Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

Brooke Tatum
Salt Lake Community College
RELS 2300Introduction
Religion, it can be a word that evokes feelings of love and bliss or a taboo word when
discussing it with your manager or family. It is very clear to many that there are numerous
differing categories and even differing sects within those categories of religions. We have wars,
and arguments held in the sake of differing religions. We have witnessed countries that have
become consumed and ruled by these religions, we have even seen this in the places that claim to
have separation of church and state. But are all religions really that different? If not, then why
have we created such large rifts separating each other? After all, arent we all just human beings
inhabiting the same planet?
In this essay I plan to explore each of these questions. Although I feel that there are no
clear answers that we could all agree on, we can at least examine the varying aspects of different
religions to draw some evidence, and maybe even conclusions to these questions. I plan on using
knowledge gained from discussions, readings, and site visits from my world religions class to do

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

this. We will be examining the various creeds, codes, and cultures of both Western and Eastern
religions to develop conclusions about whether or not these religions are really that different
from each other.
We will be examining the creeds, codes, and cultures of Hinduism, Christianity, and
Buddhism to gather evidence that promotes the discussion as to whether religion is ultimately the
same. The creeds within religions include things like texts and teachings. These could include
sacred texts such as the holy bible or stories of important figures like the stories of Vishnu, which
we will discuss later. The creeds can also include things such as oral teachings, like the many
lessons that Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha, taught his followers. The codes of religion include the
ethics, guidelines, and morals set up by the religion. The codes are like the 10 commandments or
the Eightfold Path. The cultures within religion include the practices, rituals, and spaces that
these people use in regards to their religion and their day-to-day lives. Once we have gained a
solid background about these varying religious creeds, codes, and cultures, we can start to make
some conclusions as to how similar or different they really are.
Hinduism: Creeds
Hinduism is a very old polytheistic religion originating in the Indus Valley. Around 80006000 BCE the Vedas, a scared text of Hinduism, were heard and carried out orally by the rishis.
(Fisher, Pg. 74) The Vedas were written down as sacred texts thousands of years later. The
Hindus have two types of sacred texts the sruti, what is heard or orally passed down, and the
smriti, what is remembered and composed like most normal texts. The Vedas are sruti texts; it is
believed that the Rishis, who were sages, came upon these hymns after reaching an inspired
state. Once the Rishis heard the Vedas they went on to share and disperse them throughout the
Indus Valley. It was only after thousands of years that the supposed reincarnation of Vishnu

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

urged someone to write them down which made them part of the sruti texts. (Fisher, Pg. 74)
There are other sacred texts of Hinduism, some of which are used more than others. Some
Hindus use the Tantric scriptures, especially those who worship a female deity or the Goddess,
these texts date back to at least 2500 BCE. (Fisher, Pg. 85) The Tantras include instructions on
meditation, kundalini, mantras, and mudras (hand postures). Other less known texts include the
Brahmanas, which guide rituals performed for deities, and the Aranyakas, which were, forest
treatises by sages who went to the forests to meditate as recluses. (Fisher, Pg. 76) The other well
known and one of the newest sacred texts of Hinduism is the Upanishads. The Upanishads were
compiled by rishis, and are thought to be some of the best insight into Indian philosophy. The
Upanishads focus more on the inward paths of religion than on the ritualistic aspects that the
Vedas answer. After 500 BCE, came the epics and puranas. (Fisher, Pg. 89) The epics and
puranas tell the mystical stories of the deities, such as Vishnu, in worldly forms like as humans or
animal incarnations. The Hindus have several sacred texts, some sruti and some smriti. These
texts offer ritualistic as well as personal advice on how to conduct oneself, they also offer
wonderful stories about their deities.
Hinduism: Codes
Hinduism is a religion with many morals, ethics, and social codes. Many of these codes
are based on the belief that there is the divine light, the light of the creator God, within everyone.
If anyone visits the home of a Hindu, they can expect to be fed or at least offered something. The
reason behind this is because Hindus believe that God can incarnate into many forms, and they
would never want to turn God away from their home without at least offering God food or water.
Although Hindus are supposed to see this divine light in everyone, India still has a strong
caste system in place that discriminates against many indivduals. The Varna caste system breaks

