Religion in China and India

RELIGIONS IN CHINA AND INDIA

There are many different religions in both China and India. The most popular religions in China are ancient Confucianism and Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Protestant, Catholic, and a new form of religion Falun Gong. India has many religions that are different or the same as the Chinese. Indian religions include: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. There are also many people from China that do not follow a religion because of its communist background.

K'ung Fu Tzu or, Confucius, was born in 551 BC in the state of Lu in China. He traveled throughout China giving advice to its rulers and teaching. His teachings and writings dealt with morality and ethics. His teachings also dealt with the proper exercise of political power. Confucius stressed certain values such as Li, Hsiao, Yi, Xin, Jen, and Chung. Li was based on ritual, propriety, and etiquette. Hsiao was love among family members. Yi was righteousness. Xin was based on honesty and trustworthiness. Jen dealt with benevolence towards others. The highest Confucian virtue Chung is the loyalty to the state. Unlike most Chinese religions, Confucianism is an ethical system with rituals that are importance times during the persons lifetime. The most important periods in the Confucian tradition are birth, reaching maturity, marriage, and death.

Taoism was founded by Lao-Tse. Lao-Tse was a contemporary of Confucius in China. Taoism began as a combination of psychology and philosophy which Lao-Tse hoped would help end the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts of his time. His writings, the Tao-te-Ching, describe the nature of life, the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his life. Taoism became a religion in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion.

Buddhism was developed from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who, in 535 BC, reached enlightenment and assumed the title Buddha. He said 'The Eight Fold Path' as the path to enlightenment. Long after his death the Buddha's teachings were written down. This collection of his philosophy is called the Tripitaka. Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that one must go through cycles of birth, life, and death. After many cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can achieve Nirvana. In general, Buddhists do not believe in any type of God, the need for a savior, prayer, or eternal life after death.

Islam was founded in 622 CE by Muhammad the Prophet. Though it is the newest of the world's great religions, Muslims do not think it as a new religion. They belief that it is the same faith taught by the prophets, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus. The role of Muhammad as the last prophet was to clarify the faith and purify it by removing ideas which were added in error. The two sacred texts of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The duties of all Muslims are known as the Five Pillars of Islam and are:

Recite the shahadah at least once.

Perform the salat (prayer) 5 times a day while facing the Kaaba in Makkah.

Donate regularly to charity via the zakat, a 2.5% charity tax, and through additional donations to the needy.

Fast during the month of Ramadan, the month that Muhammad received the Qur'an from Allah.

Make pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in life, if economically and physically possible.

Muslims follow a strict monotheism with one creator who is just, omnipotent and merciful. They also believe in Satan who drives people to sin, and that all unbelievers and sinners will spend eternity in Hell. Muslims who sincerely repent and submit to God will return to a state of sinlessness and go to Paradise after death.

Christianity started out as a breakaway sect of Judaism nearly 2000 years ago. Jesus, the son of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph, but conceived through the Holy Spirit, was bothered by some of the practices within his native Jewish faith and began preaching a different message of God and religion. During his travels he was joined by twelve disciples who followed him in his journeys and learned from him. He performed many miracles during this time and related many of his teachings in the form of parables. Among his best known sayings are to "love thy neighbor" and "turn the other cheek." At one point he revealed that he was the Son of God sent to Earth to save humanity from our sins. This he did by being crucified on the cross for his teachings. He then rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and told them to go forth and spread his