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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
Shatara Gbeminiyi
SOC 3210 Cultural Diversity
Religion/Holiday Assignment
Sylvia Haikio
October 25, 2017
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
Abstract
The United States is a very rich country in terms of culture, diversity, and religion. Each religion
is celebrated based on culture and population. The most widely known religion in the world is
Christianity and it’s also the largest religion in the United States however, Christianity has a close
relationship with Judaism, both historically and theologically, Jesus, his disciples, Paul (who wrote
most of the New Testament), and the members of the earliest Christian churches were all Jews.
Buddhism is centered upon the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, whereas Christianity is
centered on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion meaning it
does not believe in a supreme creator known as “God” whereby Christianity is a monotheistic
religion and believes that Christ is the Son of God. Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and is a
Dharmic religion. Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism and is an Abraham religion.
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
Where did Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism originate?
The largest religion in the world is Christianity which has over 2 billion followers and 42
million people in Britain today describe themselves as Christians but there are 6 million who are
actively practicing Christianity (Davis, 2017). Christianity originated in Roman which was
occupied in Jerusalem, a predominantly but not entirely Jewish society, with traditional
philosophies distinct from the Classical Greek through which was dominant in the greater Roman
Empire at the time. Christianity is focused on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ who Christians
believe to be the Son of God. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the Middle East over 2000 years
ago.
Judaism originated in Israel around 4000 years ago and the religion has about 13 million
followers throughout the world, mostly in the United States and Israel. It is in fact one of the oldest
monotheistic religions and Jews believed that God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people to
set examples of holiness as well as ethical behavior to the world. There are approximately 270,100
people in the UK who practice Judaism and who identifies themselves as Jews (ReligionFacts
2017). Moses was the main founder of Judaism as well as being an important figure of the religion
because he gave the Jews the Torah (the laws of God) around 1250 B.C. Jews can trace their
history back as far as Abraham. Abraham is considered as the father of the family of Jews. Sadly,
6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust to wipe out the religion of Judaism.
Buddhism is a religion that more than 300 million people around the world currently practice.
It is an Indian religion attributed to the teachings of the Buddha as well as encompassing a variety
of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices. Buddhism is the fifth largest religion in the world
where it is largely based on original teachings of Buddha and interpreted philosophies. There are
approximately 150,000 active Buddhists in the UK and the number is increasing over time. The
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
religion originated in northeastern India by Prince Siddhartha around the sixth century B.C. and
the essence of Buddhism is the attainment of enlightenment where it points to a way of life which
avoids self-indulgence and self-denial (ReligionFacts, 2017). However, those who practice
Buddhism do not believe in a supreme God or deity like other religions. Buddha means to
enlighten. Siddhattha Gotama later became the Buddha and he lived in the 5th century BC where
he had a good life born into a rich family. He also had an easy life, living in what is now Nepal.
He then witnessed the suffering of old age, sickness and death whereby he decided to renounce his
life in the palace and live among the holy men of the day in search of truth and enlightenment.
Siddattha Gotama’s search took him six years, but he then became enlightened whilst meditating
under a Bodhi tree (ReligionFacts, 2017). Soon after his meditation, he decided to dedicate his life
to spread the teaching of Buddhism. Many people think the Buddha is a “god” or idol, but he is
not considered a god by his followers. Most Buddhist call Buddha their “god” just as how the
Christians and the Jews look to Jesus Christ as their “god”. Many Christians were taught that Jesus
Christ is actually “god” when he is not. Jesus is the Son of God while God himself, is a spirit and
this has been argumentative among many Christians.
The followers of Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism
People who follow and practice Christianity are usually called Christians. They are the ones
who have been baptized in the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit as well as accepting Jesus Christ
as their Lord and Savior. They also follow the Bible and obey his commands although no Christian
is perfect because everyone sins and falls short of the word which is why Christians pray, repent
and ask for forgiveness. Christians are sometimes called Followers of Christ because they are
strictly based on Christianity who follows the Bible religiously including the Ten Commandments
which are outlined in the book of Exodus and Deuteronomy.
