Exploring World Religions For Health Care Professionals - Assignment Example

Exploring World Religions For Health Care Professionals Q1. What is religion, why do religions exist, and why do you think the study of religion is important? Almost all of us are associated with some religion or the other, and as for those who aren’t, are referred to as atheists. Religion can simply be explained as a set of value, a belief and cultural system, and various views that connect spirituality and moral values to the existence of humanity. Different religions have different symbolisms, teachings, traditional variations and histories all which have the purpose of making humanity understand the reason for its existence, and why this universe came into creation into the first place. According to a very rough research, there are almost four thousand two hundred different types of religion in this world. A question that many people ask is why does religion exist and what its purpose is. One needs to know that two things, belief and faith are inherently inbuilt in the human nature, and they have been so since the beginning of times. Now if we go into a little bit more detail, some of these beliefs have been properly organized or shaped into teachings, doctrines and properly organized structures which are set up in a hierarchal manner. Like the case is with any kind of organized structure, religion seeks to exist to preserve its existence and therefore all such acts related to it are ultimately focused towards survival and expansion in an exponential manner. It is quite a question to understand why the study of religion is important for humanity. Since the beginning of times, human beings have been in need of guidance. The Muslims were guided on how to lead their lives by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), who was the last messenger of Allah on Earth and from the Quran, the Holy Book of Muslims which contains guidance and a code of life from Allah. Similarly, the Christians received guidance from Jesus Christ and believe in the teachings of the Bible, as they believe that their God communicated to them through the words of the Bible. All religions serve to guide its people as to how their lives, what to do and what not to and so on regarding almost all major issues of life. If one doesn’t have an understanding of a religion, then he would be doomed and lack knowledge, and pretty much lost as to what to do regarding various circumstances in life (Macmillan, 2004). In simple words, one does need to study a religion so he has guidance, so he can distinguish between what’s good and bad for him, and so he knows how to deal with certain things when they come up in life. When we talk of religions, there aren’t many who don’t know about organized religions. An organized religion can simple be understood as a social institution which consists of a particular set of beliefs, rituals and cultures which are not only arranged in a systematic manner but also established in a proper manner. Organized religions can also be understood as those religions that are known world over by their name and to which people often associate themselves with legally and openly. Some well-known organized religions include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jews and Buddhists. There are some characteristics that are common amongst all these religions. To start off, all of them talk about helping humanity, restricting people from engaging in war and harming others without any due cause. Moreover all these religions press upon its followers to speak the truth and always take care of scarce resources as they are bound to deplete one day. Differences occur when it comes to religions practices and the hierarchy of leadership and rituals, but other than that, all religions promote peace and love amongst humanity. Most people also get confused between spirituality and religion. These are two very separate things and need to be understood very clearly. Religion often consists of people who think like mindedly in religious matters according to the religious teachings they have been given, this creating a thin border line between themselves and people who come from other religions. Spirituality on the other hand not only condemns this dualism but is against it and speaks of “us and them”. Also, religions are often associated with being loyal to religions institutions (mosques, synagogues and mandirs), clergymen (fathers and Imams) and a set of rules. On the other hand spirituality talks of being loyal to the achievement of justice and compassion, and as such doesn’t associate with any people or institutions. Also when we are comparing between spirituality and religion, we need to understand that religions always talk of Gods, which differ from religion to religion (based upon the faith of the people following that very religion). While on the other hand it is believed, that spirituality is aimed more towards making humans Godly in their attributes so that they can drive out the negative energy from this universe. To put it all very simply, when spirituality is practiced in an entirely in a community then this can also be referred to as the best or cleanest form of religion. One final question that people often ask a lot is why it is essential for healthcare providers to have knowledge about religion. The answer to this question is not a very complicated one. Healthcare providers need to have knowledge about