World Religions - Essay Example

Q 2. The Five Pillars of Islam

The profession of faith (shahada)

This pillar of Islam prescribes that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" and is the center of Islam's religion. The phrase is written in Arabic and features in the Quran. One converts into a Muslim trough recitation of this phrase with hearty conviction. Prayer (salat)

Muslims say their prayers while they face Mecca five times every day; at dawn, in the afternoon, at sunset, and finally late night. Prayer, as prescribed in this pillar, entails recitation of Sura, the first chapter of the Islam holy book, Quran, and is more often than not recited on a mat anywhere, alone of under prayer leaders mosque. Men group in the mosque to say their prayers, and while women can join them, they are not allowed to contribute or participate in any manner.

Alms (zakat)

According to the laws of Islam, Muslims have an obligation to donate some defined proportion of what they have to the community members in need. Many wealthy Muslims offer to build mosques, hospitals, and other social amenities to secure the blessings associated with the art of giving.

Fasting (sawm)

All Muslims in good health are obliged to abstain from any form of foodstuff in the ninth month of their calendar during Ramadan's daylight. In so doing, they renew their gratitude and awareness for all the things that they have been provided by God in their lives. During this period, all Muslims share their thirst and hunger of the people in need to serve them as a reminder of their religious obligation to give help to those who are less fortunate in the community.

Pilgrimage (hajj)

Muslims whose health and financial ability allow them to should pay a visit to the holy city, Mecca, in Arabia, at least once in their lifetime. Muslims believe that Mecca is Abraham’s house, build for God. This is where they face while praying. Since Muhammad’s time, Muslims gather at Ka’ba in Mecca's holy city on the 8th and 12th days of the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Q4. Characteristics leading to protestant Restoration and the role of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King established Restoration by posting his “95 Theses” at the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These particular theses was a presentation of the list, expressing the concerns of Martin Luther King regarding the church practices, with more on indulgence, founded on his more in-depth care and concern for the Doctrines of the Church. The move was initially meant to protest against a number of practices and of perpetuated by Catholicism and to reform the Church. There are a series of characteristics that lead to the reformation protestant and Restoration.

Indulgences

The sale of indulgences entailed the church practice that made acknowledgments on charitable work and donation work on a print or piece of paper, as certification that one has been guaranteed entry into heaven by minimizing one's time in Purgatory. Luther was angered on the manner in which entry into heaven was related to material and financial transactions.

Faith Alone

Martin Luther had experienced a turbulent spiritual crisis. He argued that no matter how had he attempted to be "good" and refrain from sin, he would still find himself engaging in evil thought. Luther from this notion came to conclude that entering heaven would only take faith and not through the works of our hands or minds. In layman's language, grace is God-given, for free to people and cannot be earned. On the other hand, Catholicism believed that through our good deeds, we are granted salvation. This is one of the elements that brought about the protestant Restoration.

Scripture Alone

Luther and allies made the Bible as their core source of references and instructions as opposed to the teachings of the Church. When Luther and his other colleagues put into consideration the wording in the Bible, they noticed several teachings about the Church in ways in which people achieve salvation, which contrasted the teachings of Christ. In denial of the Changes during the Holy Communion, Luther challenged one of the essential Catholic Church sacraments and, hence, one of the ways in which we can find salvation. This brought about the contrast that bled to protestant Restoration.

The Counter-Reformation

The Church first ignored Martin Luther, but his philosophies were fast spreading throughout Europe. He was requested to recite his proposed writings at the Diet of Worms, a bad name for the Holy Roman Emperor council in the German city of Worms. When he hesitated, he was exiled from the church community. The responses of the Church on Luther's threat during this particular era are referred to as Counter-Reformation. This is also another event that led to the protestant Restoration initiated by Luther and other like-minded people.

The Council of Trent

Another event that led to Protestantism under Luther was the council of Trent. The Church established the council of Trent in 1945, as a strategy to tackle the issued ac concerns raised by Martin Luther King. The council constituted high ranking church officials in the Northern parts of Italian Trent for over 20 times in a span of 18 years.

Q6. Characteristics that distinguish protestant Restoration from Catholicism

Similarities

Replacement of hero-worshipping with reconciliation

A non-denominational approach in the period 2016-2017 characterized a year to commemorate the Reformation. In the ancient days, anniversary celebrations of major Reformations were held by Protestants through venerating Martin Luther King as their hero. Recently the approach has been amended in order to win over divisions between the two churches.

“Reconcile” differences

The main goal in the past has been to achieve harmony between the two churches. The new Church's realization is still a dream to be achieved; the relationship of both churches can be described by the term "reconciled differences." Doctrines by Martin Luther still separate both of them to date.

Key differences

Comprehension of the Church

Protestants and Catholics have diverse viewpoints of church nature. The meaning of catholic is all-embracing, and the Church views itself to be genuinely alone under the pope's authority.

On the other hand, the Protestants are evangelical, not making up one Church. There are thousands of diverse denominations across the universe which is deemed equal officially.

The pope

Protestant churches do not subscribe to the pope idea in the belief that it contradicts the Bible. In contrast, Catholics believe pope succeeded Peter the Apostle, who was appointed by Jesus to be the pioneer head of the Church.

Lord's Supper or Holy Communion

Catholics commutate Jesus 'Last supper through consecrating bread and wine in the name of Jesus by the priest, who is rare among Protestants.

