Question 1
It is true that many religious traditions frequently make “truth- claims” about after life beliefs, nature of universe reality, and moral structure of human condition. Therefore, this essay focuses on three traditions, which have conflicting differences in truths that they claim. These religious traditions include Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. The essay discusses how people in these traditions understand these truths, the differences among these three traditions in this respect, and the similarities that exist alongside these differences.
Starting with Christianity religious tradition, it is worth to not that it is among the largest world religions. Christians believe in one God meaning that it is monotheistic. This religious tradition is based on Jesus Christ’s life, teachings, and experiences (Eliade 72). Jesus is considered to be son of God. Therefore, the religion claims that Jesus is a divine being who is born into mortal world, and possess both mortal as well as divine affiliations. It is understood that Jesus is both the messiah and the prophet of the almighty, who will save the humanity. In addition to this, there exists Godhead concept in the Christian faith. People in Christianity religious tradition believe that within God’s personality, there are always 3 eternally co-existing characters that is, the Father who is the controller and creator of the world, the Son who is messiah and Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit who is believed to be the transcendent reality, which permeates the cosmos. Individuals also believe that there is life after death and the Holy Bible is believed to be the sacred book by the Christians. Christians also believe in life after death (Eliade 133).
The other religion whose “truth-claims” are different from those of Christianity and Buddhism is Hinduism religious tradition. It is essentially a predominant henotheistic religion of Indian sub-continent. By being henotheistic, this means that people believe in a single God but do not refuse existence of other gods who might also be worshipped. This religious tradition is based on various scriptures that include the Upanishads, the Vedas, the Āgama texts, the Bhagavad Gītā, the Purāṇas, and 2 epics that is, Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. Hinduism is based on some key concepts that include Karma (actions and the consequent reactions), dharma (morality), yoga (the spiritual path), moksha (the salvation), and samsāra (eternal cycle). People under this religious tradition believe God, as a very complex concept. These individuals believe that by making their offerings to deities, and chanting devotional hymns and mediation they are worshipping (Misra 73). The human life in Hinduism is classified into 4 distinct stages or āśramas. They include studenthood, life of the householder, retirement, and renunciation. A certain age range is normally assigned to every stage. People believe that a key to living a life that is fruitful is through entering the right stage at right age.
The third religious tradition whose “truth-claims” also differ from those of Christianity and Hinduism is Buddhism. The whole Buddhist faith rests on 4 noble truths. These truths are the core of teachings of this religious tradition. Individuals in this religious tradition believe that life is actually full of suffering. They also believe that desire is root of all the sufferings. In addition, Buddhists believe that they can overcome their suffering through eliminating all the desires. Finally, these people understand that elimination of the desires can essentially be achieved through following noble eightfold path (Salgado 65). Eightfold path factors include right view, right speech, right intention, right action, right effort, right livelihood, right concentration, and right concentration. This religious tradition prescribes the eightfold path as right way to live their lives and as a path, which eventually leads to salvation.
Question 2
The “Violence and Non-violence” topic in the discipline of world religions is fundamental. In various world religions, this topic is a subject of controversy since some of distinct teachings under these religions advocate peace, compassion, and love, while other teachings have actually been used to justify use of violence. Different religions have diverse understandings of this topic. For that reason, as a speaker who has to give a talk on this topic to the members of a local rotary club, there are a number of points that I will ensure that will not miss in my speech.
First, I will inform my audience that religion is regularly seen like a major cause of the violent conflict. I will inform them that various religious traditions normally accept a concept of the sanctified violence that justifies killing of others so as to further what is habitually believed to be a divine purpose or simply to protect the chosen people. Contrariwise, I will inform them that religion is often a great wellspring of an “organized love,” which is basically a rich source of peace, compassion, and nonviolence. To clarify this point, I will discuss how numerous nonviolent social movements, which challenged structural violence and injustice have fundamentally been promoted, inspired, and mobilized by the groups and people rooted in the religious traditions. Some of these individuals are Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi, Badsha Khan, Dalai Lama, among others (Chandra 84).
The other imperative point about violence and non-violence that I will not forget in my speech is that over the last 100 years, individuals across the planet have increasingly drawn on their religious traditions teachings in developing faith based public and nonviolent actions to create political, social, or cultural change. In order to make them understand this point, I will discuss with them about how the places of worship in the oppressive societies serve as crucial centers for both mobilization and education for resistance, which is seen as a process for expressing conviction and faith as non-violent action for change. One of the examples that I will use to bring this point home is the happenings that took place during the military dictatorships in the Catholic churches in America. I will also explain the happenings in Philippines during Ferdinand Marcos’s regime, in East Germany Lutheran churches during cold war, as well as in the Buddhist temples in Burma during military junta rule.
The other major point that I will make to the audience is that various world religions tremendously harm the society through using violence so as to promote their goals, in the ways that their leaders endorse and exploit. I will let them know that monotheistic religions in the world are naturally violent because of exclusivism, which inevitably fosters violence to those who are considered outsiders. I will not forget to tell them those Abrahamic religions have always had a violent legacy that is normally genocidal in nature.
