Religion

Introduction

There is a strange twist in life. Most people, if not all, believe in the existence of a supernatural being that is in charge of all the activities of humankind. Yet the supernatural being is perceived to act differently according to the doctrine of each religion. Muslims, Christians, Hindu, and Buddhists, to name but a few, have their own versions about the supremacy of the supernatural being. The Bible and the Qur’an as the books used by Christians and Muslims respectively have their own versions of stories, some of which tend to be so similar yet others have meanings so far apart.

The similarities would leave a reader believing in the dictum that they were “written by men inspired by God,” yet the discrepancies in the stories would leave one appreciating the diversity of thoughts. One interesting aspect of the two revered books is the story of Adam and Eve. It is astounding that the story features prominently in both books.

Analysis

Both Christianity and Islam consider Adam and Eve as the first people of God’s creation. While the narratives may vary, creation stories in both the Bible and the Qur’an provide some common ground for the two religions. Both stories have a common thread and theme, yet they contrast in certain areas. It is thus important to know where they converge while similarly analyzing where the two different stories are in divergence.

There are certain similarities between the two narratives. For one, in both narratives, Adam was forbidden from eating a fruit from a certain tree. The Qur’an (Q 2: 35) says that God commanded Adam to live with his wife (Eve) in Paradise and eat generously anything that existed there except the fruit of one tree. The point was that if Adam ate the fruit of this particular tree he could be exposed to sin. The same command was given in Q (7: 19) where Adam was commanded to dwell with his wife in Paradise and eat any fruit of his choice except that of the tree of wisdom.

Moreover, he was warned further that he would fall into sin if he ate the fruit of this tree. Likewise, the Bible in Genesis 2: 16- 17 states that God instructed Adam to eat freely from any tree of the garden but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as he would definitely die if he happened to eat of that tree. Therefore, from the above scriptures, it is evident that in both narratives, Adam was explicitly forbidden from eating the fruit of a certain tree.

Another similarity between the two narratives concerns the story of Adam’s two sons- Abel and Cain. In Q (5:27- 28), the story of how one of Adam’s sons was killed by another is given. According to this portion of the scripture, the two sons made an offering but God accepted one son’s offering and not the other’s. Thereafter, the son of Adam whose offering was rejected by God threatened to kill his brother. In response, his brother replied that God only accepts sacrifices from the righteous and that he would not extend his hand to kill him since he revered God, the Lord of the universe.

This portion of the scripture, though not specifying the names of Adam’s sons, explains how one of Adam’s sons killed the other. In the Bible in Genesis 4: 8, a similar story is told whereby, after Adam’s two sons, Cain and Abel had finished a discussion, Cain rose against Abel and killed him in the field where they were. Thus, the Biblical story is congruent to that of the Qur’an except the fact that the Qur’an does not mention the specific names of the sons of Adam.

In addition, the narratives are similar in that in the Bible and the Quran, Satan deceived Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, and they realized that they were naked. Prior to that, they had been oblivious of this fact. In Q (7:22), it is reported that Satan duped Adam and Eve into disobeying God and as soon as they had savored the fruit, their bodies suddenly became visible to them forcing them to try to cover themselves with the leaves of trees of Paradise. Thereafter, the Lord rebuked them, reminding them of the warning He had given them in relation to the eating of the forbidden fruit.

In addition, he reiterated the fact that the devil was Adam and Eve’s most notorious enemy. Genesis 3: 7, 13 gives a similar story. Here, the Bible explains that the eyes of both Adam and Eve were opened and immediately, they realized for the first time that they were naked. It is then that they gathered fig leaves and sewed them into aprons. The Lord God then appeared and asked Eve to give the reason behind her disobedience and why she had chosen to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve in response blamed the serpent (Satan) claiming that the devil had beguiled her into eating the fruit. In this regard, both versions of the story in the Bible and the Qur’an have similarity.

Conclusion

In spite of the similarities, certain differences exist between the two stories in the holy books. For instance, the Bible states that the devil fell from grace because he did not want to worship God but had wanted (he) himself to be worshipped by the others (Genesis). In the Quran (Q 2: 34), however, the reason behind the devil’s fall from grace is that he refused to bow down to Adam (not to God). Another difference is the manner in which Adam and Eve were created.

According to Genesis 2: 7, God molded Adam from the dust of the earth then breathed life into his nostrils and man consequently became a living soul. Eve was later formed from one of Adam’s ribs. However, the Qur’an differs in that it states that Adam was formed from aged clay. In Q (15:28), the Lord told the angels that he was creating a human being from aged mud much like that of the potter’s clay. This points to a very divergent belief between Christianity and Islam concerning how God created the human being.

Both the similarities and differences are significant. The similarities are significant in that they lend credence to the creation story about Adam and Eve. If two different religions make reference to the same story, it proves that there is some truth in the narrative of Adam and Eve. The differences are also significant in that they give an insight as to why the two religions are constantly in disagreement. To jell, they need to share the same fundamental beliefs. With some of these stark differences at the core of the creation narrative, it is very difficult for both religions to see eye to eye even on other issues.

The starkest difference for me is that the Bible gives an account of how Eve advised Adam to eat the forbidden fruit- the devil deceived her first. Yet in the Quran, the blame is not on Eve; in fact, between the man and the woman, Adam was the first to be deceived. Q 20: 120- 121 expounds on this, detailing that the devil approached Adam, asking him to give him the opportunity to show him the tree of eternity and unending kingship.

Furthermore, it reveals that Adam fell for the trap then both their bodies (Adam and Eve’s) became visible to them and hence they tried to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. Adam thus disobeyed his Lord, and fell. Here, Adam is fervently blamed for disobeying God; while in the Bible, Eve is accused of causing Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. This is a remarkable difference between the two religions.

Whether similarities between the Bible and the Qur’an regarding the story of Adam supersede the differences, one thing is as clear as ice- that there is a relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an. The two faiths still need to discuss on this. It is clear that the similarities and discrepancies will continue to prevail as long as Christians and Muslims continue to interpret the verses in their own conceptual faiths. For the common person though, the differences and similarities just exist in the text, for both Muslims and Christians believe in the existence of one God irrespective of the religious name given to him.

Works Cited

The Holy Bible (King James Version). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Ali, A. Y. The Holy Quran. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Edition, 2000.

Introduction

This term is used in reference to any existing system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life. Therefore it is fair enough to include all the great monotheistic religions, Eastern religions, Neopagan religions, a wide range of other faiths, spiritual paths, and ethical systems and beliefs based on the existence of supernatural power. (Brown, 36).

Religion has been an integral part of human existence dating back to the existence of man. It is an integrative bond for society, which is a theme formulated by modern functionalists. Religion, due to its cohesive effects, has been seen to serve as a ‘social cement’ serving the purpose of uniting people who have some common shared values and beliefs for the purpose of celebrating harvest and life cycle events. Religions are of paramount importance as to the people’s lives they give special purpose which is crucial towards the individuals emotional and psychological support during adverse times as well as happy times.

The other important contribution of religion towards mankind is social control, reinforcement of the important social values, norms, and ethics, which is important to lifting the moral standards in the society. Religion in essence serves as a means of strengthening the resolution and identity of the group in a pluralistic and sometimes harsh society.

From every existing background, man is exposed to health, safety, and mortality problem and it is due to these challenges that religion exists. It is achieved explanation of things hardly understood to us through the context of the known physical world. Each religion is different from the other but they all serve the same purpose. All religions are oriented to the answering of questions such as why do I exist here and now? What next after my death? It is through religion that we transmit our values from one generation to another while at the same time influencing our interaction with our surroundings thus giving purpose and meaning in life.

