ORIGIN OF WORLD RELIGIONS
The Patriarch of Abraham
The prophet and patriarch Abraham played a major role in the establishment of the three
monotheistic namely;
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which account for more than half of the world's total
population at present.The Muslims consider Abraham's son Ishmael as the ancestors of the Arabs.
The Christians view Abraham as "father in faith" as narrated in the Bible and the ancestor of
Jesus Christ. The importance of Abraham in these three religions lies in the fact that the patriarch
appears as an elemental figure for a monotheistic belief system and a paragon of extreme
devotion.
Three monotheistic religions share some commonalities in their tenets
>For one, they all worship one supreme being, the ancient Hebrews call their God
Elohim, Adonai, or Yaweh.
> Present-day Judaism uses the names "Lord" and "God".
> For the Muslim, they Call their God as Allah
Judaism has 48 prophets and seven prophetesses. Early prophets include; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Aaron, and Joshua to name a few.In Christianity, the 12 apostles were the primary disciples of
Jesus Christ, some of whom wrote parts of the New Testament. For the Muslims, they believe that
Muhammad is the final prophet or the "Seal of the Prophets".
"Muhammad, Seal of Prophets"
God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his own son Isaac at Mount Moriah, God commanded Muhammad to
establish a new religion at a cave in Mount Hira. Then and now, followers of the three Abrahamic religions
are presented with a choice between good or evil.
The Indian Mosaic
>(history dating back to at least 6500 B.C.E.,)
India is one of the world's oldest surviving civilizations. With great movements of various
people in the past came their Customs, Arts, languages, literature, beliefs, and many more
facets of their culture. The Harappan civilization, the Aryan influence, the local dynasties, and
the Muslim conquest all had their fair share in building the intricate Indian Mosaic.
Four great religions originated in India:
>Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism- and a myriad of minor cults and local sects.
Hinduism perfectly reflects Indian heterogeneity with its eclectic, diversified, and assorted ways of
religious expressions that are quite confusing to outsiders. Hinduism can be considered as "museum
of religions" ( Israel and Grewal 1989). During the Vedic period that Hinduism or Santana Dhama
became systematized as a religion that preached order and purpose to the cosmos and human life.
Many religion focus on the worship of one God, many gods, or Buddha was not a good but a human
being who came to discover how to terminate suffering suffering in order to escape the painful and
continuous cycle of rebirth (Coogan 2005). The Mahayana sect of Buddhism differs from the
Theravada school because of its rich array of Buddhas and bodhisattva's who have attained spiritual
enlightenment. Born near the end of the 6th century B.C.E., Siddhartha Gautama life is closely linked
with the historical and religious development of Buddhism in India.
Religion was transported to China and gained much headway as it reached Korea, Japan, and
Vietnam. Presently, Buddhism has become more popular outside its place origin while Hinduism has
remained entrenched in India throughout many centuries.
The Way of the Dao
Chinese civilization is one of the world's oldest, dating back almost 4,000 years ago.
During the olden days, the Chinese had already endeavored to establish and attain good
governance (Perry 1988). China adopted Kung Fu-Tzu's (Confucius) ideals and ethics
as the nation developed. Confucius is regarded as China's greatest philosopher and
teacher who lived at the same time as Siddhartha Gautama in India. Chinese
dynasties used Confucian morals and political ideals that became influential among the
Chinese people.
Mysteries abound the birth and personal life of Laozi (Lao-tzu) who may have written
Dai De Jing (Tao Te Ching or The Book of the way and it's power) around the 6th
century B.C.E. Other sources indicate that he lived during the period of the warring
States around the 5th or 4th century B.C.E.
Around 142 C.E, Daoism began as an organized religion with the establishment of the
way of the Celestial Master sect by Zhang Daoling during the Han Dynasty, this group
along with other later Daoist sects devised intricate rituals, venerated heavenly beings,
and wrote numerous religious texts.
Shrines celebrate great heroes and important events in Japan's history. Japanese people
believed that their emperor's literally descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu.
The term 'Shinto' was coined around the sixteenth century C.E. to distinguish native
belief system from imported religions of China and Korea, including Buddhism,
Daoism, and Confucianism.
The term actually originated from the Chinese words shen and tao translated as
the ' way of the Gods'. Of primal importance were the kami that were often
defined as God's but could also refer to deities of heaven and earth, or even
spirits in human beings, animals, trees, and mountains (Hope 1983).
GEOGRAPHY OF FAITH
>Laws and social norms vary by region and localities. The Study of
Geography of religion may reveal some fascinating truths why a certain
country is predominated by one particular religion or why a specific region
became homeland of great religions.
The Western Frontier
West Asia is home of three great religious namely,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The history of these religion is
closely linked with this region.
Closest countries to the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea
Nort of the Arabian Sea and south of Turkey, sometimes called the
Levant, have experienced numerous religious cataclysm in their
existence as nation- States. These include Lebanon, Jordan, Israel,
Syria, and Palestine.
Lebanon has undergone a protracted civil war from 1975 to 1990
between Christians and Muslims. While the Christian controlled
wealth and power, majority of Muslims felt discriminated. Around
250,000 lives were lost as a result of the conflict.
