World Religions
Compare and contrast 2 different religions
World's Religions: Judaism and Buddhism
For over centuries, the term religion has been used interchangeably in close relations with faith, set of duties, system or set of beliefs. In 2012, a global poll reported that approximately 62% of the world's population relies on religious beliefs while 38% are not religious (does not belong to any religion), including 10% who are atheists. Religion is a collection of organized cultural systems, beliefs, and views of the contemporary world, which relate humanity to the order of existence. A number of religions encompass symbols, sacred histories and symbols, which intend to expound the meaning of life and/or clarify the origin of the Universe, as well as the existing life in it. Every religion may have an organized set of behaviors and clergy, as well as the description of what constitutes membership or adherence, the scriptures and holy places. According to the 2012 report on religion by the global poll, there are approximately 4,000 diverse religions on the entire globe. However, this paper explores two religions-Judaism and Buddhism. It covers the major concepts and aspects of these religions, possible differences, beliefs and life perception, as well as their historical contexts.
Judaism
Judaism is one of the prehistoric religions that still exist today. This religion began as a religion of a small nation of Hebrews, and through centuries of suffering, dispersion, persecution, and occasional victories, it continue to be an influential and profound religion, as well as culture. Currently, approximately 15 million people who identify themselves as Jewish community, belong to this religion. The modern Judaism is a multifarious phenomenon, which incorporates both religion and nation and habitually combines stern adherence to the ritual laws, but with an attitude that is liberal towards religious beliefs. Van Voorst (2007) elicits that this religion is monotheistic, with its foundation strongly relying upon a foundational text known as the Torah; also widely recognized as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. Religious Jews consider Judaism to be a covenantal expression of the relationship that God established with the descendants of Israel. Judaism encompasses a broad-based corpus of practices, texts, theological positions, as well as the varied forms of organization. There exists a diversity of movements, which mostly emerged from the Rabbinic Judaism. The Rabbinic Judaism holds that God revealed his commandments and laws through Moses on the Sinai Mountain, both in written form and oral Torah (Esposito, 2008).
Currently, the most common Judaism or Jewish religious movements include Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Orthodox Judaism (Orthodox Judaism and Haredi Judaism). The principle differences among these groups relies the type of approach they give to the Jewish laws, rabbinic traditions, and the connotation of the Israel State. The Orthodox Judaism holds that both the Jewish Laws and Torah have divine origins hence they are unalterable and external, and thereby should be followed strictly (Esposito, 2008). On the other hand, Reform and Conservative Judaism are quite liberal, with Conservatives encouraging more traditional interpretations of Judaism's necessities than the Reformists. The position of a typical Reform Judaism views the Jewish laws as a set of open guidelines rather than just a set of obligations or restrictions observed by all Jews. Judaism traces its historical origin about 3,500 years ago, with its roots structure within the Middle East during the Bronze Age. It is the foundation of the three original Abrahamic faiths, which as well involves Islam and Christianity. The Israelites/Hebrews were already known as the "Jews" within the later books Tanakh, such as the Book of Esther, which replaced the title "Children of Israel" by the term Jews. Thereafter, the Judaism values, texts, and traditions had a great influence over the Abrahamic religions, including the Baha'i, Islam and Christianity.
Jews believe in a solitary God who did not only create the universe, but also with whom each Jew can develop both inter-personal and intra-personal relationships. They believe that God rules the entire universe, with His mighty works affecting every individual's daily activities. Their relationship with their God is a covenant relationship in which they worship Him in exchange of the prodigious deeds He has done and that He continues to do among the Jewish community. According to Van Voorst (2007), this religion entails much of a family's faith in God and the witnessing of its ceremonies begin when a Jewish baby son is circumcised at the age of eight days following the instructions...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now