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Table of Contents Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Chalchiuhtlicue Nanauatzin Cosmic Order – The Balance Aztec is a name used to describe the Nahuatl-speaking people who thrived in central Mexico circa the 14 th  and 16 th  centuries as an empire and dominated large parts of Mesoamerica. Variously, the Aztecs had different names. They are known as Aztlan (which means ‘White Land’), the Tenochca (a name adopted from one of their ancestors called Tenoch), and the Mexica, which was a derivative from Metzliapan (which stands for ‘Moon Lake’). Ancient Aztec religious beliefs and practices were tied to their understanding of the world; the people were deeply amazed by the thought of the unknown, the universe and the end of time. These thoughts arouse some curiosity and awareness to understand better their world and how it came about. I used the term ‘theogony’ to describe the Aztecs’ generations of gods however, not in the context of Greek mythology where the ‘primordial deities’ we...

Table of Contents Revelations or Representation?  The Mary Question   The Qur'an The Bible Today, I have chosen the eve of Christmas to write about how Jesus was conceived as narrated in the Qur’an and the Bible. Doing this, I intend to infer Mary’s role as the ark who delivered the child to the world. I must declare at this point that this is not an academic paper, even though I pose the question: Revelations or representation? Revelations or Representation?  Some scriptural scholars have argued that there are elements of biblical events and incidents noted in the Qur’an and because the bible came first before the Qur’an such events and incidents must have been from the Bible. Some have argued that they were as results of divine revelation, that is, God communicating his mind to humans. Whichever side you take, this writing aims to uplift human spirits to righteousness, peace and joy and seeks to bridge the gap between Christianity and Islam.   The Mary Q...

Table of Contents The Term Islam The idea of God in Pre-Islamic Arabia Christianity  Sabines   Jews Zindiqs Atheists  Polytheists/Idol Worshippers Monotheists Islam as Peace The main objective here is to define Islam according to the Qur'anic description against the backdrop of pre-Islamic Arabia. The Term Islam The term Islam could be understood as both a name and a concept that was developed from Arabic with a three-letter root:  (s / l / m);  which means ‘submission’ or ‘surrender’ .  It was from this root  (s/l/m): The three-letter root, from which Islam is derived also means peace (salam), soundness, and safety. Islam is therefore a person’s total submission to the will of God, which gives him or her inner peace, soundness of nature in this life and safety from divine retribution in the life to come. In  Surah , ( Al-‘Imran  3:19), the Qur’an emphasizes the following: “Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam,” and states in ( Al-‘Imr...

Table of Contents Ideographic Mapping Collective and Organised vs Individual and Spontaneous Experiences The measure of a Collective Value In this writing, I consider religion or no religion from the viewpoints of conscious subjectivity and Agency. By this, I mean that religion or no religion can be viewed either as a subject, such as an individual who has the conscious power to relate his/her feelings, desires or beliefs within the bounds allowed by the law, conventions, and responsibilities, on the one hand, or as an agency that has the power of influence over other people, organizations, societies and even civilizations (‘civilization’, here understood as a society or group of people), on the other.   Ideographic Mapping The choice of the phrase ‘An Ideographic Mapping’ as part of the title emphasizes the conscious but rigid specification of the influences of the many religious or irreligious beliefs. The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) argued that space and t...

Table of Contents The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes Beliefs In every culture or religion, some enormous practices and beliefs have and continue to influence our human society and civilizations. In this brief essay, I will describe how the entire world has directly or indirectly assimilated the culture and religion of the Anglo-Saxons and how they have influenced our social and political lives. You may declare yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, or Muslim, following the practices and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon world. This is acculturation. Arguably, Britain was once occupied by pagans - the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes The ‘Angles’ (old English) refers to one of the many Germanic peoples who settled in Britain (5 th  - 6 th  centuries) after the Romans had come and gone. These settlers found many kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name eventually becomes the root of the name England (that is, ‘Land of Angle’). The ‘Saxons’ were identified ...

Table of Contents Abenaki - Native American Tribe Various Belief Systems A brief description of Abenaki's tribe, culture, and society will be examined in this writing.  Abenaki - Native American Tribe The Abenaki are a Native American tribe and naturally, an Algonquian-speaking people of northeast North America. The Abenaki are variously known as Abnaki, Wabanaki, or Waponaki; a plethora of names that are significantly symbolic of the life and culture of the people. Accordingly, the word ‘Abenaki’ means “The people of the dawn land.” The Abenaki consider themselves as ‘Alnombak’, a tribal term that means “the people”. As early as their perception of self-determination, the Abenaki were part of the Wananaki Confederacy of the five Algonquian-speaking tribes that prospered between the mid-1600s and mid-1800s and occupied in the New England area of the United States and Quebec of Canada. Alongside the Algonquian people, Abenaki people shared a belief in Midewiwin (or Midewin), whi...