Comparing and Contrasting Two Specific Characteristics in Two Modern Religious Faiths - Report Example

Comparing and Contrasting two specific characteristics in two modern religious faiths It is believed that people living in ancient culture developed their own religious ideologies to provide an explanation of their own creation and the world around them. These principles were often based upon mythology. In ancient times, it was a common practice to create religious beliefs upon polytheism. According to polytheism, the mood of an individual God or goddess would be reflected by certain environmental changes such as rain and wind. However, as the world evolved, religious beliefs kept changing and differed among the civilization of the prehistoric world. If we look deep in the history of the different religions, we would witness various changes and a variety of ideas for religious thoughts. With time, as the beliefs changed, many authentic religions like Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., came forward which are still practiced in the modern world. These religions differ vastly when we talk about their characteristics. A variety of dimensions can be noticed in every religion all with different beliefs. This paper would further revolve around the basic belief of the existence of deity in different religions with comparison between the themes and practices followed in these religions. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Baha’I Faith, Sikhism, Zorastrianism and Shinto are compared with each other to put forward the general beliefs and practices regarding deity in the respective religions. Belief in a Deity: According to many beliefs, deities preside over an individual and sometimes deeply influence the actions of a human being and also dealings in natural world. Believing in a deity or in a power beyond the individual is one of the chief characteristics of any religion. After conducting a vast research, three main philosophical views came forward on the subject of the existence of a deity. According to Atheism there is no concept of an existence of a deity. However, Theists have a strong faith on a deity or deities. Another group of people known as Agnostics conclude that the reality of a deity cannot be proved neither can it be disproved. In Hinduism, followers are taught that the spirit ruling the world called Brahman is the ultimate power. Also, Hindus also worship a number of other Gods or Goddess. On the other hand, Taoists possess faith in deities that appear human like. In addition, they adulate deities who were formerly human beings and turned out to be god or goddess after tasting the pleasure of death. Also, in various religions people worship nature deities who are believed to be residing in or controlling a range of expressions of the natural world. For example, Chinese worshippers, particularly, offer their religious services towards gods of sands and grain. Shinto followers believe in kami, spirits who, according to their belief, live in nature. Alternatively, various American Indian tribes pray in front of a spirit power, which is assumed to be an inexplicable magic force in nature. Rituals of Purification in Hinduism and Christianity: Purification from sin and evil is the root of the motives behind the rituals of cleaning one’s soul or body. In both Christianity and Hinduism, this act of purification forms a basis of belief and is a preparation for the love of God. Water is almost always used in both religions. Many examples can be found in Christianity in this regard. Baptism, a Christian sacrament, involves the use of water. Either the head of recipient is sprinkled with water or he is fully or partially submerged in it. At the entrance of every Church of Christians, holy water is present. The purpose is to be cleansed in order to be blessed by the love of God before entering or leaving the holy place. For the same reason, many ancient churches were built with large fountains in the courtyard. Same is the case with Hinduism where cleansing plays an even more prominent role. Before entering temples to pray, worshippers cleanse themselves in communal baths. They do this several times every day for the respect of God and to be sure of the fact that they are clean. Ganges River holds the most prominent example in Hindu cleansing. For Hindus, all rivers are places of worship and are sacred. The Ganges is the most sacred of all, and is celebrated by one hundred eight sacred names. Its waters are said to have the power of salvation. It is a great river of the plains of northern India and from time immemorial, it is considered as the holy river of Hindus. According to myths, the river was poured down from heaven so it is a sacred body having the power to wash away the sins. Therefore, cleansing plays a central role in both religions in order to find God as such and in oneself. Nature of the Divine/Supreme Reality in Jainism and Buddhism: Idea of any creator, mentor or supreme authority is rejected in Jainism. Believers of this religion state that if godliness is the state of having freed one’s soul and the attainment of enlightenment and God is one who has attained such a state, then anyone who has attained such state is eligible to be called as god. Therefore, there are many