Religion trespasses the boundaries of a belief in a deity to encompass philosophy and a way of life. It offers definitions to individuals and how the individual views the world and the interaction with the same world. Some religions are known to us, others seem strange while others are ever unheard of.

Values, Norms, and Beliefs of World Significant Religions

Indian and Chinese streams of eastern religion are the most widespread in the world today. These two movements consist of various faiths like Sikhism, Janism, Hinduism, as well as Taosism, Confucianism, and even Japanese stream – Shinto. On the other hand, Abrahamic monotheism serves as the bottom line of a western religious movement and compiles of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam- which is a rather surprising fact, since it was traditionally regarded as an integral part of eastern religion. Both eastern and western religious movements are investigated in this research, focusing on its statements and interpretations of such entities as the universe, nature of God, and various issues of supernatural events. The teachings of such great philosophers like Buddha, Guatama, and Siddharta serve as guidelines for representatives of Buddhism. (Huston, 120). According to the historical sources, 563-483 BC is the year of the life of Buddha, and his motherland is India. Buddha’s philosophy became popular in this country, later expanding to the vast region of Asia(Huston, 40). Its number of followers is impressive constituting more than 350 million people. (Huston, 80). One of the reasons why this philosophy has gained such popularity is the fact that Buddhism helps people find peace and joy in their lives. In contrast with Judaism, this movement promises neither salvation nor redemption to its followers.

One of the most common beliefs of Buddhists is Bodhi, the acceptance and understanding of divine wisdom. The point when one realizes Bodhi is the time when he or she breaks the circle of own suffering. (Huston, 100).

The followers of Buddhism believe that self-control is an extremely important quality of every Buddhist. The religion of Buddhism is different from other religious movements due to the lack of necessity to worship and show commitment to the great master. Supernatural beings are an integral part of Buddhism philosophy, and they are described as creatures in most cases invisible to people. It is believed that these beings lead a much more joyful way of long-lasting life( over millions of years). However, even these powerful creatures die, reincarnating afterward.

The supernatural beings also have no right to judge humans. They can affect global events on the same level as humans do. The supernatural beings are divided into groups or positions, which can be paralleled with the gods, but they are considered to have no role in creating the world or humans. According to Gautama Buddha has two classes: humans reincarnated as gods and gods, who came into this world already as humans. Also, God was given the role of the creator of this world, but it has no such power and is not considered to be a supreme creature or being. Our bodies and minds are considered to be ordinary tools for gaining enlightenment. When the highest level of enlightenment is reached one is becoming a Buddha (Huston, 30). Our thoughts are our tools for creating the world. The world around us appears to be created through the prism of our thoughts concentrated in our minds, so we are what we think.

Judaism is solely a Jewish religion. It also belongs to the oldest religions. Judaism had a huge impact on the creation of other Abrahamic religions. These religions consider Abraham as a part of their religious history. These religions include Christianity and Islam (Warren, 45). Judaism developed through the span of time and has about 4 thousand years of history. It absorbed the influence of such ancient cultures as Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Hellenic. Judaism is related to monotheist religions. These religions state that there is only one God, and this fact has to be believed in. This rule is followed according to Torah (Hebrews Bible) and Ten Commandments.

Jewish teachings say that God is responsible for the creation of this world and for everything that happens in it (Warren, 72). This is really important for Judaism believers and the whole concept of Judaism. According to a story from Genesis (the first book of the Torah) Chapters 1 and 2 the God created the universe and everything in it. Before the creation took place, this world was empty and had no shape and had the Spirit of God (“ruach” in Hebrew) hovering over it. It took God six days to create this world. The seventh day is considered to be the day when he took a rest. God (Hebrew Elohim) did not only used action but also words when creating the universe.

The first day was taken by God to create the light. The light separated the night and the day. The second day was taken by Him to create the sky. It separated the waters on those below and above it. The third day is considered to be when Elohim created the land, it was separated by waters, which were gathered or separated by the land. The same day was taken to create the vegetation. The fourth day is the day when the two main sources of light were created. For the day there was a sun and for the night there was a moon. Air and sea creatures were created on the fifth day. Land animals were created on the sixth day. This day is also important because God created us, humans, and made us according to His image.

After that, humans became dominant and took over the earth. The seventh day was the day when God took a rest. This day was blessed by God and this fact sanctified it.

Torah, the main book of Judaism is a set of laws followed by Judaism believers. It is also known as 613 Mitzrot, which are commandments of both what is allowed to do and what is forbidden. Judaists had a temple in Jerusalem, where they had priests and performed sacrifices as a way of worshipping God (Warren, 64). The main goal of Judaism is to worship God in the everyday life. When you are referring to Elohim continuously, then you have a chance to obtain a reward by getting to the Igan Eden (Garden of Eden) or Olam Haba, which is the world that is going to come in the future. Elohim is acknowledged to be the creator and the leader of anything that exists. He is the only one who is going to live forever. He is not to be compared to any living or non-living creature. He has no physical form. He is the only creature in the universe that deserves to be worshiped and adored. Moses is considered to be Jewish father and the father of Torah, because he took it from God and gave it to the people. Humans should take no attempt to change the Torah or alter it in any way because it is universal since it was created by God. In conclusion, He sees and judges our deeds. The universe is sooner or later will come to the end. That is the time when we will get our judgment.

World Religions

Many, long-established and major world religions exist today each with a substantial amount of followers. They include Christianity, which is further sub-grouped into Christian groups, denominations, and families. It is the world’s biggest faith, based on the teaching of Jesus Christ. Islam was revealed in its final form by the Prophet Muhammad. Hinduism a group of faiths rooted in the religious ideas of India. Judaism is based around the Jewish people’s covenant relationship with God. Buddhism a way of living based on the teachings of Siddartha Gautama. They form the five largest religions. However other minor religions are also evident including; Bahai faith, which is one of the youngest of the world’s major religions, Confucianism, Jainism an ancient philosophy and ethical teaching that originated in India, Shinto, which is Japanese folk tradition and ritual with no founder or single sacred scripture, Sikhism the religion founded by Guru Nanak in India in the 15^th century Common Era Period (CE), Taoism an ancient tradition of philosophy and belief rooted in Chinese worldview, Vodun (Voodoo), the Jewish, Mormons the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, Santerian Afro Caribbean syncretism religion originating in Cuba, Rastafarians a young religion based on Marcus Garvey’s philosophies, Atheism the ideas and story who do not believe in God, Candomble a religion based on Africans beliefs originating in Brazil, Jehovah’s Witness a Christian based evangelistic religious movement, Paganism a contemporary religion usually based on reverence for nature, Unitarianism an open-minded and individualistic approach to religion as well as Zoroastrianism one of the oldest monotheistic faiths, founded by the Prophet Zoroaster. There also exists another category the Neopagan religious faiths, which are a modern-day reconstruction of ancient Pagan religions from various diverse countries and eras. At some time they were rarely practiced in public because of safety reasons but currently, the situation is changing for the better. This group includes Asatru or Norse Paganism, Druidism, Goddess Worship, Wicca, and Witchcraft. It is worthwhile to note here that, many followers of Asatru are lesser Neopagans than Heathens. The term Neopagan, when used in the current context, is less ambiguous than the word Pagan, which has a variety of unrelated meanings. (Smith, 59).

There as well exist other smaller organized religions with a well-defined belief in a deity, humanity, and the rest of the universe. These smaller religions include; Caodaism, Damanhul Community, Druze, Eckankar, Elian Gonzalez religious movement, Gynosticism, Gypsies, Lukumi, HareKrishna-Iskcon, Macumba, Mowahhidoon, Native American Spiritually, Rom Roma Romani Rroma (aka Gypsies), Elian Gonzalez religious movements, Satanism; The Church of Satan, Scientology, Unitarian-Universalism, The Creativity Movement (formerly called World Church of the Creator, Zoroastrianism, Candomble, and many others.

