Commonalities in Religion

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Many people accept that the world revolves around religion. Though still many would disagree, everyone has to believe something. Why not embrace it? After the mere idea of religion is accepted, another look must be taken at the true core of religion. Are all religions the same? Are they all inspired by one true religion? Many religions share basic values, ideas, and ethical codes such as the role of a god or ultimate figure, common ideas about the nature of evil, and a way of salvation and eternal life. The process of identifying differences in religions that seem to share innumerable commonalities is a very important part of establishing a worldview.
Perhaps the most evident commonality in many religions is the emphasis on a god or all-powerful being. Like the world revolves around religion, religion almost always revolves around a key figure–or a lack thereof. In Hinduism, for example, there are numerous gods. Hinduism can be best described, not as religion, but as a series of thousands upon thousands of philosophical trends which consists of three main patterns. The first of these patterns is Henotheism (also known as the religion of the ancient Vedas), which points to the proposition that many gods exists but there is one prominent being that obtains more power than the others. However, the second view, pantheism, reflects the idea that there is one ultimate god, but it is an impersonal, transcendent being. The final point of view, dualism, suggests that there are two all-powerful beings (Valea). Though Hinduism attributes great emphasis to Hindu gods, it does, in fact, offer recognition to an Almighty God (similar to the Christian God of the Bible.) However, Hindus do not believe that God is specifically male or female bec...

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...on is “beneficial for one’s mental hygiene” (Etzioni, 2). Everyone wants to believe in something. Hopefully, the information in this paper has properly juxtaposed different religions so that you as a reader can derive your rightful opinion

Works Cited

Etzioni, Amitai. “On Self-Evident Truths.” Academic Questions 16.1 (2002): 11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2013
Radu, Lucian Alexandru. “The Buddhist Philosophy And The “Problem” of Suffering.” Scientific Journal Of Humanistic Studies 3.4 (2011): 39-46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Dec. 2013
Shaivam , . N.p.. Web. 1 Dec 2013. .
Swámy, M. Coomára. Sutta Nipáta, Or, Dialogues and Discourses of Gotama Buddha. London: n.p., 1874. Print.
The Holy Bible. New York: American Bible Society, 1992. Print.
Valea, E.. N.p.. Web. 1 Dec 2013. .

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