After 1917, many Jews migrated from Europe to their ancient
homeland, Palestine. In 1948, Israel was established after driving
away the Palestinian Arab's who had been living in the area for
centuries. Israel remains the only country in the world with a Jewish -
majority population comprising almost 75% of it's citizens. Within
Israel are Muslims that constitute 16% of the population.
The Arabian Peninsula, the world's largest peninsula, consists of
countries that are predominantly Islamic in character. This countries
include; Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab
Emirates, Yemen, and Oman.
Most West Asian countries follow the Shi'a and Sunni
denominations of Islam. Majority of Muslims in Iraq and Iran
associate themselves with the Shi'a sect. Majority of Muslims in
Saudi Arabia belong to the Sunni branch.
The topography of West Asia is characterized by vast areas of mountains
terrains. The temple Mount is one of the most sacred sites in the world
revered by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Three structures are found in the present site that include the
Al- Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the Dome of the Chain. The
Jewish people consider the Temple Mount as their Holiest shrine. Mount
Moriah is also believed to be the site of sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham.
Vast expanse of desserts and bodies of water in West Asia also figure
in biblical history. From the book of Exodus, it narrates Yam Suph is
being crossed by the Israelites as they escaped from Egyptian lands.
Yam Suph is believed to be the present - day Red sea which is an
extension of the Indian Ocean located between Africa and Asia. The
Modern - day translation of Yam Suph is "Sea of Reeds". Many
years, Israelites lived in the wilderness at the Sinai Dessert en route to
the Promised Land. Mentioned in the Bible is the Dead Sea along
with the dwelling caves near it at the time of David. Dead Sea is a
landlocked Salt Lake between Israel and Jordan.
In Jerusalem, there are more than a thousand synagogues, More
than a hundred Churches, and more than 70 mosques. Jerusalem
has been sacred for the Jews almost three thousand years now
with the city being
>First temple (King Solomon's Temple) and the second temple.
Western wall (Wailing Wall or Kotel),
Important Christian sites include Mount Zion and the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is the site of
the Golgotha (or place of crucifixion) and the empty
tomb of Jesus Christ. The first and second Temples is
believed to lie beneath or near the shrine. Islamic
structure at the temple mount is the AI - Mosque
associated with the "night journey" undertaken by
Muhammad.
The Indian Subcontinent
Subcontinent of South Asia covers an area of more
than one end a half million square miles stretching
from the Hindu Kush and Baluchi Hills on the west
and the great Himalayan mountain range on the
north, to the Burmese mountain to the east and the
Indian Ocean on the south ( wolpert 1993).
Because sweltering heat is one major feature of India's
ecological setting, it is no wonder that Hindus Revere
the sun (Surya) and fire (Agni).
Water also plays major role in the Indian psyche as
evidenced by Hindus venerating a god of water and
celestial oceans (Varuna). The South Asian countries of
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh depend on the rivers
Indus, the Gangs (Ganges) is the Brahmaputra.
During the olden days, there was once a deer park in
Samath which is now residential area in Varanasi.
The Eastern End
Eastern end of the great Asian continent one finds the
cultural and political dominance of China. Stretching
more than 5,000 kmacross the Asian landmass.
The supremacy of China on the eastern from can be
explained by the role of its environment and
geography that includes vast of China proper in the
valleys of two great bodies of water, the Huang He
and Yangtze, is quite favorable bacause of the support
these streams provide to the Chinese people that made
histoc China the center of culture.
With growth of of Confucianism and the development
of urban Chinese culture, the ecstatic and religious
nature of sharmanism began to decline in China.
It was only during the second millennium after the
death of Confucius in 479 B.C.E,. By the time of the
Han Dynasty, Confucian teaching had become the
state religion. In Korea, it began to be by the majority
during the 18th and 19th centuries.
As the three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje were
being influenced by China
THE CULTURAL MILIEU
World religions can be regarded along the lines of
their exclusivity or non - exclusivity.
>Exclusive religions are oftentimes
monotheistic.Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as
examples.
>Non - exclusive religions are often polytheistic in
nature. Examples are Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, and Shintoism.
On Monotheism and University
Monotheism or the belief in one God is an ancient idea
that predated the establishment of Abrahamic
religions. Christianity has somewhat differed based on
its concept of the trinitarian creed in contrast to the
Unitarian creed.
Judaism and Islam affirm the presence of one God
Christianity acknowledges one God in three person's:
the father, the son, and the Holy spirit.
The basic principles of the Muslim faith are reflected
in the "five Pillar of Islam." The first pillar as the
profession of the Muslim faith succinctly States that
"there is one God but Allah." Simply put, there are
no gods, but only Allah. Allah is eternal, creator,
omnipotent, infinitely good, merciful, but harsh on
those who oppose his will (Jomier 1999).
On the Concept of Dharma
>Majority of Indians are Hindus, which originated in India,
has been absorbed into the Hindu worldview.
>In Hinduism, Dharma could mean duty, righteousness,
and ethics. In all, humanity, this is common and evident in
virtues such peacefulness, emphaty, and kindness.
>Dharma is also found in one's caste in the present life and
toward another life that could lead to liberation from the
cycle of rebirth. As the Buddha himself explained, " This
Dharma that I have attained is profound, hard to
understand, peaceful and sublime, unattainable by mere
reasoning, subtitle, to be experienced by the wise."
