Journal of Religious Studies
Year:2014 | Volume:7 | Issue:14|Papers Count:7

In the epics of the ancient peoples, the ideal man is manifested in the life and works of their heros, so that each one of them is a reflection of the ethical standards and values of his society. Great epic writers such as Valmiki and Firdawsi tried to create such an ideal man. The heros of Ramayana and Shahnamah show the man in his different levels. In a survey of the characteristics of such an ideal man, his belief in God, wisdom, justice, self sufficiency, loyalty, philanthropy and prudence seem quite prominent. Though these characteristics are more or less found in both works, each quality has different manifestations according to the cultural background of its land of origin. For example, some qualities like loyalty are more prominent in Ramayana, while others like having the God given charisma are more important in Shahnamah.

In recent years, the mystical path of Don Joan has been brought forward in the works of Carlos Castanda. Most of the important elements of primitive religions can be recognized in this path. These include: the sacred object which not everybody deserves to touch it; belief in an impersonal and supernatural power, which in this path and in religious studies as a whole is called “mana”; various taboos, related to objects, persons, sacred words and names; belief in the existence of the spirits of various natural phenomena and therefore, the necessity of their veneration; belief in the existence of twin or (in religious terminology) “totem”, which on the one hand protects the man, and on the other, must be venerated by man. Contrary to the most primitive religions in which the totem is an animal, here the totem is either a plant or other natural phenomena.

Hints to the quality of the creation of Jesus is found both in the Quran and the new Testament. Also in both, the conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit is considered possible, but the manner of its happening is rather different. In the New Testament the final explanation is the coming of the Holy Spirit and the over shadowing of Mary by the power of the Most High, and this way God is considered as the father of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is regarded as the word of God who became flesh. In the Quran more explanations are found. First, the nature of Jesus, like Adam and other human beings is considered to be from earth and genuinely human. Second, his seed, like the seeds of other human beings is called the word, which is one of God’s creations. In this paper, the stages of the creation of man, including Jesus, is studied from the point of view of the Quran. Furthermore, Jesus is likened to Adam, as he was born without a father, except that he was conceived in Mary’s womb through the breath of the Holy Spirit. The same concept is also find in the New Testament. Therefore, these two concepts, together with the points of view of the commentators, and the believes of the faithful Christians and Muslims considering the human or divine nature of Christ is further studied in this paper.

The rise of Antichrist who is opposed to Christ in every aspect, is considered as a characteristic sign of the end of time. The concept of Antichrist, based on the apocalyptic books of the Old Testament was pondered over by the church fathers and developed during the middle Ages. From the 16th century onward many persons were considered as his instances. A number of verses in the Bible refer to Antichrist. It is said that his dominance is universal and satanic and according to the book of revelation, the world will worship Satan in the person of this beastly world leader. Antichrist is the foremost enemy of the good and christian teachings emphasize that he is at work even now. He and his army are opposed to the God’s plans. Some consider him as an evil person, others see him as a world system or trend, and still others identify some religious or political leaders with him. It seem that the origins of this concept are to be found in Judaism. In Islam, the concept of Antichrist is reflected in the person of dajjal, which has exerted a great influence in theology, art and politics. In this paper various aspects of this concept is studied.

Religious rites are usually the first expressions of a religion which an observer comes in contact with and therefore, researchers on religions study them as the most important mainfestations of a religion. In Christianity too, rites and particularly the Holy Communion enjoy a prominent place. In the Orthodox church by differentiating between the “Theological” and “non-theological” elements, the importance of the icons is specially emphasized. The icons as the loci of deification, are also considered as an inseparable part of the Orthodox theology. In this paper, we are trying to elucidate the Orthodox church’s interpretation of the icons and their function as symbols with spiritual significance. The basic aim of performing the rites in this church, is simulating God and Christ and therefore, deification. This teaching as the most fundamental principle of Eastern Orthodox church’s theology and mysticism, signifies the realization of the unity with God and receiving the gift of deification.

One of the most prominent features of John Calvin is his systematization of the Protestant theology. To elucidate his views, he used the wisdom of stoics, teachings of the Humanists and Neo-Agustinians, and specially studied the works of st. Augustine. In fact, it could be said that he based his thoughts on Augustine’s views. A number of most important features of Calvin’s teachings which are discussed in this paper are as follows: emphasis on the priority of God and his eternal prudence in the process of salvation; emphasis on the principle of “only the Bible”; negating the ecclesiastical hierarchy; emphasis on the importance of faith rather than righteoushess; and belief in establishing a divine rule.