...Comparing Major Religions With regards to religion, there are many different characteristics across various cultures. One major difference is how they interpret divine beings, or Gods. Some, like Christians, are monotheistic because they believe in a single God. Other religions are polytheistic, because they believe in many different Gods such as India where there are millions of Gods. This influences praying rituals and sub groups that may focus more on one single God rather than others. Rites of passage are also important. These are transitional periods from one social status to another. Within Judaism, the Bar Mitzvah transitions young boys into men where they have to take on other responsibilities and society views the, differently. Within African cultures, each village or tribe may have their own local religious rituals as well. Despite these sharp differences, there are also some similarities. One major similarity is that most religions have some sort of organizational structure. This means that it is an established institution that exists separately of the people involved. Leading these organizations are clerical members and priests. Priests join the ranks by either going through training programs or apprenticeships. While the exact rituals by which religious leaders are initiated or conduct their work may be different, the main element of having a core infrastructure with designated leaders is still present throughout various cultures. Another major set of commonalities...
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...There are clear gender differences in religious belief and participation; while priesthoods of most religions are male which means women are more likely to participate in activities and have belief in god and the supernatural. For example in 2005 1.8 million women in England were church goers, compared to just 1.36 million men. Miller and Hoffman (1995) found women express greater interest in religion; they have a greater personal commitment and go to church more. They found that this was true for all religious organisations, ages and faiths. Bruce (1996) estimated there are twice as many women than men in sects. Heelas and Woodhead (2005) found in their study of Kendal 80% of holistic milieu participants were female. This shows that gender differences can be linked to the way men and women see god; as a god of power and control or a god of love and forgiveness. Sociologists have given several arguments for gender differences in religious belief and practice. Miller and Hoffman argue women are more religious as they’re socialised to be more passive, obedient and caring. Religion values all of these characteristics, thus women are more likely than men to be attracted to religion. Miller and Hoffman also argue that women are more likely than men to be employed in part time work or be full time carers, thus they have more time to organise around religious activities. Greely argues taking care of other family member’s increases women’s religiosity as they have responsibility to their...
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...religious group have different beliefs, worship practice, or values in life. In addition, as different religious groups have differences, racial/ethnic groups such as Asians, Blacks, Hispanic and Latino, Pacific Islander, and Whites have differences in ancestry, language, and culture backgrounds. However, Hinduism and Christianity are the more common growing religious groups in the U.S., but each religious groups have different aspects or beliefs in life. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and can be confusing to others (“Hinduism Beliefs”, 2008). In addition, Hinduism religion believes in more than just one purpose or meaning to life, and that many Hindus believe you should fulfill your purpose given, you should reach personal prosperity in the world, enjoyment and fulfilling sexual desires, and you should reach enlighten (“Hinduism Beliefs”, 2008). In addition, another belief of the Hinduism religions is what one says, does, or think has an effect on a person’s life, also known as karma. However, other religions may believe in such karma as well but may not refer to it as karma (“Hinduism Beliefs”, 2008), as Catholics may refer to it as a good deed, or bad deed. However, unlike some religious groups such as Greek religions believe in animal sacrifice, Hinduism believe all life is sacred and no creature should be harmed (“The Big Religion Chart”, 2004-2013). However, Hinduism has taught American culture how to become more relaxed with the body and mind with the...
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...Title: Difference and Similarities between Christianity and Four (4) World Religion, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Muslims and Hinduism. Introduction: In the world today there are many religions of different beliefs with vast numbers of followers. However, some of these religions turn to have similarities and differences which defer them from each another. The following report briefly talks about the differences and similarities between Christianity and other four (4) major world religions and they are Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Muslims. Zoroastrianism and Christianity Zoroastrianism was founded by a man named Zoroaster who was born around 1200 BC (www.Answers.com). During that time the Jewish people were held captive by Babylonians and most of their beliefs .i.e. Christianity and Judaism have Zoroastrian influence in them because they (Jewish) were exposed to that (Zoroastrian). But we will discuss about the similarities and the differences between Christianity and Zoroastrian. Similarities Zoroastrian worship one God to whom they believe the world was made and also the Christians too believe in one God, they (Zoroastrians) also believe that a Saviour will be born of a virgin who will defeat the devil and establish his kingdom when he returns just like Christians believe in Jesus Christ (www.metareligion.com) . Furthermore, both religions preaches about the existence of hell and heaven, both believed that hell is a place rewarded for righteous doing and hell is...
