Final comparison

CPT Final Comparison.

         Throughout this CPT I have learned about three different religions. Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. All three religions are wonderful in their own right, but now I will draw comparisons between all three.  Christianity and Judaism are extremely prevalent in the western world. Buddhism is also becoming more and more popular but is still mostly viewed as an eastern-Asian religion. Christianity and Judaism technically share the same God as they are both Abrahamic religions. Buddhism on the other hand uses the Buddha as their figure head. The Buddha is not a god though, but instead a person who has achieved enlistment in their lifetime and teaches others these secrets.

Another comparison to make between all three religions is their ultimate goal. All three promise their follows a sort of heaven so to speak. Both Judaism and Christianity share the same basic idea for heaven. A wondrous place where devote followers will end up in their afterlife. Buddhism on the other hand has the concept of nirvana, a state of true enlistment where there is no more suffering or sadness, only happiness.

          One last comparison that can be made is that Buddhism offers no “real” salvation, instead what is promised is true happiness.  Obviously this is a far contrast of what both heaven and Judaism promise because of the fact that their followers look forward to an afterlife full of wondrous joy.

          Overall all three religions are very good reads and contain lots of good information. They can easily help anyone to grow as a better person. 

Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is an extremely old religion, around 2,500 years in fact. It is host to around 300 million followers worldwide. It originated from Northern India, and circles around the Buddha and the path to enlightenment. The path to enlightenment can be viewed as a way of life where one must lead a moral life, be mindful of their actions, and develop wisdom and understanding. A Basic Buddhism Guide) Enlightenment it’s self is called “Nirvana”. Nirvana is known as the ultimate happiness where all greed and hate is abolished. The Buddha was the only one to reach Nirvana in his lifetime and returned to Earth to preach the principles of Buddhism until his death at the age of 80. The Ninian smart aspects of religion “Religious teaching and doctrine” and “Sacred Stories, Sacred Symbols, and Rituals” apply nicely to Buddhism.

           

          The religious teachings of Buddhism start with the Buddha.  The Buddha was known as the enlightened one due to him becoming enlightened. Afterwards he thought others the path to become enlightened themselves and to understand the truth of the world around them. Buddhists also believe that the universe is populated with other Buddha’s and deities that assist in following the path to enlightenment. They do this by helping us realize that the reason why humans suffer is because of the fact that humans covet things that do not give lasting happiness. (Buddhist Beliefs) Overall their beliefs can be summarized in four truths. Their first belief is that life is suffering.  All the negative experiences in life including pain, age, disease, death and loneliness are all part of being alive. Only through the teachings of the Buddha can you escape these things. Their second belief is that all suffering is caused by human cravings. We suffer because we expect others to conform to our expectations. Therefore rather that constantly struggling with our desires we should let go of our cravings. Their third truth is that suffering can be overcome, therefore happiness can be obtained in the end. If we give up our desires we can eventually become free. Their fourth truth is that there is a path called the “Noble 8-fold Path” that helps followers of Buddha to attain a state without suffering.

 (A Basic Buddhism Guide)

          Buddhism has many stories. One major story would be the story of “The Lost Son”. The story tells of a widower who loved his so. One day Bandits came to his village and burned it down, as well as kidnapping his son. When the man found the burnt corpse of a five year old boy he assumed it was his son and held a funeral. One day the boy escaped from his captors and came back to the village. The man could not believe that this was his son and shooed him away. They never say each other again. This story illustrates the point that if we truly believe something to be true, we may overlook the truth right in front of our eyes. (Buddhist Stories) This shows that Buddhism is deeply rooted in its stories as they are good ways to teach people how to live their lives. 

          

          Buddhism is host to many different symbols, all with special meanings behind them. For example. The Swastika. This symbol has been victim to much controversy over its use by the Nazi party of World War II Germany. In Buddhism though, it is a simple of good fortune, as well as Buddha’s footprints and heart. It is said to contain the whole mind of Buddha and is frequently embedded in depictions of him. Another symbol for Buddhism would be the lotus flower. The lotus flower signifies the grown of a soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, into the sunshine of enlightenment. In a way this symbol is extremely beautiful, not just in its image, but also in its symbolism. (Buddhist Symbols)

         

          All in all, you can obviously see that Buddhism is a wonderful religion that carries with it a very good message, and in fact has been doing so for a very long time. It is worth studying in detail, regardless of whether or not you play on following it.

Judaism

Judaism

Judaism is one of the oldest religions that is still prevalent today in the world, and is the oldest Abrahamic religion. Its history is rich with stories of the work of god, and how he has helped his followers. It is extremely prevalent in today’s society, even showing its face in pop culture. A good example is the popular television series Southpark [Project MUSE]  Regardless of how it is perceived in popular culture it can obviously be seen by anyone, regardless of what walk of life they come from that Judaism is extremely interesting and is well worth studying if you wanted to gain insight into one of the many cultures of the world. One way of going about this is to apply Ninian Smart’s aspects of religion “Religious teaching and doctrine”, as well as “Sacred Stories, Sacred Symbols, and Rituals”

It’s core beliefs and teaching can be quickly be summarized with the thirteen principles of faith as told by Rabbi “Moshe ben Maimon”[Jewfaq]

1. G-d exists
2. G-d is one and unique
3. G-d is incorporeal
4. G-d is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected

Summarising over these principles you can see that there is a strong focus on God and the way he does things to his followers. This is because that unlike other faiths, there is not a focus on the abstract. Instead Judaism focuses on the relationship between god and mankind, god and the Jewish people, and the Jewish people and their holy land [Jewfaq].