Christianity – Values and Beliefs

Is Christianity a religion? A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a better understanding of Christianity than a religion. It has as well received various perceptions in different parts of the globe such as fellowship in Palestine (where it started); a philosophy in Palestine, an institution in Italy, a culture in Europe, and an enterprise in America.

Christianity implies any group in the society who has serious, prayerful, and devout affiliation to the doctrines of the Christian beliefs and includes Protestants, Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, United Church member’s up to the small minority of the Unitarian Universalities. (Smith, 94).

A set of beliefs, a way of life, and a community of people are what makeup Christianity. All the three are involved but always given different weights by different groups and they are all based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The origin of Jesus is Jewish and therefore Christianity was initially part of Judaism but later separated because of unacceptable to most Jews of the regard of Jesus as being a sense of God’s presence in human form. Furthermore, Judaism is ideally a covenant made between the Jewish people and God also a form of law, which Christians came to regard in a sense superseded by Jesus’ teachings. Jesus also implied and talked of a new covenant based on His death and resurrection on the night of His death. (Brown, 27). Christianity attributes more importance to proper belief as compared to other religions. The Christian community has beliefs (‘right beliefs’) otherwise known as ‘Orthodox’ signifying the importance of beliefs. The most controversial aspects of Christianity are beliefs, especially about Jesus. The written literature text of the Christians is the Bible, which is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament represents the Old Covenant between Moses and God and it is the basis of Judaism. The New Testament represents the New Covenant of Jesus.

There are several branches of Christianity due to the level of variance in beliefs. However the belief of the ‘Apostle’s Creed’ is shared among all of them, which states that ‘I will believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth’ And in Jesus Christ, His Son, Jesus life, death, and resurrection, the Holy life, and the Christian Life.’ Christians have a strong belief in the creator of the universe, God, and that mankind is in the image of God. There is an overall based on the trinity as per the Creed, exhibited in the faith first on the Father, secondly on the Son, and lastly on the Holy Spirit. (Brown, 52). However, some Christian dispute this and totally differ from the trinity arguing that a trinity issue is a form of blasphemy since there is an impossibility of existing in three forms. The Son cannot be Father neither can the Holy Spirit be the Father. Jesus Christ is the first creation of God and therefore he is the Son of God. His capacity as a teacher, which in the first century did in an appropriate way similar to a Jewish teacher. Christians assume two separate concepts as relates to Jesus is the concept of Trinity and the concept of incarnation where Jesus has seen a way of relationship with God. (Smith, 43). The evidence of this shall be some two Bible quotations given below.

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by a Son whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word (Heb. 1:1-3a).

“…His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creations, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers… For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:14-16, 19).

The last aspect of the Apostle’s Creed is the Holy Spirit, which is the bond uniting mankind with God. The Holy Spirit is a personal presence rather than an active force. The Apostle’s Creed refers to the church as holy and Catholic, Catholic being used to mean to be ‘universal’ and therefore the church is one, holy and human.

Islam – Values and Beliefs

According to Western ideologies, Islam (the religious faith of the Muslims) is usually considered an Arab religion. However this is untrue since most Muslims across the globe are non-Arabs for example, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population numbering above 180 million. Other non-Arab countries with a large Muslim population include China whose number goes beyond 18 million, Malaysia numbering above 12 million, India numbering above 120 million, and Kazakhstan numbering above 7 million. The worldwide population of Muslims is above 1.2 billion people facilitating Islamic religion to qualify as the second-largest monotheistic religion in membership from Christianity. (Combs-Schilling, 61).

Muhammad, an Arab political and religious proponent was the founder of this religion. Religion is characterized by being submissive to God as the word, Islam implies, which means ‘submission’ or the total surrender of individuals self to God who in the Arabic language is Allah. It is the second-largest monotheistic religion after Christianity. Its adherents are named Muslims.

The Quran, which was revealed by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad, and the words and deeds of the prophet, otherwise known as Sunnah are the two basic fundamentals of this religion. The Muslims hold that Muhammad came to restore the original monotheistic faith of earlier prophets in the line of Abraham through Moses and other prophets to Jesus. The Islamic faith is based on some five pillars, which are the duties that unite Muslims into one community. (Combs-Schilling, 95).

A Muslim is subjected to submission and acceptance of God through worship and following commands and avoiding polytheism. Islam is in some other instances connected to din a translation of religion.

Beliefs and Practices

Muslims must believe in God (Allah) the revelations of Allah, the prophets, angels, and messengers, and in the day of Kiama (judgment). There are two sects in Islam, the Shia, and the Sunni, with differing beliefs such as the concept of predestination, which is Sunni concept is called divine decree while the same is referred to as divine justice in the Shia version. The Shias also have the doctrine of Imamah, which implies some sort of spiritual and political leader called Imams.

The Quran is considered to be the literal word of God and it is the central religious text. Allah revealed the text through the angel Gabriel to Mohammed. These revelations were spread over a time span between 610 AD until his death in 632 AD on several occasions. A Quran has 114 Surahs (Chapters) with a total of 6000 ayas.

Comparison of Christianity & Islam

Almost all of the theories of creation tend to agree that, human beings are largely religious and since ancient times, humankind has always worshipped a supernatural being in one form or another. Religion has always formed an integral part of life for human beings. This is not to say that every single human being is religious. On the contrary, there are some people who do not believe in religious authority. However, it is rare to find whole communities or societies, which do not worship a supernatural being in one way or the other.

This paper discusses the relationship between Christianity and Islam religions and particularly traces the developments of the two religions with an aim to demonstrate common characteristics in the two religions and specifically the reason as to why the two religions have become so popular.

Christianity as a religion has subdivisions in which different sects and denominations have different ways of interpreting the Bible. However the holy book for Christians, the bible has prevailed in powerfully handing down the legacy of the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ. A lot of the success the Christian religion has achieved over the centuries can be attributed to the inspired word the Christians believe the bible to be. This has seen the Christians especially in the early centuries endure persecution and the worst forms of brutality for the sake of the gospel (Brown, 200). However, all ascribe to the mighty and presence of a super being called God. Christians believe in the final judgment as well as life after death.

According to Christians, life after death is largely determined by how one leads their life on earth. For those who lead a sinful life by disobeying God, the Creator of humanity, punishment by fire in hell awaits them. The promise the Christian religion gives to its adherents has played a very important role in the rapid expansion of the religion.

For those who are faithful to the teachings of Christianity on earth, eternal life is the reward after the final judgment in which God will judge all mankind according to their actions while alive. Therefore, the Christian religion’s core teachings are; belief in a supernatural and the final judgment day which will lead to either eternity or to eternal punishment in hell.

According to Combs-Schilling, (1989), Islam as a religion has been in existence since the 7^th century and the formation of the religion can be attributed to Prophet Muhammad who was a messenger of Allah. The prophet sought to spread the word of Allah to the world by coming up with the Islam’s holy book, Qur’an that was dictated to the prophet by Mohammad. Islam is similar to Christianity in many ways including the fact that it is a monotheistic religion that owes its origin in Muhammad and it commands a wide following of over 1.3 billion people making it the second biggest to Christianity in terms of popularity and size of adherents (Combs-Schilling, 98).

The monotheistic nature of Islam has made the religion to expand very rapidly as adherents are usually focused unlike polytheistic religions whose adherents are never quite focused and therefore their commitment is usually diverted to the many objects of worship. Islam is also similar to Christianity in that all the religions have dogma in terms of scriptural teachings formally known as holy teachings. The holy teachings have kept a tight grip on the adherents making it a much-disciplined religion, which fanatically adheres to its teachings.

