Belief Comparisons of the World's Major Religions
Compiled by Meredith J. Sprunger
Table 1: Dominant Values, Explanation for Evil, Salvation,
Afterlife
Table 2: Dominant Emphasis, Scripture and Revelation, Founder
and Origin, Ultimate Reality--God
Table 1
|
Religion |
Dominant
Values
|
Explanation
for Evil
|
Salvation
|
Afterlife
|
|
Buddhism (Sixth Century, B.C.) |
Right knowledge, aspiration, speech, behavior, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, contemplation, control of one's mind, kindness | Insatiable desires are the cause of evil and suffering | Nonattachment to the world; Follow the eight-fold path; Self-effort; Salvation is through reincarnation and working with the laws of karma; Mahayana Buddhism has deities which function as saviors. | Nirvana is the highest destiny of the human spirit--a state of indescribable bliss. In Mahayana Buddhism there are afterlife states referred to as heavens and hells. |
|
Christianity (First Century, A.D.) |
Love of God and man; Ten commandments; Service, truth, beauty, goodness, justice, humility, learning. | Satan; Fall of man; Imperfection of creation; egocentricity; alienation from God. | Evangelicals: Salvation comes from faith in blood atonement of Jesus; Mainline: Faith in Jesus as mediator-Savior. | Judgment: heaven and hell; Modern: Growth and service in heaven; fading of belief in an eternal hell. |
|
Confucianism (Fifth Century, B.C.) |
Balance authority and obedience with goodness and love; Respect, courtesy and peace. | Man basically good; Lack of filial piety is the root of evil in society. | Following social propriety and offering sacrifices. In later stages some groups offered sacrifices to Confucius. | Not other-worldly; Accept vague ideas of heaven and hell; Humanistic values relative to the present life. |
|
Hinduism (Second millennium, B.C.) |
Diverse and tolerant; Hereditary caste system, truthfulness, honesty, nonirritability, self-control. | Pleasure, wealth and worldly success are illusions, the pursuit of which result in evil. | Path of renunciation; Commitment to Atman-Brahman; Growth toward perfection by reincarnation | Nirvana; Extinction of personality in Brahman or totally indescribable state |
|
Islam (Sixth Century, A.D.) |
Five Pillars: creed, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage; Predestination; Specific rules of conduct. | Satan; Not submitting to the will of Allah; Allah beyond human questioning; Accept life as is. | Submission to the will of Allah; Living by the Five Pillars | Judgment: heaven and hell; Sensual description of afterlife. |
|
Jainism (Sixth Century, B.C.) |
Nonresistance, nonattachment, trughfulness, honesty, renounciation of sexual pleasure, monastic ideals | Attachment to the evil material body | Liberating soul from matter through law of karma and reincarnation; this is possible only by individual effort. | Nirvana; Extinction of personality or totally indescribable state |
|
Judaism (Second millennium, B.C.) |
Ten commandments; justice, righteousness, truth, loving-kindness, humility, learning, kosher food. | Satan; Unfaithfulness to the will of God; choosing egocentric self, false gods, or evil. | Early: Animal sacrifice; Later: Faith and righteous living; Messianic deliverance. | Not other-worldly; Early: She'ol--land of the dead; Later: Judgment, heaven and hell. |
|
Shinto (Seventh Century, B.C.) |
Personal cleanliness; Sense of communal guilt; Bushido: honor, loyalty, courage, truth, justice | Man and nature essentially good; Suicide encouraged to avoid dishonor, defeat or to protest. | Salvation comes from being a part of the chosen Japanese people and living with honor and purity. | Shinto largely adopted Mahayana Buddhist beliefs of heaven and hell. |
|
Sikhism (16th century A.D.) |
Pure motives and actions; Love of spouse and family; service, humility, learning; forsaking evil company | The illusion that matter is real is the source of evil; Man is helpless and is dependent on divine action | Become one with God; Salvation results from worship of the true name; faith, love and devotion are essential. | Nirvana; extinguishing absorption of individuality in God. There is also mention of heaven and hell. |
|
Taoism (Sixth Century, B.C.) |
Recompense injury with kindness; quiet humility; simplicity in living; attain fullness of life. | Egocentricity is the source of evil and suffering; Man's way vs. God's way; Worldly things are worthless. | Oneness with Tao; Pomp and glory are to be despised. | Early: All goes back to Tao; Later: Heavens and hells. |
|
Zoroastrianism (Sixth Century, B.C.) |
Good thoughts, words and deeds; Being truthful, compassionate, just; Learning, service | Angra mainyu or Satan; Man born sinless--chooses between good and evil. | Choosing good over evil; Living a righteous life. | Judgment: heaven and hell; Ultimate triumph of good and eradication of evil. |
Table 2
|
Religion |
Dominant
Emphasis
|
Scripture
and Revelation
|
Founder
and Origin
|
Ultimate
Reality--God
|
|
Buddhism |
Ethical self-culture; Four Noble Truths; Eight-fold Path to Enlightenment | Tripitaka | Siddhartha Gautama |
No personal God; no soul; Buddha Deified |
|
Christianity |
Jesus as Lord; Fatherhood of God; Brotherhood of man; Kingdom of God; Church | Bible; Roman Catholics also accept church tradition as authoritative | Jesus of Nazareth; Paul: Expediter of church development. | God as Heavenly Father |
|
Confucianism |
Social propriety; The Middle Way ( li ) | The Five Classics and Four Books are used as touchstones of conduct and wisdom. | Kung-Confucius |
Early: Shang Ti Later: Confucius deified Today: Humanistic
|
|
Hinduism |
Divine immanence and spiritual growth governed by karma and reincarnation | The Vedas, Upanishads, Code of Manu, Bhagavad-Gita | Early Aryans from Persia | Impersonal Brahman |
|
Islam |
Submission to God; Teachings of Muhammed | Quran-Koran; Twenty-eight prophets of Allah (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, others.) | Muhammed | Allah |
|
Jainism |
Asceticism; Ahimsa--noninjury to any living thing | Aganas, Siddhantas | Mahavira |
Various gods; unimportant Mahavira taught that there is no personal God; Mahavira deified |
|
Judaism |
Ethical monotheism; God is active in social/historical processes | Torah-Old Testament; The Talmud (comprised of the Mishnah and Gemara) | Semitic Patriarchs; Abraham and Moses | El Elyon; Elohim; Jehovah;Yahweh |
|
Shinto |
Nature worship; Emperor worship; Patriotism; Purity | Kojiki, Nihongi | Sun Goddess Amaterasu; Grandson, Ninigi, first emperor | Kami: Izanagi and Izanami (Sun Goddess Amaterasu) |
|
Sikhism |
Syncretic unity between Hinduism and Islam | Granth | Guru Nanak | God--The True Name |
|
Taoism |
The divine way (Tao); Simplicity in living; Following nature. | Tao Te Ching | Lao-tzu | The Tao--Supreme Being; The Ultimate All-Father; Absolutes which are unknowable. |
|
Zoroastrianism |
The struggle between good and evil. | Avesta | Zarathustra Spitama-Zoroaster | Ahura Mazda; Seven sources of reality who are both masculine and feminine. |