Their Doctrine, or ways to worship and pray can traditionally summarized as a system in where Jewish followers are meant to pray three times a day. In the morning, the afternoon, and in the evening. Of course this is up for interpretation depending on which sect this is talking about. [BBC] They are also supposed to pray in a synagogue and wear appropriate attire. This can range from robes such the tallit, to good clothing, such as in the reformist branch of Judaism.

To move onto the stories aspect of their faith you can look at their holy books. The Torah is their holy book and contains all of their sacred stories. It’s knowledge is vast and can be used to better educate the followers of Judaism quite well.[BBC] From this you can derive the holy days of the Jewish calendar.[Chabad]. Some examples of these would be Sukkot, The feat of the tabernacle that celebrates the years the Jewish people wandered the dessert, Purim, the feast held to celebrate the wife of king Ahasuerus who prevented a massacre, and Passover the commemoration of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. [BBC]

           

Judaism is also host to a grand multitude of sacred symbols that many Jews hold very dear. Some examples of these are the Tallit, the Mezuzah, and the Kippah,[waupkin].

The tallit is a four cornered garment that is worn during prayers. It has fringes called Tzizit on each corner. These fringes remind Jewish people of the commandments of the lord. [Waupun]

The Mezuzah is a symbol that is attached to the right side of the doorstop in a room. Inside there is a small piece of parchment that contain the first two paragraphs of the shema.prayer. [Waupun]

The Kippah, or Yarmelka as it is referred to by some is a cap that is worn on the head by Jewish men and women. This may vary depending on the sect of Judaism though. It is meant to symbolise that all human beings are beneath and dependent on God. [Waupun]

In the end all these things shape how I view Judaism. My world view is one of peace and compassion for my fellow man/woman. Judaism grasps these things very well in that it does not promote violence between people, and it gives some a way of living good prosperous lives. I am extremely interested in learning more on the topic and will be pursuing further research.

References

(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015.

(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.myjewishlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/torah1.jpg

(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_of_David.svg/2000px-Star_of_David.svg.png

Jewish Objects and Symbols. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.waupun.k12.wi.us/Policy/other/dickhut/religions/14 Jewish Symbols.html

Judaism. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism

Judaism 101: Torah. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm

May, 2015 - Jewish Calendar. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month.htm

Project MUSE - American Judaism in Popular Culture (review). (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ajh/summary/v094/94.1-2.abrams.html

What are the main Jewish festivals? (2012, September 13). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19150793

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Christianity

Christianity is one of the more prevalent religions in North America. Its history is rich with many stories that bring joy and teats to many of its followers. Its core belief is that Jesus Christ, Son of Mary and Joseph was the son of God, the messiah, or even the chosen one. He was condemned to death, crucified, died, and later resurrected to forgive all of mankind of its sins, as well as to open the gates of heaven to the people of the world.

                                                    (courtesy of  Wikigraphists)

My World view applies to the way I view this faith in the way that I agree to its message of peace and love to our fellow man and woman; that we must treat others the way we would like to be treated ourselves. I enjoy viewing people do good onto others as it shows that world isn’t such a bad place sometimes. Although overall I also find its spiritual aspect interesting as well.

To apply Ninians Smarts models of religion, religious teachings, and sacred symbols to Christianity you can learn a great deal of things.  The religious teachings and basic beliefs of Christianity are as follows. Christians believe in God, the all-knowing creator of the universe whom resides in heaven.  That Jesus Christ is the son of god and is as divine and sinless as he his father, but is also part man. That he died for our sins. Was resurrected and rose to be with his father in heaven. And that he will return and usher in a new era of peace on Earth.

The sacred symbols of Christianity are great in number and have great importance to its followers no matter where they reside.

 For starters the cross, which originally started out as a pagan symbol is now viewed as one of the most prominent symbols of Christianity It is viewed as a symbol of atonement and reminds use of God’s everlasting love for us.

 

The Ichtus, commonly referred to as the “Jesus fish” is a symbol used by early Christians for ease of recognition of fellow Christians. It comes from the Greek word for fish with is translated to IXOYE. This stands for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”

                                                        (Courtesy of fibonaci)

The lamb is also considered a symbol of Christ. It shows how he was our sacrificial lamb, given to us to show Gods love for us.

 

(Courtesy of Jan van Ecyk)

Fire, usually seen in the form of a candle is a symbol for both the Holy Spirit, and the light it brings us.

As can be seen Christianity is a very interesting religion indeed with many good lessens to be learned throughout. I personally like it for its message of love and respect, and am very willing to learn more about it. I look forward to learning more about other religions throughout the school year and comparing/contrasting it to Christianity. I think that by doing that I will look more analytically towards all religions as a whole as the scope of my vision will be increased.