Judaism
Judaism is considered to be the world’s most ancient monotheistic religion, which constitutes millions of worshippers worldwide. The core values of Judaism are outlined in the numerous sacred writings that bear a sense similar to the one of Christianity, being represented from a different perspective. Just like other western religions, Judaism is rather focused on the desire to act according to God’s divinations, trying to be praised for the good deeds and punished for the mischievous ones.
However, when speaking on the religion’s perception over the years, there are some aspects of the faith that are to be somehow reconsidered in the context of its environment. For example, for centuries, Judaism was considered to be a monolithic religion that has few variables over time, making the worshippers adhere to the postulates created thousands of years ago. However, the following religion is, in fact, one of the faiths that seem to respond quickly to the environment, changing the priorities and writings perception according to the sociohistorical setting (Gribetz & Kaye, 2019). Thus, the notion of temporality plays a major role in terms of faith interpretation and dissemination among fellow worshippers. Moreover, the modern interpretation of Judaism is highly affected by access to media and the Internet, making it easier to become a part of the religious community (Lieber, 2020). Finally, Judaism, due to its relatively low number of subtypes, is one of the most beneficial religions in terms of community bonding and feeling of belonging.
Christianity
Christianity is regarded to be one of the most widespread religions in the world, having more than two billion worshippers worldwide. In fact, the following religion embraces people regardless of their geographical location, ethnic affiliation, gender, race, and social status, bringing together a big community of like-minded citizens. The very emergence and spread of the following monotheistic religion trace back to the Early Middle Ages, as then people had a tendency of worshiping polytheistic religions, making it difficult for the state leaders to develop a sense of nation and unity within the area.
Hence, one of the major insights that come to mind when speaking of Christianity and its worldwide impact is the fact that while the genesis of Christianity in the social context was aimed at people’s religious unification, the variety of existing interpretations of the faith has now been increasing at an unprecedented rate (Tan & Tran, 2016). Thus, although coined as an umbrella religion for various branches, Christianity now seems to lose its initial representation in society, as the overall outlining of the religion’s dogmas was created in a universal manner that might be interpreted from a personal perspective while retaining the belief in God. Another implication that stems from such a pattern claims Christianity to be one of the most powerful nation- and culture-shaping tools in world history, creating the opportunity to use faith as a driving force for the state development and sense of community.
Islam
Islam is considered to be the second-largest religion in the world, uniting more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Just like other major world religions, Islam is a monotheistic faith that centers around worshiping Muslim God – Allah. The prevalence of the following religion prevails in the Arabic states, emerging approximately in the 7th century on the territory of today’s Saudi Arabia (Islam, 2020). The sacred writing upon which the religion is based – the Quran (Koran) – consists of the major doctrines that the to be followed by the worshippers, placing significant emphasis on the notion of struggle and faith defense. Unlike Christianity, where Jesus Christ was destined to struggle for the sake of his people, Muslims are obliged to undergo battles and struggle in order to defend their faith and religious dogmas.
The major insight that may be outlined in terms of the following religious perception is the fact of its dogma’s discrepancy and misinterpretation in the context of modern society. In fact, some fundamentals described in the Quran are perceived literally by Muslims, making them some of the most dangerous and somehow stereotyped religious representatives (Islam & Islam, 2017). As a result, the modern attitude to Islam has been modified in terms of its perception as a religion, claiming the faith to develop into a full-scale political movement characterized by extreme nationalism and superiority over other world residents.
Buddhism
Found more than two thousand years ago, Buddhism has become of the major world religions with almost five hundred million worshippers throughout the globe, with the major emphasis placed in the East. One of the most distinctive features of the following religion is the fact that Buddhists are not God-oriented, claiming that there is no need to worship a single God in order to discover blessing. Instead, they are focused on reaching a state of absolute inner peace and wisdom throughout the life journey (Cooper & James, 2017). Hence, the religion itself is not regarded as an organized model of faith characterized by a specific set of values and outlook, being perceived as a lifestyle instead.
