Comparing Major Religions Essay

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Comparing Major Religions -1 Religion (Date of origin) | Dominant Values | Explanation for Evil | Salvation | Afterlife | Buddhism(Sixth Century, B.C.) | Right knowledge, aspiration, speech, behavior, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, contemplation, control of one's mind, kindness | Insatiable desires are the cause of evil and suffering | Nonattachment to the world; Follow the eight-fold path; Self-effort; Salvation is through reincarnation and working with the laws of karma; Mahayana Buddhism has deities which function as saviors. | Nirvana is the highest destiny of the human spirit--a state of indescribable bliss. In Mahayana Buddhism there are afterlife states referred to as heavens and hells. | Christianity(First Century, A.D.) | Love of God and man; Ten commandments; Service, truth, beauty, goodness, justice,…show more content…
| Nirvana; Extinction of personality or totally indescribable state | Judaism(Second millennium, B.C.) | Ten commandments; justice, righteousness, truth, loving-kindness, humility, learning, kosher food. | Satan; Unfaithfulness to the will of God; choosing egocentric self, false gods, or evil. | Early: Animal sacrifice; Later: Faith and righteous living; Messianic deliverance. | Not other-worldly; Early: She'ol--land of the dead; Later: Judgment, heaven and hell. | Shinto(Seventh Century, B.C.) | Personal cleanliness; Sense of communal guilt; Bushido: honor, loyalty, courage, truth, justice | Man and nature essentially good; Suicide encouraged to avoid dishonor, defeat or to protest. | Salvation comes from being a part of the chosen Japanese people and living with honor and purity. | Shinto largely adopted Mahayana Buddhist beliefs of heaven and hell.

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