Religion plays a lot of roles in many different cultures. Most things are religion based like in the United States. We are based off Christianity in many different things. In East and Southeast Asia, religion had a big role in shaping the modern history.
There are many religions in East and Southeast Asia, those are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Animism, Confucianism, Chinese Traditional Religion, Shinto, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and many more.
Hinduism was originated in India, it then spread to many different places including Southeast Asia. It gave rise to famous political and religious centers at Angkor and many other places. There are ruins of Wat Angkor and Prebanan temple in Central Java and many of those countries were ruled by Hindu empires. The decline of Hinduism was mostly because other religions were growing rapidly and Hinduism was based off of the caste system. Right now it is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world and can be traced as far back as to the second millennium BC. Today, there are very few Hindu’s left in Southeast Asia apart from the island of Bali, Indonesia. Even though India was the birthplace of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, the main religion is Hinduism. Since it is the leading religion, most Indian people vote for Hindu Sheik, so if you’re not Hindu, most likely you will lose the election because Indian people most of the time only votes for Hindu leaders.
In Japan, they were really pleased with Buddhism, but with China, they liked Confucianism. There were those people throughout both of them who were Christian. Confucianism was big in Ming China. Wang Yang-Ming got a lot of followers for his new teachings, but he got heavily criticized for basically changing th...
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...the modern history in South and Southeast Asia. Those religions are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Animism, Confucianism, Chinese Traditional Religion, Shinto, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and many more. Each one of them either made a small impact or a bigger impact but put them all together and they have made a huge impact. Based off of the research, the top three religions that made the most impact on South and Southeast Asia is Buddhism, then Christianity, then third Confucianism. Buddhism is being taught everywhere in Southeast Asia in schools and there are many monks still around. Christianity is growing by the millions very rapidly and it will never stop growing. Last of all, Confucianism is also being taught in schools like Buddhism and it also is really popular. These are the roles that religion played in shaping the modern history of South and Southeast Asia.
People’s well beings were affected by the Chinese philosophies Taoism, Legalism, and Confucianism. In legalism, for example, people aren’t trusted and there was a very strict government. On the other hand, in Taoism, they saw themselves as a part of nature, there were no laws, and leaders were good. This greatly affected different philosophies, making a big difference. In Ancient India, there was Hinduism and Buddhism. People worshipped and worked differently in these two religions. Therefore, both Ancient India and Ancient China were affected by the religion and
In today’s society, there are roughly around 4,200 religions that exist on this planet. Some define "religion" as a cultural system of behaviors and practices that help people make important decisions in life. Out of the many religions, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism have many similarities that connect them to one another. Themes of morality, justice, love are found through both the Buddha's teaching and the Hebrew and Christian Bible.
Religion reinforces the beliefs of individuals within a society. Additionally, religion has played a vital role in society since it influenced the way they lived and the rituals they may or may not have practiced. Different regions of the world during ancient time held a distinct set of beliefs, each based on different or similar principals. Deriving from the polytheistic set of beliefs, monotheism came in place of many Gods, holding just one god accountable for the creation and the existence of mankind. Christianity and Buddhism share similarities and differences, but most importantly the impact that each had on the culture is what is mostly referred to.
The Buddhist brought with them the concept of multiple gods and Buddha’s “spiritual state to provide the power for humans to make the transition into death and the afterlife successfully” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). Confucianism brought the obedience of the child to the parent into Chinese mainstream life, plus the “social stratification and codes governing dress, actions and communication” (Corduan, 2012, p.409). Taoism introduced the balance of forces in harmony in spirits in the form of yin and yang, thus creating that balance of nature and humans (Corduan, 2012). Christianity influenced Chinese life both socially and economically by introducing the concepts of “love for one’s neighbor, self-discipline, and trust” (Lu, 2014, p.2) as both essential and beneficial (Lu, 2014). All of these together with the traditional Chinese religion, give the Chinese culture it’s popular religion
Religions in East Asia were very different than religions from other parts of Asia. Confucianism was a philosophy rather a religion. The focus of Confucianism was based on the way a person should behave rather than their reason for existence. Confucius, the founder of the philosophy, held the belief that people should be earnest, truthful, and kind to others. (Doc 3) Taoism was a philosophy like Confucianism but it was also a mystic religion. Taoism often referred to a balance between real and abstract. (Doc 7) It is often stated that if you can explain Taoism you don’t understand
During the early years of Buddhisms creation and spread to China, the Religon seemed to be more publicly accepted. In the course of the
...ials, but one could argue the fact that religion was the single most important influence on Korean and Japanese civilizations because most systems of government used religion to legitimize governmental power. Religion brought new forms of poetry and literature as well as new styles of architecture. Many Korean and Japanese monks traveled to China in search of new texts to translate. Agricultural developments improved the economic stability of the countries by providing improved irrigation systems and easier methods of food gathering. The major impacts of Chinese influence on legislation, agriculture, art, literature, and religion were crucial in the nationwide development of Japan through the Heian period and Korea through the period of unification under Silla and helped the countries learn and advance in technology on their own to advance their civilizations.
