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- Another article treats canon law, the codes of law of the Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches.
In the religious sense, law can be thought of as the ordering principle of reality; knowledge as revealed by God defining and governing all human affairs. Law, in the religious sense, also includes codes of ethics and morality which are upheld and required by God. Examples include customary Hindu law, Sharia (Islamic law), Halakha (Jewish law), and the divine law of the Mosaic code or Torah.
Established religions and religious institutions
State churches and similar established religions are connected to the governments that establish them. In some jurisdictions, this means that they operate legal systems of their own or play a part in the legal system of those governments. Canon law is one such sort of legal system; it was administered in ecclesiastical courts. In England, the system of equity was originally established by the Church.
Christianity
In Christianity, law is often contrasted with grace (see also Law and Gospel): the contrast here speaks to attempts to gain salvation by obedience to the code of laws, as opposed to seeking salvation through faith in the atonement made by Jesus on the cross. Compare legalism and antinomianism. The Roman and Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican Churches' Canon laws are their codified standards or laws and compilations of decisions made under them.
Islam
Muslims in Islamic societies have traditionally viewed Islamic law as essential to their religious outlook. Traditional Islamic law is called Sharia or Shariah (شريعة). Like most religious cultures, Islam classically drew no distinction between religious and secular life. The Qur'an is the foremost source of Islamic jurisprudence; the second is the Sunnah (the practices of the Prophet, as narrated in reports of his life). The Sunnah is not itself a text like the Qur'an, but is extracted by analysis of the Hadith (Arabic for "report") texts, which contain narrations of the Prophet's sayings, deeds, and actions of his companions he approved. In recent times, Islamic law has often been questioned by liberal movements within Islam.
Hindu Law
Hindu law is largely based on the Manu Smriti or 'Institutions of Manu.' It was recognized by the British after their occupation of India, but its influenced has largely waned in 20th century India with its general policies of secularization.
Bahá'í Faith
The laws of the Bahá'í Faith primarily come from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book). In Bahá'í scripture the laws are not seen as a constricting code, or a ritual, but are described by Bahá'u'lláh as the "choice wine", and a means to happiness. The laws are seen as the foundation of a just society and facilitate the spiritual development of the planet for the next thousand years. They are not considered as binding to anyone until they become a Bahá'í, and becoming a Bahá'í is not conditional on a person's level of adherence. An individual is expected to gradually apply laws on a personal basis.
Here are a few examples of laws and basic religious observances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas which are considered obligatory for Bahá'ís:
- Recite an obligatory prayer each day. There are three such prayers among which one can be chosen each day.
- Observe a Nineteen Day Fast from sunrise to setset from March 2 through March 20. During this time Bahá'ís in good health between the ages of 15 and 70 abstain from eating and drinking.
- Gossip and backbiting are prohibited and viewed as particularly damaging to the individual and their relationships.
See also
"Religious law"