Gods in Jainism, Mahavria being the famous one of them. The quality of godliness is one and same in all of their Gods. Depending on their definition of God, believers of Jainism can be monotheist, polytheist or atheist. Like Jainism, Buddhists do not believe particularly in one supreme or divine authority. The key distinction between Buddhism and other religions is the refutation of the notion of a supreme God. The sole aim of Buddhism is the alleviation of soul from stress and is termed as nirvana. A Buddhist considers the questions on the origin of universe worthless. They explicitly rejects creator and denies endorsing any views on the subject of creation. Nirvana, the highest goal of Buddhism, is incompatible with the notion of divinity. Theists beginning Buddhist meditation strongly believe in it. The belief in Supreme authority is considered as a hindrance in the path of attaining Nirvana. Buddha is often portrayed as a teacher of the gods, and superior to them. Although they do not believe in God, Buddhists accept the existence of Devas, beings in higher realms. They, like human beings, are said to be suffering in Samsara, and not particularly wiser than us. ( Richard A Gard, 1961) Beliefs in Eschatology in Taoism and Baháí Faith: Beliefs in eschatology vary from one religion to the other. In Taoism, many myths are present that revolve around Li Hong, a messianic figure. Li Hong (Chinese: 李弘) is prophesied to appear at the end of the world to rescue the chosen ones. The chosen people being those who are distinguished by certain talismans, virtues and practices. These myths came into being during the dynasty of Han. Li Hong is depicted in the Daoist scripture as an ideal leader who would come at the end of world cycle to set right earth and heaven at the time of chaos and upheaval. He is sometimes considered as the avatar or reincarnation of Laozi. These ideas were particularly prevalent during fifth century and continued to appear until the Song dynasty. Prophesies concerning Li Hong has been used to legitimize rebellions. Baháí Faith, a monotheistic religion founded by Baháulláh is estimated to have six million believers. Their belief in eschatology states that creation does not have any end or beginning. They mark the human time by a series of progressive revelations of prophets and messengers from God and considered their coming as the Day of Judgment. Who accepted the new messenger chooses to be heaven and who denounces the new messenger is considered as doomed and Hell is his fate. Choosing either the option is his own choice. Like every religion, in Baháí belief, heaven and hell are symbolic terms for goodness and evil respectively. (Paula Hartz, 2002) Uses of Scripture in Worshiping in Sikhism and Zoroastrianism: Gurū Granth Sāhib is the only source of scripture for Sikhs and serves as the eternal guru. It is often referred to as Ādi Granth. The Gurū Granth Sāhib refers to the final version of scripture created by Gobind Singh. Other sources of scriptures include Dasam Granth and Janamsakhis. Rest is controversial debate. The scripture include the hymns and religious teachings of Sikh gurus and bhagats. It contains compositions by five gurus and the bulk of scripture is classified as rags. The langue used is called Sant Bhāṣā, an amalgam of Punjabi and Hindi. It is believed that the text was revealed to Guru Nanak by God directly. The Guru Granth Sahib is considered the Eleventh Guru of the Sikhs and all Sikhs are commanded to take its words eternal. “If one studies the Word of Guru-Granth carefully, and not casually or haphazardly, one finds that is called the eternal writ is the writ of eternal laws ingrained in the being of every man.” “Guru Amar Das’s composition in the Guru-Granth are known for their simplicity of language and idiom and for the thoroughness of interpretation of the metaphysical terminology used terein.” In Zoroastrianism religious scriptures are also present just as it is present in Sikhism. Avesta is the religious book that contains a collection of religious texts. Mazdean priesthood and Sassanian emperors successfully compiled ancient texts. Principal Beliefs in Zoroastrianism and Shinto: Principal beliefs like creation of universe also differ from one religion to another. In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda is the beginning and the end. It is considered as the creator of everything that can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth. According to their story of creation, Ahura Mazda was the goodness that existed in the form of light above. Opposite of Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu was the darkness and ignored that existed below. They existed independently of each other from the beginning and there came a time when Ahura Mazda created the universe and the mankind that was going to live in it. On the contrary, Angra Mainyu, whose instincts were to destroy and spread evil, created the devils and demons. Whereas, the Shinto religion presents an entirely different myth of creation. Their myth was born in the ca. 712 Kojiki. Their myth is basically a detailed description of all the events that led to the formation of universe, especially the Japanese Islands. Like every second religion, several variations of one same myth