| |
Nowadays many serious but worried people ask themselves this question. Before answering, I would like to take a look at the principles taught by the great religions of the World.
First, what is a religion? The term covers many aspects or options. Hans Küng says in Christianity and the World Religions: "Whether we believe in one God or many or we do not believe at all, we all have a religion, even those who claim to be atheists. These will believe in the power of money or in any other material, palpable or of some personal value: that thing or value will be their god.
For others, religion is always a meeting with the divine, whether this meeting is in the spiritual realm or taken as a benevolent or evil power; whether that god is personal (God), impersonal (the Divine) or the ultimate reality as in Heaven or 'nirvana' for Hindus.
We can live the religion of our choice in joy or penitence, in tears or an explosion of life, vitality, enthusiasm and love. Religion usually presents life as a comfortable situation, it guarantees peace in the future and can create bonds in a community".
I will not talk here of theology and still less of the fundamental details of the existence of such and such a religion. I simply want to describe, as clearly as possible, what seems an adequate description of the great religions.
"Christianity, born in Judea and first spread in the Orient, was taught by the apostles after the death of Jesus. On the whole, Christianity is born of the teachings of a man who claimed he was Son of God. All through his life he said that he was doing what he was doing because his Father had asked it of him and given him the power. Through this he professed an unshakable faith in One God, benevolent, wanting happiness for man: he also taught his life principles based on sharing, joy, gift of self, forgiveness and love.
He came to show us that we were all brethren and that helping one of ours was helping him to please God. Above all, he came to show us the way to what he calls the resurrection of the dead, and to Assumption. And he proved it was possible by doing it.
"Islam was founded by Muhammad, which is Mohammed's Arab name. Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570. At the age of forty he said the angel Gabriel came to him with the first revelation of the Quran. Spreading the word of Islam, (submission to God's Will) and social and religious reform of the Arab nation based on monotheism and surrender to divine will, he converted numerous disciples and finally had to take refuge in Medina in 622. This emigration indicates the start of the Moslem era (Hijra).
Here is another extract from the book Christianity and the World Religions by Hans Küng, in the chapter "Muhammad and the Quran, Prophecy and Revelation":
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad based his work not on any office given him by the community (or its authorities) but on a special, personal relationship with God.
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad was a strong willed character, who saw himself as wholly penetrated by his divine vocation, totally taken up by God's claim on him, exclusively absorbed by his mission.
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad spoke out amid a religious and social crisis. With his passionate piety and his revolutionary preaching, he stood up against the wealthy ruling class and the tradition of which it was the guardian.
Like the prophets of Israel. Muhammad, who usually calls himself a "Warner", wished to be nothing but God's mouthpiece and to proclaim God's word, not his own.
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad tirelessly glorified the one God, who tolerates no other god before him and who is, at the same time, the kindly Creator and merciful Judge.
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad insisted upon unconditional obedience, devotion, and "submission" (the literal meaning of "Islam") to this one God. He called for every kind of gratitude toward God and of generosity towards human beings.
Like the prophets of Israel, Muhammad linked his monotheism to a humanism, connecting faith in the one God and his judgment to the demand for social justice: Judgment and Redemption, threats against the unjust, who go to hell, and promises to the just, who are gathered into God's Paradise."
Hinduism. This religion has neither church nor universal doctrine. Each person may find in this or that other god, the supreme God he or she needs or believe in. The god or goddess of a person or a group of persons may be the unique God of another group of individuals. It may be sacrilege for one person to kill
animals as sacrifice to the gods; it might be the normal thing elsewhere.
We must realize that Hindus have a number of religions, and that Hinduism is a collection of religions. The ultimate goal of the religions of India is the same: give to each person a viable behaviour structure at all levels of society and give each creature its role, morality, tasks, duties towards every other social creature or regarding religious practice.
After Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, we come to Buddhism. Its dogmas are, in a large part, borrowed from Brahmanism an aspect of Hinduism, but man may escape the cycle of rebirths and attain nirvana through knowledge and kindness to others.
Buddhism, as a historical phenomenon must be seen in perspective with the traditions and religions of India. At first there was the doctrine of souls transmigration and the cycles of existence. Those ideas were tied to the notion of Karma. In truth, Buddha did not invent anything new; he adapted ancient teachings to a personal quest.
After many days of strict discipline, near death, because of his own intransigence, he claimed he had discovered the truth, the way to his own salvation and the road to reach what was then known as the ultimate goal: Nirvana. From what I understand, one of the commandments of Buddha is not to kill. So, sacrifices are prohibited.
The Buddha sees in prayer a necessary social function. When asked what was important to the growth of a community, he would enumerate these precepts: unanimity in the face of village or town's edicts, completion of voted tasks, respect for law and justice, preservation of sacred grounds, private or public, and donation of gifts and offerings. The foundation of Buddhist teaching are formulated in the "Four Noble truths":
All is suffering: all forms of existence are by nature full of grief because all the facts and conditions in this World of appearances are transitory. They are subject to the law of continuous change, the inescapable cycle of coming to be and passing away. Only out of ignorance and blindness do we keep searching for something permanent and imperishable in this life, an immortal soul, a Self within us. The Buddha tells us that our existence is nothing but a process, the ongoing emergence and disappearance of elements of existence in a seeming continuum.
The origin of suffering is the desire that leads from reincarnation to reincarnation, that finds its joy here and there, the desire for enjoyment, for existence, and for annihilation.
This is the truth of the extinction of suffering: it is the complete turning away from desire, the extinguishing, rejecting, and abandoning of desire. This total abandonment of desire is possible only for the person who has recognized that everything, including the pleasant and apparently constant things in this World, is fleeting, subject to suffering, and without a self, and who as a result of this realization can face everything with serenity. The end of desire is the definitive liberation, the undoing of all the foundations of existence, extinction, and nirvana.
The fourth rule answers the question of how this Liberation can be obtained. This rule stipulates that personality does not constitute an eternally existing "self" (atman). The remaining steps on the path follow from this one; they relate to the moral conduct of the person seeking liberation and to the correct methods of meditation and concentration. With their help, the illusion of the "self", even in the deeper levels of the psyche, is removed, the greed for existence overcome, and liberation achieved. In this way, the three "harmful" basic causes, or "roots", namely greed, hatred, and delusion, are done away with.
After this quick overview, we have a better idea of the substance of religions. But the question was: What is the best religion?
The best religion is the one that teaches Love, the giving of self, comprehension and compassion. Which is the best? None save the one that incites to go towards our fellow men, to love them the best we can and to love God above all.
We might as well talk about the similarities the religions have in common.
|
Help Us Stop Plagiarism -
Nearly all works at PnP are original. However a few people choose to plagiarize.
To check, choose a phrase from the work, then either drag and drop to the search box or copy and paste.
click on search and works at Google will be shown which match. Just to be sure, please do this before
you recommend or rate the work highly...
|
 |
|
|
|
Select a Random Book
|
|
Welcome !
