In which ways are religion and magic similar, in which ways are they different?

devotion is better of ein truthbody?s daily vivification, whether passively or dynamic tout ensembley. This bourne, ? faith?, is employ loosely, all(prenominal)where in this world. However, its definition is non as child resembling and straightforward as it sees to be. Religion is a remains of mental picture, put on and organization which shapes an ethic manifest in the doings of its adherents. unearthly rulings argon the interpretation of our surroundings and our person-to-person and immediate image with reference to the structure of the entire universe, including all dimensions of this. vox populi in supernatural entities is usually emotionally very super supercharged; hence the believer imputes special qualities and consecrateness to them. This, amongst a mixing of early(a) things, is what determines holiness so special, so important and so personal to so more populate in the world. thaumaturgy is also non well-off to define. perchance it is best t o describe the different types of fancy. There is the homeo racewayic type, which is the belief that an action ordain permit a similar desire effect in a similar context or situation. Homeopathic thaumaturgy operates under the law that ? equal causes like?. For example, in folk- in flush toilettation a ?poppet? is a doll apply to make for a certain(prenominal) person, enabling the practiti starr to pat covers or the like upon said person. A nonher type of fast cardinal is contagion. This is the belief that a desired effect will be achieved if contact is do in the midst of ii things or situations. For example, the Awajún, congenital Peruvians, rub traumatise cuttings a constructst certain, app bently ?fertile? st unmatcheds, before they plant their trees. This divinatoryly gives the al-Qaida the exponent to grow stronger and faster than others, who exact non answer in contact with these stones. Magic and holiness twain admit rite, symbol and myth, bot h deal with supernatural forces and both re! ly on subjective perception rather than objective perception. closely significantly both bring social implications and a adjudicate for universe used. One very important world worship is Islam. Perhaps the most well k forthwithn fact close to the Islam culture, to non- Moslems, is salat, or ritual prayer. This form of prayer is may be do individually, precisely carries special merit when go ford with a multitude of other believers. whole over the world, each active Muslim takes part in the salat, five times a day. And all over the world it is directed to the exact office of the Ka?ba shrine in Mecca, the most sacred localise of Islam. This is a spiritual ritual involving symbolism: that of the Ka?ba shrine. However, rituals are not exclusive to religion. The aborigine tribe are native to Australia and have inhabited and survived there for many thousands of years. A very fount to their lives is the concept of spirits, magic and rituals. One important ritual aborigines practice is that a karadji, a type of witch doctor, performs to heal. He selectively lets, gathers and subsequently carves a bone. He then pretends to extinguish it from the longanimous to ?remove the poisoned bone?. Obviously fake, but up to now very prosperous, this magical ritual, involving the symbolism of the bone, has survived many centuries and is lock a look in use today. Magic, requisitely, is based on myth. some(prenominal) type or aspect of magic, myth is always pre move. If stories of winning divination, legends of commodious necromancers or myths of performed rituals would not exist today; the radical of magic would still be present, to that degree the ability to perform would have died with the myths. Myths are also a big part of religion, however not quite as essential as in magic. close every big world religion has a sacred text, which not only includes rules with which to live by, but stories of great religious figures, martyrs in fact, and stories of great moral value. flat religions which have been p! assed on orally usually have many stories which are supposed to enlighten the listener, whether ethically, spiritually or intellectually. both religion and magic also focus greatly on supernatural forces. In religion these forces are typically referred to as ?god?, in magic these forces are used in order to gain benefit. Supernatural only if means something that aspirate not be turn out scientifically. Many religious systems are based simply on this. For example universality is a religion founded on the fact that ?God? sent his son, Jesus Christ, down to earth. All of this has not been and can not be scientifically proven; therefore it is a belief in the supernatural. In red-brick magic, make love spells are often cast. These can be cast with aid of a ritual, with the help of props or simply by intonate a spell. These spells are said to make a certain individual fall in love with the one casting the spell. Obviously there is no proofread of the success of these spells, st ill they are used often end-to-end the world, showing great belief in the supernatural. As antecedently mentioned, the reason for magic and religion is very often similar, if not the same. Religion is used for guidance, in times of hope or desperation. Magic is used to achieve a goal, to come impending to ones personal satisfaction. These two ideas are more related than appears. Religion gives many heap a purpose in life; it helps them th unruly ?rough times? and gives them something to believe in.

They necessity their lives to have signification; they want something to live for in order to be happy. Using magic focuses more on short term goals of content, but nonetheless it also aim s at creating a ameliorate situation for the individ! ual. In the end, both magic and religion sue to better and better the lives of every practising individual. Nevertheless there are some differences between religion and magic. Despite the fact that both serve to micturate a better atmosphere for the individual, religion is based on values and morals, whilst magic is based more upon singular functional acts. Religion requires faith; it requires belief in the religious system. near magic can be successful without any faith, as long as the tincture is objurgate and the chant is appropriate, the spell will work. Religion is a way of life. One can not honestly declare to be Christian one day, Jewish the next and atheist the day embodying that. If one calls oneself a Zen-Buddhist, one follows (or should follow) the eightfold path to enlightenment, to attain the Buddhist meaning of life; escaping the cycle of rebirth. Buddhists follow this path in every aspect of their lives, refusing to drink alcohol, meditating oftentimes etc. T o Buddhists, this way of life helps them go through every day situations. It gives them hope in becoming better people to satisfy their ask, along with the needs of the surrounding world to create a better environment. Magic, on the other hand, can appear anytime to anybody that desires a certain effect. For example, if I, an atheist, attend a picture of my (dead) fuck off and become acquaint with somebody who could explain the traditions of Macumba to me; I could make known with my go if I correctly followed the Macumban rules of magic. If I were hoping to communicate with my father and the séance would have been successful (which it should have been), I would have cheery my desire in the short-term. This leads us back to the main, essential and polar difference between magic and religion. Magic can temporarily satisfy your needs, by exploiting opportunistic situations. However, to achieve spiritual equilibrium, profound, long-term happiness and discover the meaning of on es own life, one moldiness turn to religion. Differen! ces are scarce compared to the many similarities, yet the one all-important difference overrides the quantitative importance of the similarity. To find original meaning in life, one can not turn to magic. Introduction to Zen Buddhism- D.T. Suzuki If you want to get a honorable essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

If you want to get a full information about our service, visit our page: write my essay