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

the Hindu people up into 4 categories: Brahmins (the priests and philosophers), Kshatriyas
(kings, warriors, vassals), Vaishyas (farmers and merchants), and the Shudras (manual laborers
and artisans). (Fisher, Pgs. 98-99) There is also a class lower than these four, they became to be
known as Dalits, but are most well known as The Untouchables. Unfortunately it is extremely
hard for someone to move castes, so if your parents are untouchables or manual laborers, thats
all you can really hope to be. There have been some people trying to make changes to this caste
system, but it is so ingrained into the culture of India that it is very difficult to successfully make
these changes in a timely manner. Many Hindus also believe that this caste system is important
to the success of their society and that a person that was born as an untouchable was reincarnated
into that spot because of karma from their previous life(s). Therefore, many Hindus dont think
twice about how they treat an untouchable, because it is their punishment for past wrongdoings.
Many Hindus also believe that nature holds spiritual significance. They are supposed to
take care of and not destroy nature like rivers and trees. One of their most holy rivers is the
Ganges, yet because of religious practices it is also one of the most polluted rivers. It is not
uncommon however for a tree to be growing where it is causing destruction, like ruining water or
gas pipes, or condemning a house. Hindus would rather let that sacred tree live and sacrifice
those commodities than to chop down something so sacred.
Hinduism: Cultures
Hinduism is a religion filled with varying practices, worships, and paths to spirituality.
Hindus are mainly divided into Shaivites (worshipers of Shiva the God of destruction),
Vaishnavites (worshipers of Vishnu the God of preservation), and Shaktas (worshipers of The
Goddess or feminine energy). They usually dont just worship one God; there are many Gods and
Goddesses for varying things such as knowledge, war, love, and more. There are actually about

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

300,000 different deities recognized by Hindus. Hindus use many forms of worship including the
yogas. There is raja yoga (the path of mental concentration), Jnana yoga (the path of rational
inquiry), Karma yoga (the path of helpful action), and Bhakti yoga (the path of devotion).
(Fisher, Pg. 80-81) Once one knows what path suits them they can do home pujas or pujas at a
temple. Pujas are the actual worship service including chanting, bells, and bathing of statues
representing the deities.
Hindus also have several life stages; the following are for a Brahmin males life. The life
is divided into four spans of about 25 years each; the first is a student stage, where the young boy
participates in a sacred thread ceremony, which solidifies his pledge to be a student of Hinduism.
The next stage is of a householder; this is that of a father and typical family. The third stage is for
preparation of the fourth stage, which is renunciation and focus on spirituality. In the first three
life stages it is not uncommon for a Hindu to have a Guru. Gurus are highly renowned spiritual
guides; they take in only serious students and get paid much homage for their knowledge.
Christianity: Creeds
Christianity is a much newer religion when compared to Hinduism. It originated
around the time of Jesus Christ, about 4BCE-33CE. (Fisher, Pg. 315) Christianity was based off
of a current religion, but they added and changed some things. The bible is the main sacred text
of Christianity and Christians took the Old Testament of the Jews and added a New Testament to
it for the times after Jesus Christ. The bible contains many books like the varying Gospels, The
Letters of Paul, and The General Epistles. (Fisher, Pg. 320) There are also many stories of Jesus
and his teachings that have floated around, but there is very little historical evidence of Jesus
Christ himself.
Christianity: Codes

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

There are numerous sects of Christianity all having their own codes, but there are some
things that hold true for most of these sects. The Ten Commandments include basic morals like
dont kill, love your neighbor, dont commit adultery, and remember the Sabbath. These 10
commandments have an effect, or should have an effect, on every decision that a Christian is
making. Jesus made a big deal about love in many of his teachings; so many Christians also
make unconditional love and forgiveness a centerpiece to their lives. (Fisher, Pg. 348) Jesus also
showed the importance of not discriminating against any other; some Christians strive for this as
well, while other sects have branched off into other interpretations.
Christianity: Cultures
Christians typically hold weekly worship services in a sacred building. (Fisher, Pg. 348)
They hold the Sabbath every Sunday and many believe it should also be a day of rest. Worship
services typically include readings from the bible, singing hymns that create a connection to the
spiritual, and teachings about the readings. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity: God, the son
(Jesus), and the Holy Ghost. Although there was a great debate over if Jesus and the Ghost came
from God or came from Jesus or if they were all separate entities. Christians typically also
believe in 7 sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointment, holy orders, and
matrimony. (Fisher, Pg. 349) Eucharist is a main part of many Christian worship services and is a
representation of Jesus Christ. They have bread and wine to represent and remember the blood
and body of Christ. Christians also celebrate many holidays surrounding the religion, like
Christmas and Easter. (Fisher, Pg. 351-352)
Buddhism: Creeds
Buddhism is sometimes argued to be more of a philosophy than a religion, but for this
purpose we will look at it as a religion. Buddhists wrote down the Pali Cannon in 29 BCE.

