If I took a comparative religion course, what similarities would I find?

Question

I know this isn't a good enough excuse, call it laziness, I call it being busy, but I don't have the time to take it.

Peace and Love

Answer 1

You're really not going to get a very in depth answer here. I took a few religions courses, and the only way you can truly see the similarities is by studying them. There are a lot of similarites between most of them. They grew and expanded the different belief systems based on the others.
You will see that most religions have a creation story, and most of them are pretty similar, as well as a lot of shared morals, etc. You will also find a lot of similarities in the cultures, rituals, etc.
I would suggest picking up a book on it, and if you decide you're interested then find time to take the course.

Answer 2

Most courses cover the following:

Christianity
Judaism
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism.

The similarities among the first three are obvious. They are all Abrahamic, and are simply branches of that initial faith. They all have a strong monotheism, a god that actively intervenes in the world, and prophets that disclose the nature and will of God. They also have strong moral codes that are set forth as revelations from God.

They differ on the afterlife (most Jews don't believe in an afterlife, while Christians and Muslims do), the veracity of other prophets (Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet; Christianity and Judaism reject Muhammad as a prophet.)

Buddhism sprang out of Hinduism and so have many similarities. They have a general tenet of Karma, the universe's capacity to justly apply the consequences for your actions onto you. They tend to focus on more mystical aspects of religion, and although they have sacred writings, they are more inclined to focus on practice of chant and prayer. The basic theologies are polytheistic (although Buddhists generally do not revere the gods). The afterlife occurs through reincarnation, but it is considered a return to a suffering world rather than another chance to enjoy living. One can be reborn as subhuman or human. Once one achieves a certain spiritual attainment, usually called enlightenment, one escapes the cycle of rebirth and enters Nirvana.

Hinduism has been said by many to be so based in India that it is difficult to practice beyond India's borders. The Ganges river is considered sacred, as are cows. Buddhism, by contrast, is focused more on an individuals efforts to achieve enlightenment, and it has more easily spread throughout Asia, with also greater encroachment into the west. Western Buddhism tends to be more atheistic, and often rejects the idea of rebirth.

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Answer 3

That's a very good question. There are people (e.g. answers here) that say "all religions are the same at the core, they just differ in the details." That's got a lot of common sense behind it, is true in one sense, but is completely wrong in another, more important sense.

You can divide all religions into three aspects: ethics, relationship of man to God, and definition of God. Certainly, most all religions have a common ethical system. You'd expect that, since they are all designed for the same audience - i.e. human beings. This is what people are talking about when they say all religions are the same. There is some similarity when it comes to relationships between man and God: rituals, ceremonies, etc. Again, you'd expect that because the same audience is part of the equation, but you'd also expect differences because of the other part of the equation (God). Finally, where religions differ the most is in their definition of God, gods, or lack of gods. One God in three persons, one God in a single person who knows us, one God who is untouchable, many gods, no god at all.

The key point then is which of the three is most important? Well, for the people who say all religions are the same at the core, their follow-on, "AT THE CORE" indicates that they believe ethics is at the center of religions. But think about this logically for a minute. Religions claim to describe ultimate being, the ground of the rest of our beings, the Creator of all. With that in mind, how can anything be more important than that creator? An unimportant creator could never create important people.

Therefore, I think it's obvious that the Creator is at the center of the religion. That is true with atheism as well: the atheists here occasionally talk about ethics, what are 99% of the messages from atheists about? The lack of God's existence. Even atheists admit, unwittingly, that the definition of God is at the center of their religion.

So, there are many similarities in the ethical systems, some similarities in the relationship between man and God, and little or none in the definition of God.

If you'd like to talk more, feel free to contact me - [e-mail]. Peace and Love to you too.

Answer 4

There are holy books. Most have an inspired prophet. Then there are differences, especially concerning the nature of life and after-life.

Answer 5

Tons. Especially when asking about the divinity of Christ. Most religions would show you their true colors once the name of Christ is introduced and are asked to explain their position towards Him (prophet? teacher? moralist?).

Answer 6

all religion talks about praises, the "true way", the original, and the like.. but its your sole responsibility in which you will turn to.. try to examine all religions.. their authenticity.. their teachings.. their doctrines.. was it from God? or just an idea of a man??

Answer 7

its basically the same ideas, over and over again, just with minor variations. ie. one god who created humans, a holy book, some form of prophet, salvation, etc.
you should really take the course. i did and it was very enlightening.

Answer 8

You would find a theological framework of meaningless dogma and clerics who had more interest in themselves than in their creed-those are common to all religions.

Answer 9

basic beliefs such and worship God in truth and honesty, have faith in God and live your life free from sin, to be blameless at the day of judgement.
sin and judgment always happen together unless grace and mercy have legal override.

Answer 10

All the broad ideas are the same, the detail differ.