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
The followers of Judaism are known as Jews or Jewish. Judaism is based on belief in the God
of Abraham, who Jews believe made an agreement with the patriarch that his descendants would
dwell in the promised land of Canaan. However, there is a difference between Jews who follow
the Judaism religion faithfully and those who do not follow the religion faithfully. For instance,
Jews who follow Judaism are called “Practicing Jews” whereby those who are not religious are
called “Secular Jews” and this is because not all Jews follow the Judaism religion (ReligionFacts,
2017). Jews believe there is only one God and they also believe they have a special agreement or
covenant with God. In exchange for all the good that God has done for them, Jewish people keep
God’s laws and try to bring holiness into their everyday life. It is a way of showing appreciation
for God’s goodness.
People who follow and practice Buddhism are called Buddhists, and they are divided into
two groups such as ordained monks and lay-people. The ordained monks practice their religion
with extreme dedication and teach others about Buddhism while the lay-people have families,
work for a living as well as living their lives according to the Buddhist teachings (ReligionFacts,
2017). Buddhists follow the Buddha’s example. When they meditate, Buddhists focus on
awakening to truth just like the Buddha did. In most Buddhist countries, there are many temples
where people can make offerings of flowers and incense for the shrine and food for the monks.
Buddhists may also have a shrine in their homes where they will burn incense, candles as well as
having a statue of Buddha. Also, when entering a temple, Buddhists will take off their shoes, then
they will put their hands together and bow to the image of the Buddha (ReligionFacts, 2017).
The sacred text of Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism
The Bible is the primary sacred text of Christianity and its name is derived from the Latin
word biblia, which simply means “books”. The Christian Bible is made of two parts which includes
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
the Old Testament whereby it displays Christian writings that includes biographies of Jesus Christ
and the apostles such as the Apostle Paul, letters to new churches, and an apocalyptic work
(ReligionFacts, 2017). The names of the two parts in the Bible are significant. The word testament
means “covenant”, so the notion of old and new testaments reflects the Christian perspective that
the Church is the successor to Israel as God’s chosen people. The Old Testament is viewed as
foundational, authoritative, and relevant, and is read as well as cherished by Christians along with
the New Testament. But it is also regarded as having been super ceded and fulfilled by the new
testament (covenant) that God has made with the Church.
The importance of Judaism’s sacred texts extends far beyond their religious significance.
The most holy Jewish book or sacred text is the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
The Torah was revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai over 3,000 years ago where it told the
story of the creation of the world, God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the Exodus
of Egypt, the revelation at Mt. Sinai, the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, and a
recapitulation of that experience shortly before the entrance into the Promised Land (Embassies,
2017). The Torah also give the Jewish people rules for everyday life and how they should be living.
Observing these rules is central to the Judaism religion because the Torah has a principal message
which entails the absolute unity of God. It outlines God’s creation of the world, His concern for it
as well as His everlasting covenant with the people of Israel.
The Torah is divided into fifty-four “portions” and it’s read at the synagogue (Jews place of
worship) every Sabbath in an annual cycle, beginning and ending shortly after the Jewish New
Year (Embassies, 2017). Most synagogues maintain well-stocked libraries of Jewish sacred texts
and other collections of religious books. Sacred texts can be found on the bookshelves of many
Jewish homes, but prayer books are standard in the homes of almost all Jews.
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RUNNING HEAD: Religion/Holiday Assignment
Buddhist sacred texts are known as The Sutras. The Buddhist canon consists of the Sutras
where it includes the words and teachings of the Buddha and there are also many noncanonical
Buddhist texts that provide supplementary teachings, rules of conduct and commentary on
transitional states after death. There are three major noncanonical Buddhist texts including the
Tripitaka (Pali Canon), Mahayana Sutras and the Tibertan Book of the Dead. The Pali Canon,
which means “the word of Buddha”, describes some of the Buddha’s discourse however, it
incorporates the teachings of his pupils. Different sects of Buddhism follow canonical and
noncanonical scriptures to varying degrees (Religion Facts, 2017).
House of worship of Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism
Christians believe that there is only one God, but that he is revealed in three different forms
