Religion

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Introduction

Religion has always been one of the most fundamental pillars of the nation. It has often been tied to the social, economic, as well as political aspects of nations. However, the understanding of religion has often been shrouded in mystery with varied aspects being unclear, at least to the common mortals. This, in essence, has attracted the attention of scholars who have tried to explore its varied aspects, as well as come up with varied theories explaining the mystery. One of these is Dr. Rudolf Otto, whose book, “The idea of the Holy”, explored one of the primary components of religion, which is The Numinous.

Question 1

Otto explains the numinous experience as the holy devoid of its moral factor. It is both a category of being and of feeling. It underlines a religious feeling that comes with a distinctive form of religious knowledge that cannot be accessed to the ordinary rational understanding. The numinous experience is composed of a number of elements.

First, there is the element if creature feeling, which is explained as the emotion or feeling of a creature being overwhelmed and submerged by its own nothingness rather than that which comes as supreme to all creatures (Otto 4).

The second characteristic is what he calls the “mysterium tremendum”, or tremendous mystery. As mysterium, Otto states that the numinous experience is “wholly other”, or rather entirely different from things that individuals experience in their ordinary lives. It underlines the notion of being something that goes beyond the realm of the intelligible and familiar, in which case it falls outside the boundaries of the canny (Otto 6). This feature underlines the fact that it would elicit a reaction of silence and fill the creature’s mind with astonishment and blank wonder. The numinous being mysterium tremendum, means that it rouses terror as it comes as an overwhelming power. Mysterium tremendum comes with three characteristics of the numinous, which are the absolute unapproachability, power, as well as the energy or urgency, which is essentially a force whose easiest perception revolves around the “wrath of God”.

The numinous experience is also characterized by the element of “fascinans” or fascination, which underlines an attractiveness or potent charm despite the terror and fear that it souses in individuals. In this case, while the creature trembles at the transcendent, it would seek to turn to it, thereby making it his own (Otto 7).

Question 2

Otto uses the term creature–consciousness (also known as creature-feeling) to underline the emotion pertaining to a creature where it is overwhelmed or submerged in its own nothingness rather than to the things that are supreme over all creatures. In essence, this phra.............