Weekly writing assignment World religions

Choose one option 500 words

Option 1:

MARX AND EASTERN RELIGIONS

Professor Pals expresses the suspicion that Marx”s account of religion might better be understood as an account of “the essence of Christianity.” You may recall that he reported a similar standard criticism of Freud to the effect that Freud’s theory of religion seems drawn from reflection on the religions of the West. To what extent might Marx’s account of religion be open to that same critique as Freud’s?

Reference

Nine Theories of Religion

Book by Daniel L. Pals

Option 2:

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Sam Harris argues that the problem of accounting for the existence and apparent random distribution of pain, and suffering – and evil more generally – is intractable for a religion which proposes a God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly beneficent. On the other hand, that is supposed to be perfectly intelligible within a scientific framework. How is that supposed to work?

Reference

Sam Harris, End of Faith

Solution Preview

Religion is a complicated world which calls for the analysis of different theories to try and understand how they all come to fall into place. Many philosophers have established views about the definition and identity of religion with some showing positive perspectives while others critique the different beliefs. Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud are the two most famous historians who had a clear explanation of how they think about religions and their specific theories which in one way or the other influence the different followers (Pals, 2014). Marx is of the idea that religion does not make the man but instead it is the people who make the religion by believing and practicing certain ideologies. His concepts are criticized due to their diverting impacts that people tend to disagree.

(600 words)