Just like Christianity, Islam promises its faithful life after death and this is an explanation of why it has attracted so many followers. Like Christianity, Islam has subdivisions and denominations such as Sufism, Shiites, and Sunnis, but these has not derailed the rapid spread of the religion which has been taking place since its foundation (Combs-Schilling, 19).

While the majority of the religions do not have a single basis for their beliefs but a conglomeration of beliefs of both Islam and Christianity have a monotheistic kind of faith, which unites all the adherents of the respective faiths into a common focus. For Muslims, there is the undisputable commitment of Allah and reverence of Mohammed, every Muslim is highly encouraged to recognize the two and therefore there is no room for followers to divert. For Christians, Jesus Christ is viewed as the one of God and the savior of the Christians.

Although Christianity has split into different sects such as Protestantism and Catholicism with more subgroups coming up every, Christianity is still strong as a religion something which can be attributed to its monotheistic nature. For some native religions such as the Americans, religious beliefs were determined by lifestyle and the felt needs of specific tribes in the region.

Conclusion

It is to our awareness that the world tends towards globalization making it very possible that in one part of an individuals lifetime there may occur a chance of meeting people from any corner of the planet. It is in recognition of this that the understanding of diverse religious beliefs of people is one of the several achievements, which mankind should strive towards for the purpose of enhancing a prosperous interaction and in order to someday enhance peaceful co-existence. All religions and cults have something very good and that is why people are attracted to them. However, there is an existence of an equally great problem in that many have also errors or heresies with the good thing.

Through religious clergy important leadership among the affiliate, groups have been offered in addition to spiritual guidance. The clergy acts as rallying forces to enhance community cohesiveness as well as their people. Unfortunately, all religious leaders have not exhibited this role. Whereas religion is seen to serve as a social cement, to strengthen the resolve of identity and develop economic as well as social interaction patterns, some people consider religion as being a social control mechanism that has been tailored in a manner to protect the interests of the people in power. The dominant religion of any society represents the ruling economic and political class according to this argument. It legitimates the existing social structure, blunting peoples’ frustrations, anger, and pain with the promise of an after-life reward. In this respect therefore religion is in a position to be a divisive factor resulting in breeding dissension as well as violence. The real reasons behind such upheavals are economic and political. A struggle for power and control is being disguised as a religious matter in this context. Even the participants may never notice the reality of the situation caught up as they are in the religious justification given for the conflict.

References

Brown, D. ed. 2000. Christianity in the 21st Century. New York, NY: Crossroads.

Combs-Schilling, M. 1989. Sacred Performances: Islam, Sexuality, and Sacrifice. New York: Columbia University Press.

Genesis 2. 1978. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids. Michigan. Zondervan.

Huston, Smith. 1991. World Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. Harper San Francisco; Rev Rep edition.

Mircea, Eliade. 1987. Encyclopaedia of Religion. New York: Macmillan.

Warren, Matthews. 2006. World Religions. Wadsworth Pub. Co.

This paper compares Hinduism and Christianity. Hinduism also known as sanatana Dharma (Ellwood & McGraw, 59) is a distinct religion. This religion teaches belief in one God called Brahman who exists under different names and forms. Brahman can thus be pictured in various forms depending on ones devotion. The Hindus believe that there are many ways that one can reach God. Some of the key features of Hinduism are Bhakti, Jnana, karma, reincarnation and worship of idols (Ellwood & McGraw, 60).

Bhakti refers to personal surrender and devotion expected of every believer (Ellwood & McGraw, 60). The devotees (Bhakti) find peace and satisfaction through contemplating the beauty of Gods creation in the universe and also by His incarnations. Jnana as another key feature of Hinduism refers to the way of pure knowledge (Ellwood & McGraw, 61). Hindus also believe in Karma: Karma calls for selfless action because for every action, a reaction is to be expected (Ellwood & McGraw, 59). If the action is good, reward is received while punishment goes hand in hand with every bad act. Hindus belief in reincarnation i.e. that when one dies, he or she is reborn in a form that supports his or her Karma (Ellwood & McGraw, 61). Brahman is merciful and always offers individuals an opportunity for cleansing of sins thus becoming purer. Hinduism also practices idol worship i.e. Hindus make idols to represent different gods (Ellwood & McGraw, 62). These different gods are believed to be forms of the Supreme Being on earth. Hindus believe that a person called Krishna is a true manifestation or reincarnation of god Vishnu.

Christianity is one of the most divided religions in the world. There are very many denominations under the Christianity umbrella. Despite the splits and differences, all Christians believe in one God i.e. creator of heaven and earth. They also believe in Jesus the son of God who is the savior of the world. They also believe in the holly spirit who flows from God and works as a helper to believers.

Christians believe that there is only one supreme God who created heaven and earth. According to the creation story, which Christians share with Muslims and Jews, God after creating everything else created human beings in his own image and likeness (Ellwood & McGraw, 304). The universe and all in it are sustained by God who is a creator, provider, sustainer and protector. This God is a personal God who so loves mankind that he send them an only son for their salvation. Jesus the only begotten son of God is the truth and the way (Ellwood & McGraw, 306). Jesus is believed to have pre-existed before creation. It is also believed that Jesus died on the cross but rose (resurrected) on the third day. He went back to God where he is preparing eternal resting abodes for the righteous. Christians believe that at an appointed time, Jesus will come back to judge the world. Those who are righteous will follow him into the kingdom of his father while those who have sinned will burn in hell for eternity.

Christians believe in a presence in the person of Satan. The role of Satan is to tempt the children of God. Through prayer and other devotional activities, Christians are able to defeat Satan and his ways. In the fight against Satan and his ways, Christians have the Holly spirit who is to help them on the journey to the Father in heaven.

From what has been discussed some similarities and distinctions between Christianity and Hinduism have surfaced. Christianity is similar to Hinduism because both posit a powerful God who is omnipresent. Both Hinduism and Christianity are Trinitarian religions. While Christianity talks of Jesus as having been God reincarnate, Hinduism talks of Krishna who was god Vishnu reincarnate.

Just like Christianity, Hinduism also stipulates that an individual redeems himself or herself through good character. Good character is exhibited in works of compassion, honesty, reliability, mercy, self respect and being peace makers. Both religions are tolerant and allow for a personal interpretation and experience of divine or theological matters. This is why there are many shades of the same religion. Even in a religion like the Roman Catholic, there are movements that subscribe to different kinds of spirituality.

In both religions there is emphasis on the respect for other people. The golden rule is applied in both religions. Individual believers are expected to treat people in the same way they would wish they are treated. Hindus and Christians treat people with a lot of respect because of the family aspect that both religions believe in. In the Christian realm, they consider everyone on earth as a child of God thus we are brothers and sisters living together in harmony. The Hindus believe that the whole human race is just a family.

There are also other similarities between Krishna and Jesus Christ in that both of them were born out of virgin conception, both were called savior and were also the second person in the trinity of either religion. Krishna and Jesus adoptive (earthly) fathers were carpenters, their ancestors were royalty, and they were visited by wise men that were guided by a star. There was a declaration by the governors of their countries that boys born at that time were to be killed, both made a declaration that they were the resurrection, their life was sinless, they had mercy and were meek, they associated with sinners thus were criticized by the public. They healed all diseases, both had disciples/followers to spread the word, they had powers to cast out demons, both were seen as human (who had supernatural powers), Krishna and Jesus descended into hell and they resurrected, and were seen ascending to heaven. Both religions also believe that the world will be eventually destroyed.

There are also some distinct differences that exist between Christianity and Hinduism. The Hinduism religion is dynamic, it keeps on changing with time, and it is not found or based on a prophet or person. Christianity is static in that it is based on the life, the works and the word (gospel) of Jesus Christ as described by His witnesses.

