The Eastern And Western Religions
While in some cases there is an overlap in the comparison of Eastern and Western Religious schools of thought there are many distinct differences that are easy to contrast. There are a few major similarities and differences between the two schools of thought. Two main differences are the belief system that they hold and how they approach religion.
A major difference between the West and East schools of thought would be what they believe in. The Western religions are all monotheistic, meaning they believe in one god even though they perceive that one god differently. The three main western religions are Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, which all originated around Israel. The Eastern religions consist of Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism that all are derived from Asia. They are traditionally polytheistic and usually believe in more than one god. Though they both believe in some sort of afterlife, the concept of time in the two schools of thought marks another difference. Western religions see life as a linear journey and that
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there is only one life to live. However, they do believe that life is everlasting and people will go to heaven after their death. Eastern religions believe in reincarnation and see life as a cycle. Both are trying to achieve something in the afterlife whether it is another life that is better, or to live in eternity with God in heaven. Both Eastern and Western religions came into being as a way to explain the unexplainable and to give people hope for a better life. Both religions have established rules such as the Ten Commandments and the Mitzvot or the Jewish commandments that govern the everyday lives of people and give them a path to reach a better place. This could be heaven, Nirvana or Enlightenment. Karma and Enlightenment of Eastern Religions is based on the actions that can be changed for the better. People have infinite chances to redeem themselves. In Western religions people are born into the world with the job of finding redemption in their lifetime. Christians/Catholics believe that they are born into the world with sin on their soul and need God help to overcome sin. There are no second chances if they do not embrace God, there is no in between, just heaven or the fires of hell. The way people worship can also be contrasted as in Western Religions people tend to worship together and form congregations that involve a sense of community and friendship. In Eastern Religions people are more likely to visit temples or places of worship whenever they are free or worship at home. Many wars have been fought in the name of the Gods of Western religions from the Crusades were Christians fought against the Muslims.
Christians persecuted the Jews in WW2 and six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. The latest major conflict is the between Western religions the destruction of the World Trade Centre in New York City, with extremist Muslims killing who they perceive a infidels. This kind of conflict usually in the name of God is not true of the Eastern religions. How can the religions that have a relatively similar origin, the same prophets and share some religious scripture, be at such odds with each other?
Eastern and Western Religions are based on different philosophies but where we are born and who are parents are the biggest influences in the religion we are committed to, so it is imperative that we strive to embrace with understanding the ideologies of other
religions.
Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Oxford University Press; 4 edition. March 11, 2014
The five Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto have some similarities when it comes to the their beliefs on death. Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in karma and reincarnation, while Daoism and Shintoism revolve their beliefs around nature. Confucianism chooses not to focus on things we do not know, so their beliefs on death are limited. In deciphering the different beliefs on death associated with each religion, it is important to understand the different belief systems and their origins. While some religions merged the views of the other religions, some came from the views of an originating founder. Each religion has their own view on life after death and whether or not their followers should be concerned
...so that they are even more divided because their holy books are very different. Consequently, because of these differences in the holy books, it is even less likely or not possible for these people to really coexist at this point in time. Even though these religions are very similar, the different saviors and holy books that they worship make it so that it is not possible for one to believe that they can really coexist in a diverse society.
Buddhism and Hinduism come from the same region, India. Both of them are very focused on nature, the things around them, though they both believe in several hells and heavens, or higher and lower worlds. They both believe in karma which is the affect a person’s actions in this life will change his next life. Another point is that both religions focus on peace, and non violence towards all living things. They are compassionate, which ties into their focus on nature. Buddhism and Hinduism also believe in various spiritual practices such as meditation, concentration, and states of mind. Desire is the largest cause of suffering in both of the faiths. Another likeness is they both believe in reincarnation, and salvation. They believe the good deeds of a person are their work for salvation and their salvation will decide their next life, when they are reincarnated. Also, they both believe that there are many paths to enlightenment, such as overcoming your feelings and controlling over the six senses. Both religions are more philosophical then religious. Buddhists and Hindus both practice many forms of yoga and meditation and other ways to calm ones mind and focus the mind, such as Buddha did. They have many likenesses.
One such category is popularly referred to as "western religions", thereby differentiating the religions constituting it from "eastern religions." Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are of the three most popular religions that rest on the foundation of a single creator belief and are therefore called western religions. As these religions have the core conviction in common; the religious belief that this universe came into existence, as well as controlled and governed by one God.The significance and popularity of western religions can be determined from the fact that "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic faiths practiced by about half of the world's population
When Western ideas came along, they set out guidelines for what a religion should be. In some ways, Hinduism did conform to Western Ideology and made central ideas for the religion that Westerners had given them a name for (Fisher 69). However, Hinduism
In conclusion, the process of growth and expansion for both Eastern and Western religions has been a great journey. As mentioned before Eastern religions expanded in a very peaceful manner, while the growth and expansion of the Western religions was more violent. They both went through many changes and adaptions which included some blending of cultures and beliefs. In some cases the result was a new religion. In the end, both religions had to go through as process of great growth and expansion to become the World religions of today.
It is clear that there are more similarities than differences in all three ancient Eastern religions. The first point unifying all three trends is that the Brahman in Hinduism, Buddha in Buddhism, and Vardhamana Mahavira in Jainism were all sacred figures that used to be people who lived a comfortable and socially privileged life due to birth into a privileged family but then recognized the nature of the Universe, the wrongness of living in idleness, and started wanderings that lasted for many years until enlightenment and understanding of their true destination. After their enlightenment, they all started teaching and spreading what they had learned through the insight they had gained, attracting followers of both sexes, and continued to wander and communicate a religious truth, a religious way of living and the ways to achieve liberation from the wheel of life (McKay et al., 2008)
Similarities and Differences between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of these.
Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom). Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevailing religions of the world and largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples. Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife.
Islam and Christianity Conflicts When you are born into a world in which the two biggest religions on the globe are fighting the same battle they have been fighting for a thousand years, you start to question the beliefs of these two religions. If they both preach peace, why do we get war? I wonder what Jesus or Muhammad would say if they were alive today? Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are three of the most closely related religions in the world because they all see Abraham and other patriarchal figures in the Bible as their spiritual ancestors. However, their points of similarity are no guarantee the followers will get along.
Although there are many religions in the world that have affected the lives and cultures of many people it is clear that most of the historical developments that have affected the way people now live seem to have been greatly influenced by the three religions with close relationships to each other resulting in being clustered together as the Abrahamic faiths. While there are many differences among the three most populous religions called the Abrahamic faith (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), there are a number of similarities that deserve a closer look. In this article will look at three major similarities. At times there may be more similarities between any two of them but dissimilarity with the third. For instance, on the personality and
The two religions of the East, Hinduism and Buddhism, have a different image of the fifth dimension and the Ultimate Real than the three religions of the West, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Nonetheless, they all have a sense of cosmic optimism. Hinduism offers hope in liberation from this life. Buddhism shows optimism in the rejection of a caste system and reaching nirvana.
Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world, founded upon the principal belief that there is one God who created the world. Nevertheless, both ideologies have their own accounts that have contradicted each other since their beginnings. As time changed these religious sects have undergone a numerous number of events that question their validity and have led to controversy in recent years.