Religious Studies What I learned

[Audio] In Taoism, it is believed that human beings should live in harmony with nature and the universe. It also teaches dualism, that everything has an opposing side to make sense, such as dark and light, evil and good, etc. Another important belief in Taoism is that the soul returns to the universe after death, there is no resurrection, heaven, or hell..

[Audio] One tradition I was unaware about was animism. It is interesting to know that in animism, everything that moves is controlled by invisible agents, which move them and have free will. This theory was first known by Edward Burnett Tylor, an anthropologist during the 1800-1900s. As a Christian, I believe we have free will, the capacity to act independently regardless of the state of others or what is happening around us, but there is something more to this, influence. As humans we tend to be influenced by others, and either God or Satan influence in the lives and decisions made. If a person claims to have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, their acts will show it, if not, faith would be worthless.

[Audio] In Animism, if a person offends a spirit it could result in sickness, injury, failure, or interpersonal conflicts (Dean Halverson, 2004). In Christianity, actions have consequences, either good or bad (Galatians 6:7), but sins are all forgiven by God once He is accepted as Lord and Savior. Humans have a soul and a spirit that returns to God once deceased, and there are spiritual beings governing the invisible world influencing the natural world..

[Audio] Similarly to animism there is Anthropomorphism, the attribution of things having human form. This term derives from the Greek Anthropos "human" and Morphe "form". It was first used by philosopher Xenophanes, to refer to similarities between deities and human characteristics. In Christianity, spiritual beings can appear in human form, possess someone, as well as talking animals (Numbers 22:28)..

[Audio] There is so much to learn from religions, and it is so complex, that no one will ever be able to understand them all..