Religious Tolerance and Hindu Rituals Assignment

Religious Tolerance and Hindu Rituals - Assignment Example This is often not the road that is taken and misconceptions are often allowed to turn people against certain religions and beliefs. Ignorance regarding religions is most often the reason for people’s antagonistic attitudes in relation to people of other faiths. This paper shall look at a religious ceremony of Hinduism and reassess a few ideas about the religion that were proven to be misconceptions after it. Religions like Hinduism are often considered to be similar to or even perceived as variations of Satanism. This is the result of various misconceptions that arise out of religious intolerance in people of other religions (Robinson, 2006). People of other religions tend to think of Hinduism as a religion where idols are worshipped in a very simple manner. This is however, not true. According to the ceremony that I attended, which was to worship the Goddess Durga, an idol is what the Goddess reveals herself as to the devotee. The goddess assumes the form that the true devote e wishes to see her in and this becomes a symbol of the love that God holds for the true devotee. The importance of this can be seen in the care and devotion with which the statue of Durga is made before the festival of Durga Puja begins (Durga Puja Preparation, n.d.). Apart from the philosophical and theological reasons that are offered for this form of worship, it also allows the devotees to converge at a particular spot. It enables people to understand the fact that Hinduism is not a religion but a culture that is a part of a society of people. It is not a compendium of rules regarding conduct and worship. This is evident from the fact that there is no single text that is considered to be the most important one. No person is considered to have laid the foundations of this religion either (Das, n.d.). All of these factors combine to transform Hinduism into a culture of a society rather than a conventional religion. The worship of idols and the use of music are factors that cause p eople to conceptualize of Hinduism as a religion that is a mystic one that is similar to orientalist conceptions that Western Civilization holds about the Indian subcontinent. This is however, not true. The music and the idol, apart from being symbols of social togetherness and a shared culture, also enable people to concentrate their minds on the idea of god. This can be done through an immersion into the atmosphere that is created by the combination of the different aspects of the festival. The ritual turns the festival into an opportunity for people to connect with god. A large part of Indian music is non-secular and this results in the fact that it is a part of the Durga Puja. Investing all of one’s attention in the idol of Durga enables the devotee to dissolve his existence into a union with the Goddess. The idol thus serves the practical purpose of giving the devotee an object to focus his or her attention on (Jayaram, n.d.). My understanding of Hinduism was radically a ltered after the ceremony as many of the common misconceptions concerning the religion were proven to be false following it. The deep philosophical tenets and the practical side of the religion were exposed during the ceremony and this led to a change in the perceptions regarding the religion and its practices. The social aspect of the religion also changed my perception regarding it as it enabled me to place it in a context where it is a part of everyday life. Misconceptions regarding

Company Research -JP Morgan Chase Bank Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company -JP Morgan Chase Bank - Research Paper Example Since its foundation in the year 1799, the company has excelled in every field as a financial establishment. It was established on the foundation of more than 1200 antecedent organizations. The amalgamation of these organizations has led to the formation of today’s JP Morgan Chase & Co. However the real formation occurred in the year 2000 when JP Morgan & Co. and The Chase Manhattan Corp were merged as a single company. This merger brought together four largest banking organizations i.e. JP Morgan, Chemical, Chase and Manufacturers Hanover under the umbrella of JP Morgan Chase & CO (JP Morgan Chase, â€Å"History of Our Firm†). Aaron Burr & J. Pierpont Morgan is the two persons behind the foundation of JP Morgan Chase & Co. The company over the years has seen unprecedented growth in its stature and structure. It has grown immensely in terms of its assets which now stand at $2 trillion and still increasing. All this has not been achieved overnight but with business principles based on sheer dedication, hard work, creating a friendly working environment and last but not the least the innovation factor. Along with success the company has also had its share of hiccups. It faced a major setback when it was accused for being involved in manipulation of mortgage papers related to insolvent cases and had to be bailed out after the recession of 2008. Despite this JP Morgan has been rated as one of the most desired company to work with apart from being the best in terms of job satisfaction for the employees and has a long list of accomplishments. JP Morgan Chase & Co. has reached the pinnacle of financial services not only in the native USA but across the globe. This can very well be supported with the finances of the organization over the past one year. The company’s total assets were calculated to be $2,265,792,000 (as of 31 December, 2011).The company has seen no negative goodwill which reaffirms its dominance in the business world. The stock prices of the