Intro to World Religions(Comparative Religions)

While Christianity dominates the religious landscape of much of the Western world, there are many parts of the globe where Christians , regardless of how broadly or narrowly one defines the term, represent only a tiny fraction of the population.

 In an age when mobility is widespread, many religions are now represented in regions where they were not historically present.

Believers in Christianized countries who were once contended for the faith mainly with agnostic, apathetic, or simply uniformed neighbors, now find that many in their communities actively subscribe to other religions-and your community is probably no different.

In some areas of the world, Buddhism may represent the majority world view, while in others, it influence may be seen largely in the media (celebrity adherents, movie references and media fascination . The same may be true of Islam, which dominates the collective life of certain cultures , yet it is viewed through the media lens of other cultures of terms of fanaticism and terrorism.

Christians often have relatively limited knowledge about other religions: that is, they may understand a religions cultural significance without having a firm grasp on what it teaches.

This of course makes it difficult to articulate the differences when asked what makes Christianity unique or true.
Aren't all religions the same? Is Christ the only way to God?Jesus claimed absolute exclusivity. Christ was unique compared to founders of other world religions. Some promoted their teachings as the only way to God, but Christ proclaimed Himself as the only way to God. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Christianity is unique in other ways. The views of gods of other religions are very different from Christianity.

 The philosophical Hindu is either a monist (believing that ultimate reality is a oneness beyond differentiation) or a pantheist (believing that everything is God).

The popular sects of Hinduism are polytheistic (worshipers of many gods).

Buddhist sects may hold a variety of views on God, including polytheism, pantheism, or usually, atheism.

Classical Islam endorses the killing of infidels but Christianity teaches to love your enemies. Islam also teaches that there is one impardonable sin—to accept that God has a Son. Christianity teaches that one must accept Jesus as the Son of God to get to heaven.

Of eleven major religions of the world, ten of them teach salvation through human effort.

  Only Christianity recognizes the frustration and futility of man's own efforts and declares that man's salvation rests in the provision and grace of God.

Christianity alone makes provision for man's basic need—the forgiveness of sin.

  Only Christianity resolves the problem of God's dual nature of both absolute justice and absolute love. This dichotomy(division into two parts)(
the belief that man consists of two parts, the body and the soul).
 This may also be viewed as man's physical being and his non-physical being.
 is once and for all resolved by Christ's coming, His sinless life, and His finished work on the cross as our substitute.

There are irreconcilable conflicts between Christianity and other religions.

Christianity is at odds with other views of God, the nature of man, heaven, and salvation.

The law of noncontradiction says that if two statements about one particular issue contradict each other, then

(1) only one of them is true, or
The law of noncontradiction says that if two statements about one particular issue contradict each other, then

 (2) they are both false.

.They cannot both be true in the same sense and at the same time. Truth, by definition, is exclusive

Actually all religions claim exclusivity. Just ask a Muslim or a Hindu if a Christian is one of them. Even those who say that there should be no exclusivity in religion are in reality making an absolutist claim by eliminating from their circle those religions who claim exclusivity.

 So the issue of exclusive truth claims cannot be merely brushed aside by uninformed statements like, "There are many paths to God." In the end, one must choose.

OBJECTIVES (What we do hope to do in this Study):

To analyze critically the concept of "religion" as commonly understood in Western societies.

To be introduced to a number of "religious" traditions other than evangelical Protestant Christianity.

To develop skills as an empathic interpreter of "religious" traditions other than one's own.

To gain a clearer understanding of the impact of "religious" convictions and practices on everyday      life.

To gain an appreciation for the diversity present within "religious" traditions, as well as across them.

To gain a clearer understanding of some of the distinguishing features of the world's "religious"            traditions.

To gain a clearer understanding of some of the similarities among many "religious" traditions.

Having accomplished the above, to see one's own "religious" tradition with a new perspective and renewed appreciation.

NON-OBJECTIVES (What we do not plan to do in this Study):

To resolve difficult and important questions about the relationship between Christianity and other "religious" traditions.

To develop apologetic strategies for demonstrating the superiority of Christianity to other traditions.

To develop strategies for evangelizing those from other "religious" traditions.

In these studies we will focus on some of the major religions of the world.

To include:
Judaism
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
African traditional religions (as a group will also be introduced).
Atheism
the New Age movement, and the new "Christian" religion offshoots of traditional , orthodox Christianity  that are growing around the world.

We will define  the characteristics of a cult and a sect.

We will also outline some key claims of Christianity that set it apart from all other religions.


The scope of these lessons are intended to be a general  reference work for those who are interested in knowing what various groups believe .

We will also compare the standard beliefs of Christianity to the various groups of religions.


The goal here is not to attack other religions but to come to have a better understanding about them.

Prayer



Whys this Study?

With an advance of modern technology, the world has shrunk to the point that we would do well to know and understand what our neighbors believe. This study is an effort to fill this information gap by giving us a working knowledge of the great religions of the world.

What Is Religion?
A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth.

 Religion is commonly identified by the practitioner's prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things, but more generally is interwoven with society and politics. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle.

 Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience.

The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

 "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system," but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively.



The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures.

 It considers psychological and social roots, along with origins and historical development.

In the frame of western religious thought, religions present a common quality, the "hallmark of patriarchal religious thought": the division of the world in two comprehensive domains, one sacred, the other profane

According to the futurist Raymond Kurzweil, "The primary role of traditional religion is deathist rationalization—that is, rationalizing the tragedy of death as a good thing." Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth.

  Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy.

 Religion is also often described as a "way of life" or a life stance.

The term religion has many definitions.

 None is agreed upon by everyone,but certain common aspects and implications of religion can be observed.

Religion can be defined as that aspect of ones experience in which he/she attempts to live harmoniously with the power or powers he believes are controlling the world.

Even secular religions, though they do not believe in God or the supernatural,and involve in no form of worship or liturgy,still are more less unified comprehensive world views, which seek to explain the "why" of existence.
 Because they have their own, creeds,scriptures,clergy and closely knit groups, they may properly labeled religious.


Religion is Universal

Wherever man lives he is found giving some recognition to a power or powers beyond himself.

Religion is not only universal,it is also one of the features separating man from the animal world.


Religion Meets Needs

Religion gives to a person what he can obtain from no other source.


The distinguishing function of a religion , in contrast with that of philosophy or ethics is to give to a human being the supreme satisfaction of his life through a vital relationship with what he recognizes as the super human Power, or powers in the world.

Religion gives to a person what he can obtain from no other source.



The practice of religion is varied as the religious themselves,


All Religions Are Not The Same

A common misconception is that all religions are basically saying the same thing or that religious paths eventually reach the same summit-God          



In this study we will explore excerpts from the holy writings of Christians,Jews,Hindus,Buddhist,Muslims,as well as other religions of India, Persia,China and Japan.
 time and end on time.



Please remember that this study is not an attack on the beliefs of others but an information tool for us that me may better understand the religions of the world.

There will be some denominational study discussion.

Please remember that we are only here to understand their beliefs and not here to attack anyone .
Many of us here belong to different denominations and have different beliefs.

Let us be like Christ , be about love.


Next weeks study

Defining the meaning of and understanding what are considered Cults and Sects .