Differences between eastern and western religions

The first half of the semester of Intro to Religion we learned about Western religions. I have learned very important information about different religions. These religions impact my life in ways I never knew before taking this class. I have never heard about the five pillars of Islam or how many pilgrimages are in Judaism. Now, we turn to Eastern Religions which include Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and many more.

Western religions consist of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In Judaism, YHWH is the divine name. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people and it originated from the Hebrew Bible. Islam is the religion of Muslims and means to surrender. A Muslim, follower of Islam, is one who submits to God, Allah. In Islam, there are five pillars which uphold Islam and are the basic tenets of Islam. The five pillars of Islam are Shahadah, Salat, Sawm, Zakat, and Hajj. The last religion of the three Western religions is Christianity, which is a monotheistic religion based off the teachings of Jesus.

Eastern religions consist of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Hinduism is the predominant religion in India. In Hinduism, Brahma is the god of creation. So far, we have only learned about Hinduism. Hinduism is mainly worshiped in India, and is a monistic religion. Hindus believe there is no difference between themselves, me, you, wind or trees. Atman is the soul for all Hindus.

While Eastern and Western religions originated the same place, they have evolved over the years, developing their own characteristics. The difference between eastern and western religions is that western religions are monotheistic, while eastern religions are monistic. Monotheistic is the belief of one personal god. On the other hand, Monistic is the belief of one, impersonal force. Western religions are based on orthodoxy while Eastern religions are based on orthopraxis. Western religions are based on orthodoxy for the reason that the religions are based off of creeds or text.

There are many sacred sites between Western and Eastern religions. In this paragraph, I will talk about the sacred sites include in the religions of Hinduism and Islam. In Islam, the main sacred sites are Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, For Shia and Mosques. Some of the scared sites for Hinduism are Allahabad, Badrinath and Gangotri.

Western religions and Eastern religions are very different in many ways. They are different from what they believe to their scared sites. I am glad that I have learned about these religions. I have learned so much and I’m a more aware person now.