Tips in Writing a Religion Essay

Students who are assigned to write a religion essay may find the task intimidating initially especially if they do not devoutly practice any Religion themselves. However, there are many ways to avoid this mindset in order to be able to submit a high-quality coursework assignment. The key is for the writer to be able to break down the religion he or she is discussing into its smaller components:

Overview of its origins. Every religion is its origins in terms of a place, who its original founder is, and if there are any major groups of people associated with it as well as a religious experience attributed to a particular person. The historical background of the religion will provide an interesting foreground for its discussion.
Creed (What are the philosophies of this religion and how does it define the meaning of life?), Code (What is the nature of its ethical standards? What are the rules and customs which its people are instructed to follow?) and Cult (What are its ways of worship and rituals?). The three Cs form the core of discussion in a Religion essay.

A Religion essay, depending on its length and the specific focus that your professor requires, may either tackle all of these issues in passing or focus on one particular aspect. For example, if you would like to highlight the “Creed” aspect of a religion, you can talk about its doctrines or the forms in which the different aspects of the religion are taught, studied and passed along. Major religions like Judaism, Islam and Christianity record their doctrines in the Torah, Koran and Bible respectively while others choose to pass it on in oral form from one generation to another.

One of the most interesting ways of a religion is its rituals and practices, especially if these significantly differ from the ones you have been exposed to. Rituals serve as a way to bind and reinforce the sense of purpose of members of a particular Religion. There are rituals that vary between religions to commemorate birth, puberty, marriage and death.

You can also discuss one of the most important aspects of a Religion which is a factor to why it survives despite modernization and the presence of other religions: its ethical code. The ethical code of a religion defines how their members are expected to behave based on their gender and status in the community and the religious hierarchy.