Buddhism Emerged in India Around 2500 B.C.

Buddhism emerged in India around 2500 B.C. At a time when conditions were critical in the area as a result of significant social and religious conflicts. Even with the fact that this culture contradicted a great deal of traditions in India during the period, it received wide-spread appreciation. The fact that it was initially not as well-organized as other religions that it interacted with did not stop it from pervading the Indian society.

The sense of self is a very important concept in Buddhism, as the religious ideology promotes it as being a constantly changing idea. Buddhist teachers emphasize the need to acknowledge that it would be wrong for someone to consider his identity as being equivalent to a particular value all the time. Identity changes over the years and ideas that seemed intriguing in the past might seem less impressive in the present.

Buddhism addresses life as a trial during which the individual needs to be able to gain a more complex understanding of the world. He or she has to realize that desire can contain a person and must thus do everything in his or her power with the purpose of abandoning desire in favor of adopting spiritual values.

Morality is closely tied to the idea of purpose in Buddhist teachings, taking into account that the religion supports the concept that a person needs to abandon material values in order to succeed in being enlightened. In his or her struggle to abandon material values, a person is provided with the opportunity to embrace a moral lifestyle, as he or she no longer feels obsessed with worldly matters.

Karma is an essential topic in Buddhism and Buddhists largely believe that it is the reason why particular things happen. The religion does not attempt to say that there is a divine being controlling the world's destiny, nor does it claim that things happen by accident. Karma is important because of how it can make individuals more or less satisfied with their condition.

Biblical/Christian worldview

Christianity promotes the belief that humanity originates in the moment when God created the world and Adam and Eve. The two failed to live in accordance with God's laws and were sent into the world -- a place where they built all of society. Christianity goes back two millennia ago to the time when Jesus presented people with God's words.

Christians believe that their identity is closely related with the one of Christ, taking into account that he plays an important role in the culture as a whole. By looking at Christ's figure and behaviors, Christians are taught that they should replicate these respective attitudes and that it would only be normal for them to put across moral behavior.

A person's purpose into the world would be to become a believer and to act in agreement with a series of laws that can make the respective individual able to enter the Kingdom of God. Selflessness is a central idea in Christianity, as achieving this level is widely regarded as one of the most important goals within the religion.

Morality is strongly connected to the word of God, with Christians having to do everything in their power with the purpose of respecting this respective word. Jesus' behaviors and attitude with regard to the world largely promote morality. Jesus intended to make the world a better place and to have people acknowledge the significance of morality in society.