The Religious Belief Systems - Term Paper Example

Introduction Religion is a big part of most people's lives. This is because Man has always wondered on his place in the Universe and the purpose of life. Religion is defined quite broadly but more acceptable definitions of it include three vital components or features: an organized system of beliefs in the existence of a deity or a Supreme Being (to include a set of practices or rituals), a code of ethics that governs daily actions and a philosophy on how to live life (religious and righteous). In this regard, the major world religions such as the three Abrahamic religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity fall under this definition. Other religions can be included under this definition, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism and Sikhism. There are also many sects in existence which are actually sub-groups of a certain major religion, like the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and other denominations of Protestants which is unlike the Catholic Church which has remained monolithic over the centuries. There are even smaller groups based on personalities which can be termed as cults. A careful examination of all the religious belief systems will yield a certain commonality in them. It is also quite ironic that most major and long-standing conflicts in strife-torn areas of the world are being fought mainly on account of religious differences. People tend to be fanatic when it comes to their own religion as to effectively exclude other world views about religious beliefs and practices which do not conform to their own religion, thereby giving rise to religious intolerance. The intolerance is primarily caused by misconceptions and biases based on a wrong perception of a certain religion and the people who practiced that type of religion. It is important for all people to remove the blinders which can cause religious prejudices and stereotypes. Discussion The religion which I had chosen to research further for this paper is Hinduism. Prior to my field research, I had a lot of misconceptions about this religion because I think that it is a bit weird based from my superficial understanding and conventional information I got from the more common sources of information such as newspaper articles and television shows. The most common misconception is that Hinduism is just a sect or cult based on the act of some bhagwans or yogis who claim to being venerable, holy or divine based on their repetitive deep meditations. Hinduism is most associated with the ancient practices of the Indian culture, such as yoga and in the practice of alternative Eastern medicine known as ayurveda (knowledge for a long life). The Indian language based on the extinct Sanskrit has manuscripts from which modern Hinduism is based on, in terms of its religious practices. My misconception of Hinduism is that it is more akin to mysticism than to any organized form of religion, as was defined earlier in this paper. The misconception stems from the many mysterious aspects of Hinduism, of which only a few Westerners are familiar with. Hinduism has many distinct practices which cannot be found in other religions. However, many unique concepts of Hinduism have found widespread acceptance in Western society and thought, such as the idea of re-incarnation and that of karma. Considering that Indian culture and history is one of the oldest in the world, even predating that of the oldest existing civilization today which is the Chinese civilization, then it is just a normal reaction that people perhaps find many of its mysteries as beyond understanding except through a famous guru, yogi, maharishi or bhagwan to explain its deepest meanings and teachings. Even the Chinese feng shui (wind and water) is derived in part from the Indian vaastu shastra. The real person I interviewed for this project is my friend Mr. Kumar. He is a practicing Hindu and attends religious services regularly every Sunday. According to him, Hinduism is not so much like some of the other organized religions, but rather it is a collection or amalgam of all overlapping religious beliefs combined with an overall life philosophy. In other words, it tries to synthesize all the encompassing beliefs that generally concern other elements of human existence such as karma, dharma, exercise, yoga, meditations, re-incarnation and the ancient Vedic texts on theology, cosmology and mythology. Hinduism is unique in the sense it lacks a unifying figure or any single identifiable founder, like Christ for Christianity or Buddha for Buddhism. Hindus avoid any form of violence whenever it is possible or practical to do, such that a great number of them end up as vegetarians. They see animal life as sacred similar to human life. Moreover, this is to avoid situations when their belief in re-incarnation makes it entirely possible for a person to be re-born into a lower life form instead of being human again, due to bad karma. Hinduism developed over the centuries more as a set of cultural beliefs and social traditions than as an organized form of religion as defined, although it has the same elements of personal beliefs and communal or group ritualistic practices with regards to narratives, prayers, meditations, and religious songs or hymns; it is more like a way of life than a religion (Menski, 2007, p. 2). However, the orthodox Hindu religious practices are anchored on the so-called three paths that guide all moral or ethical living: the path of good works, the path of loving devotion and the path of knowledge. Hinduism is a tradition that has many variants because of the caste system in India (Klostermaier, 1989, p. 46). What is important to a Hindu is self-awareness and self-discovery to attain the ultimate enlightenment, which is conscious unity with the Universe. Hindus practice acts of kindness and charity, due to their belief in the law of karma in which bad deeds will come back to haunt them and their good deeds in turn are amply rewarded. They likewise have an ambivalent attitude towards their god Siva which they view as both a god that is benevolent (can exist in all living souls) but at the same also malevolent, by sending them to an earthly existence characterized by sickness, sadness and sufferings. They profess that life on earth is just a temporary stop on their way to heaven, attained through a series of incarnations and upward re-incarnations (called as life cycles) which can be achieved by a total rejection of all earthly desires composed of the five hindrances that cause temporal bondage. Highest perfection is achieved by a full awakening in spiritual enlightenment (Singh, 1999, p. 789). Conclusion Misconceptions about other people's religions are quite common, contrary to popular or conventional wisdom. This is because people refuse to listen to the different viewpoints offered by other religions regarding spirituality, life and God. My prior understanding and perception on Hinduism has been greatly altered by my field research and encounters with practicing Hindus. It is an eye-opener of sorts because it dispelled wrong notions about what Hinduism is all about. A good step to minimize or eliminate misconceptions is to ask people of other religions on what is most important to them, attend a religious service out of sheer curiosity or be friends with them. Hindus may have a cavalier attitude towards earthly life, but they manage to celebrate the joys of life by healthy lifestyles in their philosophy of total wellness manifested by the practice of yoga, meditation, ayurveda and kama sutra (Dham, 2012). This is manifested by the joyful festival in spring called the Diwali that celebrates the colors and lights of life, the equivalent of Christmas. Reference List Dham, Bhagwan Shree Lakshmi Narayan (Producer). (2012, August 25). Live samagam [convention]. Video podcast retrieved from http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bslnd-live-samagam Klostermaier, K. K. (1989). A Survey of Hinduism. Albany, NY, USA: SUNY Press. Menski, W. (2007). Hinduism: Religious Identity and Authority in Peggy Morgan & Clive Lawton (Eds.), Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions (pp. 1-108). Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press, Limited. Singh, N. (1999). Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. New Delhi, India: Anmol Publications Private Limited. Read More