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Comparative Religion
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Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the
systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of the world's religions. In
general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the
fundamental philosophical concerns of religion such as ethics, metaphysics, and
the nature and form of salvation. Studying such material is meant to give one a
richer and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices
regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine.
In the field of comparative religion, a common geographical classification of the
main world religions includes Middle Eastern religions (including Zoroastrism
and Iranian religions), Indian religions, East Asian religions, African religions,
American religions, Oceanic religions, and classical Hellenistic religions.
Geographical classification
According to Charles Joseph Adams, in the field of comparative religion, a
common geographical classification discerns the main world religions as
follows:
 Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Zoroastrianism, and a variety of ancient cults;
 East Asian religions, the religious communities of China, Japan, and
Korea, and consisting of Confucianism, Daoism, the various schools of
Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism, and Shintō;
 Indian religions, including early Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and
Sikhism, and sometimes also the Theravada (“Way of the Elders”)
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Buddhism and the Hindu- and Buddhist-inspired religions of South and
Southeast Asia;
 African religions, the ancient belief systems of the peoples of SubSaharan Africa, but excluding ancient Egyptian religion, which is
considered to belong to the ancient Middle East;
 American religions, the beliefs and practices of the Indian peoples
indigenous to the two American continents;
 Oceanic religions, the religious systems of the peoples of the Pacific
islands, Australia, and New Zealand; and
 Classical religions of ancient Greece and Rome and their Hellenistic
descendants.
Middle Eastern religions
Abrahamic or Western Asian religions
In the study of comparative religion, the category of Abrahamic religions
consists of the three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism,
which claim Abraham (Hebrew Avraham ‫ ; םָ הָ ַרבַ א‬Arabic Ibrahim ‫ ) إب راه يم‬as a
part of their sacred history. Other religions (such as the Bahá'í Faith) that fit this
description are sometimes included but are often omitted.
The original belief in the One God of Abraham eventually became strictly
monotheistic present-day Rabbinic Judaism. Christians believe that Christianity
is the fulfillment and continuation of the Jewish Old Testament. Christians
believe that Jesus (Hebrew Yeshua ‫ )ַעּו ָׁש‬is the Messiah (Christ) foretold in the
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Old Testament prophecy, and believe in subsequent New Testament revelations
based on the divine authority of Jesus in Christian belief (as the Incarnation of
God). Islam believes the present Christian and Jewish scriptures have been
corrupted over time and are no longer the original divine revelations as given to
the Jewish people and to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. For Muslims, the
Qur'an is the final, complete revelation from God (Arabic ‫هللا‬
Allah), who
believe it to have been revealed to Muhammad alone, who is believed by
Muslims to be the final prophet of Islam, and the Khatam an-Nabiyyin, meaning
the last of the prophets ever sent by Allah ("seal of the prophets").
Christianity and Judaism are two other Abrahamic religions that diverge in
theology and practice.
The historical interaction of Islam and Judaism started in the 7th century CE
with the origin and spread of Islam. There are many common aspects between
Islam and Judaism, and as Islam developed, it gradually became the major
religion closest to Judaism. As opposed to Christianity, which originated from
interaction between ancient Greek, Roman, and Hebrew cultures, Judaism is
very similar to Islam in its fundamental religious outlook, structure,
jurisprudence and practice. There are many traditions within Islam originating
from traditions within the Hebrew Bible or from post-biblical Jewish traditions.
These practices are known collectively as the Isra'iliyat.
The historical interaction between Christianity and Islam connects fundamental
ideas in Christianity with similar ones in Islam. Islam accepts many aspects of
Christianity as part of its faith - with some differences in interpretation - and
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rejects other aspects. Islam believes the Qur'an is the final revelation from God
and a completion of all previous revelations, including the Bible.
Iranian religions
Several important religions and religious movements originated in Greater Iran,
that is, among speakers of various Iranian languages and hence with an Iranian
cultural background. They include Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Zurvanism,
Mandaeism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism.
Indian religions
Indian religions refers to a number of religions that have originated on the
Indian subcontinent. They encompass Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and
Sikhism.
Buddhism and modern Hinduism are both post-Vedic religions. Gautama
Buddha is mentioned as an Avatar of Vishnu in the Puranic texts of Hinduism.
Some Hindus believe the Buddha accepted and incorporated many tenets of
Hinduism in his doctrine, however, Buddhists disagree and state there was no
such thing as Hinduism at the time of Buddha and in fact, "Indeed, it absorbed
so many Buddhist traits that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the latter in
medieval and later Hinduism."Prominent Hindu reformers such as Gandhi and
Vivekananda acknowledge Buddhist influence. Gandhi, like Hindus, did not
believe Buddha established a non-Hindu tradition. He writes, "I do not regard
Jainism or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism."
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East Asian or Taoic religions
A Taoic religion is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East
Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"). This forms a large group of religions
including Taoism, Confucianism, Jeung San Do, Shinto, I-Kuan Tao,
Chondogyo, Chen Tao and Cao Dai. In large parts of East Asia, Buddhism has
taken on some taoic features.
Tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the universe, or the force behind the
natural order. It is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced
and ordered and is associated with nature, due to a belief that nature
demonstrates the Tao. The flow of Ch'i, as the essential energy of action and
existence, is compared to the universal order of Tao. Following the Tao is also
associated with a "proper" attitude, morality and lifestyle. This is intimately tied
to the complex concept of De, or literally "virtue" or "power." De is the active
expression of Tao.
Taoism and Ch'an Buddhism for centuries had a mutual influence on each other
in China, Korea and Vietnam. These influences were inherited by Zen
Buddhism when Ch'an Buddhism arrived in Japan and adapted as Zen
Buddhism.
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