Andrea Whatcott

World Religions
Comparing the Religions

The lifelong question people have been asking is what is the purpose to life? Religion
has been one way that many people have tried to answer this question. There are many different
ways that people choose to worship and many different deities that they choose to worship.
During the course of this semester, I was able to observe a few different religions being
practiced, and I noticed a few common themes and a few differences.
The Jewish religion was not founded by one particular person, but rather seems to be a
practice that follows the teachings of the Torah which is their sacred text. Practitioners of the
Jewish religion focus mainly on traditions and practices. They believe that the way to be closer,
and eventually reach God, they must abide by the earliest traditions that were made. The Torah is
a collection of stories, laws, rules, ethics, and guidelines compiled over the course of many years
by different people. This compilation helps to guide the actions of the Jews in their everyday life.
The traditional viewpoint is that the first five books, which are considered to be written law that
cannot be changed, are believed to have been written by Moses translating Gods very words,
and that they cannot be changed. The more liberal view is that the first five books are up for
interpretation for whoever is reading them.
The Jews believe that their whole existence is a test to prove their worthiness of getting
back to God. They believe that there are certain laws that have to be upheld in order for them to

truly be saved. Because there are so many rules to be followed, it can be easy to make a mistake.
Therefore, once a year, the Jews have ritual where they repent of all their sins. This does not
mean that they do not worship on a regular basis.
I was able to attend a service at the synagogue this semester. It was a very special service
that I was able to attend. They were celebrating the anniversary one of the Rabbis Bar Mitzvah.
Much of the worshiping was done through songs, and in the Hebrew language. They Jews
believe that by worshiping in their native tongue, there is less deviation from the original
teachings. The service was headed by the Rabbi, who was female. She directed everyone to
which hymns were to be sung and how the service would flow. At this particular service, the
Torah was brought out to be read. It was held in a beautiful glass chamber which just added to
the feeling of how important this text was to them. As they continued with their service, I noticed
that it was very lighthearted and heartfelt. The people that were there truly felt like they were
coming closer to God.
The Catholic religion recognized one God. The purpose of this religion is to get back to
that God. The followers of this religion work to lead a good life while following the laws of their
holy text. This religion was founded by the person who they believe to be the Son of God and the
savior, Jesus Christ. It is said that Jesus was raised in the Jewish religion, but as he went around
teaching, people began to follow him as Christians. There were a select few that Jesus sought
after to be his Apostles, who in turn ended up writing down the stories and teachings of his life.
These compilations became known as the New Testament, and are revered as the holy text of this
religion. Christians believe that they were put on this earth to prove that they are worthy of once
again live with God in his heaven. They worship weekly and repent of any sins they may have
committed. Their focus is very much on living a good life helping others.

During the course of this semester, I was also able to attend a catholic service. This
service seemed a little more structured than the Jewish service I attended. The focal point of this
religion seemed to be more on Jesus instead of a holy text like the Jewish service. There was a
large statue of Jesus in the center of the room right above where they served the bread and wine
for their mass. This religion seemed to focus more on prayer rather than hymns, but the feelings
were the same. The people there seemed like they were lifting a weight off their shoulders after
they took the bread and wine which symbolized the body and blood of Christ which was their
way of feeling closer to him.
Sikhism is a religion that focuses on being the best you can be and they do their best to
help others reach this goal as well. They believe that everyone should provide for themselves,
and not expect others to carry their weight. However, they maintain the idea that everyone should
also be charitable and help others as they see that it is needed. They maintain the idea that
through these actions, they are remembering God and living the way he would.
The last religion I had the opportunity to be a part of was the Sikhism religion. This was
my favorite religion that I was able to observe. The people were so welcoming and they always
had a smile on their face. The temple had a kitchen in the basement that was serving food to all
the people that were there whether or not they were an active member. This was their way of
giving back to the community as they feel their God would do. The service itself seemed very
relaxed. There didnt seem to be much structure in what they were doing, but everyone there
seemed to be getting the most out of the worship that they were doing. There service consisted
primarily of hymns being sung. There really was not much preaching done by any one person.
The altar that held their sacred text was occupied by different people at different times
throughout the day. It didnt seem as if there was just one person in charge of the service.

Overall, these three religions are not terribly different. They all recognize one God and
focus on living a good life to the best of your abilities while helping others. All of these religions
have their own prophets that work to educate their followers on how best to follow the rules of
their religion. They all have their own holy text, and while the text itself may differ in language
and recount some stories differently, they all share a common goal: educate readers in the ways
of the religion.
The major differences that I noticed among these three religions are the ways they
practice their worship. The Catholic and Jewish services seemed to be a little more organized in
the way of a classroom. There was a schedule and an agenda that they followed. They had
specific prayers, readings, speeches, and practices that were lined up and the people were to
participate specifically in that way at that time. In the Sikh temple, they didnt seem to have a
schedule to keep. People would just show up when they were able, and they would participate in
the different areas of the temple as they saw fit. Of course there were some ritualistic
performances like making an offering to the temple when they entered, but after that, the people
would sit and listen to the prayers for a while, then go down to eat and mingle, and then come
back to listen to the prayers and readings. It didnt seem like anyone had to be anywhere at a
certain time. The other difference among these religions was how they view visitors to the
services. They were all very kind and welcoming, but the Catholic and Jewish worshipers
seemed more intent on converting the visitors. They would give handouts to the newcomers and
continually remind them that they were always welcome back, almost as if they wanted them to
convert to the religion that day. The Sikhs on the other hand, were more laid back about trying to
convert people to their practice. They were very friendly and helpful when asked questions, but
they did not constantly seem to try and get you to come back. This did not mean that you were

unwelcome, the emphasis was just not on making someone view the practice in the same way
that the people of that faith did.
In conclusion, although there are many different religions, they do not seem to be so
different in their end goals. Everyone that participates in a religion is trying to find a higher
purpose in their lives. It seems to me that the most common themes in all of the religions are to
live a good life, help others, and respect your higher deity. The messages that I took away from
all of the services was that everyone has a chance at being saved and we should all strive for this
in our own way.