Nonverbal communication and culture. Identity, stereotypes and prejudices, страница 26

Ethics

Regardless of the tradition, religion always includes an ethic. It is intriguing that ethical standards are nearly the same for all cultures. All religions say we should avoid murder, thieving, lying, and adultery. In addition, they all stress the virtues of humility (obedience), charity (mercy), and veracity (truthfulness).

Security

All religions provide their members with a sense of identity and security. Religion unites people by asking them to share symbols, values, and norms. There is a strong feeling of security to know that you are part of a religious family that is feasting on the same day, wearing the same attire when they pray, bowing in one direction or another, or taking Holy Communion. All traditions provide meaning and purpose.

1. Christianity

We begin with Christianity, a religion of over a billion people scattered throughout the world. Christianity is also the dominant world view found in America. Although some of the specific precepts, rituals, and names applied to the term Christianity may vary (Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and so on), they have a number of important characteristics in common.

Basic Assumption. At the heart of Christian faith is the assertion that the crucified Jesus was resurrected by God and present in the church as the body of Christ. The key to this conception is that by actually submitting to death, Jesus had destroyed its power, thereby making eternal life available to everyone. Christians believe in a God who is manifest in the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Organized Worship. Christians believe strongly in organized worship as a means of proclaiming God's message. The closer people drew to God, the closer they could draw to one another. This notion of organized worship may contribute to the social dimension of Western cultures. In the East, one's spiritual life is conducted in solitude; in the West, God's "message" is shared with others.

Ethics. Jesus preached a system of ethics that has endured for two thousand years. Words and phrases such as commandments, right and wrong, good and evil, morals, and ethics are central to Christianity. The central ethic Jesus taught was love. The word "love" appears with astonishing frequency in the New Testament. We would even suggest that the following ethic regarding love may be the most repeated in history: "Love your neighbor as yourself. What you would like people to do to you do to them."

Individualism. Most religious scholars agree with the notion that Christianity discovered the individual. Christianity discovers individuality in the sense that it stresses personal conversion. In addition, the Christian theology begins with the assumption that the world is real and meaningful because God created it. Human beings are significant because God created them in his image. God has a special relationship with each person in that God sees and hears, rewards, and punishes. Each person is important to him. The Christian God is a personal God, who desires a relationship with his creation. In a culture that values individualism, Christianity is perhaps the perfect religion.

Future.ForChristianity future is important. Mistakes, regret, and remorse are forgiven by God. In this sense, the individual can always "move on." Even the notion of a heaven places emphasis on the future.

Language. Much of Christian religion is filtered through language. For Christians, language is not empty talk, but is God's gift to everyone. Language drives communication with others so we can be part of a "religious community." In addition, Christians believe that God relies on language to reveal himself to humans in the Bible and through godly people. You also see the importance of language revealed in the fact that most of the teachings in the Bible, and the act of "preaching," usually take the form of stories.