Religion as a Basis for Civilization
...fled from England to live in the new world, America, it was because they opposed the king’s form of ruling and they didn’t believe in the certain religion that they were forced to practice. The pilgrims wanted freedom of religion and thus started their own civilization in the land that is presently the United States. There are many different kinds of religions that continue to exist in the world today, but not all started out the way we now practice them. Mythology is a form of religion that is based on people’s beliefs in gods and goddesses. Although many of us today read mythical stories, such as Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth, and find them very unrealistic, in ancient time people worshiped these all-powerful gods and truly believed in their unique form of existence. The gods and goddesses were considered inhumane because they possessed qualities unknown to mankind. There was a god for every aspect of life; the ocean, the weather, the sun, and these gods were very temperamental. If angered by an action of a human being, such as greed or jealousy, a god had the power to create a terrible storm that could easily destroy the plentiful land that the people harvested and benefited from. I have come to realize that ancient civilizations, such as the Sumerians, created mythical gods and goddesses to explain natural phenomenon that occurred during the course of their lives. They also believed that their fates were determined by the gods, so they tried very hard to be good and honest people in order to satisfy and please the gods. As civilizations progressed and became better educated, however, people’s faith in the gods and goddesses grew faint and stories such as Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth, which we read for class, became more fictional than realistic. The Bible, which is comprised of many mythical stories that are believed by many to be true, is a holy text that contains the basis for many religions, including Judaism and Christianity. The first two sections of the Bible are Genesis and Exodus, which tell about how the Earth was created and how we all somehow came into existence. These sections contain stories that are considered myths, but as David Cantor pointed out in his lecture on the Bible, “A myth isn’t just simply a story; it is a historical piece of evidence and information.” The Bible is based on a monotheist God, unlike in Sumerian times when the people believed in many gods and goddesses, Inanna being just one of them. This God that the Bible refers to is an ideal figure that people try to exemplify. People aspire to be free of sins and obedient in order to please God and they live their lives to be forgiving and humble like He is. We all, in some way or another, try to exemplify the good traits of God in our everyday lives. Our faith in God is what fortifies our humble existence in the world today and reinforces our unstable place in society. There are other kinds of religions that different civilizations around the world practice that don’t necessarily have any spiritual leaders. For example, Taoism, which is part of the Chinese culture. Taoism focuses more on the spiritual form of being and maintaining a total peace of mind, rather than the belief in a god....