Relationship between Humans and the Divine

The relationship between humans and the divine has been witnessed in the different civilizations that we have learned so far. The link goes beyond believing about the existence of the divine being. The relationship is regarded as holy, absolute, sacred, spiritual, and worth of special reverence. Humans are concerned with the ultimate connection and particularly regarding their lives and their fate after they are dead. As such, through such a relationship, humans have been able to develop an ethical framework that acts as a regulator for the values of their daily lives. They have also ensured that their relationship with the divine being acts as an agency to their socialization. The type of relationship has been witnessed in different civilizations over the years; Inca civilization has been understood to provide a human sacrifice to their gods to appease them, the Buddhists and Hindus have been recognized to worship their idol gods, and Christians and Muslims have built churches and mosques respectively, as rooms for the congregation to worship their God. No matter the civilization or the belief, the relationship between the humans and the divine has always been understood to be strong and divine in all aspects.

The theoretical themes have always characterized the relationship between a divine being and humanity. According to Christianity, the first idea that rings in mind is that creation was formed from nothing. The next theoretical theme is the idea of revelation, where God makes divine truth accessible to humanity despite their unknowability. Humans believe that there are universal powers that are available in nature, and they are responsible for the happenings that they experience in the world. These divine powers and forces transcend human capabilities and understanding.

The divinity and the concept of the divine have long been a subject of controversy, with many civilizations portraying elaborate differences. For example, Southern Asia has been considered as the birthplace of four of the world religions, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, and despite having almost similar roots, there is an ostentatious difference between the religions, mainly how they interact with their divine beings.

Mesopotamia is one the most interesting things in human civilization. The civilization, often regarded as one of the earliest human civilization thrived much between rivers Euphrates and Tigris, in modern-day Iran (Hammurabi, The Oldest Code of Laws in the World). The civilization was connected with divine beings incredibly. The people used to worship different gods, depending on what they wished to have. To put it in perspective, civilization worshiped seven extremely imperative deities in their cosmology. These deities were, in the pantheon, An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu, and Inanna.

The relationship that existed was divine, and the people of the era used to practice different sacrifices and traditions to these gods, believing that they were connected and protected them from any imminent danger that would befall them. The connection was secure in that people would even sacrifice humans, in a verge, to bring good fortune and also appease their gods, for example, dedicating a built bridge or even a temple for the gods.

Humans have always strived to ensure that they maintain a positive relationship with the divine. Through ensuring that they supported the relationship with their gods, humans have continued to worship through different but sacred measures. For example, we learned about the Canaanite civilization that thrives in different parts of the far east.

Despite the name appearing several times in the Christian Bible, the people who were indigenous of the civilization were never worshipers of the same god and used to worship their deities in a different way. However, the chief god that was worshipped by many people was El and goddess Ashera and her consort Baal who together were widely associated with the fertility of both the people and the land.

In connection with human sacrifice, the Canaanites used to sacrifice their children to these gods, believing that they received the best and should sacrifice and offer the best in return. As such, a connection that has been established throughout the essay is that many civilizations that we have studied about used to believe about a divine being or beings and offered sacrifices to the gods as a wat of pacifying and pleasing the gods.

In almost any instance, it is believed that humans were created by a divine being and were meant to worship the being for the rest of their lives. The Christians have an elaborate process through which the process of worshipping has been defined. Through our class Week 10, we were able to understand the process of spreading Christianity through the infamous and violence-filled crusades (Hill). Lasting for almost four centuries, the crusades were supported and initiated by the Latin Church in the medieval period. They was mainly aimed at claiming the holy lands from the Islamic rules. This brings about the relationship between humans in response to what they understand and believe is the divine or supernatural being (Hill).

The crusades were more driven by Pope Gregory and Emperor Henry, meaning that they were more politically described than religiously attributed. The whole concept of the attacks on Islam was to establish rule in Western Europe. The Islam attack on the Byzantine Empire had weakened its system, and when King Urban came into thrown, he believed that he was the one to hold and exercise morality and religion in the west (The First Crusade, Pg. 44). He had to tap changes in Islam if he was to achieve this.

