Violating the Sacred in Heavenly Religions

Abstract

     The subject of the sacred has occupied researchers, and has been studied in more than one field of knowledge. Because it represents a close proximity to social reality and many religious, social, psychological and intellectual issues are linked to it, and the discussion on this topic is ancient  and renewed due to its importance on the one hand and the presence of developments that require renewed knowledge needs on the other hand, and that includes, for example, clarifying the nature of the sacred and the controls that distinguish the sacred from other things. This issue was born as a result of the religious and social interaction, the reliance on the inconstant, and the lack of reliance on the constant. In addition, the phenomenon of attacks on sacred things has arisen within the same religion or between different religions, and the difference of opinions on this subject between those who reject it and those who are committed to neutrality, in addition to the presence of a third group that supports this attack and places it in the category of intellectual freedom. Therefore, this research came to explain the nature of the sacred, its definition, how it originated, and its relationship to religion in general, and then tend towards explaining its philosophy and the importance of its presence in human life and explaining the position of the heavenly religions on it.