Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Science and religion

Science and religion

Is there a conflict between science and religion? Or do they converge in the explanation of the universe?
There were at least two major disputes between science and religion that had a lasting impact on both disciplines.
  • The conflict between Galileo and the Pope over the church's belief that the earth was the center of the universe. 
  • The conflict between Charles Darwin and religion about the origin of the different species of animals, including humankind. 

Presentation between science and religion



Thursday, October 24, 2013

Presentation about religion

Religion

A spresentation by Tom Darling on slideshare.net The presentation includes a basic description of religion and faith, with a focus on western religion. Tom Darling says that this is not specific to one religion, but the basic wikipedia definition of religion with visuals. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Meaning of Sunnah in Islam

Path

What is Sunnah

Liguistically Sunnah refers to the path or way. In fact the root of the word is [sanna] which means literally smooth and easy flow. In Islam Sunnah refers to the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Muhammad and interpretations of the Quran. It has been institutionalized as one of the sources of sharī‘ah, the other source being the Quran. In other words Sunnah denotes the practices of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar.

What does Sunnah include?

According to Muslims, Sunnah includes everything the Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, did in his way of life. This includes his specific words, habits, practices,and silent approvals. The significance of this relies on the importance Sunnah tells us about how the Prophet of Allah addresses the different incidents that occurred in his life. How he dealt with friends, family and government. These are considered as teachings that Muslims must adhere to. The term "Sunni" denotes those who claim to practice these usages, as part of the Umma

Saturday, April 27, 2013

What is Taoism?

Taoism
Taoism  is a philosophical and religious tradition. Taoism was several times nominated as state religion in the historey of China. It was suppressed in the first decades of the communist era but continued to be practised in Taiwan. Taoisim is also called Daoism. The term Tao means the way, the path or the principle.Tao is difficult to explain. It is believed that everything is connected and unified with Tao.

Tao

Tao can be be interpreted as road, channel, path, doctrine, or line. According to the tradition, Tao is indescribable. It refers to something nameless, natural, eternal and spontaneous.  It has variously been denoted as the flow of the universe", a conceptually necessary ontological ground, or a demonstration of nature. The Tao also is something that individuals can find immanent in themselves.

Wu-wei

Taoist philosophy proposes that the universe works harmoniously according to its own ways. When someone exerts their will against the world, they disrupt that harmony. Taoism does not identify one's will as the root problem. Rather, it asserts that one must place their will in harmony with the natural universe. Thus, a potentially harmful interference is to be avoided, and in this way, goals can be achieved effortlessly.

Naturalness

The primordial state. The one an individual must identify with. To attain naturalness, one has to free oneself from selfishness and desire, and appreciate simplicity.

The Three Trasures

The Three Treasures (also called Three Jewels) are basic virtues in Taoism comprising Compassion, Moderation, and Humility. They are also translated as kindness, simplicity (or the absence of excess), and modesty.

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces, such as action and non-action, light and dark, hot and cold, and so on,  are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world; and, how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Bahai_symbole

The Bahá'í Faith is one of the latest world's major religions. Here are some fects about this religion.
  • It is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century in Persia.
  • The religion emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind. That is to say the faith acceptsall religions as having true and valid origins
  • There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.
  • In the Bahá'í Faith, religious history is seen to have unfolded through a series of divine messengers such as Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and others, each of whom established a religion that was suited to the needs of the time and the capacity of the people
  • For Baha'is, the most recent messengers are the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. In Bahá'í belief, each consecutive messenger prophesied of messengers to follow.
  • Humanity is understood to be in a process of collective evolution, and the need of the present time is for the gradual establishment of peace, justice and unity on a global scale

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Religions of the world (video)

Religions of the world (video)

This is an introduction to World Religions

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Hallowmas or Triduum of All Saints

Church painting
Hallowmas is a three day celebration. It includes the Western Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve (Hallowe'en), All Saints' Day (All Hallows') and All Soul's Day. It lasts from October 31 to November 2 every year.
The word Hallowmas come the Old English word halig, meaning saint, and the word mass. This celebration is also known as the Triduum of All Hallows or Triduum of All Saints.

All Hallows' Eve

The first day of Hallowmas is called all Hallows' Eve. It is often shortened as Hallowe'en. It is the eve of All Saints' Day. It is said that, on this occasion, the veil between the material world and the afterlife thinned. In order not to be recognized by souls,people would wear masks or costumes to disguise their identities.

All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day occurs on November first and is a principal feast of the church year. It is the second day of Hallowmas. It is also one of the four days recommended for the administration of baptism. The occasion is considered to be a holy day to honor all the saints and martyrs, both known and unknown.

All Soul's Day

All Souls' Day is the last day of Hallowmas. It focuses on honoring all faithful Christians. The celebration is associated with the doctrine that the souls of the faithful who at death have not been cleansed from the temporal punishment due to venial sins and from attachment to mortal sins cannot immediately attain the beatific vision in heaven, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the Mass.
 Source: Wikipedia