From this danger of falling into a polytheistic interpretation of nature, primitive man was saved by Divine Revelation. It is worthy of note that the emotions awakened by the religious consciousness are such as make for a healthy optimism. Such conversions, coming unexpectedly and transforming the individual into a new man, happy in the consciousness of Divine love and active in works of piety, have been popularly viewed as miraculous in every instance. During early centuries of Christian history, majority of Christians who followed doctrines represented in Nicene Creed were bound by one common and undivided Catholicity that was uniting the Latin speaking Christians of West and the Greek speaking Christians of the East. Contact information. But it was not an equally simple matter to discern in the great diversity of these phenomena the action of but one supreme personality. [31], The Augsburg Confession found within the Book of Concord, a compendium of belief of the Lutheranism, teaches that "the faith as confessed by Luther and his followers is nothing new, but the true catholic faith, and that their churches represent the true catholic or universal church". Cicero, in his "De natura deorum", II, xxviii, derives religion from relegere (to treat carefully): "Those who carefully took in hand all things pertaining to the gods were called religiosi, from relegere." To the Theist this offers a strong presumptive argument in favour of Divine revelation, for God would hardly leave this legitimate craving of the human heart unsatisfied. This emotional element enters into the external worship of every religion, but its extent and character vary considerably, being determined by the particular standard of propriety prevailing in a given grade of culture. (See FETISHISM.) In the higher religions there is also the sense of duty arising from the recognition of God's sovereignty, and consequently of His strict right to the subjection and worship of man. (c) Regulation of Conduct within the Recognized Sphere of Moral Obligation. Religion on its subjective side is essentially, but not exclusively, an affair of the will, the will to acknowledge by acts of homage man's dependence on God. It is on the steep incline to social and political ruin. The recognized possibility of attaining this end engenders hope. Scarcely less fatal is Deism, which, putting God far from the visible world, denies Divine providence and the efficacy of prayer. The early Hebrew religion, like most of the religions of antiquity, had its sacred dances. Imprimatur. We shall briefly review the more common ones. Relations between East and West were further estranged by the tragic events of the Massacre of the Latins in 1182 and Sack of Constantinople in 1204. Personality is also associated with them, particularly where the phenomena are suggestive of intelligent purpose. Genesis 4:3-5; Matthew 5:23). It has been the glory of the religion of Christ that, starting with the highest ethical principles, it has pointed out to men the true path to moral and spiritual perfection, and given the most powerful aids to the successful pursuit of this lofty ideal. Out of this many-sided study have grown the modern branches known as the history of religion, comparative religion, and the psychology of religion, all of which are supplemented and completed by the older discipline, the philosophy of religion. It is still more strikingly shown by the conversion from scepticism to Christian faith of distinguished scholars such as Littré, Romanes, Brunetière, Bourget, Coppée, and von Ruville. 12. Still, in perhaps the majority of religions, at least the beginnings of a filial affection for the Deity are felt. Most noteworthy has been the influence of Christianity in transforming and elevating society. In these are included acts of faith, hope, love, humility, and repentance. There are few religions in which recourse is not had to supernatural aid for miraculous cures. It is a symptom of unrest, of an unhealthy, excessive reaction from the simple view of nature that prevailed in both science and religion in former times. Hence the widespread observance of religious festivals, when public sacrifices are offered with elaborate ritual and are accompanied with feasting and rest from ordinary business. The recognition of the unseen world stirs the imagination. Sometimes the prophecy is made after emerging from a trance, in which the prophet is thought to be favoured with Divine visions and communications. In lower religions the office of prophet is almost invariably characterized by extraordinary mental excitement, taken by the worshippers as the sign of the inspiring presence of the Deity. In the account which he gave of his experiences, a translation of which was published in the "Smithsonian Report" of 1864, he testified to their stupidity and utter lack of religion. Sacrifice is equally common with prayer. In Christianity the various forms of self-denial, particularly the counsels of perfection (poverty, chastity, and obedience) cultivated in the spirit of Divine love, have led to the flourishing of the ascetic life within the limits of true religious propriety. On the welfare of the people depends that of the individual. MLA citation. The absence of hope paralyzes the virtue of religion. Above the needs of the individual are the needs of the family, and higher still are the needs of the clan and people. Were true, we should find the religions of antiquity, consent religious order or institute the... They come to know them from distant places the height of perfection limitations... 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