Download Overview of Major Religions

America has become a symbol of hope for many religious groups. Estimates suggest that
there a numerous amount of religious organizations in America. The last century has witnessed
the greatest influx of religious groups into the United States, and many of these religions
consider America to be a prime mission field. World religions have been classified into two
Salt Lake Community College: World Religions
Overview of Major
Religions
Comparison and analysis of Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity and Islam
categories, Eastern tradition in which Hinduism and Sikhism are included and then Western
tradition in which Christianity and Islam are included (4truth.net). This paper will discuss four of
the strongest and major world religions, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity and Islam while
comparing and contrasting beliefs they have. Even though these are four separate religions, they
agree on similar faiths, such as a Supreme Being, similar rituals/practices and attitudes towards
their faith.
What many religions have in common, including the four I am underlying in my essay,
are the beliefs of sacred land, many of which contain holy edicts and shrines. One of the most
common objects these religious lands are altars, which are known as the focal point. At the
Hindu Temple the exterior of the temple is very beautiful. There are lights on the temple and
chalk
Joana Jimenez
8-5-2013
drawings just before you walk in. The pillars have a God on them as well as an elephant or other
animal. The ritual performed to Vishnu is sacred. The focal point at this particular temple was
Ganesh, the God of Wisdom who was in the center and much larger than the other statues.
Ganesh also drew my attention because of all the beautiful decorations that surrounded
it. Ganesh was not the only one decorated, the whole inside of the temple was very well
decorated. The space inside the temple does reflect functionality. All guests and members sit on
the floor to mediate or be involved in the ritual. The space is open and inviting to visitors but
there was a point where one could not go past. The reason being is that area is reserved for the
priest performing their rituals.
On the other hand, the Sikhism temple is completely opposite. There is no imagery inside
at all, but there is an altar where the official performs the service. The place where Sikhs come
together for worship is a Gurdwara which means “the residence of the Guru”. On the outside of
the building there isn’t any symbolism. If it wasn’t for the sign on the road, I would’ve thought it
was a business building compared to the Hindu temple that very well looks like a place of
worship. Inside the temple the focal point was the Altar where the priest stands, as mentioned
before and where their holy scripture lays. Besides the altar there isn’t any decorations because
they only worship God. Although a Gurdwara is called the residence of the Guru, Sikhs believe
God is everywhere. A Gurdwara is a place to learn spiritual wisdom, place for religious
ceremonies, a place to learn the traditions and faiths, and also a community center that offers
food and shelter to those who may need it.
Another religion to the previous two is the Catholic Church. This church is where
members go to worship and receive God’s grace. At this particular Catholic Church there isn’t
any symbolism outside except a cross on top of the roof. The focal point is the altar in the front
where the Father performs the ritual. However, on the inside there is imagery and idols whereas
the Hindu temple did yet the Sikhism temple had none. Here there is a dedicated area for the
Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Catholic Church does places great emphasis on moral law
and its strong devotion to saints. There are many saints around the world and it is believed that a
small number of miracles have occurred, in particular illnesses. Similarly do the Hindus as they
have different Gods and Goddesses they go to depending on their purpose. At this altar the
readings are done and it’s where the Eucharist is prepared.
With the Islam temple, it has a similar outside structure to the Sikhism temple. The
Khadeeja Mosque is a big rectangle looking building from the outside. The focal point is the
center back where the Islam scholar delivers a speech. The mosque has a niche in the wall
indicating the direction of Mecca and the direction towards which Muslims pray. Unlike the
previous religions where they face the altar. The tall towers are used to call the congregation to
prayer. There are no shrines or idols because this is where they come to worship God and
nothing else, it is forbidden that such things are kept or displayed. The space does provide a
function. There is a space for men and a space for women. A mosque is a house of prayer and a
place of prostration. This building is designed and built specifically for the worship of Allah.
Likewise, all have similarities in rituals performed at their sacred spaces. At the Hindu
service the ritual perform several times a week. The service is called an abhiskea puja. They
bathed the murti, on this day it was Vishnu. During this ritual the Deity is called with the reciting
of many verses from the Veda, greeted, bathed, dressed, fed and praised. At the beginning of the
ritual they do a prayer and verses to wake up Vishnu. During this ceremony Vishnu was bathed
in milk, yogurt, oil and water. For the most part it was the priests performing the rituals but in
some parts the audience participated.
Similar to the reciting of the verses in Hinduism, the Sikhists sing hymns accompanied
by music also known as Kirtan. This expresses adoration which is the highest form of devoutness
and the way to escape mortality. Followed by a kirtan is a prayer of supplication but can also be
an offering as well as the Hindus did when they passed around the roses. Then is Vak Lao, the
reading of the scripture. The scripture is opened at random, read from top of left-hand page. God
will guide which page falls open. The reading is a commandment to follow for that day.
