Khalea Allen

Professor Suzanne Jacobs

RELS 2300

01 December 2017

Comparison Paper on the Differences of Some Major Religions

 Throughout human history aspects of religion have been found in every culture. I define

religion as a group of peoples dedicated to the same convictions and beliefs working toward the

betterment of their members physical or spiritual positions. The differences in cultures, locations and

customs cause beliefs to be expressed in different ways. The traditions and ultimate goals clearly define

and differentiate these religions from one another. Christianity alone has nearly 21,000 independent

Church denominations, falling under 156 main groupings.1 It is my belief that all religions are

inherently different from one another. Even sects of the same religions differentiate with different

names such as Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism or Protestant and Catholic Christians. If they were the

same, why bother with different names at all? With so many options and ways to worship there are

bound to be similarities, but ultimately they are not the same.

One clear, distinguishing feature in religions is the deities they worship, if any, and how they are

venerated. There are monotheists belief in one God, and polytheists- the worship of many gods, and

also atheists whose beliefs deny gods. From our text Living Religions T.M.P Mahadevan is quoted to

say:

The Hindu mind is averse to assigning an unalterable or rigidly fixed form or name to the

deity. Hence it is that in Hinduism we have innumerable god-forms and countless divine

names. And, it is a truth that is recognized by all Hindus that obeisance offered to any of these

forms and names reaches the one supreme God.2

Many other religions would find the veneration of anything not God directly a violation of their

beliefs. Muslims, for instance have created beautiful works of art out of calligraphy to avoid creating a

pictorial representation that could inadvertently become worshiped by people instead of directly to

God.

The heart of Islam is not the Prophet but the revelations he received, which are revered as the

Word of God. Collectively they are called the Qur'an (meaning reading or reciting).

Muhammad received the messages over a period of twenty-three years, with some later

messages replacing earlier ones. At first they were striking affirmations of the unity of God and

the woe of those who did not heed God's message. Later messages also addressed the

organizational needs and social lives of the Muslim community.3

Zoroastrians worship a single deity called Ahura Mazda, the creator god. the wise Lord, from whom

all good things flowed.4 Buddhists do not directly worship a divine being, believing that venerating

the Buddha and studying his teachings and other lamas (teachers) they will obtain enlightenment and

reach nirvana. Though they believe in a creator and other gods, they do not help people gain

enlightenment or spiritual awakening, and there is no personal god to direct one's prayers to. These

single differences help identify different religions from one another.

Another identifier could be the leadership the faiths follow. Christianity was built eventually

with a hierarchy style centering on the Pope. Different popes eventually led to a split in the church,

again differentiating itself from the original religion and beliefs. Then the clergy presided over the

general membership. All looked to the one God, and then Jesus to try to emulate him to go to heaven.

Muslims pray solely to God. There may be an imam, or prayer-leader, but no priest stands

between the worshiper and God.5

 There is another major point in difference: the holy texts, hymns, and books used by each

religion. Jewish boys are taught how to read and write ancient Hebrew so they can interpret and study

the Torah; an oral tradition but also written on large scrolls of 613 commandments and sometimes

considered God's will or God's wisdom.6 There is also the Talmud included in their sacred literature

as the written and oral law.

All in Christianity follow the stories of Jesus in the Bible, usually comprised of the Old

Testament and the New Testament. However, different sects of Christianity had differences in their

bibles, sometimes adding books from Judaism and books intended to impart sage wisdom. Back in the

Vedic age, thousands of years ago, the Hindu texts called the Vedas were formed. The origins became a

controversial topic when it was disputed to be created by Indian peoples, Aryan peoples, or a mixture

of both. It is often considered the foundation of Hinduism and contain a revered collection of sacred

hymns praising the deities and exploring the nature of the cosmos.7

Sikhs follow the lessons of 10 Gurus and a book originally called the holy book, named the Adi

Granth (now known as the Guru Granth Sahib). The fifth Guru, Guru Arjun Dev, compiled sacred

scriptures, hymns, and poetry.

Guru Gobind Singh ended the line of bodily succession to Guruship. As he was passing away in

1708, he took the unique step of transferring his authority to the Adi Granth rather than to a

human successor. Thenceforth, it was called Guru Granth Sahib-the living presence of the Guru

embodied in the sacred scripture, to be consulted by the congregation for spiritual guidance and

decision-making.8

If one were to ask a member what makes their religion different from others they would likely

tell you how they worship. Both men and women Sikh initiates are sworn to a special code of

discipline. The book explains: ...Sikh men and women were sworn to wear five distinctive symbols of
their dedications: unshorn hair, a comb, drawstring underbreeches, a sword in a sheath, and a steel

bracelet.9 Many of these items hold great symbolism for the Sikhs and the promises made to God . The

sword is the promise to stand for justice and protecting the weak, the silver bracelet reminds them that

they serve God, and the uncut hair is to respect that which God has made.

Our book Living Religions states:

Hinduism also holds up four major goals that define the good life. One is dharma, or carrying

out one's responsibilities and duties, for the sake of social and cosmic order. A second is aratha,

or success in worldly activities, including the pursuit of wealth and advantage. A third is kama,

which refers to love and sensual pleasures, and also to aesthetic expression...The fourth and

ultimate goal of life is moksha, or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. Its attainment

marks the end of all other goals.10

Jews uphold strict standards within their Faith. Food must be Kosher and blessed by a rabbi. Some send

their children to yeshivot (day school), where they learn Hebrew and how to obey the commandments.