The Hindu temples do not have a particular hierarchy i.e. people go to the temple to worship together thus the temple is just a place to bring a sense of oneness and belongingness (Knott, 79). Each temple is also independent of the other, but in most Christian churches, they are centralized for example for the Catholics their head quarters is at Vatican (Ellwood & McGraw, 341).

Another difference is that Hindus do not believe in the day of atonement/judgment. They believe that man is a victim of his own karma and the action and reaction laws judge him continuously. Christians believe that there is the final day where every one will be judged according to his actions on earth.

The Hindus worship idols that represent many gods and goddesses (Smith, 49). Idol worship in Christianity is forbidden. Hindus also believe in the incarnation of God (i.e. Krishna is the incarnation of Brahman); Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

Another distinction is that Hindus believe in karma. Karma dictates that your actions will either make you be rewarded or punished by God. Christians believe in redemption through repentance in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that there is heaven and also hell exists, Hindus do not. In Hinduism, Brahman is manifested through all living things. Actually all people are considered to be a form through which Brahman kind of exists (Knott, 156). As such, people do not see themselves as being worthy any form of pride especially those in the lower castes. Christians believe that God made mankind, and gave us free will. People are free beings who share in the work of creation as co-creators.

In Hinduism, sin is said to be against oneself. When one sins he or she disturbs or defiles his or her own Karma; Sin is not against God (Knott, 177). Christians believe that they were given rules and free will by God because He cares about them. Thus they have the freedom to either obey or disobey as they live on earth and wait for the final day of judgment/atonement. The Hindus believe that salvation is the release from the wheel of life, reincarnations, through which we must work to better ourselves, in order to realize our oneness with Brahman (Ellwood & McGraw, 95). Therefore, for each life one reincarnates into, he has to better himself character wise. In Christianity, salvation is largely attributed to God’s love and mercy. By grace God redeems His people (Smith, 45). His love is unconditional and the only thing that a Christian can do is accept it.

Learning of the above religions aspects, their similarities and differences, and also their way of worship has enlightened me. I now appreciate Christianity in relation to Hinduism some more. It is great to know the diversity and bases for beliefs held by people of different faiths. This is informative towards personal spiritual or religious formation.

Works Cited

Ellwood, Robert S. & Barbara, McGraw A., Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Women and Men in the World Religions. 9th Ed. USA: Prentice Hall, 2008.

Knott Kim. Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. London: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Smith Huston. The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: Harper, 1991.

Introduction

Religion has over the years become a contradictory issue regarding the definitions and practices of the various religions of the world. However based on the overall, Religion refers to a strong conviction in a supernatural power that control human destiny. It is a belief regarding the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the practices and institutions associated with such belief.

In the present world, religion has become such a contention as to the point of leading people to war. This may be attributed to the passion that different people have towards their beliefs. To help us understand religion and have a clearer picture of why people do what they do, the paper will discuss the various religions of the world, analyzing their practices and their general ideas and perspectives. Most of the world religions, Buddhism, Chinese religions Japanese religions, Judaism and Christianity have evolved over the years and to some extent divided so as to have different factions. Christianity is notable for having many denominations which are almost close to 1000. Nonetheless all these Christian denominations from the Roman Catholic to the protestant churches all believe in the existence of one God. Their main difference is based on their different interpretation of their holy book which is the Bible.

Buddhism too has divided into three rafts; Theravada or Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana which has been caused by regional differences. The major Chinese religions include Taoism and Confucianism which have notable differences in their ideas and beliefs. In Japan the main religions include the teachings of Shinto and Mahayana Buddhism (Bleeker et al 516). To conclude that Islam is not divided too would be ridiculous, the Shiites, Sunnis and Sufi’s are all divergent Muslim structures (Caner et al 208). Whereas some religions share a lot in common, others are quite the opposite of others. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have a lot in common especially in regard to their idea in the existence of one God. Though they might have a different name in referring to their God but they all believe in his existence and his creation of the universe. Judaism, Christianity and Islam fall in the category of monoisthetic religions since they believe in the existence of one God. As a matter of fact Christianity is seen as having its roots from Judaism.

In the religions of China especially the Confucians also believed in the existence of God. Confucianism was based on the teachings of Confucius who regarded himself as a prophet of God (Giles 21). These beliefs were mainly manifested by him especially when he was in some sort of trouble when he would regard God as the almighty and the only one capable of delivering him from the present trouble (Giles 21). As a result, these teachings were passed on to his disciples who then passed them to their followers.

However religions of Buddhism as well as religions of Japan do not believe in the existence of one God. Their main beliefs and practices are based on different tenets mutually exclusive to them. Buddhism is famous on it’s quest to answer why people suffer, based on the teachings of the founder Buddha, Gautama who in his awakening dream foresaw that human beings must suffer during their stay on earth(Brodd 70). Henceforth Buddhism was based on the tenets of trying to establish the cause of this suffering as well as provide the remedies to ease this pain. While Christianity also acknowledges the suffering of human beings, it denotes that this must happen so as to fulfill the calling to Christianity just like Jesus Christ suffered while on earth. Buddhism on the other hand signifies that human suffering is inherent of their ego and desires without which there wouldn’t be any suffering (Burke 67).

The religions in Japan believed in the existence of three layers that made up the universe. The upper layer was referred to as the high plain or heaven which was occupied by beings which were the primary objects of worship of the Japanese. They did not believe in the existence of one God but in the existence of beings which were more of spirits.

Most of these religions believe that human beings are temporary on earth. Buddhism is based on the understanding that human beings are temporary beings and that true spirituality is attained only by this acceptance (Burke 63). Christianity too believes in the power of death. Christians believe that when a person’s work is complete on earth, then it is their time to meet their maker.

In Shintonism, they believe in death just like in Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. However Shintonism was of the idea that when a person died they descended to the lower part of the universe, this was a grubby place which was referred to as ‘yomi’ (Bleaker et al 518). This can be compared to the Christianity belief of the existence of hell whereby the wicked and sinners go to after death.

Shontanism of Japan believed in the existence of spirits which would once in a while descend to the middle part of the universe to bless the people with enough rain and a bumper harvest,. On the other hand Christianity, Judaism and Islam were of the belief that all this were granted by God and denied to human beings if they sinned against God.

Christianity is widely known for the Ten Commandments which provide direction to the daily life of all Christians. Buddhism too had ten principles which Buddha gave to his disciples. More of them are quite similar with the Ten Commandments in terms of what they advocate. Some of the common commandments included not stealing, not committing adultery, not committing murder and avoidance of lies (Burke 70). The above four commandments also apply in Christianity and Judaism. Muslims too are normally guided by the Sharia Law which stipulates what a Muslim should and should not do. However unlike the other religions Muslim’s Sharia law provides for punishment on earth by the Muslim leaders. In Judaism the laws guiding the everyday activities of the Jewish people are included in the Torah, which is the book consisting all the written and oral law. However religions like Christianity are of the idea that once a person breaks the commandments, they are liable for punishment by God and not their fellow human beings.

The need to respect others especially our parents is one of the most important human needs that have been addressed by the various world religions. In the Holy Bible which is the Christian holy book, wives are urged to be submissive to their wives. This are the same teachings provided in the Muslim holy book of Quran. Children too are urged to be respectful to their elders, Buddhism also treasure the idea of respect for all (Brodd 86).

It is worth noting the similarities between Christianity in terms of salvation. While Christianity advocates for salvation through Jesus Christ, Buddhists believes that one can only be saved through having faith and full trust in Buddha (Burke 81). In addition Christianity holds that all will be saved including the wicked only if they repent. Buddhists too believe that all people including the wicked have a chance to be saved.

