The Common Origins of the World’s Major Religions Essay -- Essays Pape

The Common Origins of the World’s Major Religions All too often in modern society it is the differences and conflicts that serve to separate religious groups that are emphasized. The mainstream media, fundamentalists’ propaganda, and other sources choose to ignore the numerous similarities that many religions share, and instead focus on the divisive elements. In this paper, I will attempt to shed light on the many commonalities in dogma that I believe exist between the major religions of the world. I also want to illustrate the fact that in addition to having similar core teachings, many religions have histories that have either endured or arisen during times of persecution. It is ironic that in many cases, the persecution that a particular group faces happens to be at the hands of the mainstream of a society who at one time or another had been persecuted themselves for their religious beliefs. Throughout the history of civilization, religion has played an essential role in many societies. There are many reasons why religions have played such a prominent role in defining the culture of a society, but arguably the most notable of these reasons is that a belief or faith in a spiritual or divine power can add meaning and significance to may people’s worldly lives. This phenomenon has proven to be especially true amongst persecuted peoples. One of the reasons why persecuted peoples have shown a great propensity for holding steadfast religious beliefs is that their faith can give them a sense of hope and reason for living despite the terrible conditions of persecution. Evidence of this can be seen in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic societies. All three of these societies have been subjected to varying forms of pers... ...micro as well as macro levels. Works Cited Armstrong, Karen. The Battle for God. New York: Random House, Inc. 2000. Armstrong, Karen. Islam. New York: The Modern Library. 2000. Chilton, Bruce. Rabbi Jesus. New York: Random House, Inc. 2000. Encyclopedia Britannica 2002 Herman, A.L. A Brief Introduction to Hinduism. Boulder: Westview Press. 1991. Humphreys, Christmas. Exploring Buddhism. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. 1974. Kauffman, William E. Contemporary Jewish Philosophies. New York: University Press of America. 1985. Iftekhar, Mahmood. Islam: Beyond Terrorists and Terrorism. Lanham: University Press of America. 2000. â€Å"Christians Try to Recapture Jewish Roots,† http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/970418/christan.shtml http://www.religioustolerance.org/jainism.htm http://www.ops.org/scrtec/india/jainism.html www.beliefnet.com