various religions because most religions have talked of diseases and how they can be cured. There is a lot that can be learnt from religion by healthcare administrators which can help the growth of healthcare industry. For instance, Islam always talked about how honey is good for most types of diseases, and the same was proven recently when researchers concluded that honey helps in controlling sugar levels, makes eye sight stronger, helps in digestion etc. Therefore religion often serves as a guide to health care professionals. Q2. What are the similarities and differences between the Hinduism and Buddhism? Hinduism and Buddhism are two old religions that most of the people know about. Hinduism and Buddhism have their basis in Hindustan, or India as we know it now While there are many differences and commonalities between these two religions, let’s just start discussing the major ones. Both Hinduism and Buddhism believe in Samsara and Karma (what goes around comes back around). They also are of the belief that the major cause of suffering in the human race is desire. Furthermore, both these religions spread the message of peace and serenity and emphasize compassion to the entire human race. However, it is interesting to know that peace and serenity doesn’t only mean to be good towards humans, but towards animals as well. The concept of hell and heavens is also a common one between these two schools of faiths along with the fact that both believe in spiritual based practices including concentration, yoga, meditation and cultivation of various states of the human mind and body. It is also interesting to know that both these religious focus upon detachment from the current world to focus on the attainment of inner peace by entering in a spiritual lifestyle. Even though there are similarities, there are also many other differences between these two schools of faith. While Hinduism was not found by a particular person, Buddhism was found by the famous Buddha. It is also interesting to know that the Buddhists have no holy scripture of their own. On the other hand, the Hindus get their teachings from the Vedas (a Hindu scripture). It is also quite interesting to know that even though Buddhist believers do believe in the Hindu Gods or Bhagvans, as they are more commonly known as, they do not really look up to them with that much respect as they give to Buddha. Moreover, Hindus believe that there are four main purposes why the human race was sent to earth and they include Karma, Moksha, Artha and Dharma. On the other hand, Buddhists believe that the sole purpose for the creation of the human race is overcoming sorrows (Sen, 2005). We should keep in mind here that Buddha was born around 564 BCE and lived till 483 BCE. His name in full was Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, and the very meaning of his last name, Buddha is the enlightened one. Hinduism on the other hand was not introduced by any one person in particular. It is one of the world’s oldest religions ever, having around a billion followers and expanding daily. Also the word Hindu, was introduced by the foreigners as they used to refer to people by this name who used to live near the famous Indus River. And Hinduism is without any doubt one of the oldest religions of the world as their scriptures date back to 6500 BC. (Sen, 2005) If we compare Hinduism with Buddhism, the latter has way less followers with only around 300 million in number in comparison to one billion plus Hindus. The two religions also look at the role of woman in different manners. It is the Hindu belief that that women cannot hold high positions in the religion, and that their purpose of life is to serve their husbands as much as they possibly could. The achievement of pleasure for the husband meant that the wife is doing a great job being a woman. Buddha on the other hand, was clearly against these beliefs. He didn’t believe in the separation of roles based on gender and asked people to embrace each other as kindred spirits. To conclude, these two religions have their similarities as well as their differences. However, it must be realized that these two religions are still nothing like Islam and Christianity who, to a certain extent, do share a heap of common faith. But it must also be noted here that people often tend to mix up Hinduism and Buddhism owing to the fact that the bulk of the followers of these religions live in India and therefore share a similar culture. Also, marriages between people coming from these two religions are pretty much a commonality in India so people often mix them up. Q4. What are the significant similarities and differences between there Abrahamic Faiths (Islam and Christianity)? Islam are Christianity are two of the world’s most well-known and popular religions. Both of these two these two religions believe in Monotheism, that means the existence of just one God. Christians refer to their God as God whereas Muslims refer Him to as Allah. What’s very common between these two religions is that the followers of these two religions are known as “People of the Book”. Islam was founded some 1400 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula while on the other hand Christianity was brought to faith in 30 AD. What’s more interesting about these two religions about these two religions is that people from both these believes believe in the Jesus Christ and Adam. However, according to the Christians, Jesus Christ was the son of God, whereas Muslims believe otherwise. According to Muslims, he was one of the various Prophet’s that was sent to Earth. Another point of convergence is that the Quran as well as the Bible both mention about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) in respectful words. There is a difference between the sacred texts of the two religions. The Muslims look towards the Quran as a means of guidance while on the other hand, the Christians believe in the teachings of the Bible (Wilkinson & Salazar, 2002). The Muslims also believe that the Quran contains the words of Allah and therefore it might be given respect. While on the other hand the views of the Christians as to the Bible are not the same. Their views vary with some saying it contains the words of God, while others say it is inspired by human accounts and is of human origin only. It must be mentioned here that followers of both these faiths believe in the existence of only one God as mentioned before. However, Christians believe in trinity – a belief which agrees in the existence of a single substance, involving three persons. On the other hand, Islam believes in Unity – one substance and one person. Difference is also observed in the reverence of human beings in these two faiths. While Muslims believe in Prophets and Imams, Christians believe in Saints and Fathers of churches. Both these religions also believe that Prophet Jesus was the result of a virgin birth. However there are differing views as to the death of Prophet Jesus. Christians are of the view that Prophet Jesus died out of crucifixion whereas the Muslims believers are of the view that he did not die, but his body was ascended into heaven, and that another person, a disciple died in his place. Even though both these religions do believe upon the second coming of Prophet Jesus, only the Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The Islamic school of thought denies his resurrection on the basis that he didn’t die in the first place. Another point of convergence is that followers of both these religions go to a particular place of offer prayers in congregation. However for Muslims this place is a referred to as a mosque, but for the Christians it is referred to as a church, chapel, cathedral or basilica (Macmillan, 2004). Both these two religions believe in life after death and the existence of heaven and hell. It is also pretty interesting to know that both these two religions follow the Ten Commandments and moral teachings given by the Prophets. Other points of convergence include the fact that the mother of Prophet Jesus was a virgin and that gave birth to Prophet Jesus without even being touched by a man. Also both these religions believe in the existence of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Other than that another common view is that both these religions stay affirm as to the existence of the Day of Judgment where people will be judged on the basis of their deeds and would then be sent to either Heaven or Hell (Wilkinson & Salazar, 2002). It must be noted here that the true teachings of Prophet Jesus are fully compatible with both the religions in question. Muslims also believe in the teachings of Prophet Moses and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). It must also be noted that the Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed many a times since it came down to earth. The Muslims regard the Bible as a Holy Scripture and do respect it. However, they do not believe upon it completely owing to the fact that it has been rewritten to a great extent and is not the same as the one that was revealed to Earth. Even though the Bible has been rephrased many a times, but still some facts remain the same and that is the only reason that Muslims only agree to that part of the Bible that is not in contradiction with the Quran. It must also be noted that for Muslims it is obligatory to pray five times a day every single day. However, the case is not the same with Christians and they just attend masses and sermons at the Church. Moreover, Islam emphasizes upon fasting in the holy month of Ramzan, and that’s something the Christians don’t do at all. It is also compulsory for the Muslims to make a visit to Saudi Arabia at least once in their life and offer Hajj, if they have the resources to do so. However with Christians its nothing like this at all. It must also be mentioned here that are very different festivals that are celebrated by these two celebrations. The Muslims have two major happy occasions or Eid every year, whereas Christians don’t celebrate these events at all. The two major Muslims events are known as Eid ul Azha and Eid Ul Fitr. Whereas, the major events that Christians celebrate include Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Good Friday. After all this discussion it can be said that there are many similarities in between these two religions which bring them close to each other, as well as differences which separate them. It is up to the religious scholars to unite together and move ahead hands in hands for the benefit of all religions at large. References Top of Form Macmillan, G. (2004). Understanding Christianity. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press. Bottom of Form Top of Form Wilkinson, P., & Salazar, B. (2002). Islam. New York: Dorling Kindersley. Bottom of Form Top of Form Sen, K. M. (2005). Hinduism. London: Penguin. Bottom of Form Read More