Finally Christianity, Buddhism and Islam can be referred to as universal religions based on their ideals to embrace all human beings. This is however in contrast to other religions such as Judaism and the religions of China and Japan which are concentrated within a particular people and are thus referred to as communal or ethnic religions (Burke 6).

Personal opinion on religion

As stated earlier religion is a very emotional and contentious issue especially in the 21^st century. However unlike earlier years when human beings were extremely loyal to the teachings of their religion, modernization has come with a loosening of this loyalty.

Most ancient religions were based on the teachings of a particular person and then human beings paid a lot of attention to those teachings. However times have changed to the extent of people questioning the teachings of their priests in church.

Perhaps the only religion that still holds a good number of loyal followers is Islam. It has been said in the past of the world being of high Christianity concentration. Nonetheless the rate of immorality and other antisocial behaviors have led the world to question the doctrines taught by Christianity.

Nevertheless all religions are used as a tool to unite different people with the various beliefs that they hold. All the religions serve more or less the same purpose which is to provide some sort of fulfillment to the people as well as provide answers to their numerous questions on why things happen the way they do.

Most of these religions namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam all share the same ideologies of the existence of one God. Even those that did not advocate for the existence of one God offered an explanation as to why things are the way they are even if it was in the existence of supernatural beings such as spirits.

While Buddhism might be dismissed as a pessimistic religion in that it only concentrated on the suffering of human beings it was however very realistic in offering an explanation to the human suffering. Though some instances are accidental, most of the human sorrow is inherent. Even if it is not caused by themselves someone else who might be a stranger or a person close to them causes them to suffer. Though not preventable pain can be ignored if we set our minds to do so. This has contributed to the modern medicine whereby painkillers are given to sick people to reduce their pain. In real sense the painkillers are used to shut the mind from thinking that one is in pain.

Further religion has of late been used as a political weapon by human beings. This is especially so between Islam and Christianity. The world over right now is the war against terror. However this war has been taken as a religious war with all Christian states treating Muslims as terrorists. All the same Christians have also been known to fight against the other Christians. For example in Northern Ireland there has existed a prolonged hatred between Catholics and Protestants to the point of dividing their roads depending on these two factions.

With the notion of modernization and civilization most of the religious teachings have lost their meaning. Proclaimed followers of certain religions are known to violate the very teachings of their religion. This has been a perennial problem especially with Christians. The looming debate over catholic priests’ celibacy is just but one example. While pretending to be holy in the seminaries, it has been alleged that these same priests are having children out of wedlock. Apart from sinning against the catholic principles, these priests are breaking the very commandments that they are supposed to teach to their flock.

Homosexuality in the church has also been another contentious issue in the religious domain. To add salt into injury these cases are taking place in the Christian domain. One stops to wonder where Christianity has gone wrong. Apparently with the disappearance of the most ancient religious teachings Christianity has taken the world by storm dominating all the other modern religions. However, unlike Islam, Christianity is not so stringent with its teachings. In the Muslim countries a person caught committing adultery is liable to punishment through death. It is because of this reason that Muslim world people are much disciplined for fear of being reprimanded.

Western religions and their roots in the primal and antique religions

The three western religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam can be considered to have had some roots in the primal religion and religion of antiquity. This can be deduced as so putting into consideration some of the beliefs and practices which have been carried forward to the western religions, though with some modifications.

Primal religion refers to the practices of the ancient people before the introduction of the western civilization. To conclude that the ancient people did not know any religion like it is denoted by some scholars would be misleading. Though not very comprehensive the ancient world too had some beings and objects in which they placed their full trust.

While the primal religions did not have a concrete being in which they believed to be their god, they nonetheless had god’s whom they believed controlled the happenings of the world. This is the same belief that Christianity, Judaism and Islam have. For example the primal religions and religions of antiquity believed that a bumper harvest was a result of the doing of one of their gods who was associated with this phenomenon. The western religions too hold theses beliefs. A long dry spell calls for prayers in the Christian world to request God to provide rain.

In addition the primal religions and religions of antique are famous for offering sacrifices to their god’s. This practice has been carried on to the western religions especially Christianity. Though Christianity does not offer burnt offerings and other sacrifices they none the less offer tithe which is considered a sacrifice and an offering to God to thank him for what he has provided so far. Judaism on the other hand still offers sacrifices like ancient times.

In addition the western religions believe in initiation as a rite of passage which is a teaching carried in their various books of teachings. The aborigines of Australia, which is one of the popular primal religions, also initiated their young boys as a rite of passage. While the aborigines removed the lower teeth of their young men, Christians, Muslims and Judaists circumcise their young men to signify this rite of passage.

Further the primal religions and the religions of antiquity had a set of taboos that described their day to day activities. This can be presumed to have been the foundations for the commandments, Torah and the Sharia law which clearly stipulates the relationship of all human beings towards each other and towards their surroundings as well.

Though with some notable differences, the western religions can be seen to be based partially on the teachings of the primal and religions of antiquity. Some of the contrasting ideologies include the fact that the western religions can be considered to be universal religions while the primal and antique religions were concentrated within particular regions. As matter of fact primal religions are referred to as tribal religions in that they varied from community to community.

In addition while the western religions follow written scriptures and teachings the primal religion did not have this. This may be attributed to the fact that the followers of the primal religion were illiterate and primitive.

Conclusion

Religious practices are as old as human beings. However some religious scholars denote that there existed no religion before the coming of the three western religions; Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Though some of the traditional religions did not follow any written teachings they were however very committed in following the oral teachings which were in the form of traditions.

Most of the practices of the western religion is based on these primal and antique religions only that it is done with some modernization or what can be referred to as civilization. While these traditional religions offered their sacrifices in terms of burnt sacrifices the western religions do these in terms of money.

Before the introduction of the western religions the world lived in harmony as each community observed its own doctrines and other communities had learnt to respect that. This is however so different with the current world in which religious followers are always highlighting the deficiency of the other religion thus assuming the position of the superior religion. Conversely people should learn to respect the other person’s religion and it is only this way that the world will be returned to the normalcy of peace.

Works cited

Bleeker, Claas and Widengren, Geo. Historia Religionum: Religions of the present. California: BRILL publishers, 1971. Web.

Brodd, Jefrey. World Religions: a voyage of discovery. Winona: St Mary’s press, 2003. Web.

Burke, Thomas. The Major Religions: an introduction with texts. New York: Wiley Blackwell Publishers, 2004. Web.

Caner, Mehmet, Ergun and Caner, Fethi, Emir. Unveiling Islam: an insider’s look at Muslim life and beliefs. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 2010. Web.

Giles, Herbet. Religions of Ancient China. Massachusetts:Forgotten books, 2008. Web.

The problem of evil is an argument by the atheist believers; based on the claim that the presence of evil that brings about suffering and pain can not exist hand in hand with the God explained in the bible. This is the case because; he is portrayed as a God who is powerful and capable of controlling everything that begets the human race, which he is portrayed to care for and love in the theist beliefs. The problem of evil is uttered like a dilemma by the Atheists, based on the following arguments that seek to establish and prove that God and evil cannot co-exist. The common argument, in this case, is that their motives and interests towards the human race are against each other. The atheists base their ‘problem of evil’ argument on that; If God is a faultlessly loving God, then he would opt to eliminate everything evil; and that if he is fully and non-compromisingly powerful; then he would possess the power and will to eliminate evil.