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

(Fisher, Pg. 139) The Pali Cannon is a text about how the Sangha (Buddhist community) should
conduct itself and about the teachings of The Buddha himself. Buddhists have also written down
the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and those have become very sacred to their ways of life.
These teachings include The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path, which we will discuss in
more detail in the next section of Buddhism.
Buddhism: Codes
Buddhists live by several codes. The main code is The Four Noble Truths, which are, 1.
Life inevitably involves suffering, dissatisfaction, and distress. 2. Suffering is caused by craving,
rooted in ignorance. 3. Suffering will cease when craving ceases. 4. There is a way to realize this
state: The Noble Eightfold Path. (Fisher, Pg. 144) The 3rd noble truth is what makes a Buddhist
change the way he/she behaves, by trying to detach oneself from worldly things. Buddhists are
also guided by The Five Precepts of right action, which include: Do not steal, lie, or harm, no
sexual misconduct, and no intoxicants. These are some of the religious principles that guide
Buddhists in their day-to-day choices.
Buddhist: Cultures
While it is not necessary for a Buddhist to attend regular church services there are many
temples offering weekly services such as the one I visited in Salt Lake City. Services include
singing, chanting, and meditating. The temples are decorated with bright colors and typically
have a shrine at the front and center dedicated to Buddha and the Lammas who helped create and
maintain that specific temple. While most Buddhists practice their religion through
contemplative meditation and philosophy, there is a small number that take to devotional practice
similar to Bhakti Yoga in Hinduism. (Fisher, Pg. 154) There is even a sect of Buddhism that
focuses not on meditation, thought, or love, but on equality and service to the community.

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

Buddhists believe in a cycle of birth death and rebirth, a wheel of reincarnation. The ultimate
goal of Buddhism is to reach Nirvana and to break this cycle of rebirth, so that one can finally
reach a state of no change or emptiness.
Conclusion
With all of this evidence we can draw several conclusions. First it is very easy to see
differences between religions, which makes it easy to say that they are all ultimately different.
But there are also many similarities. Each religion has creeds, or sacred texts, often based off of
stories or oral traditions. These creeds have similar purposes, to help members become closer to
the sacred and to guide members throughout their lives; all of them emphasize love or
compassion for others. Each religion has a set of codes, which strive to control how members
live their lives and how they treat others. These codes steer members from intoxicants and
harming others. Lastly, each religion has cultures. They all create a sacred building to hold
services in and allow for rituals to be done in the home like puja, prayer, and meditation. While
each religion has a different figure or figures to represent it, like Shiva/Brahma, Jesus/God, or
Buddha/emptiness, they all have a common character that spends time with the people on earth
to bring them closer to the higher power. I feel that religion is more similar than different in
many ways. The main differences are stemmed from geographical segregation, which is
heightened once the religion is formed. Once a group of people is segregated geographically, like
in the history of many religions, they evolve their own cultures, stories, and ethics. I think that
the most interesting question to come in the future is; what will happen in the next hundred years
when these geographic barriers are taken down? We live in such a blended society now, and I
feel that this blend has lead to a more nondenominational and contemporary stance in the youth
towards religion. I am curious to see if we end up blending all of these similarities back together,

Is Religion Ultimately The Same?

as we slowly continue to blend neighborhoods, states, and the religious populations of varying
countries.
Works Cited

Fisher, Mary. P. (2014) Living Religions 9th Edition. Pearson