system to provide the roles of an individual within their society. An example is when Cardinals are chosen by the Bishops, each Bishops leads a diocese of families and individuals worldwide. All religions operate charitable organisations, serving the wider community.
Symbols
Important images or objects that publicly display or help to explain religious truth. This involves an imagery that represents visible words that have the power to say a lot with a simple shape. Some examples are ‘The Star of David’ and ‘The Cross.’
Texts
Big texts like the Bible or the Koran are considered the foundational text of religious tradition. These are the texts the whole religion rests on. People believe these texts are revealed to people by God/Gods and were inspired by them.
Many religions also have other important texts that comment or add value to foundational texts. Some examples are Jews have the Mishnah which explains the Torah and Muslims have the Hadith, the saying of the prophets. In addition to these texts, religions rely on thousands of other minor texts which are books of adherence which help other adherences understand the tradition.
Spaces, Places, Time and Artifacts
It is the physical and geographical calendar parts of religion. Examples of a sacred place are Churches, Synagogues and Mosques which are all used for religious practices. Places are areas to go to practice religious practices. An example is for Christian traditions when they are a set time to feast or celebrate Christmas.
