Two Religion Traditions in the Modern World - Essay Example

Religion and the Modern World Religion has always been one of the basic human needs since ever; consequently, the Paleolithic and Neolithic societies also established spiritual beliefs and followed the same for the fulfillment of their wishes on the one hand, and for the removal of their problems, pains and sufferings on the other. The significance of religion is as valid in modern times as it had been in ancient times. Hundreds of religious beliefs are imitated by over seven and half billion individuals in contemporary era; some of which are monotheist in nature, while few of them maintain faith in the existence of multiple gods. However, almost all religions look for the spread of peace, justice, equality and freedom of thought and action for the sustenance of order in the world, as well as for the moral and spiritual uplift of the humans. Abrahamic religions enjoy very respectable status among the long list of prevailing faiths, which include Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Since all these three faiths regard Abraham as their ancestor and the source of spiritual guidance and inspiration, they are generally called Abrahamic faiths. (Hemeyer, 222) The fundamental set of belief, concept of the Creator, His angels, prophets and heaven and hell-fire etc are almost same in these religions, which distinguish them from the rests of the faiths of the world. Judaism is the oldest of these three faiths, while Islam is the last one among the three. Islam is the second largest religion of the present world, which seeks its origin in the Middle East like its predecessor Abrahamic religions. It has its unique ideology, teachings, methods and manners of worship and basic set of belief. Being the monotheistic faith, Islam vehemently lays stress upon worshipping of One God, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and each and everything existing in it. (Hemeyer, 224) Since God has created humans for His worship, declaring other gods as similar to Allah as well as worthy of adoration is the greatest sin according to Islamic thought. Islamic teachings command the followers of the religion to have unabated and unconditional belief in the Oneness of God, and revering the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the Seal of all the prophets sent by the Lord time and again for the guidance and welfare of humanity. Hence, belief in the Oneness of God, praying to God five times a day, keeping fast, paying Zakat (tax according to the income), and performing of the pilgrimage of the Sacred House of God (Al-Haraam Mosque situated in the city of Makkah) include the five pillars of Islam. (Hemeyer, 224) Like Christianity, Islam is also a missionary religion, which does not confine its blessings to one racial or ethnic group only, as Judaism claims that Mosaic teachings are meant for the House of Jacob only. On the contrary, Islam commands its followers to convey the holy message of the Lord to every human being without making any discrimination in respect of caste, clan, creed, community, group, gender, age, region, religion, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Thus, the message of Islam is universal in nature and scope, which is meant for all people, all regions and all generations. The Holy Qur’an is the holy scripture of Islam, which has been revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad time and again for the twenty three years from his approaching the age of forty till his departure from the world by 632 A.D. The Holy Qur’an strongly believes in the life after death, and the Day of Resurrection, when the pious would be rewarded for complying with the noble commands of Almighty Allah, and the evil would be punished and tormented for their misdeeds and following the path of Satan during their worldly life on the earth. Hence, justice, charity and chastity, obeying the orders and decrees issued by God, and observing of kindness and compassion towards the fellow beings include the basic features of Islam. Furthermore, Islam bestows equal status upon women, and declares them worthy of respect and honor. It declares the honor and prestige of even master and slave equal to each other, which is the most distinguished feature of the Abrahamic religions. Thus, it is the golden principles of Islam that are adding their share in the constant increase in its popularity in all corners of the globe at large. The followers of Islam live in every country of the world, and can be identified because of their behavior, attitude, dining style, praying methodology and way of leading individual and collective life. On the other hand, Buddhism is somewhat south Asian religion, as its origin has historically been recorded in Nepal. Buddhism is aptly compared to Hinduism and Jainism, as basic concepts and mythology of these beliefs is similar to one another. It is therefore the followers of Buddhism are found in south Asia and far eastern countries including India, Nepal, China, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Japan, Burma, Korea, Indonesia and others. (Woodhead, 68) The religion seeks its roots in sixth century B.C.E., when its founder Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was born and experienced gayan after spending several days in recluse, on observing the pathetic condition of the common subjects of his region. Subsequently, he cut himself off with the rest of his society and spent many years in contemplation, and then announced the noble principles of equality, freedom and mercy on the foundations of his meditation, which turned out to be the basic teachings of the newly arrived religion. Buddha preached the universal values including love, kindness, meekness and compassion towards all humans, and laid stress upon strict observing of chastity and virtue in man’s everyday life. (Woodhead, 69) The structure of Buddhist belief has been erected on the four basic truths, which include universal suffering, causes of suffering, end of suffering and the way to end the suffering. (Hemeyer, 268) In simple words, every human undergoes pains and sufferings throughout his life, which are actually