Comparing World Religions

And Philosophies

Aim: To what extent were early religions and philosophies similar?

Vocabulary: Monotheism, ethics, Torah, Messiah, Bible, Golden Rule, Koran,Five Pillars of Faith, sharia, karma, dharma, reincarnation, nirvana, filial piety

Q: Define the terms religion and philosophy. How are they similar? How are theyDifferent?

Major beliefs of Judaism

The Ten Commandments

Exodus Chapter 20• 1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

• 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

• 3 "You shall have no other gods before me.

• 4 "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

• 7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

• 8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; 11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

• 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

• 13 "You shall not kill.

• 14 "You shall not commit adultery.

• 15 "You shall not steal.

• 16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

• 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's."

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Judaism

Reform Conservative Orthodox

Major beliefs of Christianity

Matthew 1:18• The Birth of Jesus Christ •  18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was

pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins."

•  22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[d]—which means, "God with us."

•  24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

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Luke 6:29

“And to him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke, forbid not to take thy coat also.”

Q: How does the quote allude to some important Christian values?

Christianity

Protestant Catholic(Originated 15th century)

Compare Judaism and Christianity

• Judaism • Christianity

Major beliefs of Islam

('Qur'an,' II, 166-75, 180-2, 186-93) “0 believers, eat of the good things wherewith

We have provided you, and give thanks to God, if it be Him that you serve.

These things only has He forbidden you; carrion, blood, the flesh of swine,

what has been hallowed to other than God. Yet whoso is constrained, not desiring,

nor transgressing, no sin shall be on him; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Those who conceal what of the Book God has sent down on them, and sell it for a little price-they shall eat naught

but the Fire in their bellies; God shall not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection

neither purify them; there awaits them a painful chastisement.”

Fordham.eduQ: How is a Muslim’s life centered around religion?

Islam

Sunni Shiite

Q: Why did a split occur in Islam?

Compare the three monotheistic religions

5 pillars of Faith

Islam Judaism Christianity

Major beliefs of Hinduism

Ganesha

The Laws of Manu (1500 BC)

• 31. Let (the first part of) a Brahmana's name (denote something) auspicious, a Kshatriya's be connected with power, and a Vaisya's with wealth, but a Sudra's (express something) contemptible.

• 32. (The second part of) a Brahmana's (name) shall be (a word) implying happiness, of a Kshatriya's (a word) implying protection, of a Vaisya's (a term) expressive of thriving, and of a Sudra's (an expression) denoting service.

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The Caste System

Brahmans

Kshatriyas

Vaisyas

Sudras

UNTOUCHABLES

Confucianism

The Five Relationships of Confucius

Filial Piety• Examples of Filial Piety (14th Century CE)• Stories about exemplary filial conduct abound in Chinese history. The Twenty-

Four Examples of Filial Piety (Er-shih-ssu hsiao) were chosen and compiled by Kuo Chü-ching during the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368 CE) while he was mourning the death of his father.

• According to Chinese tradition, filial piety (hsiao) was the primary duty of all Chinese. Being a filial son meant complete obedience to one's parents during their lifetime and--as they grew older--taking the best possible care of them. After their death the eldest son was required to perform ritual sacrifices at their grave site or in the ancestral temple.

• Allowing Mosquitoes to Feast on His BloodDuring the Chin Dynasty (4th-5th Century CE), a boy named Wu Meng (1) was already serving his parents in exemplary filial piety although he was just eight years old. The family was so poor that they could not even afford a gauze net against the mosquitoes. Therefore every night in the summer swarms of mosquitoes would come and bite them. Wu Meng let them all feast on his naked stomach. Even though there were so many, he did not drive them away. He feared that the mosquitoes, having left him, would instead bite his parents. His heart was truly filled with love for his parents.

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Education

From the Analects XVII.2: The Master said, "By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart."

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Q: Do you believe that this statement by Confucius is accurate?

DaoismYang

Yin

LegalismThe emperor had a tower built on Mount Langya and a stone inscription set up to praise the power of

Qin and make clear his will. The inscription read (excerpt):

No evil or impropriety is allowed, All strive to be good men and true, And exert themselves in tasks great and small; None dares to idle or ignore his duties, But in far-off, remote places Serious and decorous administrators Work steadily, just and loyal. Great is the virtue of our Emperor Who pacifies ail four corners of the earth,Who punishes traitors, roots out evil men,And with profitable measures brings prosperity. Tasks are done at the proper season, All things flourish and grow;

The prime minister Li Si said, "I humbly propose that all historical records but those of Qin be burned. If anyone who is not a court scholar dares to keep the ancient songs, historical records or writings of the hundred schools, these should be confiscated and burned by the provincial governor and army commander. Those who in conversatior dare to quote the old songs and records' should be publicly executed; those who use old precedents to oppose che new order should have their families wiped out…If thirty days after the issuing of this order the owners of these books have still not have them destroyed, they should have their face tattooed and be condemned to hard labor at the Great Wall…”

Q: What evidence do you see that legalism is a very strict philosophy?Fordham.edu

Chinese Belief Systems

Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths

1. Life means suffering

2. Suffering is caused by desire

3. One can end suffering by ending desire

4. Following the Eightfold Path will help people to overcome desire

The Eightfold Path

• The right views• The right intentions• The right speech• The right conduct• The right livelihood• The right effort• The right mindfulness• The right meditation