History Quiz Essay

Religion plays a big role in the life of man. It gives us hope, faith and makes us believe that there is a Supreme Being out there that makes things possible for us. Religion has played a big part in our cultural, social, moral and even political history and is still continuing today. There are several religions being practiced all over the world today. Christianity ranks first having 2. 1 billion believers and followers, Islam is next having around 1. 5 billion Muslims and the third worlds largest is Hinduism. Majority of those who practice Hinduism come from India, as this is because Hinduism originated from this country. Hinduism is more of a way of life, as it has been incorporated in the Indian’s way of living and not just as a religion. The primary text of the Hindus are the collection of Vedas which contain hymns, incantations, and rituals, namely the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda (Hinduism). There are several beliefs that encompass all forms of Hinduism. First is their respect for the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmans. The Brahmans are the source of all things and is found in all things hence like a Supreme Being (Hindu beliefs). They also believe in reincarnation and karma. For them, when a person dies, its soul is transferred to another being. This being may or may not be human in form; it may be an animal or an insect, depending on your behavior from your previous life. If you were able to be good and do things the Hindu way, you will have good karma, and your soul maybe transferred to a body of a human with high place in society. If you have bad karma, your soul might become trapped inside an animal or an insect or in the body of a slave. Hindus are also expected to pass through the four stages of their life successfully. First is to pass the brahmacharga, then the grashta, the vanaprastha and finally the sanngasu. In the first stage the individual is supposed to acquire knowledge and develop character and is usually experienced during the school age. The second stage, the grastha, focuses the middle years of your life on finding pleasures such as getting married and having a family and establishing a career. The vanaprastha is the stage to increase time in focusing on spiritual things and finally the sanngasu, the last years of one’s life offered for contemplation (Hindu Rituals and Practices). Buddhism ranks fourth, after Hinduism with 324 million followers. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, the enlightened one. Gautama Buddha, after having several years of privileged living as a prince, he decided to live a solitary life of a hermit in the woods. There he dedicated his life to meditation, which is at the heart of Buddhism (What is Buddhism). Like the Hindus, the Buddhists also believe in reincarnation. The soul will be â€Å"recycled† and after some time, if the soul releases itself from worldly desires it can now achieve Nirvana, a state of freedom from liberation and suffering. Buddhism includes the three trainings or practices, the four noble truths, the five precepts and the eightfold path among its teachings. The three trainings or practices consist of the Sila, the Samadhi and the Prajna. Sila is the morality which is based on two principles, the principle of equality and reciprocity. Samadhi is the mental development which controls and strengthens the mind. And finally the Prajna, which is wisdom. Buddha’s four noble truths are as follows, the Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha and the Magga. The Dukkha tells us that there is suffering; the Samudaya says that there is a cause, the Nirodha, that there is an end to the suffering and the Magga, to end the suffering the eightfold path should be followed. Just like the Christian’s Ten Commandments, the Buddhists have 5 precepts, and these are: do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not misuse sex and do not consume alcohol or drugs. Finally, the eightfold path consists of the right understanding of the Four Noble Truths, right thinking, right speech, right conduct by following the Five Precepts, right livelihood, right Effort, right Mindfulness and right concentration, which is meditation (Buddhism based on the). Judaism ranks sixth with 14 million followers around the world. Majority of the Jews live in Israel, in the United States and in France. One of the oldest religions in the world, the Jews believe in an all-knowing divinity and that all things within that world were designed to have meaning and purpose as part of a divine order. The Jew’s sacred text is the Torah, and they are preached by a Rabbi. Their symbol is the Star of David and they do not allow the name or the spelling of their deity in full. They that the Ten Commandments are the most important teachings from the Torah: 1. I am the Lord your God 2. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence 3. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain 4. Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy 5. Honor your father and your mother 6. You shall not murder 7. You shall not commit adultery 8. You shall not steal 9. Do not give false testimony against your neighbor 10. You shall not covet your fellow’s possessions The Jews do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. For them, the Messiah will be a human being from King David’s family. The most widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon’s thirteen principles of faith. He says that God exists, is one and unique, incorporeal and is eternal. Also, that prayer is to be directed to God alone, the words of the prophets are true, and that Moses was the greatest prophet, and his prophecies are true. The Torah was given to Moses and that there will be no other Torah. In addition to those, he says that God knows the thoughts and deeds of men, God will reward the good and punish the wicked, the Messiah will come, and that the dead will be resurrected (Basic beliefs of Judaism). Indeed, we have come to realize life’s emptiness without having faith. We may not entirely believe in a religion, but it still holds true that as human beings, our lives need direction and guidance. References About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. (2007). Basic Beliefs of Judaism. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://judaism. about. com/od/abcsofjudaism/a/beliefsbasic. htm About Buddhism. (2007). What is Buddhism. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://www. aboutbuddhism. org/what-is-buddhism. htm/ Adherents. (1998). Top 10 Organized Religions in the World. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://www. adherents. com/misc/rel_by_adh_CSM. html Religion Facts. (2004-2007). Hindu Beliefs. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://www.religionfacts. com/hinduism/beliefs. htm Religion Facts. (2004-2007). HinduRituals and Practices. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://www. religionfacts. com/hinduism/practices. htm Religious Tolerance. (2005-AUG-26). Hinduism A General Introduction. Retrieved January 01, 2007, from http://www. religioustolerance. org/hinduism2. htm Religious Tolerance. (2005-AUG-26). Buddhism based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama. Retrieved January 01, 20 07, from http://www. religioustolerance. org/buddhism. htm