TYPES OF RELIGIONS Mankind did not always have the same religion nor believe in one God. Sin was a prime cause in mans gradual alienation from faith in the one true God. Due to his lack of knowledge and understanding, man began to deify various objects and phenomenon of nature which he feared, or marveled at or felt gratitude toward. Thus, depending on the degree of development of man, various types of religion were formed. These religions today have been classified into two large categories: 1) the Natural Religions and 2) the Reveled Religions. Natural Religions are those religions which man formulated by himself his own powers, i.e. Idolatry of many ancient people (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians). Revealed Religions are those religions that man has received by divine revelation from God. According to the belief of us Christians, there are two: 1) Judaism, which was revealed to the Israelites by God through the patriarchs and through Moses and the other prophets of Israel. 2) Christianity, which was reveled to mankind by the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There are also other religions whose founders maintain that they established them on the basis direct revelation from God; such as Zoroastrianism and Mohammedanism. The religions of the world are also classified as monotheistic and polytheistic as well as living and dead. It is apparent that men from time immemorial desired to communicate with the Supreme Being or with the Supreme Powers, who according to their belief governed the world and their lives. Practically, all of these religions taught men what their obligation was toward God and their fellowman. They were a support and a comfort to men during their trials and tribulations of life. Basically, all these religious manifestations express the inner nature of man who is religious and inclined toward God. For this reason, a Christian must examine these religions sympathetically and not look upon them with disdain or contempt. Perhaps it would be appropriate for us to bear in mind the words of St. Paul test everything; hold fast what is good. (I Thess. 5:21)
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 03:54:22 +0000
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