Aspects of Religion
Religious Symbols
Religious symbols are a variety of different signs and marks that symbolize important objects and people in a religion. An example of a symbol for Catholicism is the Cross that Jesus was crucified on.
The Religious Symbols of Catholicism
There are many different symbols in the Catholic religion, such as:
# The Cross, on which Jesus was crucified.
# The Dove, the symbol of peace, and the bird that showed Noah the way to land.
# Alpha and Omega, which God said, "I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end."
The Religious Symbols of Buddhism
The are also other religions that include symbols. The two main symbols of Buddhism are:
# The Wheel of Dharma, otherwise known as the Wheel of Life, is the symbol that represents Buddhism.
# The Lotus Flower, which represents purity of the body, speech and mind.
Sacred Texts
Sacred texts are books and writings that are found holy or sacred to its religion.
The Sacred Texts of Catholicism
The sacred text of catholicism is the Bible, which tells of saints and Jesus himself. Their are two parts in it: The Old Testament, which tells stories of saints before Jesus was born, and the New Testament, which tells us about Jesus.
The Sacred Texts of Buddhism
Buddhists don't really have a religious text. Each type of Buddhist group has their own kind of text they believe to be sacred. All Buddhists have one text in common, which is The Four Noble Truths.
Myths and Stories
Myths and Stories are what they say. Myths and Stories. All religions have their different stories about their saints, gods and people.
Myths and Stories of Catholicism
The many stories of Catholicism are all put into one book, which is the Bible. They were sorted into two different sections, the New Testament and the Old Testament.
Myths and Stories of Buddhism
Buddhists don't really have any stories, but they have many myths. The main one is they believe God doesn't exist.
Other ones are:
# When they die, their mind is re-established inside a fertilized egg.
# Human beings have lived past lives.
# Their purpose of life is to reach the sacred place Nirvana.
Rituals
Religious rituals are special ceremonies that you may need to complete.
They differ between religions.
Catholic Rituals
The Catholic religion has many rituals. The main rituals are the Seven Sacraments:
# Baptism
# Confirmation
# Eucharist
# Reconciliation
# Anointing of the Sick
# Holy Orders
# Matrimony
Buddhist Rituals
The Buddhism rituals are much different to Catholic Rituals. The main ones are:
# Meditation
# Mantras
# Mudras
# Prayer Wheels
Beliefs
Religious beliefs are basically the same things as religious myths. It's a collective of things that the religion considers real and is sacred.
Catholic Beliefs
The Catholic Church has many different beliefs. Their main one is that their is a God, and he is the being who created this world in 7 days.
Buddhist Beliefs
Buddhists have just as many beliefs as the Catholic Church, but their main belief is the opposite to the Catholics one: they believe that God doesn't exist.
Ethics
Ethics are the rules of conduct inside a religion. They relate to moral principles and Social Structures.
Catholic and Buddhist Ethics
Catholic and Buddhist ethics are different in many ways, but they have one rule in common, as do all other religions: people in that religion aren't allowed to be a part of any other religion.
Social Structures
The religious social structure is what ties all religions down to the very point of where religion began.
Spirituality
The essence of spirituality is the search to know our real self and to discover the true nature of the consciousness.