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...Comparing Religions By Lillian M. Floyd COM/150 Joss Hevel December 19, 2012 Religion is an important part of American society. There are many different religions that people follow for their own reasons such as Baptist, Protestant, Lutheran, Catholic, Muslim, and Buddhism. Each religion has different followings and ways to receive faith through the religion. Which religion has the most faith and why does that religion has the most faith? This essay will examine comparisons between the Baptist religion and other religions such as Catholic, Protestant, and Lutheran. These religions are some of the most important religions in the world today. Some of the other religions that can be compared to the Baptist religion are Buddhism, Muslim, and Sangria. The differences are far and wide, but there are some similarities between religions. The first religions that will be compared are Baptist and Catholic. There are many differences between the Baptist church and the Catholic Church, but most are not seen at first. Most of the differences between Baptist and Catholic churches have to do with theological differences, or the study of God of each church (Catholic vs. Baptist, 2012). The main difference between the two churches is the Communion of each church. The Roman Catholics takes communion at every mass while Baptists take communion on special holidays such as Easter and Christmas. The next difference between Baptists and Roman Catholics is the level of decoration within...
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...How do religions become respectful to other traditions? I resonated with Stephen Prothero thought, “If it matters to ordinary people it matters,” (Prothero, Diversity Conversation 2010). Who are ordinary people? Are they immigrants, social outcasts, less fortunate, or people who go to work, church and school? I believe when we respect the differences of other religions we will help shape the values of society. In turn, we will realize what matters to ordinary people also matters in society. Throughout this paper I will argue interreligious communities need to be accessible and open to learn traditions of other faiths. The interreligious faith communities can start with respecting the differences and similarities of each other’s religions. Respecting the differences of other religions is essential for society to understand other religions and one of the obligations in interreligious relations. We can even expound the idea of respecting the differences of other religions into being an obligation of a Christian. Coogan states, “What way can religions encourage society in general to grant equality to other traditions with beliefs and practices perhaps antithetical to its own?” (Coogan 1998) How can the religious society be more vulnerable to other traditions, but maintain their own traditions? I am encouraged by Coogan's statement, “The world’s major religious traditions have both reflected and shaped the values of the societies of which they have been an inseparable element”...
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...Critical Thinking – PHI 210 12/14/2012 Religions are the Cause of War Most religions are not complex in their beliefs. There is a God and his angels or a hierarchy of deities to get to God. There is a heaven and a hell of sorts that the person will go to when they pass on. Most times this depends on how you treated your fellow man or what you did to show God how you felt about him. It’s a no brainer really, the whole “Do unto others as you have them do unto you” or a form of this is in every religion. Then let’s not forget the Messiah or Prophet. Every religion has one. The messiah/prophet was sent by God; a form of himself as human to save humanity from their evil ways. In some religions he was born of the virgin and in others he did not get his calling until he was older. They are more than life and do no wrong. They go throughout the world helping the poor. A Robin Hood if you will; who took from the rich to give to the poor. Religions are rooted and grounded in tradition and give people something to believe in. A “Higher Power”. The “Higher Power” gives a sense of direction. The church through religion gives guidance on how to live our lives and be better people. Regardless of religion or sect, the church brings people together for understanding of the religion and to pray. The church plays an important and is very influential role in the way people live or conduct their lives (Erwin, 2012). With most religions being around the same, the “same” meaning...
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...Religion can be defined as “a system of beliefs, traditions, and practices around sacred things, a set of shared ‘stories’ that guide belief and action” (Conley, 2011). Whereas a cult is a “religious movement that makes some new claim about the supernatural and therefore does not as easily fit within the sect-church cycle. All religions begin as movements like cults, cults however have a higher tension and antagonize the social world. The differences between the two include a cult is more persuasive by a leader claiming that they are the word of God while religion is a family affair where many young people grow into. Cults can be considered illegitimate and secretive on the other hand religion is legitimate and non-secretive. A religion can...
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...CULTURAL DIFFERENCES University of Phoneix September 23, 2013 Dr. Victoria Anyikwa Culture refers to a set of shared values, beliefs, and norms held by individuals of a group. Culture includes customs, material artifacts, and language that is transmitted from generation to generation. In the United States alone, there are several cultural differences. People do not dress the same, have the same religion, people have different perceptions of the world around them, have different languages, and also have different ways of expressing their personality. Differences between individuals within a culture are much greater than differences within groups. A person's belief, personality, sexual preferences, social standing, education, among other factors affect human behavior and culture. Recognizing and understanding differences in cultural patterns provides a framework for interpreting goals and behaviors of others. The purpose of this paper is to analyze religion and sexual identify/ orientation and point out their significance in understanding cultural differences. Religion Religions throughout the world are distinct in differences and relationship, with some having faith in saints, some in sacrifices and some in multiple gods. Religion is observed throughout the world in unlike traditions in few factors or other and can affect an individual’s behavior in his or her own tradition. According to Santrock (2010), people in numerous traditions will carry on the religion that...
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...Maldonado REL/ 133 July 23, 2012 Astrid Fiano Elements of Religious Traditions Religion is the most volatile and controversial word in the world. When people say the word [religion] they are invoking a strong batch of feelings, beliefs, and traditions that people are so connected to it that they are willing to die for it. Religion is a complicated system of beliefs, ideas, doctrines, ethics all proselytized by a complex system of structures and organizations. However, complicated religion may be, there are strong structural similarities between the majority of religions and some that are universal. These similar structures within religions around the world indicate that religion has the same purpose for all those who follow it, regardless of the form of religion that they follow. To show the purpose of religion, this paper will compare and contrast the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church in particular what their religious tradition says, what their religious tradition practices and how their particular church is organized. A person may be tempted to consider various forms of monotheism to find similar structures within them but Christianity alone has many different forms of practice within it. However many forms of practices in Christianity the ultimate purpose of any religion is to provide an explanation for the unknown like death, space, and the ultimate unknown our origin. Religion tries to provide explanations to these unknowns by establishing religious traditions...
