World Religions
by: Stephen Birk
There are many
vastly different religious and cultural worldviews on our big planet. Religion
is very unique to the individual and the masses alike. Each religion differs in
various ethnic patterns and commonalities but each religion also shares some
very similar features. Of the five major world religions examined,
(Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) we know that each
religion speculates on the meaning of life and what it should bring about and
how one should live daily. Each of these religions also owns scared scriptures
detailing old wisdom that should be passed down through scared rituals and virtuous
ethics. Feeling safe in expression and having a safe haven is also a commonalty
between these five major religions. A religion flourishes inside the self when
it is able to breathe wisdom and hope into a person of belief.
Three
major world religions we see are monotheistic, meaning they believe in only one
god. These religions are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Having one god is
not alone in the similarities between these three great religions. Each of these religions portray a deep
spiritual connection with their god. Being a Christian means you believe that
Jesus Christ was the son of God. Jesus’s words touched and healed people and
Christians really look to God for explanation and guidance. Belonging to
Judaism means that you believe at the core that there is a covenant between God
and his people (the Jews). This means that Judaism has taught its people to be
more tolerant of oppression and persecution and keep moving forward because of
its past toils with hardship. In Islam, being submissive to Allah is how one
acts their entire life. Muslisms believe that time and events are predestined
by the almighty Allah. This is shown in their saying, “in sha’a allah,” meaning
“if God wills it.” This example really sticks out to me because of recent
encounters with this saying. At the Columbus Literacy Council I have a student
who is from Somalia and Ghana. The student from Ghana always calls the student
from Somalia to make sure he is coming to class today and every time the
student from Somalia will reply with a, “in sha’a allah.” This student uses
this phrase quite often; it is intertwined with his lifestyle because he is a
Muslim. We need to recognize and accept that each student will be living and
experiencing the world differently based on their religion and lifestyle
choices.
Death
is known by all species of this earth. It is not uncommon and is thought of
differently throughout each religion. Let’s start with Christianity and Islam.
Each of these religions thinks of death as the final phase of life and believes
there will be a final judgment day for each person. Both of these religions
believe in conforming to their God’s holy doctrine. If they do the job well
enough, their judgment will send them to Heaven or Paradise, but if they did
wrong and forged a bad path, then their judgment will send them to Hell. Judaism
believes in one God just like Christianity and Islam, but there is little to be
said about death. Judaism has much speculation on death and there is no general
consensus on what the afterlife brings. In Buddhism and Hinduism death is
unavoidable and should be treated as so. These religions believe that the soul
is immortal and there will be a type of reincarnation after death. Depending on
how much karma or how virtuous you have been through your life will determine
your next rebirth status. There is a wide variance of speculation on death and
the afterlife, we must understand that everyone views death differently and
respect them for their differences.
Ancient
wisdom is passed down through writings, scriptures, and narratives. Each major
religion holds a book or set of books sacred. Whether it be the Bible for
Christians, the Torah for Jews, the Koran for Muslisms, the Four Nobles
Truths/the Noble Eightfold Path for Buddhists, or the Vedas/Upanishads for
Hindus, each book is guiding and enlightening for the follower. Depending on
which book you decide to follow, if any, you may look at the same things in the
world as someone else but have a totally different spin on the way you look at
those same things. For example the Koran and the Vedas are taken to be
ingrained into your everyday life. They are insights about how to live and how
to function as religious people. Islamic people learn to submit to god from a
very early age and believe in fatalism, or a predestined life. Hindus are
trying to live a virtuous life to advance to the next spiritual form, hoping to
eventually achieve Brahman. Christians follow the commandments of the Bible and
believe in the present and future bearing the fruits of their labor. The
Buddhist Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path seek to teach the soul to get rid
of suffering and how to understand how we create such suffering. For a
Buddhist, nirvana is the ultimate state where one is enlightened and free from
want and suffering. These scriptures from each religion bring different twists
to life that everyone may not experience but should at least be aware of.
Diverse
ethics and having a safe haven for worship is also a shared trait between these
major religions. Most religions share a common rule; treat others how you wish
to be treated. This overarching human law seems to be the basis of civility.
Many civilizations are founded and based on religion and function in so many
different ways. Each civilization brings up people with different ethical
patterns and standards for living, but each civilization has a sacred place of
prayer and worship. Whether it be a Temple, a Synagogue, a Church, a Mosk, or
simply facing a specific direction, a peaceful environment to worship and
commit to your God is a staple of religion. A sense of community is also built
when a religion has a social way to expose its members to the ways of its
religion. This sense of belonging also helps shape a religion and spread its
followers. I believe Buddhism and Hinduism function more on an individual
spiritual level compared to having more congregational patterns. Hinduism and
Buddhism are a discovery of the self. They teach their followers to awaken
themselves and see past the physical world that plagues are limited vision. When
teaching different students you must think of what they believe in to see
better into their frame of reference. Getting to know how someone commonly acts
when following a certain religion will better shape your understanding of their
diverse ways. There will be vastly different people inside the same religion
but it is good to understand the basics of how people think they should go
about living their life. This diversity in thinking helps build closer
connections to students and ultimately helps students achieve and want to
achieve more than they may have expected because of the engagement attuned to
their culture, religion, and personal lifestyle.
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