Last but not least, I will inform them that at the heart of each religion, there is nonviolence because for one, the concept of nonviolence is at God’s heart. I will explain about how in each major religion there is a root of non-violence. To make them understand this, I will discuss with them how this point is personified in the Roman Catholicism by the Dorothy Day; in the Islam religion by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Kahn; in the Judaism religion by Abraham Heschel; in the Hinduism religion by Mohandas Gandhi; and in the Buddhism religion by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Question 3
Gandhi propagated the idea of Sarvadharma Samabhava that is, equality of religions. Actually, this is a very crucial notion, mainly in a planet where as human beings we witness a rise in religious conflict and religious fundamentalism. Albeit to him it was clear that only one God existed, he was in fact realistic enough to know that diverse religions would continually exist.
In addition, Gandhi meant that there is a need for unity and mutual respect in religious diversity. According to him, the basic moral principles are shared by all the religions. This means that all the religions in the world are distinct paths, which lead to supreme truth. Words may vary, emphasis may vary, but there must be a basic unity (Eliade 74). Thus, all individuals from diverse religious traditions need to unite. Additionally, mutual respect must always exist in religious diversity. He insisted that the need of moment is not a single religion, but tolerance and mutual respect of devotees of various religions. The Hindu view of life is basically rooted in Gandhi’s teachings including this notion. This idea is normally used as a guiding principle among the Hindus hence this offers an explanation for the respect that these individuals show to the other religions.
Moreover, Gandhi by saying this meant that all the world religions were true, but had some error meaning that there is no religion that is perfect. Albeit God was a perfect being, Gandhi believed that he was experienced and also interpreted by the human beings who weren’t perfect. Therefore, no single religion could actually claim to be perfect (Chandra 75). Moreover, Gandhi meant that respect for other religions and willingness to struggle with truth perspectives involved more than acknowledging presence of God or Truth in that religion. He maintained that through entering into relationships that are sincere with the members of different faiths, a person could in fact arrive at deeper knowledge and appreciation of his or her religion.
Religion is not a factor that is divisive according to Gandhi. He had equal respect for each religion from the time he was a child. His contact with individuals of diverse faiths and study of various religions reinforced his respect for other religions. His notion about “equality of religions,” laid a good foundation for his view of the other faiths by showing the need for respect to these faiths. In addition, this idea created good relationships between Hindu and individuals from other religions since his teachings about equality and respect are popular and are followed among the Hindu community. For that reason, Gandhi’s idea about “equality of religions” laid a better foundation for respect between Hindus and non-Hindus as well as their respect to other different faiths from theirs.
Question 4
It is true that the most crucial thing that 2 religious communities can share is a clear as well as mutually agreed consciousness of their differences. It is therefore important for different religions to understand each other and respect one another. The two religious traditions that I think are most different from each other are Hinduism religious tradition and Islam religious tradition. The two are actually the third and second popular religions throughout the world respectively. These traditions differ in various respects including monotheism, idol worship, and their history.
There are a variety of major points that I would make to articulate these differences. First, worship practices are one of these points. Hinduism religious tradition uses a number of points in their worship. These include Yoga, Mediation, Offerings in the temple, contemplation, and yagna or simply communal worship (Misra 73). One the other hand, the worship practices include of Islam includes the five pillars: they pray 5 times in every day; there is a testament that only one God exists with Muhammad as his messenger, Shahadah; they fast during Ramadan; charity to the poor, Zakat; and pilgrimage, Hajj. The other major point that I will make is their means of salvation. In Hinduism, believers reach enlightenment through the path of devotion, path of good deeds, or path of knowledge. On the other hand, Islam means of salvation involves remembrance of God, the belief in one God, hope in the mercy of God, and fear of God.
In addition to the above two points, I will also make the point about their angels. Concept of angels doesn’t apply in Hinduism religious community. A number of their mythological stories include the rishis, who at times serve as God’s messengers. Contrariwise, in Islam religious tradition, Islamists believe that angels are created from the light and remain unobserved as they follow the commands of God and worship him. The other point that I will make is their views on afterlife. Hindus believe in a constant reincarnation cycle till the enlightenment is attained after which moksha is reached. In contrast, in the Islamic religious tradition, Islamists believe in eternal life in hell or paradise (Netton 126).
Additionally, I will consider their view of God. In Hinduism religious community, monists believe that only Brahman exists, the Pantheists believe that all things or entities are God, The Monotheistic sects actually consider God as transcendent and immanent and different from others. Nasadiya Sukta explores the creation- ex-nihilo. Islam believes in existence of one God. Furthermore, I will consider their principles. Hinduism principle is to follow dharma that is, eternal laws, whereas Islam principle is Allah who they believe that he is neither born nor begets.
There are some differences between these two religious traditions that might not at first appear so great with a closer inspection. These include their religious practices, their branches where in Hinduism there are myriad branches, whereas in Islam there is political division sunni and Shia Muslims. The other difference is their rites where in Hinduism a number of Hindus believe in “thread ceremony” for men. In contrast, the rites for Muslims include 5 pillars that include purification, prayer, circumcision, funerals, Quran recitation, and sharing of the animals in thanksgiving. The literal meaning of these traditions and their concepts of deity are differences that may simply have to be seen clearly and mutually acknowledged.
Works cited
Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1959.
Chandra, Rai G. Indian Symbolism: Symbols As Sources of Our Customs and Beliefs. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2001.
Salgado, Nirmala S. Ways of Knowing and Transmitting Religious Knowledge: Case Studies of Theravada Buddhist Nuns 19.1 (1996): 61-78. Web. 5 July 2013.
Misra, R S. Philosophical Foundations of Hinduism: The Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavadgītā: a Reinterpretation and Critical Appraisal. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2002.
Netton, Ian R. Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilizations and Religion. London: Routledge, 2008.