Furthermore, Protestants allow anyone baptized to lead the Holy Communion while the Catholics detest this approach.

Sacraments

Catholicism has seven rites believing that they were instituted by Jesus to be awarded the grace of God. The rights include; sacraments, baptized, confirmation, Eucharist, the Holy matrimony, extreme unction, penance, and holy orders. However, Protestantism practices baptism and Holy Communion alone through faith.

Celibacy

Catholic priests are obligated to keep the vow of remaining unmarried and abstinence from sexual activities. It is viewed as an emblem of Christ’s footsteps. Protestantism detests this vow for priests. Martin Luther King already issued an ultimatum to abolish this notion very early in 1520.

Q.1 view of the afterlife in Abrahamic religions

Buddhism

Buddhists, on one side, believe in reincarnation, the apparent cycle of death and rebirth. Because Buddhism does not believe in anything to do with souls, they assume reincarnation to imply their gifting of a new body afterlife. Their intermediate state, Bardo, according to Buddhism, is the period in the cycle of death and rebirth. In this particular period, they take a uniquely different phenomenal. The reincarnation cycle is an experience of suffering, and the purpose is to evade the cycle through Nirvana. Nirvana is considered as the terminal of the suffering experience and heavenly paradise to some.

Christianity

Afterlife among Christianity is dependent on the denomination they are part of even though more often, they all believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, immortality, and that individual's choices in view of morality made on earth and that these moral choices made determines one's ending; Hell or Heaven. Catholic Christians believe in what is referred to as Purgatory. This is where the dead heads to id they need their sins purified.

Hinduism

Hinduism believes reincarnation afterlife and that the soul, or the atman, provides a new body. However, this gift of the new collection depends on one's actions or Karma, in other words, the evil or the right steps in the previous life. Hindus believe that reincarnation can assume several forms and not only humans but also animals and plants. The main aim is freedom from reincarnation and release from the cycle, enabling an individual to return to Brahman.

Judaism

The beliefs on the afterlife in Judaism are dependent on an individual's faith. They focus on life on earth more even though most believe in an afterlife that may take many different forms. Some believe in the World to Come while on the other hand, some belief in reincarnation. Islam

Muslims believe that the soul lives on despite the end of life on earth. According to the beliefs in Islam, the soul goes to be at the custody of the Angels of Death, waiting Judgment day. On this particular Judgment Day, their acts on earth will determine their fate, whether they end in paradise or Jahannam.

Summative summary

Despite the diversity in what all the Abrahamic religions believe in, they agree on one excellent teaching; the lives of human beings come to an end because they are just mortals and that their spirits root from a divine world and that someday afterlife, the spirit eventually goes back to where it came from. This is the greatest promise that offers its followers. In general, it is the eternal answer to the cynicism if believers who think that the afterlife is a hoax and that death is the end of life both on earth and anywhere.

Q7. Jihad in relation to the Five Pillars of Islam

The philosophy behind Jihad in relation to the Five Pillars of Islam assumes many forms. In reference to the internal individual’s struggle, it implies being at peace as a Muslim during the propagation of the word of Islamic knowledge and in the society and as an armed fight to defend the struggle and safeguard Islam. The internal Jihad lays emphasis on the Muslim efforts to exist by faith as much as possible. In all known religions, believers consistently struggle to please God in their actions at all costs. Bearing this concept in mind, Muslims, like all other people, struggle to live by God's ways. This entails the Five Pillars of Islam, which makes up the backbone of the religion in question; almsgiving, prayer, profession by faith, fasting, and pay of visits to the holy city of Mecca. "Holy war" in this context refers to Prophet Muhammad’s sentiments when he came back from the battle, “We are finished with the lesser Jihad, and we are now set to begin the greater Jihad." He goes ahead to explain to the followers that fighting against the enemy in the physical world is in this context a lesser Jihad and that the fight against an individual was the greater fight, "holy war" or Jihad in other words. There are several interpretations of Jihad in modern times.

The first reference is made to the Western Criticism that Jihad as a component of the five pillars of Islam meant “the holy war” and that the religion was propagated by force. Protagonists of this definition to date argue that the Prophetic traditions and the Quran warrant war as a justified form of self-defense against harsh aggression and persecution. The second definition is referred to as the modernists. It puts it that Jihad is equal to the American "just war," a fight geared towards resistance against aggression with limited means and limitations. Revivalist is the third classification of the definition of the term. It argues that the primary purpose of Jihad is not to forcefully make people convert to Islam because the Quran grants freedom of worship for all people.

In my thinking, however, Jihad is justified when used for the right purpose, for instance, fighting injustices and oppression. Other justifiable reasons for the "Holy War" or Jihad are in the event of protecting the ways of God, freedoms of worship of Muslims, and making the wrings in the society into right.

According to Jihadists, it is justifiable to interpret the "holy war" as long as the intentions bend towards ensuring God's will reigns supreme in the Muslim communities. On these grounds, therefore, because Quran warrants the freedom of worship for all people across the globe, I don't think Mohammad would justify the use of brutal force and terrorism to thrive the list of "Protecting the ways of God against the forces of evil." How terrorists use the definition of "Jihad" as causes of violence, in my thinking, is as a result of their extreme interpretation of the holy book, Quran.