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...Comparing and Contrasting Judaism, Christianity, and Islam “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” This was said by Stephen R. Covey and it means that similarities relate people to each other but differences cause them to become stronger by making them stand alone. Though they are similar in ways such as having multiple denominations, holy locations, and being linked to Abraham, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are different. They are unique in how they live their daily life, the way they worship, and their ages. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share many similarities but also many differences. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have many things in common. For example, they all have multiple denominations within their religion....
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...Christianity vs. Islam: A Religious Difference Brittnay Howell ENG 121 Professor Anna Crew Christianity vs. Islam: A Religious Difference Have you ever wondered about the differences and similarities between Christianity and Islam? Both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic, meaning they both believe in one God. In both religions God is the creator of everything and is loving and forgiving. He also has a special relationship with humans, and has made covenants with them. However, there is one major difference between the beliefs of Christians and Muslims regarding God. While Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, or three persons in one divine nature, Muslims believe that God is only one person. The trinity mentioned in the Christian religion is the belief in three God’s. The first major difference between these two religions is their founders. Muhammad is the founder of Islam. He, like all other Muslim prophets is believed by Muslims to be infallible and sinless. He was not only a religious leader, but also a political leader, which explains the common practice of integrated church and state in many Muslim countries. The founder of Christianity is Jesus. Although both Muslims and Christians recognize Jesus, their beliefs about him differ greatly. Both believe that Jesus was sinless, infallible, and born of the Virgin Mary. Both religions accept that Jesus preformed miracles, and was ascended, or raised up, to God. But while Muslims see Jesus...
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...Two great world religions that dominate many parts of Asia are Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of the faiths have many similarities. Buddhism was inspired by Hinduism due to the its founder being a Hindu prince before he became known as the Buddha. For example, Karma is a central idea to both teachings. The term “Karma” essentially means every action comes a reaction. If one was to commit a murder, then something bad will happen to that person. And if one was to give to the poor, something good will happen. Another belief Buddhism and Hinduism share is reincarnation. It is the belief that a being/lifeform that is living now will begin anew in a different physical body once he/she/it dies. Both religions also believe that there are several hells and heavens. Buddhist even consider the world we live in a type of hell. Heaven and hell are not eternal for all people in both religions. A life can...
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...Comparing and Contrast of Christianity and Hinduism In the following paper we will be discussing the many similarities and differences shared among the Christianity and the Hinduism religions. We will touch on where these two religions originated and how these two religions came in to play and also we will discuss many of their general beliefs and rituals performed. Then we will give our theory of why the two religions posses both such similar yet very different perspectives and how those similarities and differences has helped them exist for so long. Religion/133? Upon reaching the first night of class we were all wondering, what this class was going to be about. The first weeks’ assignment proved to be very interesting indeed; writing on what a religious tradition does as far as worship, prayer, and rituals. Not knowing from the onset, we were embarking on a very touchy subject. Religion simply stated does not do the topic much justice at all. As we progressed through this area of interest, we were quite pleasantly surprised at the similarities between the different religions. Each week as we started a new journey about a distinctive religion we were asked to view the religion with open eyes. We were prompted to try and put ourselves in the shoes of the native people of whatever particular creed we were working on. Although we tried to do this fairly, there was always a comparison of this week’s belief verses our faith. Ultimately we were given an assignment...
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...World Religions Report HUM/130 November 30, 2012 The religion Buddhism is a religion with approximately 300 million adherents worldwide. Buddhism comes from 'budhi', meaning 'to awaken'. It is one of the largest religions in the world, just behind Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. For this study, I conducted an interview and researched the religion to gain a better understanding of their practices and beliefs. I also included a comparative section to help understand the differences and similarities between this religion and Christianity, one of the largest known religions. Buddhism is different from many religions because they there is no belief in a supernatural deity, known as nontheistic (Fisher, 2005, pg. 134). Buddha is not a God and is not worshipped as one. Buddha was the man that founded the religion based on his desires to end human suffering. Instead of worshipping a God, Buddhists follow beliefs that will eventually lead them to an enlightened life and Nirvana in the afterlife. The beliefs that they follow are known as the Eight Fold Path. This path is used to help humans end the suffering in their life and achieve liberation. It is based on The Four Noble Truths that Buddha set forth in his first Sermon (Fisher, 2005, pg. 135). The Four Noble Truths speak of suffering as an inevitable part of life. It states that suffering can be ceased through the ending of wants and desires, because these things cause our suffering in life. By understanding...
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