The Civilization of Illiteracy Part 54

A G.o.d for Each of Us

The following books set forth the basic tenets of their respective religions:

Bhagavad Gita: part of the epic poem Mahabharata, this Sanskrit dialog between Krishna and Prince Arjuna poetically describes a path to spiritual wisdom and unity with G.o.d. Action, devotion, and knowledge guide on this path.

Torah: the books of Moses (also known as the Pentateuch); for Chistians, the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. These describe the origin of the world, the covenant between G.o.d and the people of Israel, the Exodus from Egypt and return to the Promised Land, and rules for religious and social behavior. Together with the books labeled Prophets and Writings, they make up the entire Old Testament. The controversy among Jews, Roman Catholics, Eastern Christians, and Protestants about the acceptance of some books, the order of books, and translations reflect the different perspectives adopted within these religions.

New Testament: the Christian addition to the Bible comprises 27 books. They contain sayings attributed to Jesus, his life story (death and resurrection included), the writings of the apostles, rules for conversion and baptism, and the Apocalypse (the end of this world and the beginning of a new one).

Koran (al Qur'an): the holy book of the Moslems, is composed of 114 chapters (called suras). Belief in Allah, descriptions of rules for religious and social life, calls to moral life, and vivid descriptions of h.e.l.l make up most of the text. According to Moslem tradition, Mohammed ascended the mount an illiterate.

He came down with the Koran, which Allah had taught him to write.

I-Ching: attributed to Confucius, composed of five books, containing a history of his native district, a system for divining the future (Book of Changes), a description of ceremonies and the ideal government (Book of Rites), and a collection of poetry. In their unity, all these books affirm principles of cooperation, reciprocal respect, and describe etiquette and ritual rules.

Mircea Eliade, Editor-in-Chief.The Encyclopedia of Religion ().

New York: Macmillan, 1987.

Mircea Eliade (with I. P. Couliano and H.S. Wiesner). The Eliade Guide to World Religions. San Francisco: Harper, 1991.

Eliot Alexander. The Universal Myths: Heroes, G.o.ds, Tricksters, and Others. New York: New American Library, 1990.

P. K. Meagher, T.C. O'Brien, Sister Consuelo Maria Aherne.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion. 3 Vols. Corpus City Publications, 1979.

In regard to the multiplicity of religions, the following works provide a good reference:

John Ferguson. G.o.ds Many and Lords Many: A Study in Primal Religions. Guildford, Surrey: Lutterworth Educational, 1982.

Suan Imm Tan. Many Races, Many Religions. Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau, 1971-72.

H. Byron Earhart. Religions of j.a.pan: Many Traditions within One Sacred Way. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984.

John M. Reid. Doomed Religions. A Series of Essays on Great Religions of the World. New York: Phillips & Hunt, 1884.

Although no precise statistics are available, it is a.s.sumed that ca. three billion people acknowledge religion in our days. The numbers are misleading, though. For instance, only 2.4% of the population in England attends religious services; in Germany, the percentage is 9%; in some Moslem countries, service attendance is close to 100%. The "3-day Jews" (two days of Rosh Hashana and 1 day of Yom Kippur, also known as "revolving door"

Jews, in for New Year and out after Atonement Day), the Christian Orthodox and Catholics of Christmas and Easter, and the Buddhists of funeral ceremonials belong to the vast majority that refers to religion as a cultural identifier. Many priests and higher order ec.u.menical workers recite their prayers as epic poetry.

Atheism. The "doctrine that G.o.d does not exist, that existence of G.o.d is a false belief" (cf. M. Eliade, Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 1, pp 479-480). Literature on atheism continuously increases. A selection showing the many angles of atheism can serve as a guide:

The American Atheist (periodical). Austin TX: American Atheists.

Gordon Stein, Editor. An Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism.

Buffalo NY: Prometheus Books, 1980.

Michael Martin. Atheism: A Philosophical a.n.a.lysis. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.

Jacques J. Natanson. La Mort de Dieu: Essai sur l'Athisme Moderne. Paris: Presses Univrstaires de France, 1975.

Robert A. Morey. The New Atheism and the Erosion of Freedom.

Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1986.

James Thrower. A Short History of Western Atheism. London: Pemberton Books, 1971.

Robert Eno. The Confucian Creation of Heaven. Philosophy and the Defense of Ritual Mastery. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.

