World Religions - Essay Example

World Religions: A Critical Examination World Religions: A Critical Examination Religion is commonly referred to or defined as "a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, and rituals associated with such belief." (Wikipedia, 2006). There are many separate definitions of religion, and the Encyclopedia of Religion describes religion in the following way: "In summary, it may be said that almost every known culture involves the religious in the above sense of a depth dimension in cultural experiences at all levels - a push, whether ill-defined or conscious, toward some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. When more or less distinct patterns of behavior are built around this depth dimension in a culture, this structure constitutes religion in its historically recognizable form. Religion is the organization of life around the depth dimensions of experience - varied in form, completeness, and clarity in accordance with the environing culture." (Winston King, Encyclopedia of Religion, p.7693). In order to better understand such a complex and descriptive subject, the following questions must be addressed: 1. How can we say Christianity is a heresy of Judaism And Buddhism a heresy of Hinduism 2. What are some comparisons and contrasts in regards to the problem of meaning, as represented by Judaism, Christianity, Islam in the west and Hinduism and Buddhism in the east 3. How may we say that Christianity represents a faith centered system whereas the Lesser Buddhist Vehicle represents an effort centered system 4. Zen Koan - The Past and Future Buddhas 5. Tao Te Ching By thoroughly discussing these five questions, we can come to a more intellectual and more knowledgeable understanding on the matter of religion. The aim of this paper is to discuss all of this, as well as the other key related elements in regards to religion and its concepts and ideals. This is what will be dissertated in the following. How can we say Christianity is a heresy of Judaism And Buddhism a heresy of Hinduism In order to understand how one religion is considered to be a heresy of another, we must first understand the immediate religions themselves. Christianity is a monotheistic religion which is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who is known more familiarly by Christians as Jesus Christ. Christianity is considered to be the world's largest religion; Christian views of the afterlife generally involve heaven and hell, with Catholicism adding an immediate realm of purgatory. Judaism is the religion of Jewish people, and is one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The Buddhist religion was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. Hinduism is a religion which originated in the Indian subcontinent, based on the Vedas and the beliefs of other people of India. "It is one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today." (Wikipedia, 2006). Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with approximately 970 million adherents. The term 'heresy', according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a "theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. By extension, heresy is an opinion or doctrine in philosophy, politics, science, art, etc., at variance with those generally accepted as authoritative." 'Heresy' means opinion, and "the wisdom of such orthodox tradition is certainly not something to be denied or perverted on the basis of mere opinion." (Wilson, 1991). Christianity is a heresy of Judaism in that Christianity actually began in the first century as a Jewish sect. Therefore it shares much of the Sacred scripture and the early history of Judaism, and as well, Christianity is considered an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam. In fact Christianity truly began within the Jewish religion among the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. "Under the leadership of the Apostles Peter and Paul, it welcomed Gentiles, and gradually separated from Pharisaic Judaism." (Wikipedia, 2006). In basically the same regard, Buddhism is considered as a heresy of Hinduism in that Hinduism constitutes a very complex but largely continuous whole, and since it covers the whole of life, its has many religious, social, economic, literary, and artistic aspects. Hinduism is an utterly diverse religion, and in this way is easily considered to be correlated with the religion of Buddhism. Buddhism was originally founded by Gautama Buddha, north of Hindustan, during the middle of the sixth century BC. Buddhism is regarded by many as not a new religion, but rather as a 'reformation' of Hinduism, and specifically that of the Hinduism as practiced by the highest caste, the Brahmans. What are Some Comparisons and Contrasts in Regards to the Problem of Meaning, as Represented by Judaism, Christianity, Islam in the West and Hinduism and Buddhism in the East The problem of meaning; the question of 'why am I here' is represented by an array of various elements, dependant on the specific religion. In regards to Judaism, Jews throughout the ages have willingly given up their lives, rather than abandon being Jewish, due to the fact that they believe "Because until you know what you are willing to die for, you have not yet begun to live." (Weinberg, n.d.). A few of the most strongest made points in the Jewish religion are: to know your pleasures, to live for what you are willing to die for, and that life is about pleasure and not comfort. As Rabbi Noah Weinberg puts it, "Imagine you're offered 10 million dollars in exchange for one of your children. After rejecting the offer, you'd be overwhelmed with the precious value of that child!" (Weinberg, n.d.). There are many similarities between the Jewish religion and the Christian religion, for instance; such as the fact that both religions believe in a higher power, in God. In terms of the Islam religion, they also believe in one God, as well as the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that the purpose of life is to worship their God - Allah. "To worship Allah is to live life