Scriptures of the World Religions - Essay Example

due: Scriptures of the World Religions The beginning of the world, as told in the Hindu Vedas, appears in the book Scriptures of the World’s Religions, 5th Edition by James Fieser and John Powers on page 11. The passage has been taken from the Rg Veda. The sacred texts are in the form of hymns and ritual texts dedicated to the veneration of the Vedic gods. The verses in the Rg Veda describe the features and capabilities of each deity, recounting each of their mythos and their specific sacrificial roles and associations. In the first hymn, the creation of the universe is depicted as originating from the sacrifice of Purusa (referred to as “Man”). Purusa is an enormous god whose body provided the resources required for the formation of the stars, the planets and all living things on earth. Three-quarters of his body ascended to form the heavens while the remaining quarter formed both living and non-living creatures on earth. In addition to the formation of the physical universe, the body of Purusa also gave rise to the four social classes. According to the passage (Fieser & Powers, p.11), the mouth of the giant god formed the Brahmins, his arms became the Warriors (ksatriya), his thighs the People (vaisya), and from the feet came the Servants (sudra). Also, the passage explains the origin of heavenly bodies and other gods from the sacrifice of Purusa. The passage is confusing in a number of ways. First it does not give an account of the origin of the earth as the story begins with the presence of a giant god pervading the earth and later ascends to form the heavens. These scriptures have had a great impact on the life of the Indians. For instance, the social structure of the Indian society has remained the same over the years primarily due to the scriptural justification of the social stratification typical of this society. The story also introduces the Indian tradition of polytheism from which a number of other religions in the world today differ. A second account of creation in the Hindu religion is given in the passage on the origin of the gods (Fieser & Powers, p.12). According to this account, the existence of life originated from nonexistence. Later, the gods were produced from a goddess who “crouched with legs spread”, alluding strongly to experiences in human life. The origin of the gods is likened to the human way of giving birth, although the positions described seem to be associated with yoga. Yoga is believed to emanate energy that can be utilized in the generation of life. The passage also gives a brief account of how the gods are related to each other. For instance, Aditi gave birth to eight gods, among them Martanda, the sun. She ascended to the heavens with seven of the gods, and left Martanda to produce life and then die. There is also another god named Daksa, who is supposedly both a parent and offspring of Aditi. The second account of creation has got many allusions to human life. There is the similarity in giving birth between the gods and humans, and also the structure of the family. There is a “mother” god who gives birth to Aditi or Baksa, then Aditi gives birth to eight other gods, and ascends to the heavens with seven of them, leaving the sun to continue providing life and die soon after. The gods are assigned gender similar to human beings. For instance, Aditi is female, and she gives birth to eight male gods. The confusing aspect of this account of creation occurs through the unclear relationship between Daksa and Aditi. According to the scriptures, “From Aditi, Daksa was born, and from Daksa Aditi was born”. However, the scriptures continue to emphasize that Aditi was the daughter of Daksa and the mother of “the blessed gods, the kinsmen of immortality”. Unlike other gods, the sun (Martanda) is mortal and responsible for producing life on earth. In Christianity, a major event is the birth or nativity of Jesus (Fieser & Posers, p.356). The birth of Jesus is found in two canonical gospels – Matthew and Luke. The gospel of Matthew focuses on events that followed the birth of Jesus while the book of Luke is based on the events that took place mostly prior to the birth of Jesus. In addition, Matthew focuses on Mary while Luke focuses on Joseph. According to the story, in the book of Luke, Mary learns about the birth of Jesus through the angel Gabriel. She is informed that she will conceive and bear a child named Jesus, but she asks how that can be possible as she is a virgin. Angel Gabriel tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and nothing is impossible to God. She accepts and later visits her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. On recognizing the presence of Jesus, the Messiah, John leaps in his mother’s womb. When Mary is nearing the end of her pregnancy, she travels with Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census. During a stopover in Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to Jesus and places him in a manger. The account by Matthew provides more information regarding the birth of Jesus. According to Matthew, Joseph was troubled by the fact that Mary was pregnant and she was supposed to be a virgin. An angel however appeared to him in a dream and told not to worry as she had conceived of the Holy Spirit. Also, an angel instructs Mary and Joseph to name the baby Jesus as he will “save his people from their sins”. A star appears over Bethlehem on this day, directed three wise men to Bethlehem who bring Jesus gifts and warn them of Herod’s plan to kill the baby. The accounts of the birth of Jesus are very much straightforward. However, later chapters in the book of Matthew indicate that the wise men travelled to Bethlehem a few months following the birth of Jesus. It is, therefore confusing since the book talks about a star that appeared over Bethlehem the day Jesus was born, and guided the men. Also, conception by the Holy Spirit is also debatable in human understanding. In the Christian religion, the Sermon on the Mount also plays a very important role in the life of Christians. The passage explores various aspects of life that dictate the foundation of the Christian religion (Fieser & Powers, p.359). The Sermon on the Mount is an educative session that Jesus gave to his disciples with reference to the laws in the Old Testament. The sermon explores four main themes i.e. exposing the sin among mankind, pointing humans towards Jesus Christ, demonstrating a way to attain happiness, and how to live a life that pleases God. The passage occupies three chapters in the book of Matthew. In the first chapter, Jesus explains to the disciples how they are supposed to live as Christians, separate from the world. Also, he emphasizes the importance of internal conviction instead of mere outward obedience as depicted in the Law of Moses since worshipping in spirit is what will give Christians the heavenly reward. The next two chapters emphasize the value of humility when dealing with fellow men, and also contains the Lord’s Prayer. According to the passage, Christians are supposed to practice humility and aim at being as perfect as God, and should not seek the recognition of men. Jesus also warns the disciples against choosing other religions other than Christianity and uses parables and symbols to explain. With the exception of some statements, the Sermon on the Mount is clear. Jesus teaches several values that are applicable even to non-Christians, although highly unlikely. Some of the teachings, when taken literally, cannot be very applicable in society today. Some of these include the teaching that one should turn the other cheek when someone slaps them. Also, he teaches that sin does not only constitute the action, but also the thoughts and emotions that may lead to the action. There are a few other confusing texts in the passage. For instance, Jesus also claims that he did not come to change the Laws of Moses but to reinforce them. However, the instructions he gives differ significantly from those given in the Law of Moses, for example, the law of retaliation where Jesus advices Christians to ‘turn the other cheek’ instead of seeking revenge. Work Cited Fieser, James, and John Powers. Scriptures of the Worlds Religions. McGraw Hill, 2014. Print Read More