To begin with, I would like to turn to the analysis of a short animation created by the American psychologist Haider. The video shows the chaotic movement of geometric shapes, which has no logical explanation (Rothwell, 2019), that is, the answer to the question “why.” Humans are naturally programmed to perceive simple moving objects as intelligent beings capable of experiencing complex emotions. This video is appropriate in the context of religion because, in ancient times, people also explained many events as the will of the gods and tried to animate the forces of nature.
Christianity is only one of several world religions; how does it relate to other religions? This question is not new; it has been asked throughout the history of Christianity. The question of Christianity’s relationship to other religions has taken on new significance in Western academic theology (Barron, 2010). There is an increasing consensus that it is a serious misconception to think of the world’s various religions as variations on the same theme.
Barron (2010) talks about the essential difference between religions that cannot be ignored in his podcast. His judgments are necessary for the discussion of the origin and essence of religions. Studying other religions provides a deeper understanding of one’s destiny and a love for those who practice something other than Christianity (Abingdon Press, 2018). The animated video gives an insight into the origins’ formation of the world’s religions and their spread across the globe (Business Insider, 2015). This footage makes it clear how significant the mutual influence of fundamental beliefs is, which explains their similarity.
Hermeneutics is also essential for understanding the differences in religion. This term means an interpretation of the artistic texts of ancient authors into the modern living language (Renoe, 2019). As an auxiliary science, it comes to the fore where interpretation of obscure points in sacred texts is needed (Zimmerman & Oxford Academic, 2016). Ultimately, hermeneutics, as a science of analysis, gave rise to numerous philosophical systems, often very indirectly related to human existence.
References
Abingdon Press. (2018). Christianity and world religions 1st session [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Barron, R. (2010). Christ and world religions. Word on Fire. Web.
Business Insider. (2015). Animated map shows how religion spread around the world [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Renoe, E. (2019). Intro to Hermeneutics in under 5 minutes![Video]. YouTube. Web.
Rothwell, R. (2019). Heider and Simmel original YouTube 360p [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Zimmerman, J., & Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press). (2016). Hermeneutics: A very short introduction [Video]. YouTube. Web.