Ethnic and Universalizing Religions and Offers Christianity

¶ … ethnic and universalizing religions and offers Christianity and Hinduism as examples. A brief comparison and contrast between Christianity and Hinduism is then offered along with a cultural landscape of each.

Religious Characteristics

Though the number of religions worldwide is far too numerous to address, the nature of those religions can be categorized in one of two groups. They are either universalizing religions or ethnic religions. An example of a universalizing religion is Christianity while an example of an ethnic religion is Hinduism. Though they differ significantly, they also have commonalities. These commonalities are a direct result of the very definition of religion and its defining characteristics. Another commonality is that they have both made significant imprints upon the cultural landscape though the actual geographic locations differ significantly.

Religion is best defined by addressing the characteristics which comprise it. Essentially, it is a belief in a deity or in a greater or higher power; a doctrine of salvation; a code of conduct; and, religious rituals. These characteristics are all necessary components of a religion though they may vary greatly between religions.

Additionally, religions may be characterized as either being universalizing or ethnic. An ethnic religion is defined as one that an individual is born into while a universalizing religion is "chosen" by its followers. Being a member of a universalizing religion is considered voluntary while being a member of an ethnic religion is not a choice. Ethnic religions are usually located in specific geographic locations and do not actively seek new members from outside the group while universalizing religions tend to be widespread and actively seek converts. Ethnic religions are strongly tied to specific cultural attributes while universalizing religions are represented in any number of cultures.

As an illustration of the two types, consider Christianity and Hinduism. Christianity is an example of a universalizing religion while Hinduism is undoubtedly an ethnic religion. First and foremost, it should be noted that both obviously contain the four necessary characteristics of religion defined previously. They also share more specific characteristics. For example, both share a belief in sacrificing to atone for one's sins. However, Hinduism is a polytheistic religion whereas Christianity is monotheistic. Therefore, a Christian would always be sacrificing to the One God while a Hindu may sacrifice to a variety of deities. Additionally, while Christianity can be traced to an exact starting point, the birth of Christ, no one knows when Hinduism began. It started long before recorded history and has known starting point as it is not tied to one individual. Further, while both Hindus and Christians seek salvation, the doctrine thought to achieve it is vastly different. Christians believe that the only way to achieve salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as one's savior. There is no other way, period. The Hindu believes that the road to salvation is attained through oneself.