comparative religion
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- Abraham Dharma.png -
Map showing the prevalence of "Abrahamic" (purple) and "Indian" (yellow) religions
Comparative religion is a field of
religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the
world's religions.
Religion can be defined as the human notions regarding the
sacred,
numinous,
spiritual and
divine.
(1)In the field of comparative religion, the
main world religions are generally{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} classified as either
Abrahamic,
Indian or
Taoic. Areas of study also include
creation myths and
Humanism.
Abrahamic religions
In the study of comparative religion, the category of Abrahamic religions consists of the three
monotheistic religions,
Christianity,
Islam and
Judaism, which claim
Abraham (Hebrew
Avraham אַבְרָהָם ; Arabic
Ibrahim إبراهيم ) as a part of their sacred history. Other religions (such as the
Bahá'í Faith) that fit this description are sometimes included but are often omitted.
(2)The original belief in the
One God of Abraham eventually became present-day Judaism. Christians believe that Christianity is the
fulfillment and continuation of the Jewish
Old Testament, with
Jesus (Hebrew
Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ) as the
messiah of Old Testament prophecy and subsequent New Testament teachings and continued
prophecy. Islam believes the present Christian and Jewish scriptures have been
modified over time and are no longer the original divine revelations as given to
Moses,
Jesus, and other prophets. For Muslims the
Qur'an is the final revelation from
God, with
Muhammad as his messenger for its transmission.
Comparing Abrahamic religions
Christianity and Judaism are two closely related Abrahamic religions that in some ways parallel each other and in other ways fundamentally diverge in theology and practice. The article on
Judeo-Christian tradition emphasizes continuities and convergences between the two religions. The article on
Christianity and Judaism compares the different views held by both religions.{{further|
Judeo-Christian and
Supersessionism}}The historical interaction of Islam and Judaism started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of
Islam. There are many common aspects between Islam and
Judaism, and as Islam
developed it gradually became the major religion closest to Judaism. As opposed to
Christianity which originated from interaction between ancient
Greek and
Hebrew cultures, Judaism is very similar to Islam in its fundamental religious outlook, structure, jurisprudence and practice.
(3) There are many traditions within Islam originating from traditions within the
Hebrew Bible or from postbiblical Jewish traditions. These practices are known collectively as the
Isra'iliyat.
(4){{further|
People of the Book,
Tahrif,
Biblical narratives and the Qur'an, and
Judeo-Islamic philosophies (800 - 1400)}}The historical interaction between Christianity and Islam connects fundamental ideas in
Christianity with similar ones in
Islam. Islam and Christianity share their origins in the Abrahamic tradition, although Christianity predates Islam by centuries. Islam accepts many aspects of Christianity as part of its faith - with some differences in interpretation - and rejects other aspects. Islam believes the
Qur'an is the final revelation from
God and a completion of all previous revelations, including the
Bible.{{further|
Biblical narratives and the Qur'an,
People of the Book and
Tahrif}}
Indian religions
There are a number of religions that have originated on the
Indian subcontinent. They encompass
Hinduism,
Buddhism,
Jainism, and
Sikhism. The
religion of the Vedic period is the historical predecessor of the Hindu religion. The Vedic and the
Sramana tradition co-existed and influenced each other since pre-historic times. Jainism and Buddhism are a continuation of the Sramana tradition. Buddhism further diversified, into
Chinese and
Japanese schools.
Comparing "Dharmic" religions
missing image!
- Rigveda MS2097.jpg -
The Rig Veda is one of the oldest Vedic texts. Shown here is a Rig Veda manuscript in Devanagari, early nineteenth century.
{{further|
Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu,
Gautama Buddha in world religions, and
God in Buddhism}}
Buddhism and Hinduism are both post-Vedic religions.
Gautama Buddha is mentioned as an
Avatar of
Vishnu in the
Puranic texts of Hinduism. Some Hindus believe the
Buddha accepted and incorporated many tenets of Hinduism in his doctrine, however, Buddhists disagree and state there was no such thing as Hinduism at the time of Buddha and in fact, "Indeed, it absorbed so many Buddhist traits that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the latter in medieval and later Hinduism."