Based on the fact that God claimed in the Bible seems not to wish that evil ceases to be, and has not managed to abolish evil, leads to the truth that evil exists and based on the fact that evil befalls the human race is proof that a loving and perfectly powerful God does not exist. The Atheists also base their ideas on that; since God proclaimed is the proponent of everything, then he is still the designer of evil. This leads to the conclusive claim that; God is the same entity who fashioned evil, meaning that he is not the God that he is portrayed to be if at all he does exist. The third formulation as to why there is no God in the presence of evil is; that God made everything perfect, which leads to the conclusion that imperfection is not supposed to form a part of his creation and establishment. This is the case because it is beyond doubt that imperfection cannot come from perfection. This raises the claim that perfectly and ideally fashioned beings; cannot form the source of the imperfection contained in evil leading to the only conclusion that the proponent of evil is God; who designed the imperfect beings and imperfection that leads to the development of evil.

The three formulations regarding the origin and existence of evil, then drive to the attack on the existence of God that is based on the persistence of evil that raises the following claims: That if God is perfectly and ideally good, he would have opted to abolish evil once and for all; that if he is perfectly powerful, then he would possess the ability and willpower to destroy evil; and that since evil has not been destroyed, it is clear that such a God does not exist.

This work is in support of the Atheist contention that; the God claimed in the Bible who is all good and perfectly powerful does not exist, as he has not abolished the evil that befalls the humans. This view is based on the fact that; the God portrayed in the theist beliefs is all-loving, perfectly caring, all-powerful, the proponent of perfection, lover of good, and one who would not allow evil to threaten the welfare of the creatures he is affiliated to.

To prove that God would not exist in a world where evil exists; a distinction between moral and natural evils is to be established. Moral evils are those that are caused by free human acts and therefore are the sole responsibility of human beings to do or not to. Natural evils, on the other hand, are those that result from or take place as part of nature. Examples of natural evils include death and the carnivorousness of animals towards other animals and human beings. Taking into consideration that these natural evils and their consequences are beyond the conceptualization and control of the human race; the atheist contention that a loving all-powerful God does not exist is proved right as if he did; he would not allow that the lives of his creatures that he is shown to love be threatened by these evils that can not be explained in human terms.

The free will defense can largely be looked at as an attempt to show that some specific aspects of good; can not be brought into being by the perfectly powerful and ideally good God, without permitting for some degree and allowance for evil to take place. This contention is based on the fact that creatures that are free to a significant extent can not be dictated towards doing only what is considered right. It also argues that the creatures who were brought into existence; have some extent of freedom and therefore the freedom to choose between doing good or evil. The defense argues that the creatures endowed with freedom are capable of committing moral evils, and thus this explains the reason why there is the question of moral evils. It also argues that the provision for free grounds to commit evil or do moral good; is better than a world in which creatures were not allowed the chance to choose. This is because; the moral choices made by different people define the relations and development of networks like the family among other types of relationships, which are significant towards realizing the welfare of individuals. An example of this is the choice made by one friend to help another when in a problem; while another friend of the same person does not help. The reality here is that the choice to help or not to, in this case, is the moral factor that helps define the relationship and future encounters between these different individuals.

However the defense raised the argument that; the evils that befall humans are not caused by the humans themselves or God, but by some other forces that may be evil or fallen angels that are unexplainable to human understanding. According to Mackie; despite the direct involvement in some wrong acts due to the choices we take; the understanding of different phenomena and choices is greatly dictated by the homogeneity of choices and relations with other individuals. This is because the human race has no entanglement with the activities of angels fallen or not. The dialectic thinking here is; whether human choices are determined by the interaction and entanglement of individuals or by some other unexplainable forces and factors.

The soul-making defense is the spiritual justification of the existence of evil proposed by Michael Murray. In this defense the proponent attributes evil to that, God in crafting the Earth and everything in it; he did not make a self-gratifying environment but rather a soul-making place as its major function. The defense further argues that God also gave the creatures he created the opportunity to use their rational free choice, to develop given important moral characters, to acknowledge and love him. In giving an environment that promotes the development of this, he gave humans the freedom to make mistakes that often amount to the evil that causes suffering. Additionally, this freedom also accounts for the existence of evil in the world especially the moral one, as the development of spiritual and moral behavior the need for struggles and obstructions to be overcome is created. The defense further asserts that a world without these obstacles and struggles that include natural disasters, suffering, and diseases would not promote the soul-making process. The major conclusion under this defense is that since the process of soul-making is valueless, then the phenomena of evil both natural and moral is justifiable as it provides for a meant to achieve it.

In this discussion; evil is understood to be or to directly lead to suffering which is the basis for the argument that God does not exist, as he is unwilling to end or prevent the abundant evil that leads to suffering in the world. However evil is important in that it allows for the development of sentient creatures, who are capable of making moral choices and that it also avoids individuals from hurting themselves. This is because; suffering that forms a part of evil is important in that if physical pain would not be experienced then individuals would subject themselves to hurting phenomena like fire to the point of death if they were not to experience pain. This is conclusive to show that despite the pain being the major result of evil; it is also important as it helps establish boundaries between what is to be done, what is good or bad, and in guiding the choices that individuals make. Evil as a source of suffering also plays the important role of ensuring that individuals develop perseverance, which is an important aspect in determining the completeness and maturity of individuals. An example in this part is the cruel training that individuals wishing to join the armed forces are subjected to; as a means to ensure that they can stand to defend their nations from the conditions to which they are trained and nurtured, like war and unrest.

The word evil is derived from “Yfel” contained in the old English and is used in describing the events and actions that bring about suffering. The basic idea here is that the evil deeds of individuals lead to the suffering of others who fall victim. The reasons that these people commit evil include the lack of empathy for others and the ignorant assumption that; the result is what justifies the means used to achieve it and not the means or victims affected. The evil that is evident in the world includes; natural disasters like earthquakes; illnesses some incurable like cancer and AIDS; terrorism like the attack on the world trade center; wars like the world wars one and two, that all resulted to; or are resulting to the suffering of innocent people including children, women, and men. In all the cases, the suffering experienced includes physical pain, psychological suffering of the affected or infected; a death that leads to the loss of a loved one, and the ultimate despair and hopelessness that results from all this suffering.

However, evil as the cause of suffering should not be viewed as a punishment or test by any authority or force; viewed as aspects that will be awarded or punished against in the future; or as having divine explanations underlying the pain that individuals undergo. However, the view and consideration that individuals have some degree of control and choice over their destiny and lives lie with them; as they have the responsibility to change some of the evils that bring about suffering and which are within their control. This is because some of the evils bringing about suffering are made worse by the greedy choices human beings make. Some of the evils that can be controlled by human behavioral choices include; poverty, war, and famine. This is the case because individuals can join to fight the suffering that is caused by poverty by creating jobs and planning for empowerment plans. They can also stop the war by creating and nurturing global peace that will stop the suffering from war; and carrying out practices that discourage the increase of famine while cutting down on activities that result in the same like the production of greenhouse gases.

However contrary to ordinary views; evil can be seen as good even though it often brings suffering. This is the case because for an individual to be free, then he has to have the opportunity to choose between good and evil. This is the case because; a free person should be exposed to the opportunity to choose between all possibilities both good and evil which bring pleasure or pain. An example here is that; even the freedom of nations that had been colonized had to be sought through armed struggle that led to the loss of lives, suffering from pain, loss of loved ones, and long-term effects like the effects of bomb attacks that show effects on individuals born in areas like Hiroshima. From this example, it is evident if any person were to dictate whether all this suffering that resulted from these struggles, then he would not opt that it happens unless he was controlled by ill motives. Conclusively evil can be explained as perfect egoism; as it forms the bigger part of the stories we want to hear including those of serial killers; that dominate the fictional world of movies and stories. It is also worth taking thought as to whether evil individuals ever decide on being evil, and whether that is what gives a place for the imagination of being a scary figure or a monster among individuals. Additionally, the phenomenon of evil is subjective as each society and age sees something evil about the other; raising the question as to whether evil does exist.

