Religion and Theology

The paper will identify and describe the similarities and the differences between the major religions of the world. The religions that will be included are Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The ethical dimensions or the codes of conduct of all these religions will be compared and contrasted.

Buddhism
The scriptures of Buddhism provide prohibitions for the followers instead of rules or commandments. There has not been much focus on the ethical or moral issues in these commentaries and scriptures but the works of monks reveal some code of conduct for the followers. Five prohibitions have been laid down in Vinaya, the most popular Buddhism work. The five prohibitions are very general and are similar to the other major religions of the world. The prohibitions include the slaughter of any living being, telling lies, stealing from others, takings drugs or drinks that result in loss of mental health and getting involved in sexual activities outside the marriage. However, unlike Islam, Christianity and Judaism, in Buddhism there is no concept of a supreme being to worship.

The concept of the Three Jewels in Buddhism is very similar to the notion of Dharma in Hinduism. Dharma tells the followers that the teachings of the Hinduism can lead to the enlightenment of the individual and Three Jewels in Buddhism refer to the teachings of Buddha, Buddha himself and Sangha, the community. The Three Jewels when practiced can lead to a higher being of truth.


Christianity
The ethical teachings in Christianity revolve around the notion of a single supreme being who is referred to as God and self-control. Faith and good moral actions go hand in hand in social dealings and prayers. The teachings are based on a number of scriptures and revelations that are believed to be Gods words. The Ten Commandments of the God are the central point of the ethical teachings in Christianity. These commandments are also believed by the followers of Judaism. The first three of the Ten Commandments relate to the worship of God and believing in one supreme and eternal being. Drinking, sex outside marriage and slavery is punishable in Christianity like in Islam. The foundation of Christianity ethics consists of The Beatitudes, The Golden Rule and the Jesus Commandment of Love. All these teachings force a person to love nature, do no harm to the living beings and believe in the Holy Trinity which is the God, Jesus and the Spirit.

The holy scriptures of the Christians is very similar to the Holy Quran of the Muslims. Muslims are encouraged to recite the Holy Quran and the Christians are also encouraged to recite their holy book, the Bible. Both these books are believed to have the words of God and hence form the basic guidelines of ethics and morality.

Islam
Islam is based completely on the teachings of the Holy Prophet and the Quran which is believed to be the aggregate of the revelations by God. The concept of the singularity of God is very important in Islam. To be a Muslim, one must believe in the eternity and supremacy of Allah, who is believed to be the creator of the mankind, the universe and all the things in it. The Hadith or the sayings of the holy prophet lay down the solutions of the major ethical and moral issues. There are a set of Haram and Halal actions that are categorized to guide a Muslim follower. These concepts are similar to the concept of kashrut in Judaism, which instructs the Jews of what is consumable and what is not. Haram actions consist of sex outside marriage, drinking, telling lies, marrying ones blood relatives and eating the flesh of non-slaughtered animals. Halal actions consist of the allowed actions such as eating the flesh of a slaughtered animal, marrying an adult woman, etc.

The teachings of Islam are very similar to the basic rules in Christianity but are very different from Hinduism and Buddhism. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all give the teachings of a single supreme being who is referred as God. There are five basic principles that a Muslim follower ought to follow which consist of offering prayers, giving out a proportion of money each year, fasting in the month of Ramadan, performing Hajj once in life time and believing in the Oneness of Allah and Prophethood.

Hinduism
There are a few scriptures that define the daily lives of the believers and set out guidelines of what should be done in ethical dilemmas. There is a strong cast system in Hinduism which classifies the duties of the followers. There are no cast systems in any other major religions of the world. The Brahmins are the highest socio-economic representatives who require learning, reading, and governing other casts. However, a farmer or a warrior has no other duty but to follow the Brahmins orders and perform their tasks. The Laws of Manu are guidelines for a Brahmin. These laws do not allow a Brahmin to have contact or relation with anyone carrying impurity.

These laws are negative in outlook and are not similar to any other major religion of the world. Moreover, a purifying act is required if a person of upper class interacts of mingles with the people in lower class. A ritual of gift exchange is very important feature of Hinduism in which the followers are require exchanging precious gifts to represent love and sacrifice for others. This is similar to the concept of sacrifice in Islam where a person is required to sacrifice an animal once a year if he possesses one. However, Hinduism is in contradiction to Islam. In Islam, every human is seen as equal, whereas in Hinduism, only the people from Brahmin class are considered to be humans.

Judaism
The moral beliefs and legal actions in Judaism come from mainly two sources, the kashrut and the mezuzah. Kashrut is the guide of what a Jew can eat or consume and the mezuzah is a set of verses from Torah on a paper. Kashrut is very similar to the concept of Halal and Haram in Muslims. Other set of instructions and guidelines come from the Torah which is considered to be the word of God like the Quran in Islam. In Judaism, other Jews should be treated with generosity and respect. The pain of others should be felt by a Jew and he should not bother his neighbor. The Halachah or the commandment of the Torah is the principles that a Jew must adhere to when dealing publicly and with relatives. The relationship with God and the duties of prayers are also described in this scripture. Keeping justice and doing righteousness are the main principles of this religion.

Conclusion
The religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism have been found to be similar as the fundamental rules are the same. However, the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism are very different as Buddhism does not obligate any clear guidelines of living ones life and Hinduism has a system of casts. However, all the religions except Hinduism are similar when it comes to the relations with others and attitudes towards telling lies, acting deceitfully and relationships.