Ronald L. Grimes. Research in Ritual Studies. A Programmatic Essay and Bibliography. Chicago: American Theological Library a.s.sociation; Metuchen NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1985.

Evan M. Zuesse. Ritual Cosmos. The Sanctification of Life in African Religions. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1979.

G.o.dfrey and Monica Wilson. The a.n.a.lysis of Social Change. Based on observations in Central Africa. Cambridge: The University Press, 1968.

"A pagan Najakunsa believes himself to be dependent upon his deceased father for health and fertility; he acts as if he were, and expresses his sense of dependence in rituals" (p. 41).

References for the study of myths are as follows:

Eliot Alexander. The Universal Myths: Heroes, G.o.ds, Tricksters, and Others. New York: New American Library, 1990.

Jane Ellen Harrison. Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion.

New York: Arno Press, 1975.

Walter Burkert. Ancient Mystery Cults. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1987.

John Ferguson. Greek and Roman Religion: A Source Book. Park Ridge NJ: Noyes Press, 1980.

Arcadio Schwade. Shinto-Bibliography in Western Languages.

Leiden: Brill, 1986.

j.a.panese Shintoism began before writing.

Hinduism: With one of the highest number of followers (ca. 650 million), Hinduism is an eclectic religion. Indigenous elements and Aryan religions, codified around 1500 BCE in the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajor Veda, Atharva Veda, Aranyakas, Upanishads, result in an amalgam of practices and beliefs dominating religious and social life in Indiat The caste system cla.s.sifies members of society in four groups: priests (Brahmins), rulers, farmers, and merchants, laborers (on farms or in industry).

Devotion to a guru, adherence to the Vedic scriptures, the practice of yoga are the forms of religious action. The divine Trinity of Hinduism unites Brahma (the creator), Vishna (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).

Taoism: In the Tao Te Ching (Book of the Way and Its Virtue), one reads: "The Tao of origin gives birth to the One. The One gives birth to the Two. The Two gives birth to the Three. The Three produces the Ten Thousand Things." With some background in Tao, the poetry becomes explicit: The One is the Supreme Void, primordial Breath. This engenders Two, Yin and Yang, the duality from which everything sprung once a ternary relation is established. Tao is poetic ontology.

Confucianism: Stressing the relationship among individuals, families, and society, Confucianism is based on two percepts: li (proper behavior) and jen (cooperative att.i.tude). Confucius expressed the philosophy on which this religion is based on sayings and dialogues during the 6th-5th century BCE. Challenged by the mysticism of religions (Taoism, Buddhism) in the area of its inception, some followers incorporated their spirit in new-Confucianism (during the period known as the Sung dynasty, 960-1279).

Judaism: Centered on the belief in one G.o.d, Judaism is the religion of the Book (the Torah), established at around 2000 BCE by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Judaism promotes the idea of human improvement, as well as the Messianic thought. Strong dedication to community and sense of family are part of the religious practice.

Islam: The contemporary religion with the highest number of adherents (almost 9000 million Muslims on record), and growing fast, Islam celebrates Mohammed, who received the Koran from Allah. Acknowledged at 610, Islam (which means "submission to G.o.d") places its prophet in the line started with Abraham, continued with Moses, and redirected by Jesus. The five pillars of Islam are: Allah is the only G.o.d, prayer (facing Mecca) five times a day, giving of alms, fast of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Christianity: in its very many denominations (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, which split further into various sects, such as Baptist, Pentecostal, Episcopal, Lutheran, Mormon, Unitarian, Quakers), claims to have its origin in Jesus Christ and completes the Old Testament of the Hebrews with the New Testament of the apostles. It is impossible to capture the many varieties of Christianity in characteristics unanimously accepted. Probably the major celebrations of Christianity (some originating in pre-Christian pagan rituals related to natural cycles), i.e., Christmas and Easter, better reflect elements of unity. Christianity promotes respect for moral values, dedication to the family, and faith in one G.o.d composed of three elements (the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

Bahai of Bah'i: ascertains the unity of all religious doctrines as these embody ideals of spiritual truth. The name comes from Baha Ullah (Glory of G.o.d), adopted by its founder Mirza Husain Ali Nuri, in 1863, in extension of the al-Bab religion.

Universal education, equality between male and female, and world order and peace are its goals. The religion is estimated to have 5 million adherents world-wide.

Richard Wilhelm. I Ging; Das Buch der Wandlungen.