(5) Prominent Hindu reformers such as
Gandhi(6) and
Vivekananda(7) acknowledge Buddhist influence.{{further|
Shramana}}
Buddhism and Jainism are the two branches of the
Shramana tradition that still exist today. Until recently
Jainism was largely confined to
India, while
Buddhism has largely flourished outside of India. However the two traditions share remarkable similarities. In his life, the
Buddha undertook many fasts, penances and austerities, the descriptions of which are elsewhere found only in the Jain tradition. Ultimately Buddha abandoned these methods on his discovery of the
Middle Way or
Magga. To this day, many Buddhist teachings, principles, and terms used in Buddhism are identical to those of Jainism, but they may hold very different meanings for each.
Hinduism and Sikhism have had a long and complex relationship. Views range from
Sikhism being a distinct faith in itself to Sikhism being a sect of
Hinduism. A vast majority of Sikhs oppose the notion that Sikhism is a sect of Hinduism, while others stress the similarities, but recognise that the religions are distinct.
Jainism and Sikhism have both originated in
South Asia and are Eastern philosophical faiths.
Jainism, like
Buddhism, rejected the authority of the
Vedas and created independent textual traditions based on the words and examples of their early teachers.
Taoic religions
{{further|
Tao and
De}}Image:Tao character.svg|thumb|150px|The
Chinese character depicting
TaoTaoA Taoic religion is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"). This forms a large group of religions including Taoism, Confucianism, Jeung San Do, Shinto, Yiguandao, Chondogyo, Chen Tao and Caodaism. In large parts of East Asia, Buddhism has taken on some taoic features.Tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order. It is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced and ordered and is associated with nature, due to a belief that nature demonstrates the Tao. The flow of Chi, as the essential energy of action and existence, is compared to the universal order of Tao. Following the Tao is also associated with a "proper" attitude, morality and lifestyle. This is intimately tied to the complex concept of De, or literally "virtue". De is the active expression of Tao.Taoism and Ch'an Buddhism for centuries had a mutual influence on each other in China, Korea and Vietnam. These influences were inherited by Zen Buddhism when Ch'an Buddhism arrived in Japan and adapted as Zen Buddhism.Comparing Taoic religions
Comparing traditions
{{See|Eastern religions|Western religions}}{{further|prehistoric religion, religions of the Ancient Near East, Proto-Indo-Iranian religion and Proto-Indo-European religion}}Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism
Taoism
Zoroastrianism
Mysticism and Esotericism
See also
References
{{Refimprove|date=June 2007}}
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["Human beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, and divine" Encyclopædia Britannica (online, 2006), cited after What is Religion? Definitions and Quotes.]
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[Why Abrahamic? Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at the University of Wisconsin]
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[Rabbi David Rosen, Jewish-Muslim Relations, Past and Present, November 2003]
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[Rabbi Justin Jaron Lewis, Islam and Judaism, October 2001]
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[MLA style: "monasticism." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 14 Aug. 2007 weblink>.]
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[“owes on eternal debt of gratitude to that great teacher,”Mahatma Gandhi and Buddhism Y.P. Anand An Encounter with Buddhismweblink]
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[He is the ideal Karma-Yogi, acting entirely without motive, and the history of humanity shows him to have been the greatest man ever born; beyond compare the greatest combination of heart and brain that ever existed, the greatest soul-power that has ever been manifested. Essay, Ideal Karma Yogi weblink]
Further reading
- BOOK, Ankerl, Guy, Global communication without universal civilization, 2000, INU societal research, Vol.1: Coexisting contemporary civilizations : Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western, INU Press, Geneva, 2-88155-004-5,
- Shushan, Gregory (2009) Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations Universalism, Constructivism and Near-Death Experience. New York & London, Continuum. ISBN 9780826440730
- Eastman, Roger (1999) The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition. ISBN 978-0195118353
External links
{{religion topics|state=expanded}}Srovnávací religionistikaReligión comparadaReligion comparéeÖsszehasonlító vallástudományReligião comparadaศาสนาเปรียบเทียบKarşılaştırmalı dinler宗教比較
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