The Eastern religions are typically described as those faiths which originated and were practiced in countries such as India, Japan, Southern Asia, and China. There are regular arguments and conflicts between the Eastern and Western religions, whereby the latter dwells on the idea that a distinct type of worshipping only requires a person to trust and obey one God (Bormann et al. 745). However, people throughout the world have diverse views regarding religion, considering that their culture influences it. The Eastern religion incorporates Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Moreover, the Eastern religion accumulates Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Therefore, the theme of worship is the main difference between these religions, in that, the Eastern religions are polytheistic, whereas the Western religions are monotheistic, worshipping, and serving only one God.
As mentioned above, there are significant variances between Eastern and Western religions. The primary difference theme that illustrates the alteration between the Eastern and Western religions is the idea that Easterners are polytheistic, whereas Westerners are monotheists. The Confucianists do not know one God, but a force called Tao. According to Vuong et al., instead of Confucianism focusing on following the doctrines, people should embrace common sense and follow the exact guides of morality (4). Religion urges that people should behave in a manner that contributes to their holiness. It postulates that people in the society should enhance righteousness and humanity. As a result, it becomes evident that there is no God in Confucianism as opposed to its Hinduism religion. The followers of this religion often work towards serving one another and making life better for those who are less fortunate in society. The followers trust that attending to the individuals’ needs is equal to communicating and serving the Almighty. Connectedly, the Eastern religions as represented by Confucianism, differ from the Western ones since they do not worship any being and believe that there is no God.
Another difference between the Eastern and Western religions is that the latter mentions that human beings were created by only one being, who equally controls everything. Kavitha alludes that the Hindu religion presents Brahma, Saraswati, Shiva, among many others who are the Creators, the learning goddess, the destroyer, respectively (76). The view develops a comprehension that the Hindus worship different gods because each God and Goddess has a specific representation among the community members. When a Hindu believer intends to receive different life favors, including a good harvest, they worship a distinct God. In that case, they are expected to consult the relevant God or Goddess. The Hindus are taught to understand the different supreme beings, hence asking for the most relevant favor. Individuals understand the diverse approaches which they can attract a quick response from the gods, who have diverse supernatural powers. The Hindus believe that Para Brahman who is different from Brahma is most powerful (Maulina and Hutapea 55). Therefore, the Eastern religions under the representation of the Hindu community are distinct from the Western religions, including Christianity, because it urges the followers to worship gods and goddesses.
The Western religions have only one God who the believers worship. Maulina and Hutapea opine that the Christians believe in one God who is the creator and provider of everything (53). In addition, both Muslims and Christians believe that their God is omnipresent and omnipotent (Maulina and Hutapea 53). Individuals believe that a supreme being sees everything that happens in life. Christians do not complain despite life bringing different challenges, which they face in the community. They understand that everything happens for a reason and that trials are there to make people strong. The Holy Bible teaches people that whatever issues and formidable challenges which individuals face, they are becoming stronger and, consequently, succeeding. Christians believe that God gave His only begotten son to die for the sins of humankind. The Christians comprehend that God communicates directly and indirectly with people in society. In contrast to Confucianism which champions the general public good and needs to embrace morality. The Christian perspective advocates for people to follow the fundamental ten commandments. Thus, the Westerners believe in the existence of only one God, who is their creator.
Islam is another Western religion that embraces the monotheist type of worship. The Islam community depends on the Quran to make different decisions related to diverse life ordeals which occur. According to Maulina and Hutapea, there is no God but Allah, meaning that it is their only master who they can worship (55. Among the Muslim community, it is only God who gives people what they want to attain their life goals, hence meeting them fully. Every Muslim is expected to attend the mosques at least once a week. The Quran does not specify when an individual can see Allah. It is the responsibility of the discrete Muslim to attend the mosque. At times, people can make comprehensive decisions to take their adulthood course. Different areas are making the Quran look diverse from those regions from the Eastern. In these cases, the individuals who are making the believers comprehend the different perspectives of the book have specific clothing. Holistically, it is worth noting that the western religion has a critical variance since it involves the worshipping of one Allah.
The Eastern religions critically believe in magic, whereas the westerners believe in God’s intervention. The Easterners comprehend that in case of an ordeal in their lives, consulting oracles is important (Maulina and Hutapea 54), Christians have immense trust that everything which happens in their lives is seasonal, hence not consulting from external powers. As mentioned above, children in Western religions often commence their training while they are young. In contrast, children cannot get an early education in Eastern religions. In other words, they need to be of the required age to receive religious education. The magic beliefs among most of the Eastern religions can be related to health. For instance, Muslims believe in stitching to relieve pain. Individuals often insert small pins into the specific parts of the body which have pain, hence relieving them. As a result, the non-religious backgrounds and social environment are immensely contributing to the incorporation of magic in religious activities. Hence, the Eastern and western religions are different because followers believe in magic when solving different happening, whereas the same magic is unheard of in the Western religions.
In conclusion, it is paramount to mention that there is a critical difference between the Western and the Eastern religions. Confucianism and Hinduism develop the idea that the two faiths are related to a greater extent, considering that they both do not believe in one God. The Eastern religion encompasses polytheism, whereas individuals are allowed to worship one typical image. The Western religions encompass the aspect of faith, considering that they only advocate for one supreme being whom they worship. The Easterners have gods and Goddesses who are important in different seasons and areas, aiding individuals to ask them about the specific problems which they might have. Over the years, there have been debates on the difference between the dissimilar religions in the world. Understandably, there have been inadequacies explaining the relationship between the Eastern and Western religions. However, despite the spiritual differences, there is a need for people to remain to embrace their worshipping styles since it significantly represents culture.
Works Cited
Bormann, Nils-Christian, et al. “Language, Religion, and Ethnic Civil War.” Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 61, no. 4, 2017, pp. 744-771. Web.
Kavitha, Kalvakuntla. “Teacher Education in Historical Perspective–Religious Tolerance in Hinduism.” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research vol. 6, no. 3, 2017, pp. 74-75. Web.
Maulina, Intan, and Bilferi Hutapea. “Urban society in Roane van Voorst’s Novel Tempat Terbaik di Dunia.” Aicll: Annual International Conference on Language and Literature. vol. 2, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-3. Web.
Vuong, Quan-Hoang, et al. “Cultural Additivity: Behavioral Insights from the Interaction of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Folktales.” Palgrave Communications vol. 4, no. 143, 2018, pp. 1-15.