Elements of Religion

Religion is a distinct form of consciousness in the globe, because of its faith in supernatural that involves sets of moral practices and norms and rituals. Religion is among the forms of the sets of social awareness which includes spiritual concepts, founded on supernatural beliefs and being such as spirits and gods which are viewed as subject of worship. The system of religion representation is based on mystical experience or beliefs which are attached to the mind-set of supreme or unknown beings. Basic religious beliefs of various religions is written in sacred books which inspired by God, gods or even spirits.

Supreme Beings and Religion

In every religion, people belief in the existence of supreme beings. In certain cases, supernatural forces were view as formless beings. People believed that these supreme beings influenced all human life aspects. However, these beliefs in supernatural power differ from religion set up to another. For instance, in Hindus religion, they belief in the existence of several gods and goddess thus referred to as polytheists; while in other religions such as Christian believe in only one God, and hence referred to as monotheists.

Every religion has got specified items that are believed to be sacred and holy. These form the heart of every religion. However, the perception of sacred and holy is a psychological construct. In other words, they are just symbols. Supreme beings are not visible. They just symbolize the unknown and unseen beings. Therefore, these perceptions are founded on faith rather than reality. For instance, a cow is viewed as holy and sacred in Hindu religion due to their faith.

Human Rituals and Religion

Rituals represent the practical part in every religion. These are behavioral practices performed by groups or individual in honor of the supernatural forces. Rituals involve different practices such as dressing in specified cloths, hymns, reciting prayers, singing, bathing in holy rivers, fasting, and crawling. Rituals cover wide area in the religion. Rituals are performed by an individual or groups and sometimes may incorporate forms of festivals or ceremony. For instance, a Hindu believer can execute some rites unaccompanied or participate in Bhajanas or Kirtan, as well a Muslim can perform Namaz unaccompanied or with others in the mosque. A Christian as well can present a prayer alone to God or in a fellowship with other Christians. This aims at strengthening people faith and beliefs in the supreme beings.