While Hinduism and Sikhism is mainly repetition of hymns and prayers, the Catholic
Church is more readings from the bible and gospels with a Eucharist service. This mass was just
another celebration of the ordinary time. After the song of entrance and a prayer by the priest,
there are three readings. The first one is from the Old Testament, then a Psalm, the second
reading is from the New Testament and the third is a Gospel reading. For the most part all three
readings are related and incorporate a theme. The priest gives homily regarding the theme and
how it relates to our everyday life. At Mass when receiving the Eucharist, Jesus’ blood and under
appearance bread and wine is the last supper. Members are renewing their relationship with God
when taking the Eucharist. They also unify themselves to God and others through the Body of
Christ. All three of these services show they worship a supreme being.
In the same way Sikhists say prayer at their service, so do the Muslims. In the Islam their
service is called Jumu’ah, also known as Friday prayers, a congregational prayer that a Muslim
has observe. On this day the mosques are occupied and Imam gathers the people. All members
inside participated. The service is an hour long in which all supplications are accepted. Giving
charity during this day more virtuous than any other day. Jumu’ah is a day of celebration,
however whoever attends it should perform a bathing of the feet beforehand. At this service is
where sins are forgiven. Dying on Friday is a sign of a good end, the one who dies on that day is
protected.
Last but not least is how committed and dedicated members are to these three specific
faiths. All of them are similar in how unified they are and the passion they have. However for
me, not being a Hindu, the inside was distracting. Everything is just so you beautiful that you just
want to look around. I could tell who the Hindu’s because of how focused and involved they
were. Even though I had no idea what they were saying, I still felt comfortable. The audience
was treated with respect with participation being voluntary. The Hindu’s don’t try and convince
you to convert. They are very welcoming to visitors without trying to influence you.
Similarly was the Sikhism service environment. The mood during this service is
respectful besides the fact of kids running around which is common is many services since they
don’t have the same understanding as adults. However here the physical space enhanced because
there was nothing that could distract from the emotional/spiritual experience. There was no idols,
statues or images inside the temple because they do not believe in these. Attitude of the
participants were union and passion. They all recited the hymns loud and proud. These attitudes
show how dedicated the people are to this religion. However, there were a few members who
seemed to be bored and would pull out their phones. That’s typical when it comes to boredom. I
was treated with respect. I did feel a bit uncomfortable when we had to bow our heads. It didn’t
mean anything to me but felt awkward.
In the same way the inside of the Hindu Temple is distracting due to artwork, so is the
Catholic Church. Along the walls of the ceiling they have paintings of every single station of the
cross. I did feel comfortable at this one because I could understand the language, always a plus in
any situation. The homily summarized very well what we’ve learned in class. The attitudes of the
participants were union and passion. Together they all recited the Nicene Creed and Our Father
with proudness. The hand greeting after the Our Father shows the peace and union with one
another. It was hard to tell what the relationship is to non-members because there are members
who don’t participate due to not being regular church goers or haven’t completed the needed
sacraments.
Although Hinduism and Christianity are similar on the inside because of the artwork and
beautiful imagery, that’s not the case with Sikhism or Islam. The physical space enhanced the
emotional/spiritual experience. There are no images or statues in mosques which could
potentially be distracting to members and visitors. The walls were very simple. The carpets are
decorated with straight lines of geometric designs that ensure Muslims stand in straight rows to
perform their five daily prayers. Guests here are treated with respect and never forced to do
anything they don’t feel comfortable with. The attitudes of the participants were union and
passion. They respect non-members and very welcoming. In the end all four of these religions
are respectful to visitors and never hurt by the fact that we don’t participate. They understand the
role of non-members at their services.
In the end, these four religions in particular have their own central beliefs with many
similarities and connections. Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity and Islam all believe there is a
supreme being whether it be polytheism or monotheism. The four of these have belief of sacred
land with similar structures inside their temples, an open area with an altar. Even though they all
have a sacred space in common, Sikhism and Islam have no imagery or shrines because they
don’t believe in that. However they all seem to share very similar practices and rituals. Prayers
and singing is one commonality they have, along with having an official leading the service.
Besides sharing their faiths and practices, they also share similar attitudes. I learned a lot from
going to these services and seeing what was learned in class put into practice.
Works Cited
Matthews, Warren. World Religions 7th Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013
http://www.4truth.net/fourtruthpbworld.aspx?pageid=8589952129