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Оглавление1. Religion
Humans have developed the soul with the permanence of time. Reincarnation makes it happen. Fundamentally, since it has been dealt with in religion, I will examine religion in the East and the West from a broad perspective. Since the advent of mankind on Earth, men had worshiped nature and the universe like the sun, moon, natural phenomena, water, fire, animals or mountains, etc. The Vedic Scriptures of 1200 BCE and the Bibles of the 2nd BCE became the basis of the development of religions in the East and the West respectively.
According to the 2015 study of Pew Research Center, Christianity accounted for 31.2%, Islam 24.1%, Hinduism 15.1%, and Buddhism 6.9% in the world. Here, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were based on the Bible. Hinduism was grounded on the Vedic scriptures, and Buddhism occurred later in the same culture.
Bible
The Bible is composed of the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew scripture was called the Old Testament after the New Testament came out. And it consists of threefold division, Torah (teaching), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings). Yahweh tells of how the covenant was made between God and humans, and what the mission of human beings on earth is. Judaism has valued the Torah and Jews have learned a way of life through the Talmud, the collection of ancient Jewish laws, and the Mishnah, a compilation of precepts as an oral tradition. Rabbis, the spiritual leaders, and mentors of Jews have enabled knowledge of the Torah to be passed down through the generations.
Muslims have faith in the previously revealed scriptures like the Torah given to Moses and the Gospel (Injil) conferred upon Jesus. And the Quran, which was revealed for 23 years to the final prophet Muhammad by Allah or God through the archangel Gabriel, is the last revelation and literal words of God. Therefore, they believe it is the only holy book that has been meticulously preserved in its original text. After the prophet Muhammad’s death, Islam began to be divided into Shia and Sunni due to different successor candidates and election methods. That is, two denominations of Islam have different viewpoints on Hadith, which have constantly caused many conflicts in the world.
The largest religion, Christianity, believes that Jesus is the Christ as the son of God and the Messiah. Adherents’ beliefs and biblical interpretations vary. A different point of view on the Bible led to the division into Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. Later, differences in biblical interpretation resulted in various versions of the Bible and Christian sects as well.
Source: Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines (Torrance, CA: Rose, 2005), 179.
The New Testament is a collection of scriptures about the teachings, the life of Jesus, and events at different times by various authors. The central tenet of Christianity is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, sinful humans can be reconciled to God and then will be saved in eternal life. Also, they have a faith in Trinity referring to the teaching that the one God or the Godhead comprises three distinct: The Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
I think it is in the life of Jesus that Christianity is the most prosperous in the world. Jesus was born to a single mother, the most vulnerable social class at that time, and sacrificed for the poor, crucified by a high priest and elders. Reinterpreting this as the Trinity, God is the side of the minority, saving the general public against those in power. The dramatic factors of Jesus’ birth and death are fascinating enough to inspire many. Of course, it must be more dramatic than the story that a man was born as a prince, well-educated, and died of illness while helping many people.
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all have a strong belief in monotheism; that there is only one true God. But what to think about here is whether people go to church to believe in the ‘God’ or not. People gather and scatter owing to just a person. In other words, if you like a pastor, priest, rabbi, or imam, you will listen to the holy scripture through him in his church. But if not for any reason, you will look for another one. As French sociologist Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) mentioned, the reason that humans seek religion is due to a ‘sense of belonging’. More specifically, when you go to church, your business will be able to take advantage of the same belief system. It will be one of the reasons Christianity has become the most common religion in the world.
Consequently, Judaism considered Jesus as one of the great rabbis, and Islam as one of the great prophets, while Christianity regarded him as the Son of God or the Messiah. And they have a common belief that if you believe in God, you will be saved. The faith has brought about both conflicts as well as grace in our lives for over 2000 years. This is the history of religion created by the Bible.
Vedas
Another form of religion is representatively Hinduism and Buddhism originated in India. The knowledge in Sanskrit by the Aryans who invaded India is called Vedas, the oldest sacred text. Vedas are śruti (what is heard), that is, revelations of sacred sounds and texts heard by ancient sages after intense meditation. It consists of Samhitas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda), Brahmana, Aranyaka, Upanishad.
Aryans who monopolized the knowledge and language of rituals were treated as representatives of God. Since then, Brahman had come to mean the supreme god of the universe. Therefore, they believe that humans created by Brahman were also needed to be ordered, which is called the caste system. It describes society as divided into four categories: Brahmins (scholars and priests), Kshatriyas (leaders and warriors), Vaishyas (agriculturists and merchants), and Shudras (manual workers and servants).
As Vedic priests emerged as a new social class called Brahman, it became Brahmanism. They were making more sophisticated social regulations and laws. After that, it has embraced all of the traditions, meditations, and dharmas and became Hinduism. Because it is closely linked to social, religious, and ritual norms in India, its adherents could not abandon their old tradition with ease. Hence, Hinduism has educated the people of a solid social class order based on the Vedic scriptures. In this way, it is like religion, politics, and culture, forming the spiritual and emotional basis of the public.
At the same time, Sramana, the indigenous people, also had a religious tradition. They joined the Sangha, leaving home; stayed in the forest; had one meal a day with religious mendicancy; tried to achieve liberation (vimokkha) with yoga and asceticism. By the 6th century BCE, Sramana’s practice encouraged Jainism and Buddhism to be formed. The fundamental doctrine included reincarnation and karma. Reincarnation is a central tenet of Indian religions and signifies that life and death are continuously repeated by the spirit. Karma explains the present circumstances of an individual regarding his or her actions in the former life.
Influenced by Vedic culture and the practice of Sramana tradition, Buddhism presented practical theories and methodologies. Siddhartha Gautama found the dharma to accomplish Nirvana with four noble truths, insisting that rebirth and suffering would be annihilated. Buddha was not a god or a prophet but taught the right path for the development of consciousness to be free from ignorance. Unlike the above-mentioned religions that believe in God, Buddhism seems to explain how to practice for inner growth. After he died in 483 BCE, the disciples began to gather to make the scriptures. Then, Buddhism was divided into Theravada and Mahayana due to issues of its interpretation as well.
Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, which bloomed in the Vedic culture, have the concept of transmigration and karma in common. And, despite acknowledging the existence of gods, they want to find a way of liberation through inner reflection and development of consciousness. It is because they believe that gods can also be born as humans or animals by reincarnating based on their karma.
In conclusion, religion began with the words of God and many sects emerged through various interpretations. As a result, people have established orders to control a community like precepts or commandments to protect them from wrongdoings or sins. What is peculiar is that in some religious people no longer relied on God and were trying to develop themselves at the same time. It does not mean to deny the existence of gods, but to believe that gods exist like us. If so, then what should we do next?