The Perspective Of God In The Five Major Religions

Tyler Strunk

Professor Tanis

Intro to World Religion

May 16, 2016

The Perspective of God in the Five Major Religions In the past, very little about foreign cultures and religions was shared among the masses. If they were documented at all, the traditions, beliefs, and practices were often two-dimensional descriptions in books. Heavily influenced by globalization, today’s world has made interreligious contact commonplace, a necessary knowledge enabling us to live as neighbors with those of different faiths. Finding common ground and understanding the beliefs of others is made possible through a greater knowledge of world religions and peoples practices. There is a difficulty in classifying religions that is accounted for by the immense amount

Over half a billion people are classified as Hindu. It has developed over 4,000 years, making it one of the world’s oldest surviving religious belief systems. Unlike most Western religions, it has no known single founder or creed. All believers are united in the commitment to pursue an ideal way of life, known as dharma. Hinduism teaches that all moral beings are required to abide by honesty, courage, service, faith, self-control, purity, and nonviolence. One of the identifying features of Hinduism is a belief in reincarnation. Karma, or one's actions in the present, determines where the soul will be placed in the future. It is a religion that believes in a multitude of gods who abide in the universe. In addition, everything is sacred in a Hindu’s eyes and that means almost anything can be worthy of devotion. Hindus describe God as full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. He resides everywhere, within the self and beyond

Almost 1 billion people practice Islam with nearly 25 million converts per year. Those who commit themselves to Islam are called Muslims. Islam was founded during the 7th Century by the prophet Muhammad. Muhammad claimed to receive divine revelations from Allah and recorded them in the sacred book of Islam, the Quran. Muslims regard their religion as timeless. The line of prophets recorded in the Quran include Muhammad, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and even Jesus. Muhammad however is viewed as the most important of the prophets. Islam also recognizes the doctrines of other religions such as the Torah, the Psalms, and Gospel of Jesus. Muslims trust and worship “the one and only God, Allah.” The religion Islam encompasses a way of life, a code of ethics, a culture, and a system of laws which all Muslims are to follow. The “five pillars” of the Islam faith are: (1) faith in God and the apostleship of Muhammad; (2) five daily prayers facing Mecca; (3) a practice of giving to those less fortunate (4) fasting during Ramadan; and (5) a pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims are taught that faith and selfless works go together. They believe there will someday be a final day of judgement on which everyone will have to account for his or her deeds. In Islamic theology God is an all powerful and all knowing creator and judge of everything in existence. He is all merciful and