The Life Of Homo Religiosus, By Karen Armstrong Essay

Martin discusses the uses of the hermeneutics of suspicion for his second step in his approach. He believes it is important to remain suspicious of the cultural element being examined and presume it is false. Geertz, in the second part of his definition, states that a system of symbols “acts to establish powerful, pervasive and long-lasting moods and motivations in men” (Geertz, 1993). This statement is in agreeance with the suspicious mindset provided by Martin, as Geertz also does not confirm any religious beliefs to be true. He uses the word “acts” to show that the cultural elements function in a specific way, not to prove their factual accuracy. His definition demonstrates the unity of individual components in a culture and how they function. Both methods do not approach religion with yes or no questions but rather seek the answer to why it functions in particular ways and how it continues to exist.

In the study of religion, one can quickly discern that there are two major differentiations between the anthropological definition of religion, and that of religion in the context of belief systems. Religion, in the context of anthropology, can often be related to social institutions. On the other hand, religion in the context of belief systems indicate faith in something or someone...such as oneself, a god, or object. As identified by scholar Clifford Geertz, the anthropological definition of religion is “a system of symbols which acts to (1) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (2) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (3) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality

Karen Armstrong's first chapter in "The Case of God", "Homo Religiosus", provides readers with the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the idea of religion as being a dominant concept in human nature. Armstrong apparently wants to emphasize that humans were designed so as for them to be religious and thus concentrate on taking on a series of attitudes meant to provide them with the chance to develop religious ideologies. It is practically as if the need to connect with a higher force is in people's DNA, taking into account that most communities throughout history have concentrated on reaching a higher state of mind by trying to develop a relationship with the divine.

Most of the human ‘Homo sapiens’ is born into a religion. That religion could be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian or Atheism, etc, a set of beliefs which someone inherits from his family, and till the death, that man will likely stay with his or her religion because almost every human has tendency to be religious. On the other hand, the reality of the religion does not matter to him unless someone conducts any investigation to get to the religious truth. In the essay ‘Homo religiosus,’ Karen Armstrong says that, today’s religious followers accept the religion into which they were born, without doing the hard work required. This means that someone follows his ancestor’s religion from the beginning for his life and he or she is not able to prove his ancestors were wrong because he or she has faith in his own religion. Faith is the main concept of the religion because people have deep faith in their own religion. In addition, faith is nothing but mere fantasy and faith has no basis in reality. Therefore, people have no ability to conduct investigations to find out the religious truth. In addition, elements and places of religion vary from religion to religion. Religion is one of the most prehistoric institutions which have been noticed to practice in any society past and present even in the ancient world where cave paintings were popular. Institutions, like politics and entertainments, have been greatly influenced by the religious faith. The truth of religion might give

One of the earliest evidences of the belief in a higher power comes from deep within the “Lascaux Labyrinth”, a deep cave “decorated by our Paleolithic ancestors in the stone age, seventeen thousand years ago”(Armstrong 2). The great numbers and locations of art within the Lascaux and surrounding region gives evidence that these were sacred places for the purpose of rituals, and some have compared these dwellings to temples (Armstrong 3). Whether art within cave dwellings dating back to the Paleolithic era, to magnificent churches rising to great heights around the world, the wondrous temples of the Mayans, a mountain that appears to seamlessly morph into the city of Machu Picchu, to trailers, tents and fortified compounds, belief in a power higher than one’s self has been deeply ingrained throughout centuries and a multitude of cultures. These different places are what many refer to as a church, a place to record and follow the rituals specific to their belief and to worship. Through the generations of the development of the human psyche, belief in a higher power is taught young and ingrained for many, yet meaningless for some. Furthermore, throughout the evolution of many centuries, it is inevitable that branches of these religions will follow a different path, create new churches to better practice their views of religion, and for some, belief in a higher power can be contorted to the preaching’s and worship of hate. There is a fine line between preaching scriptures and

