World religions: overview and major traditions

World Religions

The World's Great Religions

The world is filled with a wide variety of different religions and philosophical belief systems. Many of these practices are from an ancient era, well before the age of Christ. Dominated today by Christianity and Islam, all of these practices still have things in common, such as the belief in living a good and honest life. Modern Christians today must learn to live in harmony with these other religions.

The religion of Christianity is one of the greatest modern religions. It stems from the inspiring story of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice which gave humans the teachings and scriptures needed to live a good life and find peace with the one true God. Jesus, who was born Jewish, was the son of God himself, born to the Virgin Mary. He grew up and began wondering through the Holy Land teaching his philosophies to those who would listen (Tuttle 75). As he went through the land teaching, he also practiced miracles which helped gain a reputation among the people. Eventually, people began to follow him and adopt his principles as their own. However, his presence was not welcomed by the Jewish and Roman rulers of the region. Eventually, Judas, one of his disciples, betrayed him and handed him over to the ruling Roman empire that put him on the cross. Rather than running or fighting his captors, he accepted his fate for the good of mankind and died for our sins (Tuttle 113). Jesus eventually amassed many disciples, who later wrote the scripture of his teachings into the text now known as the New Testament of the Bible. The Apostle Paul was one disciple who was one day transformed from his gentile identity of Saul into a follower of Jesus and his teachings (Tuttle 83). After this epitome, Paul became one of the most important pioneers of the Bible. Today, the practice of Christianity is now widely practiced in a number of denominations.

Zoroastrianism is a sister religion to both Christianity and Islam predates both. It was the first monotheistic religion in the world, even predating Judaism. It is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster who believed that there was only one good God, Ahura Mazda. This God is entirely good, with no evil coming from him. Yet, he is in constant conflict with the source of all evil, who is constantly tying to destroy the world. This is incredibly similar to the Christian beliefs of God and his fight against Satan, who wishes to bring evil into the world through men's hearts. Just as in Christianity doing good deeds and living good lives will keep the evil from spreading.

Judaism is the religion which stemmed the Christian religion. It relies on the teachings and beliefs posited in the Old Testament of the same Bible that is essential to the Christian faith. In fact, the Jewish God is represented as the same God of the Christian belief. The only difference is that Judaism does not recognize Jesus Christ as the son of that God, (Glaser 36). The Jewish faith still practices its ancient rituals and ceremonies that were present within the era of Jesus Christ and believe that their people are hand picked for salvation.

Islam is another religion which is closely tied to the Christian faith, yet has seen much opposition to Christian nations over the years. It rests of the principles presented by the prophet Mohammed in the Qur'an which in ways is very similar to the Bible itself. The religion is a monotheistic one which relies on the nature of one true God. The practices urge followers to give themselves up to the one true God, Allah. As one of the largest religions in the world, it is practiced over a number of nations. Therefore its principles allow people of different nationalities to practice in different areas. The Five Pillars of Islam ask Muslims to repeat daily prayers five times a day and express one's personal connection to Allah. Like Judaism, there are also fasts to portray ones faith to God.

Hinduism is the dominant religion in the country of India and the third most popular religion after Islam and Christianity. The name Hinduism is actually a loose term that describes various similar groups of religions. This name was coined by the British during their long-term rule over the country (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 1). These religions are similar in form and practice, but may differ in small ways from region to region based on the remoteness of India and its different groups of people. For instance, different Hindu gods may be favored in different groups, but all are present in the loose construction of the religion. However, the overall practice of Hinduism proves monotheistic in the favoring of one god. Hindu people refer to their own religion as Sanatana Dharma, or "the eternal law," (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 1). Basic principles of the popular religion include notions of yogic practices and karma. Yoga includes various exercises which the practitioner conducts using his or her body (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 1). These poses are meant not only to stretch and exercise the human body, but also bring peace of mind to the mind and spirit. They are meant to enlighten the body through repetition of sacred practices. Karma is a general principle that describes the Hindu way of life. According to the notion of Karma, what one puts out into the world, one receives back threefold. Thus, if one does good deeds and puts out good energies, one will receive those good energies times three back (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 1). However, if one does wrong in his or her life, tat wrong will come back to haunt them. Another major belief in the Hindu religion is reincarnation. This belief states that the individual's journey does not necessarily end with death, but is a journey of spiritual growth and rebirth. Each individual must grow to a certain extent spiritually through living various lives in order to reach true spiritual enlightenment (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 1). Once spiritual enlightenment is attained, that individual can rest in the Hindu equivalent to heaven.

There are many similar core beliefs between Hinduism and Christianity. For example, many Hindu traditions favor one god, which is similar to the notion of monotheism within the Christian tradition. The ancient religious practice of Hinduism also has a notion of influencing its followers to lead good lives based on the construction of karma. Christianity also asks its followers to lead good god fearing lives as a way to show their devotion to the one true God. Hinduism is similar, yet it asks its followers to live well in order to benefit themselves on their journey through their multiple lives.

