Experiencing the Worlds Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Experiencing the Worlds Religions - Essay Example All religions regardless of their origin and beliefs, recognize a transcendent Law, Truth, or Principle. These three are believed to govern the universe and the human affairs. In traditions such as Christianity, theistic Hinduism, and Islam, God conceives the Law and makes it the measure for his creation. These traditions have long been the premise on which a particular question has been posed many times to theologians- is God bound by the laws he makes, or does He have the discretion to contravene them? In other traditions, the law is viewed as a property of samsaric existence which must be transcended. This is in reference to mostly the Hindu and the law of karma and its Buddhist doctrines. Similarly, in Christianity, Paul at one point criticises the law claiming it to be a form of slavery. From the above writings, it is clear that different religions recognize a transcendent law or truth. Regardless of all these differences between religions, they share a certain respect for the L aw which human beings ought not to violate and they do so at their own peril. The universe is fundamentally moral. In this chapter, we focus on the specific manifestations of evil. There are various ways through which evil deeds can be classified: sins of the mind, mouth, and the body. However, the majority of evil deeds can be classified into four major sins: murder, stealing, sexual immorality and lastly, lying. Most if not all religions are almost unanimous in their condemnation of the aforementioned sins. Anthology of Word Scriptures: Chapter 11- The Founder This chapter focuses on the life and work those who founded various religions. These are the people who were first to discover that the truth leads to salvation and therefore offered their whole lives in order to enlighten and save others. Some of these people with great souls include; Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha, the ancient Hindu rishis, and Confucius among others. It is important to note that each of these founders of rel igion was unique in their own manner. For the Christian, the religion itself is based on the saving work of Christ. Similarly, in the Islamic faith, Muhammad is the beareer of the message. The many Faces of Sanatana Dharma The word Dharma originates from the Sanskrit root dhri. It means to sustain. Upon translation, Dharma is seen to mean either, religion, duty