Eastern religions have originated from the east side of the Earth from countries such as: China, Japan, and India. The Eastern religions have different histories some of which include a founder like Buddha in Buddhism and others without a founder like Shinto. Most of the Eastern religions have similar belief systems which must be applied into their way of life. According to the authors of World Religions, “These religions profess living in harmony with nature and seeking a balance between the spiritual world and reality.” In addition to balance and harmony, these religions also share the belief in the use of meditation, treating nature as sacred, and most importantly a polytheistic universe.
Since the beginning of time religion has been a key factor in the establishment and maintaining of civilizations. Popular religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity have played a major role in society. ??? Each religion has a different form of ??? In this paper i will be discussing the differences in how they view death and applying it to how it affects their cultural beliefs. In order to fully discuss these dissimilarities we must first look at a brief background of each major religion.
Religion has greatly influenced western civilization. Religion is a way to express ourselves in our own way. To be able to choose who or what we believe in freely. This gives us a sense of individualism and helps our civilization to grow and develop each religion. Just about every ancient culture practiced religion in some way. They were either monotheist, polytheist, atheist, or believed in “magic”. Western civilization was impacted by religion in more ways than one. Every religion contributed in their own way. Some religions even worked together to help create a stronger, more structured civilization.
The fact is that no matter where you turn, religion is a major part of culture and influences everyone on some level. While I don’t agree on any particular religion, it is important about learning what types there are in the world.
In the Chinese culture there are several major religions, two of these include Confucianism and Taoism, which have dated back for thousands of years. According to. Experiencing the World 's Religions and The World’s Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions, both Confucianism and Taoism originated in ancient China through the religions’ teachers: Confucius and Lao Tzu. “Taoism and Confucianism grew up together, entering Chinese history around the sixth century B.C.E.; Taoism’s beginnings are linked to the legendary figure of Lao Tzu, senior to Confucius by about fifty years. Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113).
China is officially an atheist country, a variety of religions and beliefs can be found. Confucianism and Taoism, plus Buddhism, constitute the so-called “three teachings”, philosophical frameworks which historically have had a significant role in shaping Chinese culture. The basics of this three beliefs are commonly incorporated into traditional folk religions. Chinese religions are family-oriented and practice of several beliefs at the same time is allowed.
Out of all the different beliefs in the world today, Hinduism is a religion that seems different and interesting. Hinduism is one of the oldest living religions in the world. The religion is over 4,000 years old. Hinduism was originated in India and the religion’s first known believers were known as the ancient people, the Aryans (Hinduism). Like most religions in the universe, Hinduism is unique in its own way. Hinduism is unique because it did not start off as a religion. Hinduism was actually a culture for people in India and then later turned into a religion (Hinduism on Fun Facts).
Religion helps establish mankind’s place in the order of the universe. As civilization began to be established through the domestication of animals, the irrigation and cultivation of agricultural crops, and life became more complex (moving from mainly a hunter/gather existence to one that could settle down and have more time to consider advanced ideas) people began to consider questions such as, where life comes from, is there a creator or creators who helped make the world, and what happens after we die. Religion helped answer some of these questions. It gave people purpose, meaning, and perspective. Religion helped establish nations in the case of religious theocratic governments. In many of the ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, the Mayans, and even Mesopotamia, the priests and other religious leaders played prominent roles in help shaping the laws and government of these civilizations. As his...