Inherent Nature of Faith - Essay Example

Inherent Nature of Faith Part I Religious faiths, throughout history, have been known for the factors present that both align, as well as distinguish themselves, from other religious belief systems taken part in by mankind. Religious services where members gather to worship together, scripture they seek to consume and overall beliefs that guide them in their approach to life and what comes with it. All faiths have dedicated followers, who seek to abide by their guidelines and hold true to their teachings. Each is built upon steadfast dedication and while similarities can be found in specific cases, there undoubtedly remains differences to be seen amongst each and every one. Two of the religious faiths to consider, would be Christianity and Buddhism. For Christians, they believe in one god, with that savior being Jesus Christ. With those of the Christian faith they believe, "..in a loving God who has revealed himself and can be personally known in this life. With Jesus Christ, the person's focus is not on religious rituals or performing good works, but on enjoying a relationship with God and growing to know him better," ("World Religions", p.1). The strongest characteristic to be found within the central framework of the Christian faith would be the inner belief in a singular god and as such, would be considered to be a monotheistic religion. Christian faith followers would believe in a singular spiritual guide for their spiritual guidance, or teacher, who would show them down the correct path. As for Buddhists, they in fact take a different approach to their faith in this case. For example, "Buddhists do not worship any gods or God. People outside of Buddhism often think that Buddhists worship the Buddha. However, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) never claimed to be divine, but rather he is viewed by Buddhists as having attained what they are also striving to attain, which is spiritual enlightenment and, with it, freedom from the continuous cycle of life and death," ("World Religions", p.1). In contrast to those who refer to themselves as Christians who believe in one god, Buddhists do not elect to believe in a specific god. To put it more simply, "Buddha is just an enlightened being. If you are enlightened, you are Buddha too. All sentient beings can be Buddha," ("Buddhism", p.1). As a central tenet in Buddhist faith, the power has been placed in the hands of the individual faith believer, in comparison to those in the Christian faith, the place such power outside of themselves and instead rely upon the strength of their conviction that Jesus Christ is the true leader of their faith and where their devotion is meant to be placed within. For Christians, their desire to be loyal to Jesus also lies within their feeling that he truly controls the ability to influence all worldly things. In this vein, for Buddhists, "Although Buddha is the most supreme being known in all realms, he has no power to control everything. For instance, he is unable to change the principle of cause and effect. In other words, if you commit an evil deed, Buddha cannot save you by "waiving" the effect caused by your evil deed," ("Buddhism", p.1). As both religious faiths are considered, the characteristic of leadership for each would be one that would seek to place totalitarian allegiance to, while the other would seek to encourage the act of considering every individual follower as holding the true and strongest power and not follow the notion of requiring a specific individual or entity to hold the title of being the god, or leader, of their faith and their followers. Another characteristic of both faiths to consider would be the practice of prayer taken by Christians, while Buddhists seek to take part in meditation. For Christians, they take solace in the act of saying their prayers at times of discord, as well as an act of showing their devotion to Jesus and their strength found within their Christian faith. A very common prayer found within the Christian denomination, would be the prayer referred to as the Lord's Prayer. A prayer of faith in god and his power within the lives of all Christian's believers. In this faith, there are many types of prayers to be found. Such as, "Prayer in the New Testament is presented as a positive command (Colossians 4:2; 1Thessalonians 5:17). The people of God are challenged to include prayer in their everyday life, even in the busy struggles of marriage (1Corinthians 7:5) as it is thought to bring the faithful closer to God," ("Prayer", p.1). For Christians, the practice of prayer would enable them to become even stronger as a Christian and to show that they are honorable and true Christians. Another assertion would be that, "Throughout the New Testament, prayer is shown to be God's appointed method by which the faithful obtain what he has to bestow (Matthew 7:7-11; Matthew 9:24-29; Luke 11:13)," ("Prayer", p.1). The belief by the Christian faith in not only God's power, but also in his ability to communicate with his faithful, when they elect to pray to him during the course of their day. Just as they would have their differing views upon the presence of a central leader to worship, Buddhists would differ with those of the Christian denomination, only in this case, it would come in the form of their electing to take part in meditation, rather than the practice of prayer. To many who are aware of the nature of meditation, it is described as being the act of sitting quietly and the collection of thoughts internally for the sake of mental clarification. From a definition standpoint, "Meditation involves both the body and the mind. This is particularly important for Buddhists since they want to avoid 'duality.' Therefore, when they meditate, Buddhists try to involve the body and the mind as a single entity. The most common definition of meditation is to take control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused and makes the meditator more aware," ("Buddhist", p.1). While the act of meditation would appear to have a similarity to the act of prayer in that both are often done quietly and privately, meditation would in fact be a practice that would provide the individual the opportunity to harness their needs and hopes and turn them into a resolution that will work for their given situation. More plainly, while Christians seek to pray for the purpose of speaking to their spiritual leader, Buddhists instead seek to meditate for the purpose of individual strength, rather than being directed towards a faith leader(s). Each of these characteristics remains evident and strong within their respective faiths. Christians for centuries have stayed true to their conviction that Jesus is the one and true leader of their faith and mankind as a whole. They've maintained that the true way to speak to their faith leader is through the act of praying to him. With Buddhists, they place meaning upon the individual person, instead of within a higher being, or sacred leader. Both seek to gain serenity of mind. While one seeks to do so through the act prayer and speaking to God, Buddhists continue with their reliance and belief in the power of the central human mind's potential. Part II For both of these faiths, the discussion remains in terms of observing the notion of that which would be considered to be divine. For Christians, they elect to believe in the divine power of their chosen leader, or Jesus Christ. Such a divine leader who would be capable of great things and will have put into place everything that which human beings for centuries have come to know as being present in the world. With divinity, "As Christians, the divinity of Jesus is one point we cannot disagree on. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus was and is God," ("The Divinity", p.1). As this source would assert, the foundation of the Christian faith, is the trust and belief in the power of the teachings of Jesus, as seen in the Bible left by him. A book that, within its wording, would assert in many instances the true divine status of Jesus Christ. Further proclaiming the importance, according to those of the Christian faith, "You alone are responsible for your spiritual journey, and as followers of Jesus Christ it's imperative that we be grounded in the foundational principles of Christianity," ("The Divinity", p.1). By doing so, followers would remain central to the outline put forth through the instruction by Jesus. Thus, in doing so, believing with true and honest certainty that Jesus was a source of great and magical events. Whether it was the creation of the Earth, the formation of the land and the oceans, along with the presence of all life that reside on the planet, as far as Christians are concerned, Jesus was a true and honest divine source of positive being. Many Christians encourage the reading of the Bible for those who seek to garner enlightenment, or better awareness of one's spiritual landscape. As Christian's believe the Bible to be the true word of God, the proclaimed divinity of Jesus, would be accepted in large numbers without question, or debate. While others throughout the world have questioned the true power of Jesus, while proposing the possibility of him in fact being a mortal man, Christians remain confident that everything they have been taught to believe and hold close, is entirely correct. For them, Jesus was in fact divine and a source of great power and great promise. Buddhists themselves would believe in the power of man to create what exists. Rather than a divine single entity that would create everything around you, Buddhists place such potential within the individual human being on Earth. In this case, "Buddhists believe in gods who are defined as heavenly beings or Devas. Devas are believed to inhabit the heavens above the human realm, but are still unenlightened, bound to Samsara or subject to birth and death. Many such beings have been converted to Buddhism and become its protectors (Dharma Protectors). Any living beings can be reborn as one of the gods if that living being has the required merit and virtue," ("Index", p.1). While both Christianity and Buddhism would believe in divinity, but for Christians that divinity would be found to be held within a specific force. For Buddhism, that divine level of power would see a plurality existence. Instead of placing the potential for the divine in a singular force, they seek to maintain that divinity is possible by everyone. Both Christianity and Buddhism would retain their desire of seeking illumination of the soul through the search of the internal self. The uttering of prayers would follow with the faithful of that denomination and in the case of the Buddhist devotees, their introspective observances would be directed towards their single self, instead of God almighty and his son Jesus Christ, as they are widely seen to be by the Christian faith world. Characteristics of denominations can possess similarities amongst the practices themselves. In that respect, with those very similarities, often times brings an equal measure of differences that are present. One faith would seek to encourage the act of praying to God for guidance, while the other would encourage the practice of seeking guidance within one's own person. To classify the all mighty as being divine would stay true for millions of Christians, while for Buddhists, they would seek divinity as they would other things, or through the observation of the personal potential. Conclusion Faith is precious to many who seek to possess it. It is that very faith that guides them and encourages them. Formulating their opinions views and creates a moral compass. History has been riddled with instances of religious persecution, where faithful followers of denominations have claimed to have been persecuted for the very beliefs that sustain them. Christians rely upon the presence of the Bible, as a way to consume the teachings of their spiritual leader and as a way to be the strongest that they can in terms of being a loyal follower of the sect. For them, Jesus was the one and only son of God and came to Earth in the quest to free all of mankind from their sins. He was a true and steadfast divine force that influenced the creation of all that which remains present to this very day. As the daily stresses come with performing daily duties, Christians desire the chance to offer their prayers to God, in the hopes of his not only hearing those prayers but by hearing them, being able to enable them to proceed in the best way for their respective life, both inside, as well as outside of the church and faith. By uttering the Lord's Prayer, it is seen as a way to show complete and utter devotion to the higher power and sublime relevance of his many ways of creating powerful and wonderful things. Just as the case would be with Christians, Buddhists also feel protective of their belief practices. The desire to seek stronger and more internal awareness, while not through the traditional Christian prayer practice but through the practice of meditation. Forgoing the sense of placing the need to rely upon speaking to an outside force, Buddhists would instead encourage the approach to seek answers to issues internally, rather than externally. ("Christianity image", p.1) ("Buddhism image", p.1) In being a faith that relies on the dominance of one powerful source, Buddhists do not partake in such a mentality. Stepping aside from traditional religious constraints and having a wider view of the nature of man and the nature of the spirit within. The prayers of Christians would stay within their understanding of the history of their faith. A faith that sees the existence of a single principal force acting as a guide and those prayers are meant to be directed towards that central figure. With the lack of structure to the Buddhist belief of a single guiding influence, those who call themselves Buddhists, look inward for inner peace. Instead of looking outside and desiring to obtain that sense of peace from a specific being in the universe, it is sought from their own internal longing for explanation of all of life's questions. References "Buddhism image". Retrieved from http://religions.iloveindia.com/images/buddhism.jpg "Buddhism in a Nutshell". Retrieved from http://www.buddhistdoor.com/oldweb/bdoor /archive/nutshell/teach1.htm "Buddhist Meditation". Retrieved from http://www.buddhisttoursindia.com/meditation /index.html "Christianity image". Retrieved from http://tikkiro.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/christianity _250x251.jpg "Index of Questions on Buddhism". Retrieved from http://www.bilanc.org/English/buddhism _faq/buddhism_faq_E.htm#Q23. "Prayer in Christianity: Information from Answers.com". Retrieved from http:www.answers.com /topic/prayer-in-christianity "The Divinity of Jesus Christ". Retrieved from http://www.ministrymaker.com/divinity-of-jesus "World Religions- Descriptions of the World's Major Religions". Retrieved from http://www.everystudent.com/features/connecting.html Read More