Given culture’s ability to orient citizens and reproduce itself, it must also be a means of spiritual formation. During this process, those exposed to culture experiencing a shaping of their heart and character. Essentially, culture has the power to train the transcendentals, an individual’s sense of what is true, good and beautiful. Vanhoozer describes this process as “the cumulative effect of viewing the world portrayed in the popular arts that has the power to persuade¬¬…with the influence of many” (31). With this in mind, it is important to acknowledge the powerful influence that culture has on society as it is always cultivating the spirit in one way or another. The power of culture to shape the habits and character of its viewers is a direct testimony of why it is essential that the believer knows how to properly interpret its

The history of religion continues to play an important role in defining why certain aspects of religion are the way they are today. Understanding religion’s history can also help one appreciate the importance, value, and determination that certain individuals went through in order for that particular religion to gain freedom and acceptance in society. Throughout history, Christianity has shown exactly this. By learning about its history, one can gain an understanding of how it emerged into being one of the most popular religions in the world. Furthermore, better understanding of the religion, both historically and contemporarily, can help dispel any negative preconceived notions about Christianity.

Individual accounts of psychology in the readings, despite negligible difference, are evidence that an individual’s behavior or experience can be reflective of a greater societal trend. Karen Armstrong’s work “Homo Religiosus” analyzes the transformation of the religious institution over time and the various practices performed by individuals and groups. Armstrong describes a spiritual Palaeolithic hunter tradition to transition a boy into manhood:

Looking back on the past, art, music, and literature played an important role in society. Compared to today, it still has that same effect. It’s inspiring and changing society in many different ways. Art has a power of expressing what we humans can’t explain. It brings out a feeling in all of us that’s unimaginable and unexplainable. Religion has served as a primary subject matter of art. However, there are many views when it comes to the relationship between humans and God. Three artists from three different time periods explore the comparisons between art and religion. Lorenzo Ghiberti, Hieronymus Bosch, and Christopher Wren have explored the idea that art has influenced religion and that it’s meaning is one we cannot fully explain. All three

•The emphasis on the individual, the personal character of religious experience, and the use of artistic expression to convey those experiences

In the novel A Portrait of The Artist as Young Man by James Joyce, readers see Stephen go through life with faith, surrounded by others with faith and religious activities. After a while, Steven loses sight of true faith, forgets God and becomes an artist. Compared to “Portrait”, many skeptics in today’s culture have a mind set that organized religion does more harm than good. Many of these people make persuasive arguments that are or can be conclusive. In some cases they think or say, no matter what domination, a church, which is considered part of the organized religiosity, has too much power or it is filled with politics. Also some make the argument that, rituals take away from God and put emphasis on one’s self.

Religion has endured a rocky road over the course of history, and so has art. Indeed it has evolved from the solemn themes of medieval art, to the romantic, whimsical mood of Renaissance art, to the shock value of contemporary art.

Cave art which was created about 300,000 thousand years ago, was prominently focused on figures of animals. The idea of religion comes about with the paintings due to the symbolic meaning or human and animal spirits connecting and interacting. (Noss 5)The main animals being painted were: bison, horses,and deer. The figures were then presented to the Shaman in ceremonies who then made magical use of them. (Noss 5) Other theories which follow the paintings say that those who painted

Religion is a cultural phenomenon of the development of human society to a certain historical stage, belongs to the social ideology. The main feature is that there is a supernatural power or entity in the real world. Religious can be divided into: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Sikhism, and other religions. A religious belief system and social groups is an important part of social culture and human thought-form. Religion has a close relationship with the human life in all areas, and art is one important area. The creation of beauty and beauty appreciation of human activities, indeed are similar to the essence of religion. The reason that art influenced by religion, embodied that religion using art to publicize and disseminate their own, and provide the content and the theme of religion and development required by art.

Religion, as defined by Dr. Mike Sosteric, “is a social institution set up to fill our need to know by answering the big questions of our existence.” This explanation proves to be penetrative, insightful, and valuable in providing a sense of understanding not only what religion is, but also why it is so significant to our society. It is useful in provoking thought and providing a basic level of discernment regarding religion from both a sociologic perspective and that of merely, an average human being. This definition assists in comprehending that religion provides a sense of community, a sense of purpose, and a sense of direction for people in life.