Belief and Knowledge - Religion

Re-li-gion

–noun

1. set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

Origin:
1150–1200; ME religioun (<>religion) <>religiōn- (s. of religiō) conscientiousness, piety, equiv. to relig(āre) to tie, fasten (re- re-+ ligāre to bind, tie; cf. ligament ) + -iōn- -ion; cf. rely

It's a pretty loaded word, isn't it? Brings up some deep, passionate feelings and beliefs. I have had many a debate simply because someone mentioned this one simple word in such a way that contradicted my meaning. But what is it really?

In a conversation about belief vs knowing (belief as in religion ; knowledge as in scientific proof and such), I came to the conclusion that belief fills the holes knowledge cannot. At least that is how it seems to work for me. If I don't know something or I find myself afraid of something, I turn to my religion for answers. It seems like that was common among at least a few others in the group (and please correct me if I'm wrong about that)

-I don't know how the world was created so I turn to the bible.

-I am afraid when I am alone in the dark so I turn to prayer.

-I worry about what comes after death so I turn to the church's teachings.

With this realization, I got to thinking. How can someone live without religion? I would surely go absolutely insane without it. ((Of course, I guess you could argue one could absolutely insane with it too...)) I really can't imagine my life without it. Does anyone have any thoughts on the topic? Or another definition of religion to ponder?

Panther

The Panther; Fierce, strong, violent, endangered

Throughout all of our discussions, we have found the panther to be almost like an alternate personality or an outside representation of Ama in the novel Power. Ama is seen in much the same light as the panther. When Omishto describes Ama for the first time, she mentions how beautiful Ama looks from a distance but as you get closer, you see her ribs and her gray hair. When Omishto describes the panther, she mentions much the same thing. As she nears the creature, she sees the scratches on it's skin and the signs of aging. The comparison between the character and the creature is very clear and is expressed often but there are other less obvious ties to the panther:

1. The endangered nature of the Taiga culture
2. The possible death of the culture
3. Omishto and Ama's tie to nature

The story leaves the panther as a general symbol, one that cannot be tied directly to anything but rather connects to almost everything. The magnificent creature plays a very important role in the novel. A different version of the novel actually shows the panther on the cover.


It is interesting to note that even after it's death, the panther plays a very important role in the novel. Only about half way through is it killed by Ama, but the consequences of that act and the mark it left on Omishto still exists and the panther continues to impact the story.

Here is a video about the florida panther I found very interesting. Some facts I found shocking: 17 were killed in 2007 and here are only about 70-100 of them left.