Prayer and observances of God's presence in all things permeates all aspects of life including how to

sleep, how to deal with women's menstrual cycles, and daily use of the toilet. For traditional observant

Jews, the morning begins with a prayer before they open their eyes to thank God for restoring the soul.

The hands must be washed before blessings and, for all traditional male Jews, putting on a special

fringed garment, a rectangle of cloth called a tallit katan.11

Christians attempt to imitate Christ. A passage in our book reads:

Imitation of the model set by Jesus in his own life is the primary practice of Christians. In the

widely read fourteenth-century book The Imitation of Christ, people are encourages to aspire to

Jesus' own example as well as his teachings...Although forms and understandings of the

practices vary among the branches of Christendom, they may include public worship services

with sermons and offerings of the sacraments, celebrations of the liturgical year, private

contemplation and prayer, and devotions to the saints. 12

But what of all these differences? Is there a point or envisioned goal that make these religions

different for a desirable reason? What makes these observations worth while? There are many different

visions of the afterlife as well as how to obtain desirable results while in one's current life.

Hindus believe they are continually reincarnated until their karma-run wheel of birth-death, and

rebirth (samsara) allows them liberation from time, and space, and join Brahman in ultimate reality.

Coinciding with Hinduism's beliefs, Buddhist's ultimate goal is to break the chain of

reincarnation, but diverts by transcending from earthly miseries to nirvana and finally paranirvana.

In the time before Mohammad, the people believed there were no consequences for good or bad

behavior. They had nothing to influence them to live right or wrong. In the section of Living Religions

titled The Last Judgment in the Islam section says:

 By contrast, the Qur'an emphasizes that after a period of repose in the grave, all humans will be

bodily resurrected and assembled for a final accounting of their deeds. At that unknown time of

the Final Judgment, the world will end cataclysmically:The earth will shake and the mountains

crumble into heaps of shifting sand(Surah 73:14). Then comes the terrible confrontation with

one's own life...13

There are those, after presented with all this information, that may still feel that all religions are still the

same. These things are inconsequential to the few things that actually matter. Such as the fact that so

many religions agree to the fact that there is one God and it is the same God as in other religions. Allah,

God, Ahura Mazda. They are all the same being. And those polytheistic practices in Hindu are all just

iterations of the same being. In addition to what they worship, how they worship could be considered to

be based off the same practices. Sacrifices, meditation, praying, prostration-they are present in nearly

every religion listed. Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in reincarnation. There is a popular theory

that religion is man-made. That it is a self-coping mechanism for the bleakness that is life and death.

Scientific Materialism found a form of religion in every human culture. Therefore, society thought up

God or gods in their area, which was then copied, taken to another place and then adapted to local

customs and done again and again. They all use books that have been copied and translated and

exchanged between cultures. They are all probably from the same original book miss-copied. And

ultimately, they all want the same thing for their members Catholics want to go to heaven, therefore

that must be what Buddhists want too. These are some strong arguments but I do not agree.

The sheer amount of diversity I have addressed in the broadest sense of these religions

overwhelming support my position that religions are ultimately, different. Not only externally but

internally in the religions as well. One could look and determine that Hindus and Lutherans are more

dissimilar than they are the same. Differences in religion have started wars such as in Palestine and the

Crusades. Like a different people from a different place with different cultures and traditions are named
differently from another people from another place with another culture and traditions, religions are

differentiated by name also because of different beliefs, traditions, and practices. Someone who learns

about these differences would have no confusion between a Muslim and a Jain. Their traditions, beliefs,

and customs are very different and mostly not at all the same. There are ways to group religions

together in the broad terms I used in this paper. Some have larger groups than others, but there is

something in that specific religion that makes it different from it's sibling or parent religions. There

may be more similarities between Indian religions or Western religions because of the similar customs

of where these religions started and became prominent. There is bound to be some overlapping in some

thoughts (Hindu and Buddhist reincarnation)and ideals (Christian and Islams one God) but that does

not make all religions the same.

I define religion as a group of peoples

dedicated to the same convictions and beliefs working toward the betterment of their members physical

or spiritual positions. The differences in cultures, locations and customs cause beliefs to be expressed in

different ways, causing religions to be inherently different. If someone were searching for a religion

this information could be used as a general guide to help them find what they are looking for. The

knowledge that there are so many different kinds of religions in the world may make them feel that

their specific needs and beliefs may be found in one of he religions in the world.
 Works cited

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions 10th Edition. Pearson Publishing, 2015.

1) Introduction: Why are there religions 1.2

2) Hinduism: Theistic foundations 3.2

3) Islam:The Qur'an 10.3

4) Zaroastrianism: Zarathushtra's mission 7a.1

5) Islam: The Five Pillars 10.5

6) Judaism: Torah 8.3

7) Hinduism: The Vedas 3

8) Sikhism: The Khalsa 11

9) Sikhism: The Khalsa 11

10)Hinduism: The Hindu Way of Life 3.5

11) Judaism: Sacred Practices 8.4

12) Christianity: Sacred Practices: 9.8

13) Islam: The Unseen Life 10