User talk:Peter J. King/Laboratory: Difference between revisions
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The | The attitude to gods is normally positive (they are seen as, if not good or benevolent, then at least not bad or malevolent); a being thought of begatively would normally bot be accounted a god but a demon or some other superantural creature. Nevertheless, few theistic religions whose beliefs involve personal gods have thought of them as being reliable or predictable, and so many religious practices have involved some form of bargaining. This can take such forms as [petitionary prayer], praise, ceremonies of appeasement, and [[sacrifice]].. | ||
This sort of activity is related to the common use of gods to explain important natural phenomena that affect human beings: natural events such as [[tsunami]]s, [[earthquake]]s, and [[volcanic eruption]]s; human conditions such as health and illness; regularities such as the seasons, animal migrations, and tidal flooding; celestial events such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, eclipses, and comets. (One of the most common types of such explanation is, of course, the very existence of the world and its contents, though this rarely lends itself to bargaining.) | This sort of activity is related to the common use of gods to explain important natural phenomena that affect human beings: natural events such as [[tsunami]]s, [[earthquake]]s, and [[volcanic eruption]]s; human conditions such as health and illness; regularities such as the seasons, animal migrations, and tidal flooding; celestial events such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, eclipses, and comets. (One of the most common types of such explanation is, of course, the very existence of the world and its contents, though this rarely lends itself to bargaining.) | ||
Revision as of 09:40, 23 March 2007
--Peter J. King (Talk) 17:08, 14 February 2007 (CST)
--Peter J. King (Talk) 17:09, 14 February 2007 (CST)
--Peter J. King Talk 17:17, 14 February 2007 (CST)
test
The attitude to gods is normally positive (they are seen as, if not good or benevolent, then at least not bad or malevolent); a being thought of begatively would normally bot be accounted a god but a demon or some other superantural creature. Nevertheless, few theistic religions whose beliefs involve personal gods have thought of them as being reliable or predictable, and so many religious practices have involved some form of bargaining. This can take such forms as [petitionary prayer], praise, ceremonies of appeasement, and sacrifice..
This sort of activity is related to the common use of gods to explain important natural phenomena that affect human beings: natural events such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions; human conditions such as health and illness; regularities such as the seasons, animal migrations, and tidal flooding; celestial events such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, eclipses, and comets. (One of the most common types of such explanation is, of course, the very existence of the world and its contents, though this rarely lends itself to bargaining.)
Bargaining can also be designed to avert the unintentional causing of divine anger and retribution, or to gain help in ensuring the success of one's activities. This, and the other forms of bargaining, can also involve non-divine superantural entities such as saints, bodhisattvas, and animistic spirits.
Gods can also be used to explain and to justify the social organisation of human beings. for example, the notion of the divine right of kings , or – more directly – the claim that a ruler is himself a god, that he is of divine descent, or that he is destined to become a god after his death.
Religious activities that do not involve bargaining include the giving of thanks or of praise, and the communal reinforcement of religious belief and commitments.