Religion and Anthropology of religion, magic, and witchcraft

Global events are a reflection of societal human perceptions. Sometimes the content of human thought trumps contextual comprehension of the world around us. Religions all throughout the world highlight numerous issues in human values and societal ideas. Our universe, interestingly, is filled of inconsistencies and extremes. There are always two competing forces around us. Several religions affirm the existence of God as a supernatural being. His presence explains the excellent activities in the society. However, the devil’s existence is unavoidable in such cultures. In an ideal world, human nature exposes the concept of right and wrong in some ways. The principles of humanity dictate that a person chooses to be either good or do evil in the society (Wallace, 2013). Thus, the view of good or evil presents a debatable case in the formal corporations and religions as well.

Such conditions exist in the professional fields. Working as a professional in the entertainment industry, for instance, have come to interact from different cultural backgrounds. Every culture has their substantial ways of considering what is right for any action accorded to them in the service industry (Sire, 2015). In many situations, people tend to distinguish the will of good intentions from those that target their welfare. Thus, the professional field demands the input of both the religious beliefs and the ethics of humanity. An individual can extricate the good from the evil when the intentions of the act are understandable. This way, our understanding of the good and evil manipulated based on our fundamental beliefs as a society. In the work society, people view good works as on the opinion of the recipients of the action. If you help someone in need of aid at the time, the society will perceive that action as either evil or good dwelling on the reaction of the recipients (Sire, 2015). This way, the view of good and evil considerably presents different perceptions among religious and social groups.

Hindus, for instance, in their quest to exploit the same, asserts that the real nature of human beings manifests in our relationships with one another in the world. Doing good deeds to one another in the society highlights the fundamental beliefs in the existence of God amidst the human race. Similarly, the religion assigns the word “karma” to the actions of humanity and explains the same in the quest to exploring the perceptive values entrusted in the society (Wallace, 2013). Consequently, this religion expounds on the perspective that whatever sort of action one undertakes there lies a consequence. The same consequences exist in our daily experiences both at the professional levels and at the family responsibility.

Moreover, there is a common cause of construction and destruction of human growth. The fundamental beliefs of various religions in the world explain the reasons as to why some people prosper while others destroyed along the way. The commonalities in these perspectives postulate that there is a standard course to existing controversies in the human races. Thus, the perception of good and evil applied in many instances illustrates the origin of human understanding of God (Boyd & Nishimura, 2016). We are a product of dualistic relations. The result of our perception of each other in the society not only directs our emotions but also dictates the directions of our decisions. Nevertheless, religious matters deserve critical considerations in establishing a correlational understanding of the two aspects of the views.

Buddhist at the same time claims that the view of evil and good in the society relatively defines individual acts in the status quo. The absolute measure in this context does not issue a warrant of the judgment of an individual. However, every member of the society has the capability of undertaking his or her actions accountable. Therefore, we live in a society where the perspective of right and wrong is only about the weight attached to the consequences of the actions (Stein and Stein, 2015).

Confucianism and Taoism insist that the two forces of good and evil be unavoidable in any society. According to them, the life we live on earth is more crucial and requires human beings to play their part in the communities. Substantially, everyone needs to play his or her part to protect life on earth or suffer the destructive consequences.

Accordingly, the Shinto on the, on the other hand, explore the context of evil concerning the environment. It is an evil act when we pollute the environment via any act of impunity in any society. A human being has the mandate of taking care of the environment. Thus, when we take care of everything around us, then we are doing well to the living creatures and ourselves (Boyd and Nishimura, 2016). This association is applicable in the contemporary society as an example of the views among different cults.

Concisely, I think the view of good and evil in the society bears a close link to fundamental beliefs among the religious groups. These views are subject to the understandings in the primary values of the societies. This implies that the environment and background of a person influence perceptions.

References

Boyd, J. W., & Nishimura, T. (2016). Shinto Perspectives in Miyazaki’s Anime Film” Spirited Away.“ Journal of Religion & Film, 8(3), 4.

Wallace, A. (2013). Religion: An Anthropological view. New York: Random House.

Sire, J. W. (2015). Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept. Downer Grove: InterVarsity Press.

Stein, R. L., & Stein, P. (2015). Anthropology of religion, magic, and witchcraft. London: Routledge.