History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

History - Essay Example In this essay I will attempt an outline of five of the earliest religions that are known including those of Ancient Greece and India, the early Islamic religion and the early religious views of Africa. However, to begin I will examine the religious views of the early Chinese civilization. In fact, in the early Chinese civilization there are said to have existed three separate doctrines. These doctrines were Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The religions of Christianity and Islam are said not to have reached this region until the 7th century A.D. The ideas of Taoism are said to have originated in the 6th century B.C and were founded upon the thought of a man named Lao Tzu (although there are many who believe this man is purely a mythical figure). In reality, while Taoism can be viewed in terms of religious practice, it is essentially more of a system of philosophical thought. It is based on a few simple principles which include the belief that there is a kind of universal 'life-forc e' that is inherent in all things. Therefore, respecting and caring for all things is a vital element within this system, and individuals are duly encouraged not to use force but should rather be prepared to compromise and have faith in more natural forces. 2 Around a century later, Confucius (551-479 B.C) reacted somewhat against the teachings of Taoism and set about creating his own system that became known as Confucianism. Again, it can be argued that this system, while it is generally considered as a Religion of China, is in reality more focused on both political and social morality. Nevertheless, Confucianism was to become enormously influential, especially during the Han Dynasty that ruled from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D. In simple terms, this doctrine asserts that people should remain faithful to both their rulers and their Gods and that humbly carrying out their duties is the way to peace and happiness. Let us now move across the map and look at the religious views of Ancient Gr eece. In fact, the original motivation behind the religious views of the Ancient Greeks lay in a reaction against the 'gloomy' religion of Ancient Egypt. In addition, we find there is a fundamental difference between the religion of Greece and many others (including the above Religions of China) and that is the fact that it was not founded by any one figure and had neither sacred scriptures nor system of priestly hierarchies. The religious views of this country were in fact not limited to faith or belief but were rather focused on incorporating a positive practice into the quotidian life of its inhabitants. This is mainly due to the fact that the Greek gods were largely based on the image of man, and were little different with regards to character from man himself. For certain, the gods were seen as both stronger and more intelligent than mere mortals, but neither holy nor omnipotent. Therefore, man was regarded as their spiritual equal. 3 In particular, the people of Ancient Greece are said to have taken great joy in participating in the practice of looking into the future and thereby attempting to predict its outcome. For this reason the so-called 'oracles' were both much revered and respected. Of all the known oracles, the oracle known as Delphi was said to be the most revered of all. Delphi was in fact considered to be something of a 'center' for the earth and thus was consulted often with regards to matters of earthly significance. In fact, the