The Fundamentals Of Religion

We find today in different parts of the world fierce feuds and strifes. Religious fanaticism and fundamentalism contribute in a substantial way to such strifes and conflicts among people. We also find a large number of people are steeped in superstitions, irrational beliefs, and indulge in mere ritualism. Where true religion prevails, such fanaticism and fundamentalism find no place. A deep comparative study of world religions enables one to drive away all superstitions and fanaticism. For religion, in the true sense, is an abiding faith in the values of life, and God is the embodiment of all values. Religious experience accordingly implies the realisation of the Absolute. What Prof. Nalini Kanta Brahma tries to do in this well-researched book, written in a clear and straightforward style, is to demonstrate the nobility and positive aspects of each religion he has discussed. He classifies religion into three categories: Impersonal—under which he brings in Buddhism, Jainism and Confucianism; Personal—in this category he describes Christianity, Islam and Vaishnavism; and Supra-personal—under which he analyzes Vedantism, Sufism, Taoism and the Johanine Gospel (the Gospel of St. John, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ). The fundamentals of each religion are discussed with great clarity and genuine appreciation. Knowing very well there are a large number of opponents to religion, the author vigorously defends the religious view. He successfully meets the various objections of Freud, Marx and Bertrand Russel, among others. For, he says, agnosticism, atheism and scepticism are based on a narrow and limited view of life. Realisation of divinity by man is the universal characteristic of all religions, and the author contends that it should aptly be called the universal religion. This realisation of the divinity is so marked in the supra-personal religions and being a votary of such religions, he stresses that they are on a different level. If a study of this world religion is included in the course on comparative religion for students, it would certainly help towards dispelling erroneous notions about religion and drive away many superstitions, fanaticism and communalism, the last being a cancerous growth that eats into the very fabric of a nation. Besides students of philosophy who study comparative religion as one of their subjects, all enlightened persons who have an abiding faith in religion should find reading this text an exhilarating and ennobling experience.

This is the teachers guide edition to this great study of the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. With topics ranging from “God: His Character and Attributes” to “The Church: Fellowship and Worship,” this study is ideal to disciple new believers or to realize afresh what it means to believe in Jesus. The teachers guide contains all the answers to the 13 lessons taught in the accompanying students edition along with excellent teaching notes to prepare the leader to guide the group.

Kreeft considers all the fundamental elements of Christianity and Catholicism, explaining, defending and showing their relevance to our life and the world's yearnings. Here is a book to help you understand your faith more fully and to explain it to others more winningly. Like every religion, this faith has three aspects, corresponding to the three parts of the soul and filling the innate needs of all three parts. Kreeft uses these three divisions as the basic outline for his Christian apologetics. First, every religion has some beliefs, whether expressed in creeds or not, something for the intellect to know. Second, every religion has some duty or deed, some practice of program, some moral or ethical code, something for the will to choose. Finally, every religion has some liturgy, some worship, some "church", something for the body and the concrete imagination and the aesthetic sense to work at. Creed, Code and Cult; Words, Works and Worship, are a most useful way of outlining any religious faith, including the Catholic Faith of Christians. "These essays were written for Catholics by a Catholic. But I believe that nearly everything I say here will be found by the orthodox Biblical Protestant reader to be his faith as well: That solid and substantial core that C.S. Lewis called "mere Christianity" Peter Kreeft

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