can be found in Shinto. In the beginning, heaven and earth were mixed together in the form of a big cloud. The light parts of the cloud were separated and became heaven and the heavier parts of cloud became water. The part between heaven and earth began to become greener, this becoming plants. Now according to Shinto mythology, when first plant burst open, the First god emerged. “At this time the heavenly deities, all with one command, said to the two deities Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto: ‘Complete and solidify this drifting land!’” He then created Izanagi and Izanami, male and the female. After their creation, First Island of the Japanese archipelago was made. Then, Izanagi and Izanami were sent to this island and together they made the islands of Japan. At the time of giving birth, Izanami died and they parted forever. (Genchi Katō, 1971) Practice of Prayer/Spiritual Meditation in Shinto and Buddhism: Whether communal or individual, prayers are the forms of religious practices that are intended to seek the favor of Supremacy through deliberate practices. Prayer may involve the use of song or a particular language that can be offered in the form of hymn or incantation. In Shinto religion, prayers are highly influenced by Buddhism especially the Japanese Buddhism. Their practices mainly involve the throwing of coin or coins in some donation collecting box, clapping one’s hand and offering a silent prayer. Bells are also rung and the main purpose behind clapping hands or ringing bells is to wake up or attract the Kami, so that the prayers or wishes they are silently making might get heard. It doesn’t involve any kind of praise or long devotional prayers. Instead, these are merely the wishes and favors asked of Kami. Unlike Buddhism and other faiths, this way of asking favors irregularly is not considered inappropriate in Shinto. In fact, they have separate shrines associated with separate prayers i.e. a shrine solely for the success in one’s exams. A relatively interesting method of their prayer is hanging of ema in shrines. Ema is wooden tablet on which wishes are written so that kami can read them. Once a wish is granted, another ema is hanged in shrine for thanksgiving. Whereas in Buddhism, prayers accompany meditation. Their vision of prayers is another form of meditation and spiritual healing. It enhance meditation and enlightens the soul as per Buddha teachings. In Buddhism, prayers are seen as the help for all the living beings on earth and an expression for success and good wishes. Prayers played an ancillary role in earlier Buddhist traditions. A common prayer is "May the merit of my practice, adorn Buddhas Pure Lands, requite the fourfold kindness from above, and relieve the suffering of the three life-journeys below. Universally wishing sentient beings, Friends, foes, and karmic creditors, all to activate the bodhi mind, and all to be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss." Another active prayer is the opening and closing of the ring, mandala. Mandala is basically a Sanskrit word that means a circle. Buddhists often assume the form of mandala in their prayers. Mantras and guru yoga are also a part of their prayer practices. All these practices are aimed at achieving high levels of enlightenment, realization and meditation. Beyond all these practices, Buddha especially emphasized on individual practice of prayer. To him, supplication of gods and deities were not a necessary thing. The only thing that matters is devotion at the time of offering prayers. Nature of the Afterlife/Transcendent Reality in Islam and Baháí Faith The life after death is also referred as the afterlife. The idea of afterlife differs from one religion to another. As per the teachings of Baháí Faith, the nature of afterlife is beyond the nature of living things. Just as an unborn person or fetus cannot understand the nature of the born person. Believers of Baháí Faith and Baháí writings are of the point of view that soul is immortal thing and death does not affect it in any way. It continues its progress even after the death of the body. It will continue its progress until it attains the God’s presence, the ultimate goal. The consciousness of soul does not get affected in any way in afterlife. It can even communicate spiritually with the souls with whom it has deep and profound relation and friendship e.g. with friends and spouses. All souls will be distinguished in afterlife on the basis of their deeds on the earth while they were living fully. The concept of afterlife in Islam is not much different from the one in Baháí faith. There is a strong conception of heaven and hell in Islam. After death, heaven or hell will be the final destination of soul. Heaven being the destination of the one who had performed good deeds and hell being for those who had done bad deeds. (Philip Wilkinson; Batul Salazar, 2002) References: Gard, Richard A. Buddhism. New York: G. Braziller, 1961. Print Hartz, Paula. Bahai Faith. New York: Facts On File, 2002. Print Katō, Genchi. A Study of Shinto: The Religion of the Japanese Nation. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1971. Print. Wilkinson, Philip, and Batul Salazar. Islam. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2002. Print. Read More