Eastern and Middle Eastern Religions

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Buddhism is a somewhat unique religion in that it does not personify the concept of god but rather the Buddha, who is a normal human having come to enlightenment and salvation through suffering; however, Hinduism is far more focused on divinity and messages from a spiritual realm beyond the understanding of humanity. The author points out that Islam, which is considered one of the three Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths, the other two being Judaism and Christianity, uses Allah (God), who is eternal, transcended and part of humanity in his compassion and mercy. The paper relates that Sikhism, which shares with Islam the paradigm of a single god, operates on the principle that all human beings are equal and should not be distinguished by parameters such as social class and royalty.

Table of Contents:
Buddhism
Hinduism
Islam
Sikhism

From the Paper:

"In terms of salvation, Sikhism is close to Hinduism in its belief of the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. According to Sikhism, there is a progressive journey of the soul from the lowest orders of life, such as plants and animals, to the highest order of physical existence, being human. While several rebirths at this level of existence is possible, having reached human life means that the journey is close to completion. The soul reaches God at the point of physical death, where it is judged in order to determine whether more rebirth is required."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dolphin, Lambert. "A Short Summary of Islamic Beliefs". 2006. http://ldolphin.org/islam.shtml
• The Himalayan Academy. "The Basics of Buddhism". 2006. http://www.himalayanacademy.com/basics/point/
• Religion Facts. "The Beliefs of Hindu". 2004-2006. http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/practices.htm
• Robinson, B.A. "Sikhism: Beliefs, Practices, Symbol, Names." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 2006. http://www.religioustolerance.org/sikhism.htm

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