Religion is “the service and worship of god or the supernatural” . Religion, although very complex, is something humankind shares with one another. It is a faith in a higher form and a belief that influences how most people live from day to day. In the twenty first century there are approximately four thousand three hundred religions in the world . Religion can be much more than just a daily routine or following a set of rules on how to live life. It is more than just worship it is a way of life which is seen when branches of major religions pop up. People tend to gravitate towards religions that fit the lifestyle or ideals that they already believe in. Conversely, they also pick the religion with a god or gods that they believe favors them. It is the view of god that shapes and empowers or destroys nations and people. Each religion may contain different views, or beliefs, but all are reflections of the people who believe in them and the traditions of the areas they are practiced.
Islam is the youngest monotheistic religion. It was created in early seventh century Arabia when Muhammad ibn Abdullah [Peace be upon him] received visions pronouncing him the messenger of Allah, meaning the God in Arabic, and took on the mission of preaching the message of Islam in Mecca. Muhammad [Peace be upon him] was a teacher who spoke his teachings instead of writing and after his death, Islam became a religious culture centered around a body of sacred texts that were proscribed after Muhammad’s [Peace be upon him] death by Zayd ibn Thabit commissioned by Uthman ibn Affan. Twenty years after Muhammed’s [Peace be upon him] death the Quran was completed. Not only does the Quran provide guidance to Muslims, but it is seen as the “full and final revelation of god and coeternal to him”. Another source of guidance for Muslims is the al-Hadiths which is a vast body of stories and sayings attributed to the prophet and his companions. Unlike the Quran hadiths are not one accepted text but a bunch of different texts with some having more authority than the others with those being known as sunnah.
The next religion is Judaism which is one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Judaism began with Abraham and was genuinely born from the tragedy of the Babylonian captivity from one of the greatest and last prophets of Judaism, Second Isaiah. Judaism was built on the belief that one God, the creator of the world, has chosen them for a unique covenantal relationship. It is a religion that is based on elaborate and intricate laws. Similar to Islam, Judaism has a holy book, the Torah, that is a total guide to religious and ethical conduct. It is a religion focused on continued interaction with God through a storied, large tradition of customs.
Another religion is Hinduism which is a polytheistic religion originating from the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion however it does not have a single founder, any religious organizations, specific theological system or a system of morality. Some Hindus believe that it was brought from a primeval revelation of the Supreme, others consider it beginning-less, that governs everything. Hinduism consists of beliefs and traditions with some of the most recognizable being Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hinduism does not have a distinction between the sacred and the secular. It also doesn’t have a strict separation of religious rituals from essential daily activities. Hinduism does not have tension between religion and culture unlike Judaism and Islam.
To begin, the most obvious point of contrast between the three religions is the fact that Judaism and Islam are both monotheistic religions while Hinduism is polytheistic. Judaism and Islam believe that there is only one God, while Hinduism however is more like a “family of religions” with no one common leader. Hinduism is a religion with a collection of cults, gods, and totems all somehow centering around the two Hindu gods, Shiva and Vishnu. There are millions of Hindu gods with some being more popular than the others. This is vastly different from Islam and Judaism who believe that only one God exists in the universe shown in the book of Isaiah where God tells him “I am the Lord, there is no other, besides me there is no God” and in the Quran where it states that “There is no God but He, the Living, the Everlasting”. The fact that Hinduism has more than one god means that the Hindu’s tend to gravitate towards gods they feel a deeper connection to. Every person can relate to a form of god in every form and that is what decides whether they gravitate towards Shiva or Krishnu or Kali. While Hindu’s do believe in a Supreme being “Brahman” they do not worship the supreme being and instead focus on lower deities because they affect their lives more often than Brahman does.
Judaism and Islam, where only one God exists, believe that everything they do is affected by their God. Unlike Hinduism, they believe that their God is the creator of all things and has a deciding factor on all aspects in their life which is shown in the way Muslims say “inshallah” or “if God is willing” when talking about future events and how their every decision is based on the rules and regulations from their holy book.
With those differences in mind that does not mean that these religions do not have similarities. Judaism and Islam share very similar characteristics with the fact that Islam believes that the Torah was given to them by God describing judgment and still they turned away. Islam and Judaism share most of the same prophets such as Moses, Abraham, and Jesus. They also share one of the biggest factors in both religions a holy book. They are focused on the covenant between their people and their God and the proper way to follow their God’s laws through scripture stating their rules and beliefs. They are religions focused on continued interaction with God through a storied, large tradition of customs as well as being discussed in oral traditions such as the sunnah’s and the rabbinic oral traditions. Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism share the common belief that their followers are born into the religion from the parents while also having outsiders converted into their religion from their declaration of faiths, Islam and Judaism, and the following of their lifestyles. Another aspect all three religions share is the strict lifestyle they enforce regarding diet, reading, listening, watching, and worship. Examples of this strict regime of life is in the Book of Deuteronomy where God states ‘You shall not kill. Neither shall you commit adultery. Neither shall you steal….” And in the Quran where God states ten commandments forbidding followers from worshiping anyone other than him and dictating a Muslims relationship with their parents. Essentially Judaism and Islam also have the similarities in which the ways they interact with non-believers or infidels. The pair of them each indicating that non-believers are less important than believers as shown by Islamic societies enforcing poll taxes on infidels and the kingdom of Israel completely destroying those who used to reside in the land of Canaan. This exhibits the way God favors his followers over those who do not believe or worship him. He is a merciful and benevolent God but only to those who worship him. For non-believers are only met with scorn and chastisement. Another aspect of the religion that they all share is that for everything they do in this life is for the life after. Hinduism believe in Karma and Dharma that influences their day to day lives and has a deciding factor on their actions. While Islam has an after-life which influences their day to day life and has a deciding factor on their actions as well. They are all religions pushed by gods and regulated by rules dictating the way they spend their lives just for the relief that the after-life or the next life will bring for them. God rewards those who do good and punishes those who do bad like a teacher or a parent. While these religions might have many differences, there are still similarities to find.
Consequently, most religions have some shared qualities while still maintaining their individuality that draws people to decide one religion over the other. All religions hold a sense of uniqueness and righteousness to them with each base believing that their own religion is the correct one or the one to bring you to salvation. It is also similarities that the religions have that show how easy it is to switch from Hinduism to Islam. The benevolent God or the Jealous God or the infinite number of gods just illustrates the difference in people and their way of life. However, their differences are what really makes religion as a whole intricate and inspiring. Spanning from country to country touching people from all different types of cultures and backgrounds religion and the way gods are viewed is truly the catalyst of great traditions.