according to His commands, not to run away from it. To worship Allah is to know Him, to love Him, to obey His commands, to enforce His laws in every aspect of life, to serve His cause by doing right and shunning evil and to be just to Him, to ourselves and to our fellow human beings." ("Islam", n.d.). The religion of Hinduism it is both a monotheistic and a henotheistic religion, and they too believe in one supreme God who created the universe. However, one difference is that according to Hinduism, this world is ultimately purposeless. "Hinduism, which does posit a Divine creator, describes the Divine direction of this world as lila, 'playful sport', with no more purpose and meaning than a game of ball." (Judaism Online, n.d.). Buddhism, as well, is a non-theistic religion, and therefore "the existence of God and even the existence of an immortal soul are either denied or irrelevant in Buddhism." (Judaism Online, n.d.). How may we say That Christianity Represents a Faith Centered System Whereas the Lesser Buddhist Vehicle Represents an Effort Centered System It was after the Buddha's death that his followers split into a number of factions, each with its own interpretations of the master's teachings. The older tradition - the lesser vehicle - is otherwise known as Hinayana. Although it is the oldest, it is also the conservative, for few (only 38% of Buddhists). The other - the greater vehicle - otherwise known as Mahayana, is the liberal school, for everybody (62%). Zen Koan - The Past and Future Buddhas In terms of past buddhas, the list is as follows: Tanhamkara, Medhamkara, And also Saranamkara, Dipamkara, the Buddha great, Kondanna, of all men the chief; Mangala, and Sumana too, Revata, Sobhita, the sage, Anomadassi, Paduma, Narada, Padumuttara; Sumedha, and Sujata too, Piyadassi, the glorious one, Atthadassi, Dhammadassi, Siddhattha, guide of every man; Tissa, Phussa, the Buddha great, Vipassi, Sikkhi, Vessabhu, Kakusandha, Konagamana, and Kassapa also, guide for men. In regards to the future Buddhas, "Our future Buddha, in his passage through four immensities and a hundred thousand world-cycles to the present time, has made his wish under twenty-four of these Buddhas beginning with Dipamkara. But since Kassapa, The Blessed One, there has been no Supreme Buddha excepting our present one. Accordingly, our future Buddha has received recognition at the hands of twenty-four Buddhas beginning with Dipamkara." (Buddha's Ministry, n.d.). Tao Te Ching The Tao Te Ching is an ancient Chinese scripture, whose short work is one of the most important in both Chinese philosophy and religion, especially so in Taoism, but also in Buddhism as well. Many believe that the Tao Te Ching "contains some universal truths which have since been independently recognized in other philosophies, both religious and secular." (Wikipedia, 2006). Each modern language interpretation varies at least slightly, but the most primary are as follows: The Tao that can be told of - "The Tao that can be told of is not an unvarying Tao; The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, Each after its kind. (Tr. A. Waley). The 'Valley Spirit' - "The Valley Spirit never dies It is named the Mysterious Female. And the doorway of the Mysterious Female Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang. It is there within us all the while; Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry. (Chapter VI, Tr. A. Waley) The Return - The 'return' should not be understood as a simple or reactionary way back to the past, but as a 'contraction', a 'reduction', a 'withdrawal' or even a 'retreat' in oneself. "This is illustrated in the anti-Confucianist saying: Learning consists in adding to one's stock day by day; the practice of Tao consists in subtracting day by day (ch. 48) and in this strategic advice I dare not advance an inch but retreat a foot instead. (ch.69). (Wikipedia, 2006). The Sage has no heart on his own - In regards to this, an explanation as to how nothingness has power can be found in chapter 11: "We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; But it is on the space where there is nothing That the usefulness of the wheel depends. We turn to clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing That the usefulness of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; And it is on these spaces where there is nothing That the usefulness of the house depends. Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, We should recognize the usefulness of what is not. (Ch. 11, Tr. A. Waley). Lastly, 'knowing oneself' - Although the pursuit of knowledge of the self appears in many variations throughout the Tao Te Ching, one of the best examples is in chapter 33: "Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self requires strength; He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present." (Ch. 33, tr. Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English). From this review, we can see that the similarities and on the same note the differences as well of different world religions are of incredible significance and importance, and all interpretations and dialogues must be fully understood in order to achieve a true knowledge of world religions. References Buddha's Ministry. (n.d.). Buddhas of the Past and the Future Buddha. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://home.earthlink.net/mpaw1238/id41.html "Islam". (n.d.). The Meaning of Islam. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://www.afghanan.net/islam/meaning.htm Judiasm Online. (n.d.). Buddhism and Judaism. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/BuddhismJudaism.htm King, W. (2005). Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 11. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. p7692-7701 Weinberg, N. (n.d.). The Meaning of Life. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/MeaningofLife.htm Wikipedia. (2006). Religion. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion Wilson, A. (1991). Heresy. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://www.unification.net/ws/theme055.htm Read More