Work cited

Adams, Robert. & Adams, Marilyn. (Eds). “The Problem of Evil”. Oxford University Press. (1991) 160-174.

Peterson, Michael. “The Problem of Evil”. University of Notre Dame Press. (1992). 194-212

Swinburne, Richard. “Providence and the Problem of Evil”. Oxford University Press, USA. (1998): 234-245

Introduction

The argument on existence of God takes place when people try to find out the existence of evil. Most people believe that there is a good almighty God who protects them form all evil. One question that arises in this scenario is why people continue to suffer yet God does not allow any evil. The argument is said to involve anger or emotions as opposed to reasoning because that is the moment they are faced with the challenge.

Different views over definition of evil

What is the meaning of evil? It is disputed that willful sinning such as murdering, committing adultery, stealing, abortion or fornication is immorality. This kind of sinning is thus considered as moral evil. Evil that is connected to physical conditions such as famine, illnesses, disasters or death is natural. According to religion, God would not allow evil because it was not supposed to exist. Religious people understand evil as lack of something that can be present. Going by this understanding, one would argue that a lie lacks a trait that was created by God known as truthfulness. This would indicate that evil is therefore imperfection of what God created. For instance according to the first book in the Bible (Genesis 1:26), God did not create sinners but people who will be sinners because of their personal differences in knowledge and the power of controlling their brains which was accorded to them. God’s created and gave people the power of freedom to choose between good or bad. Therefore God never created morally evil people.

What is the problem of evil?

There is a metaphysical definition of the term God as a supreme being whose fundamental nature would probably be identical to existence of nature. The other definition is existence of God as a supernatural being on the extreme end among other beings. This is an ultimate reality where there is no probable concept of supremacy that can truly apply. Another interpretation of God would be a close interpretation in line with religion. Believers acknowledge that in the end there is ultimate eternal life. With these definitions at hand, the problem of evil then arises. First is question over the objects which can be accepted as pure or evil. This brings in the dilemma over which rationale of thinking might be approved as an entity to believe on existence of eternal, pure and peaceful life in the end.

Naturally although still argumentative God is a powerful, moral and a knowledgeable being who can eliminate and prevent evil. The problem that evil creates is why such a supernatural being with the ability to deliver from the evil and knowledge of its existence does not eliminate it among humans. Why do humans exist among this very undesirable state of affairs where there exist a very powerful, knowledgeable and wonderful supernatural being, who does not deliver them from the evil?

This can be a puzzle to many but to some people it would be disputed as a situation of non-existing God. Focusing on prior state where God exists as powerful, knowing and good, we can say He is omnipotent, omniscient and morally perfect. This interprets that he has knowledge about existence of evil or has power and desire to eliminate it. Considering the other state of affairs, the observation would be that, if God exists without power to eliminate evil, then He does not know it exists and therefore in reality, He does not exist. Considering both scenarios would cause contradiction. Believing in existence of a Supernatural God quickly gives rise to the occurrence of the problem of evil. This application quickly gives rise to arguments especially against existence of God.

The main problem evil brings is the argument on the existence of one who can eliminate it as opposed to one against evil. Also if one was to consider God in metaphysical terms as opposed to the character terms, then the state of power, knowledge and goodness would still arise and once again evil would bring about some possible arguments. Failure to connect these characteristics to metaphysical properties would definitely render the problems of evil as irrelevant but again no one would want to believe in such state of affairs. Every believer want to associate with a strong object of spiritual thoughts on which the fundamental believes and hopes would be fruitful in the end.

What is the difference between “Moral evil” and “Natural evil”?

There exist no quantifiable difference between the two types of evil but one major distinctive thought based on human knowledge and definition would be that natural evil is physical while moral evil is internally infested into the agent. Natural evils are evident, such as earthquakes or hurricanes because some tend to have quantifiable evidence. There might be scientific proof on existence of such evils such as the trembles on the earth’s surface. These evils seem to be forces beyond human control. While on the other hand the morality seem to violate some form of believe or law for instance murdering goes against quite a number of codes including the believers code of conduct and a state’s code or law.

The difference would easily confuse especially when people start to classify the types of evils that may exist with regards to differences among them. They are the religious differences, state’s laws differences and the ethically different view points among others. An example would be to consider homosexuality as an evil, some people might have been raised in family settings where the vice seem to be part of normal setting while others have a strong religious believes against it. To one person it is normal and natural and to the other it is an immoral act. If believers know that fire or heat was part of God’s creation, then would they blame Him when a fire disaster strikes and kills people or would the blame fall on those who failed to abide to the rules and regulations of ensuring safety, especially when the basis of the risk was fire hazardous situation?

Hick’s solution to both “Moral evil” and “Natural evil”

On his view on traditional religious believes Hick supported pluralism arguing that everyone can follow their personal belief to have an insight of truth over what to consider as real or not. There is no religion that is exclusively absolute. They are all based on different cultures. According to Hick “Faith is cognitive and interpretation of experience rather than reap of volition”. The presence of the occurrences that seem to be beyond human control and possibly ahead of earthly life existence can justify God Nature and existence of moral and natural evil.

The existence of omnipotent God implies that, He is in position to prevent evil; the objection to this would be that God has limited power and this would automatically contradict the Christian faith. According to Hick (1989), evil is a necessary possibility that supports human existence. It supports their decision making procedures and therefore reality of a wholly good person is impossible. Christians would say that God is perfectly good and He must want to prevent evil. To them evil is an illusion that contradicts well being.

As explained by Hick (1989), denial of evil would contradict the Biblical faith and raise queries concerning its origin. The Christian Science rejects the premise on existence of evil which therefore contradicts the biblical faith. Hick believes that human beings are responsible of some aspects of evil and therefore God is not omnipotent. He might have given humans some power to overcome evil and therefore some of the power is universal and not God’s. If one has power to do something wrong, then the blame would not be directed to God but to the person.

Hick opposes the view of evil being contradictory to good for instance if one considered temperature or sunlight, the contradiction to them is probably ‘cold’, which logically cannot be considered as evil. He interprets moral evil as an outcome that is related to a persons’ freewill to a decision or one’s reaction to a given situation such as poverty, oppression or injustice. On the other hand, natural evil is nature dependent and it involves very little human control for instance earthquakes, hurricanes, floods or droughts. When the two are co-related such as a situation where injustice leads to sickness, it would be very difficult to differentiate them.

In line with Hick’s solution on Moral as natural evil, his concern was that the occurrence of natural evil is necessary as a way of supporting the ethics of choice or catalyzing decision making process. It can also be a procedure for formation of a soul. Moral evil is as a result of obscurity of freewill. Therefore the world is a place where souls are molded. (Hick, 1989)

Unique problem of evil in Arthur C. Clarke’s short-story, “The Star”

Hick’s solution to existence of evil is evident in Arthur C. Clarke” short story “The star”. Catastrophes appear to occur beyond human control but people have the ability to reconstruct, research and record the events that lead to the occurrences and also learn their causes where possible. Humans must have the ability to control some natural occurrences and to research or record natural evil that may exist. (Hick, 1989)

Civilization naturally comes with some unique tragedies but man has some power over evil and that may be the reason why it is very hard for races to completely perish. The mercy of God provides some power to human beings who must utilize it for achievements. As Hick indicated on natural evil, Catastrophes make man react differently but this reaction is driven by emotions and anger as opposed to logic. The existence and power of God should not be questioned for justification. Truly the analysis of natural evil questions believes because it is beyond human act.

Reference:

Hick, J., (1989), Philosophy of Religion 4th Ed. Upper Saddle Hill, N.J.: Prentice Hall

Lockman Foundation (1973). New Standard Bible Anaheim, CA: Foundation Press.