Another religious tradition that follows dharmic principles is that of Jainism. Jainism is a religion practiced mainly in East India and parts of Eastern Asia. It is a very ancient religion, just as its sister religion Hinduism. It also outdates its other sister religion Buddhism (Aiken 1). The name comes from the word "jina, conqueror, one of the epithets popularly applied to the reputed founder of the sect," (Aiken 1). This founder was very similar to Buddha. He was the local prince of a region who felt lost and empty in his current religious practice. After leaving his homeland he eventually found spiritual enlightenment (Aiken 1). Part of this enlightenment can the principle of self-mortification "to the extent that he went about naked, unsheltered from the sun, rain, and winds, and lived in the rudest vegetarian fare, practicing incredible fasts," (Aiken 1). This has proved what has made the religion so hard to translate into modern times. The practice has a monistic tradition, where monks represent the sacred religious authority and teach the sacred texts which are also strikingly similar to Buddhist traditions. However, the tradition is similar to Hinduism and Buddhism in the idea that salvation is only found through individual experience. Working alone, rather than with a priest or pastor, is the only way to true salvation.

Jainism also shares similarities with the Christian tradition. Its principle founder is reminiscent to the figure of Jesus, who left his traditional faith to find a more fitting spiritual existence. Although Jainis was not himself a son of God, his quest to bring a more truthful spiritual practice to the people is similar to Jesus' quest within the Jewish population. Jainis was a man of true spiritual principles, and showed elements of humility and spiritual strength by abandoning his home and former religion. He did this for the benefit of himself, as well as the benefit of his people, which is very similar to the path that Jesus had taken for the followers of the Christian religion. It is also similar in the idea that the religion asks its followers to deny themselves of luxuries and live a simple and humble life so that they may achieve spiritual enlightenment through their relationship with God and not be distracted by material means in the process.

Taoism is another ancient religion practiced within Eastern Asia. It shares beliefs and practices with Confucianism and is mainly practiced in various parts of China. It is a polytheistic religion that has a wide variety of gods within its spiritual arsenal. Like Hinduism, Taoism is a name that covers a wide variety of smaller religious sects that can be found in various parts of China and its neighboring countries, although the basic principles are the same (Hansen 1). Also known as Daoism, it is derived from the phrase "the path," or "the way." Its philosophy depends on three major conceits, or the "Three Jewels of the Tao," which are practicing elements of compassion, moderation, and humility (Hansen 1). Part of the principle of compassion is the idea of non-violence within everyday life. This means following a peaceful existence no matter what life throws at you. Human behavior is then guided through practices of non-violence, which then shape the nature of the religion itself. The concept of non-violence in Taoism is referred to as Wu Wei (Hansen 1). The idea of the Tao has come to represent the path to enlightenment. It is the flow of the universe that leads individuals to spiritual heaven when they follow its principles. Those principles also include moderation and humility. By practicing living a life of moderation, one is straying away from the distraction of living a life of luxury with all of its indulgences. With moderation comes humility, which is line with the path of life, or the Tao.

Taoism proves similar to some core Christian beliefs in several of its essential elements. The religious practice depends on following a specific way of life, the path or the Tao in order to gain spiritual enlightenment. Although the Christian tradition does not have a truly specific name for its own path, it is clearly laid out by the teachings of Jesus (Glaser 121). It calls for a life of non-violence, which is a direct relation to the life of Jesus. When Jesus was accused and tried for his crimes against the Roman Empire, he did nothing to stop the enforcement of his punishment. Rather than fleeing or fighting his captors, he did nothing, which in turn had a greater impact on his followers and future believers than any other action he could have taken. This is similar to the essential concept in Taoism of non-violence. In Taoism, non-violence is seen as an essential practice for spiritual enlightenment as well as personal development.

Another major religion within the Chinese nation is that of Confucianism. This religious practice stems from the Chinese philosopher Confucius who lived around 500 B.C. (Religion Facts 1). Within his teachings, Confucius presented a series of moral, social, and philosophical elements that now make up the center of Confucianism beliefs. One of these teachings deals with the importance of rituals within daily lives. According to Confucius, rituals are the means of internalizing patterns of behavior that are in line with the spiritual elements of the religious practice. Rather than following laws, which are externally forced by some sort of authorities and their social influence, rituals allow the practitioner to maintain particular behaviors internally through their own will (Religion Facts 1). However, in Confucianism, ritual is not always the elaborate ceremony it is associated with in common thought. A ritual can also be a simple practice that one devoted oneself to and could be as simple as practicing politeness to ones neighbors. Another major element of Confucius' teachings was the idea that there should be no separation between economic classes. This meant that no one should be discriminated against or held out of certain duties or privileges based on economic status.

Many elements of Confucianism share pieces of core Christian beliefs as well. The idea that rituals represent one's internal struggle and maintenance of spirituality can be found in many Christian denominations as well. For instance, in the Catholic tradition, there are many rituals which are practiced by followers to keep them closer to Jesus and God. These include the repetition of certain prayers, the consummation of the ritualistic blood and flesh of Christ, as well as traditions followed by the nuns and priests which have devoted themselves to the religion. These are all forms of rituals which are meant to keep the strength of the Christian teachings internally, just as rituals are of importance in Confucianism.