Throughout history, religions have contributed to the foundations of civilizations, and they also directly influence modern relations between nations and important world events. Throughout human history, even before the first recorded reports, we find evidence that religion is an indispensable element of life (Forty, 2006; Houston, 1996). Religions are imbued with visible and invisible symbols that are more than simple signs: they extend beyond meaning, which depends on interpretation, which in turn depends on predisposition. The symbol is charged with emotion and dynamism. It not only represents and at the same time obscures, but also realizes and at the same time tears (Škamperle, 2013: 55).
In my master's thesis, I discussed the two largest world religions – Islam and Christianity – and identified similarities and differences between them based on religious symbolism. I presented the definition of religion, the definition of a symbol, and the difference between a symbol and a sign. I have described more generally both religions and the most characteristic symbols for one and the other religion. I have focused on the importance of clothing, holidays, and prominent religious symbols. I was interested in whether members of Islam and Christianity have prejudices against the opposite religion, why they have them, and what these prejudices are, so I interviewed members of both religions. I presented the prejudices and perceptions of both religions in the first part of the interview, and in the second part I researched the meaning of holidays and found out if holidays in both religions have lost their religious connotation and appear only as part of mass culture and why this should happen. I made a comparison of the roles of certain symbols in both religions. I presented my findings in a separate chapter.
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