Prompt – What role does salvation play in religion, both for the individual and the whole community? Give an example of how an individual can perceive salvation and explain the ways he/she follows in order to attain it.
Salvation in Religion
Religion is a complex system that describes designated norms, morals, behaviors, worldviews, ethics, and religious texts that relate and link people to spiritual and supernatural elements. Many different religions exist today in different communities and societies. The most prominent religions in the world today are Islam and Christianity. There are many shared principles in the various religious belief systems. These include such aspects as the need for followers of the religion to be initiated into it, the presence of shared doctrine for the specific religion, and a shared purpose. This paper elaborates on the concept of salvation in religion and its importance, as well as how an individual follows through to achieve the targets of the given religion they have received salvation in.
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Salvation can be defined as the willful acceptance of a given religion and a desire to follow its teachings. In Christianity, for example, salvation is used to mean the acceptance to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the denunciation of sinful behavior and ways of life. Considering that the belief in hell in Christianity is very central, the concept of salvation is used to mean that a person gets saved from going to hell if they accept Jesus Christ into their lives. With this understanding, it is clear that salvation carries significant meaning for Christians as well as Christianity as a religion.
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Salvation carries several significant meanings for those who receive salvation into a given religion. For the purposes of this paper, Christianity will be used as the model religion. Salvation gives an individual a purpose that they can work on. For example, religion gives the saved person a new set of ideals that they should uphold. This includes the objective of intending to go out and spread the teachings of Christianity to others (Pastoor). This could serve as a new sense of meaning and purpose. The religion can also serve as a positive force to the individual, and, therefore, help them abandon such negative practices as the use of drugs.
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The concept of salvation also has a great of significance to the community. The community can use it as a means to impart positive behavior on the youth (Livingstone). This could help to reduce the burden of addiction to drugs on the youth, which could benefit the community at large. It could also help in uniting the community when every member pulls in the same direction as far as religious belief is concerned.
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In Christianity, an individual perceives salvation as a way through which they can get to heaven, and, therefore, avoid hell. An individual is required to follow the Bible steadfastly to attain this goal. This includes a daily and consistent reading of the Bible, carrying out missionary work, as well as avoiding actions that could be perceived to be sinful (Livingstone). Additionally, persistent prayer and belief in the Christian God are required in order to achieve this target.
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The goal is ultimately achieved through the belief in Jesus, and, thus, each individual focuses on putting the teachings of Jesus at the center of their lives. In conclusion, it is clear that the concept of salvation is very rife in most religions. In Christianity, salvation means the avoidance of sin, which can lead someone to heal, as well as the acceptance of Jesus Christ and his teachings. Through this, an individual can achieve the goal of getting to heaven as taught in Christianity. Salvation has significance in the community as it can be used to liberate such groups as drug addicts.
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