the outcome of people’s own misdeeds and wrong doings. Giving up pride, anger, lust, greed, intolerance and aggression may pave the way towards the end of these sufferings. Buddha suggests observing of freedom, truthfulness, modesty, honesty, humility and tolerance in order to put an end to the intensity and continuity of human sufferings. Hence, the pursuit of goodness, charity, justice and honesty, according to Buddhism, always leads humans towards peace of mind and soul. On the contrary, falsehood, vulgarity, indecent conversation and deceiving others increase human sufferings. Thus, humans should never turn harsh and cruel while behaving with the fellow beings, as hurting others through words or actions invite the wrath of supernatural powers eventually. Thus, like all other religious beliefs, Buddhism also conveys the message of kindness and compassion towards all human beings without discrimination. Furthermore, Buddhist teachings teach the followers regarding abhorrence with the worldly pursuits. The Buddha has declared voracity as the most condemnable habit, which urges the humans get involved into the activities that could earn pelf, power and possession by using both fair and unfair means. Additionally, greed also entices them to hurt the others and deprived them of their just share for one’s personal benefits. Thus, voracity drags the humans towards the path of destruction and dishonesty, and brings him degradation and humiliation subsequently. Hence, imitation of the noble eightfold path is the only method to reach the height of glory and success in life as well as in the life after rebirth. (Hemeyer, 268-69) Contrary to the Abrahamic faiths, the system and features of Buddhism are complicated and difficult ones. Buddhism believes in pluralism in religion, and thus regards god as pluralistic being in nature. (Hemeyer, 255) On the other hand, Islam emphatically declares God as One and the Only Cherisher, Creator, Omnipotent and the all-Powerful. Similarly, concepts of angels and the prophets is essential element of Islamic mythology, while Buddhism does not present any notion where the message of the Lord is being communicated through angels. Furthermore, Islam presents the images of heaven and hellfire, where the virtuous and sinners would be kept respectively. On the other hand, Buddhism views this mortal world as the eternal abode of humans, where they will visit seven times through rebirths. Hence, Buddhism portrays the concept of Karma, according to which man’s future birth is directly dependent of his deeds or misdeeds he has performed and committed respectively in his life. Consequently, when man dies, his soul experiences re-birth, which extends to seven re-births of every human. If a man has spent a pious life, he would be born in a respectable and prosperous family as a wealthy and established individual. On the other hand, the persons who have led a life of revelry, dissipation and debauchery, adopt the form of animals, beasts, reptiles and other creatures in next life. Hence, the Buddhist concept of re-birth is quite opposite to that of Islam, as Islam maintains unconditional faith in the life after death. Like its predecessor Abrahamic faiths, Islam underwent severe trials and opposition from all corners during its very initial eras. Hence, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his noble family had to make great sacrifices for the growth and spread of the religion. However, Buddhism was patronized, projected and promoted by the rulers of India and other states. King Asoka particularly supported and patronized Buddhism, and urged the courtiers and masses to adopt Buddhism as the true religion. (Woodhead, 69) It was because of the royal support that Buddhism swiftly set its foot in the entire region of East and South Asia. Islam has given a respectable place to women, who were ill-treated and humiliated before the advent of Islam in the Arab culture. The women had social status equivalent to that of slaves and animals in some cases, and people used to bury their daughters within one year of their birth. The Holy Qur’an and the noble sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) command men to be kind and compassionate towards women. On the other hand, gender has not been an issue in Buddhism. (Woodhead, 77) Consequently, the Buddhist teachings do not address women specifically, and consider them as the part of the population at large. Somehow, because of its similarity with Hinduism, it has been a misconception that Buddhism also condemns and censures the participation of women in religious, social, political and cultural activities outside their homes. Somehow, there is no clear proof of the suppression of women in Buddhism. The Holy Qur’an and the noble sayings of the Holy Prophet (Hadith) are unconditionally regarded as the source of guidance and inspiration for the Muslims. (Woodhead, 240) However, the Buddhists do not follow any particular scripture in their everyday life. Moreover, there exists no complete record of the teachings and biography of Buddha. On the contrary, the Islamic traditions manifestly narrate each and every event of the pious and sacred life of the Holy Prophet. It is therefore the Muslims are justified in their claim that no slightest alteration have been made in the Scripture i.e. the Holy Qur’an for the last thirteen and half centuries. To conclude, it becomes crystal clear that both Islam and Buddhism contain imperative differences in all primary concepts, including the Oneness of God, prophet-hood, system of prayers, charity, pilgrimage, life after death and resurrection. Though both the religions have witnessed expansion and growth with the passage of time, yet Buddhism could not make progress in such a vast area as Islam has got popularity. It is therefore Islam has become the largest minority religion in the USA and Europe along with enjoying the status of the state religion in several countries of Asia and Africa. (Woodhead, 242) Works Cited: Hemeyer, Julia Corbett “Religion in America” Sixth edition Prentice Hall Publishers 2009 222-309 Woodhead, Professor Linda “Religions in the Modern World” Routledge 2005 66-265 Read More