Philosophy

In every major city and town throughout the United States, you will find many different

types of religions. In fact, thousands of different religions have been created throughout the

world today. As we become a more culturally diverse world, it is only natural that many different

religions evolve from this unity. This unity requires that we develop a broader understanding of

the many similarities and differences each religion is composed of. A better understanding will

allow us to have a deeper appreciation for the uniqueness that encompasses each religion thus

broadening our lives as a whole. For this enrichment to take place, we much educate ourselves

on the core dynamics of the different world religions. Only then can we acknowledge and respect

the differences and embrace the similarities between each one.

It can be argued that the world is only comprised of two religions, those that believe in a god

and those who do not. Even though each religion may believe in a different god, gods, or no god

they still share similarities. As stated in the textbook Ways of Wisdom, "What they have in

common is that they think that existence precedes essence, or, if they prefer, that subjectivity

must be the starting point." (p. 234) For the religions that believe in a supreme bring, there is a

common belief this being also has some guidance in our existence. Another similarity is most

religions consider worshipping and praising their supreme being the most important duty. This

also includes giving thanks to their supreme being usually in the form of prayers. This prayer or

praise is seen as their connection to their god. The second duty of most religions is to take care of

your neighbor and to love all of their gods' creation. Most religions also live on the basis that

their god has provided a guideline for moral conduct commonly called the commandments or the

Golden Rule. There is also the belief that some form of punishment will be given for not

following these rules. Most of the major religions also share a general belief in some form of

afterlife. So when religions are analyzed, you will find they share many commonalities amongst

each other. As well as being similar, they also share some differences.

There are several issues between the different major religions that may inhibit their ability to

co-exist on a more tranquil level. The majority of the problems arise when political, economic,

cultural and religious lines become intertwined with each other. The United States was founded

on the basis of religion but established the tradition of separating church from state in the

beginning. In many of the other nations across the world, there is often no dividing line. This

lack of delineation is evident when religions use violence as a political statement as indicated by

the attack on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The marriage

of religion and cultural factors is also evident in the battle on geographical boundaries between

Israel and Palestine. Another major difference between religions is the fact that each religion

brings with it a set of their unique beliefs and rituals. These sets of beliefs or rituals are often

comprised of myths as well as historical facts. This is important because they help to establish a

devotional attitude toward their god. Conforming to one set of beliefs means to discard the sum

of the beliefs of the others. This endeavor is unlikely to happen because the resolution resides

with the biggest variable in the religious equation, the human element. Even though there are a

few differences within each religion, some are more inter-connected