Hence, when speaking of Buddhism as an Eastern religion, it is difficult to outline some specific insights concerning the faith, as the religion itself is rather focused on discovering insights that are highly personal for each individual. In fact, the modern perception of Buddhism in society is constantly developing, with people who consider themselves to be worshippers of other religions addressing the ideas of Buddhism and mindfulness in their everyday lives (Cooper & James, 2017). Thus, the following faith, unlike other major world religions, is not focused on defining the features that make Buddhism better or simply different from other religions, creating enough space of the teachings for people to integrate values from other religions in order to create a more spiritually evolved version of themselves.
Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions, tracing back to more than four thousand years ago with almost one billion worshippers worldwide. Although the vast majority of Hindus are found on the territory of India, the world residents are still aware of the basic information concerning Hinduism, making it a major world religion as well (Weightman, 2017). Similar to Buddhism, the following religion does not tend to represent itself as an organized faith, creating a pattern of a certain lifestyle driven by Hindu values.
The major significance of Hinduism in terms of the 21st century is the presence of a polytheistic model within the religion, as it is not common for world religions. Although the vast majority of Hindus tend to believe in Brahman, a Hindu deity, there are many other gods and goddesses present in the faith dogmas which are not respected by the worshippers (Weightman, 2017). Moreover, Hinduism is one of the few religions claiming the existence of soul reincarnation and continuous cycle of life and the importance of karma in one’s life, as according to Hinduism, everything that happens in life is a result of particular actions that caused the outcome. Hence, it may be concluded that the major insight of Hinduism lies in the fact that people’s thoughts and outlooks considering the soul and afterlife frequently derive from the following religion without people realizing it.
Taoism
Taoism (which is now more recognized under the name Daoism) is a religion that originated in China in approximately the 5th century BCE, claiming more than twenty million worshippers worldwide. Since approximately 80% of the Taoists are located in China, religion itself is not so widespread throughout the globe, even when only Eastern religions are considered. The very meaning of the following religion lies within one’s striving to follow the so-called “tao,” which is interpreted as a “path” (Zhang, 2020). The way, however, is not predetermined by any rigid doctrines and actions emphasizing the importance of simplicity and naturalness of one’s actions and attitude to the life flow.
The influence on Taoism can now be observed in the sphere of Chinese ethnic culture rather than within the social context of today’s China, as the philosophy promoted by the religion is highly dependent on the individual perception of the world and the democratic model of relationship. Hence, when speaking of Taoism, it may be outlined that whereas the religion encourages its followers to find the enlightenment and pursue their “tao,” the faith has now become a rather historical and cultural aspect of the Chinese civilization considering the events that take place on the country’s territory (Zhang, 2020). Moreover, the dogmas of Taoism are now finding reflection in many other Eastern religions that tend to encompass the most beneficial features for society.
References
Cooper, D. E., & James, S. P. (2017). Buddhism, virtue and environment. Routledge.
Gribetz, S. K., & Kaye, L. (2019). The Temporal Turn in Ancient Judaism and Jewish Studies. Currents in Biblical Research, 17(3), 332-395.
Islam, M. H. (2020). Tolerance limitation in facing religious diversity based on the teaching of Islam. Nazhruna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 3(1), 1-13.
Islam, M. N., & Islam, M. S. (2017). Islam and democracy: conflicts and congruence. Religions, 8(6), 104.
Lieber, A. (2020). The virtual reality of the sabbath in twenty-first-century American Judaism. Religion in the Age of Digitalization: From New Media to Spiritual Machines.
Tan, J. Y., & Tran, A. Q. (2016). World Christianity: perspectives and insights. Orbis Books.
Weightman, S. (2017). Hinduism. A New Handbook of Living Religions, 261-309.
Zhang, R. (2020). Unique ethical insights gained from integrating gradual practice with sudden enlightenment in the Platform Sutra—an interpretation from the perspective of Daoism. Religions, 11(8), 424.