The text implies that although people had and still have elaborate worshiping routines, it is not always stable when two or more religions cross each other’s path. Week 10 elaborated on the concept by providing the effects of crusades in the medieval era. Although the wars were not regarded as religious in nature at first, the concept changed with time. in fact, in Muslims and Christians would work together in Sicily, even the Christian ruler would allow Muslims in courts, even Christian scholars were allowed to study the dynamics of Muslims (Hill).

The reports that Muslims were harassing Christians traveling to Jerusalem were not received well, who were harsh and violent toward Christians, sparking war as a result. As such, it is evident that although worshiping is meant to glorify a divine and supernatural being, the concept is different and can be influenced dramatically by politics. Even in modern times, the concept of religion and politics goes hand in hand. There are countries where there is an endless war between Christians and Muslims, twoill,44rusadein Mesopotamia of the world’s largest religions.

In the middle east, for example, many countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia do not welcome Christians and are often hostile, treating them with cruelty. There is a never-ending war between the government and religious troops in many Muslim nations, who believe that the governments should enforce the spiritual laws and make them useful. People are fighting to establish their religion and make it have more followers believing what they preach is the right content and consistently opposing the teachings of the other faith.

Moreover, it is important to note that Muslims recognized Jerusalem as the buffer state between both Damascus and Egypt, after understanding (Hill). However, the Christian crusaders did not regard nor want the offer. The target was to win back what they believed was their lands. As such, the concept of worshipping a higher god was changed to more of a challenge and establish a religious group being more superior to the other or others. The connection is strong, and just like Epictetus said, the players brings about a strong character (The Encheiridion of Epictetus pg. 497). This character can be witnessed with the strong belief about existence of deities that have continued to be worshipped by humans.

In modern times, the idea and concept of religious rivalry and worshiping is distinct, particularly among many Muslim and Christian scholars. Most of them have always been trying as much to portray either Muslim or Christian worshiping as the ideal and the most elaborate form of worship. One thing that is evident in Week 10, Origin of Islam, is that the religion appeared in many states where Christianity and also ancient Canaanite civilizations had already thrived. The whole concept about the birth of Islam is surrounded by uncertainties, with some claiming that it had been recorded in the Christian Bible (Hill).

One obvious thing is the fact that most people have developed and continues to build their argument positions based on what they believe is the right religion. With much of the present worshiping and religion having incorporated with much of the politics that are happening in each country, it has become corrupted. Although it is practiced with a lot of ethical concerns, modern worshipping has been met with a lot of difficulties, like the existence of atheists.

Atheists are people who believe that there is no gods or God and consistently condemns the acts of worship. Such people claim that there is no existence of deities in broader terms, and most believe in the forces of science. Lastly, some people understand the presence of God, but no religion and are considered as agnostics.

Conclusion  

            The relationship between human and divine beings has been described from different civilizations that have been on earth. Humans have come up with different beliefs about an almighty deity or deities that exist and continue to bring them good fortune. From as early as the Mesopotamia civilization, the concept and the relationship between these deities and humans have been known to be reliable. Humans have been understood to offer sacrifices, both animals, plants, and even humans, to soothe and appreciate their gods. The concept of worshiping is broad and goes beyond what one simply understands. One obvious thing is the fact that most of the civilizations, both modern and ancient, existed and thrived through the beliefs of existing deities and who brought good fortune to their lands. People have built temples, churches, and mosques as rooms of worship of their gods. Humans’ dynamics and their relationship with these deities is entirely complex and robust.

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Work Cited

Epictetus, “The Encheiridion of Epictetus” edited by W. A. Oldfather, pp. 482-499

Hammurabi, The Oldest Code of Laws in the World, by Hammurabi, King of Babylon, C. H. W. Johns

“The First Crusade.” The Chronicles of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Material. Edited by Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971

Hill, Gabriel. “The Canaanites and Civilization in Canaan”

Hill, Gabriel. “Lecture  The Crusades”