Principles for Cognizing the Sacred Essay -- Spiritual Religion Papers

Principles for Cognizing the Sacred Today we need a scientific analysis of basic world views which expresses genuine understanding of the sacred. Such world views hold the main principles for cognizing reality. A ‘substratum’ understanding of the Sacred is characteristic of mythology and magic, wherein all spiritual phenomena are closely connected with a material or corporeal bearer. Functional understanding of the Sacred is developed by the earliest civilizations in which the spiritual is separated from the material. For example, Plato, Aristotle, and Neoplatonism created European functional theology. Substantial understanding of the Sacred appears in Christianity. Here we find the synthesis of substratum and functional peculiarities which are looked upon as "creaturous," revealed by God to man and integrated in their fundamental unity as the basis for variety. It is only unity which avoids the mixing of the three images of an object-substratum, function, and substance-that allows us to cognize a true obj ect. In reproducing the Sacred as such, we can show the Sacred as the unity of the mysterious and the obvious, the static and the dynamic, and the passive and the active. In our eventful time with unstable international conflicts and politics characterized by an pervasive enthusiasm for occultism and lack of spiritual depth, we need a renewed interest in the scientific analysis of basic world view concepts that can express a genuine understanding of the Sacred. Such concepts express the main principles for cognizing reality. They help us to systematise the information about our surrounding world, and to determine not only how we conceive ourselves and the world, but also the specific logic of linking such statements with t... ...ry of the Peoples of the World. Moscow 1976, p.22. (12) J. Freser, Golden Branch. Moscow 1987, pp. 54-55. (13) A. Men, History of Religion, op.cit., pp. 54-55. (14) M. Veber, Science as Inclination and Profession. Vol 2. Moscow 1979, p.343. (15) K. Levi-Strauss, Structural Anthropology. Moscow 1983, p.147. (16) Aristotle, Works. Vol. 1. Moscow 1975, p.189. (17) G.V. Florovsky, Eastern Fathers of the Ivth Century. Moscow 1992, p.152. (18) Ibid., pp. 14-15. (19) Ibid., pp. 112, 84. (20) W.Pannenberg, Theology and Philosophy of Science. Philadelphia 1976, pp. 29-35, 45. (210 A. F. Losev, Of the Early Works. Moscow 1990, p.574. (22) F. Engels, Natural Dialectics. Vol 20. Moscow, pp. 382, 392, 566. (23) G. A. Yugai, General life Theory. Moscow 1985, p.54. (24) Y. Prigogine and I. Stengers, Time, Chaos, Quantum. Moscow 1994, pp. 6-7.

Indus valley civilizations Essay

The Indus Valley civilization is an ancient civilization that prospered along the Indus River and Ghaggar-Hakra River in present day Pakistan and India. The Indus valley civilization is sometimes called the Harappan Civilization in reference to the first excavated city called Harappa. The Indus Valley civilization was discovered in the 1920s. The existence of the Indus Civilization is only proved by excavations and maybe some Sumerian writings, e. g. The Mehulan, which is said to correspond with Indus Valley civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization extended from Balochistan to Gujarat, with an upward reach to Punjab from east of the river Jhelum to Rupar on the upper Sutlej. Coastal settlements extended from Sutkagan Dor in Western Baluchistan to Lothal in Gujarat. Besides the western states of India, the Indus Valley Civilization encompassed most of Pakistan. An Indus Valley site has been found on the Oxus River at Shortughai in northern Afghanistan, at Sutkagen dor (Western Baluchistan, Pakistan), at Mandu on the Beas River near Jammu, and at Alamgirpur on the Hindon River, only 28 km from Delhi. Indus Valley sites have been found most often on rivers, but also on lakes, the ancient sea-coast and on islands. There is no documentary evidence that the Indus civilization really existed. What is known of it is the archeological evidence. The assumption that a civilization once existed and prospered in that valley is based on what was found there at the at the excavation sites. It is a well known fact, through out history, ancient Civilizations always started along the banks of rivers or water bodies. Archeologists create theories out of their findings. Most of the artifacts found on archeological sites are explained away with out any substantial recorded facts to back their explanations. The discovery of the Indus valley civilization proves that indeed there has been some human presence around there but the question is: is the Indus valley civilization exactly what we are being told it is today? Are the facts acceptable for scholarly pursuits? It has being recorded that the Indus valley civilization had elements of urbanism such as advanced sewerage systems, dockyards, warehouses, granaries such as we have today. One could clearly conclude from these facts that a great form of civilization indeed existed which might be the basis of what we have today. The lack of authoritative and verifiable written materials on the Indus civilization makes it very difficult to study. This is because the proof of it does not exist in writing in the first place so that at least they can serve as other sources for referencing when in doubt. Good scholarly conclusions can only be drawn from authentic facts which can be proven over time and this is not a very strong point of the Indus civilization.

The Influence of External Forces On Latin American...

No person, community, place, or culture exists in a vacuum, immune to the influence of outside forces; the effect of these forces is pervasive. This holds true in communities worldwide, including two in Latin America – Felicidade Eterna, Brazil and Sonqo, Peru. Donna Goldstein’s ethnography on Felicidade Eterna, Laughter Out of Place, demonstrates how life in a Brazilian shantytown is the direct result of a wide variety of external forces, such as history, government policies, and the class system. In the ethnography The Hold Life Has, Catherine Allen shows how no community is impenetrable to the influence of outside forces, even one as culturally strong as Sonqo. Though Felicidade Eterna and Sonqo are impacted in very different spheres,†¦show more content†¦Regardless, as will be discussed, these forces are a prevalent and pervasive factor contributing to the livelihoods of the poor. Sonqo, Peru, the subject of Allen’s ethnography, is in sharp contrast to Felicidade Eterna as the changes seen and discussed are recent. Sonqo had an extremely strong culture, one that seemed impenetrable to unwanted change caused by outside forces. The people of Sonqo, the Runakuna, hated the outsiders, the Mistikuna, and a common theme throughout the ethnography is the Runakuna existing in isolation from the Mistikuna. Maintaining isolation was a necessity as â€Å"[t]he Incas’ demands for cultural purity are stringent† (Allen 2002:186). Their culture was incredibly strong, characterized by ancient rituals such as the passing of the coca, the prevalence of reciprocity, the worship of the Tirakuna, and more unique traditions that seemed so well-established that their disappearance was doubtful. The Runakuna tried to resist the outside forces (Allen 2002:186), but as will be seen, these forces were too strong and change was inevitable. As seen in Laughter Out of Place, many of the outside forces that affect life in Felicidade Eterna are worked into the system, such as the minimum wage and the legalShow MoreRelatedThe Conflict Between Aztecs And Incas1745 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen necessary to consolidate status quo. If we talk about war as a pathway to achieve state formation and later consolidation of a system of states in Latin America, it is necessary to to back in history and analyze the distribution of power within the period even before the colonization. Despite our post Columbus state formation history of Latin America that has taught that the â€Å"real order† was established after the colonization, we have to understand that there already existed a consolidated powerRead MoreOpen Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano1585 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscovered by European explorers, Latin America has supplied raw materials and labor to Europe and other locations around the world. 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