Question : Is God indispensable for religion?
(2013)
Answer : First of all, it’s very important to consider that whether religion is possible without God or God is possible without religion. Both are very interinked ideas. I think, one is not possible without another.
And, the study of different religions be it Hinduism, or Islam, or Christianity shows that God has been an indispenable part of all religions. God plays a central role in all the religious teachings and ideas. The morality which religion try to ....
Question : “Religion is not just false, it is harmful.” Discuss.
(2011)
Answer : “Religious people do not make good citizen”. Rusell says religion prevents our children from receiving a genuine education. The education imparted through religious institution is claimed to be wisdom and not just knowledge, but this wisdom is of no use to the ordinary man to earn his/her own bread and live a dignified life. A religious person seems to be engulfed more into the other worldly problems rather than to solve the problems of the ....
Question : What is central concept in a religion without god? Discuss.
(2010)
Answer : There are two types of religion. They are religion having God as the central concept and religion without God. There are some religions like Jainism, Buddhism which does not advocate for transcendental entity like God though they do believe in some eternal reality which is known as God in theistic religion. In the religion without God the central concept revolves around morality, virtues and humanity which can bind human kind together. Humanism and moral life ....
Question : Can the ‘God’ of Religion be identified with the ‘Absolute’ of Philosophy?
(2009)
Answer : The term Absolute denotes unconditioned and/or independence in the strongest sense. It can include or overlap with meanings implied by other concepts such as infinite, totality, and perfection. The absolute can also be understood as the Ultimate Being, or a characteristic of it, in other religious traditions. Greek philosophers did not explicitly elaborate on the absolute, but, the idea of an ultimate principle drove their inquiries forward. In addition, while medieval philosophers did not use ....
Question : Can atheism be a religion? Discuss.
(2005)
Answer : The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, in its article on Religion, lists some characteristics of religions.
Belief in supernatural beings (gods).
A distinction between sacred and profane objects.
Ritual acts focused on sacred objects.
A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods.
Characteristically religious feelings (awe, sense of mystery, sense of guilt, adoration), which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of ritual, and which are connected in idea with ....
Question : Religion without God.
(2002)
Answer : Atheism, as an explicit position, can be either the affirmation of belief in the nonexistence of a god or gods, or the rejection of theism. It is also defined more broadly as an absence of belief in deities, or atheism. Many self-described atheists are skeptical of all supernatural beings and cite a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Others argue for atheism on philosophical, social or historical grounds.
Although many self-described atheists tend ....
Question : What do you understand by Religion? Do you think that the belief in the existence of God is an essential feature of religion? Discuss.
(2001)
Answer : Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuation and ethical factors. Definitions mostly include:
Question : Religion is generally viewed to be based on beliefs in the supernatural. But some thinkers (e.g. Auguste Comte, John Dewey, huxley, Erich Fromn) reject the supernatural and try naturalistic reconstruction of religion. Critically consider some of the major attempts in this direction.
(1998)
Answer : Many say the etymology of religion lies with the Latin word religare, which means "to tie, to bind." This seems to be favored on the assumption that it helps explain the power religion has. The Oxford English Dictionary points out, though, that the etymology of the word is doubtful. Earlier writers like Cicero connected the term with religare, which means "to read over again" (perhaps to emphasize the ritualistic nature of religions?). Some argue that ....