Belief Systems Essay

Belief systems and philosophies have greatly affected the people and societies where they are practiced. They give guidelines on how to live their lives and affect every aspect of their cultures. Two such belief systems and philosophies are Hinduism and Confucianism. Hinduism is a religion with no founder. The people who practice this religion believe in moksha and reincarnation. Moksha is the freedom from earthly desires and a complete understanding of the world. Reincarnation is the belief that people are reborn over and over again until achieving moksha. Whether or not they are born into a good life depends on their previous life’s karma (good or bad deeds). In Hinduism, they also have a caste system. It divides people into four social classes and hardly gives any social mobility at all. People are decided which class they belong to at birth. For example, if a child is born into a family of slaves, that child will be a slave for the rest of his life. Confucianism is a philosophy started by Confucius in China. In Confucianism, the people valued education and believed in filial piety, the respect for elders. They also believed in the spirits of ancestors and created the famous quote, â€Å"do not do unto others, what you would not want them to do unto you.† Hinduism and Confucianism greatly affected the people and societies they were practiced in. In Hinduism, because of the belief in reincarnation and karma, people avoided doing bad deeds. Those who achieved moksha gained a complete understanding of the world and got rid of their desires. However, the caste systems also introduced discrimination. People of different classes were treated differently. In Confucianism, it brought a sophisticated education system and people respected their elders. It also affected the roles of family members. For example, the oldest males were always considered the head the family. Therefore, it is evident that these belief systems had a tremendous impact upon the social standing and family relationships of the societies that practiced them. There are many diverse religions and philosophies that exist around the world. Many of these belief systems have deeply affected both the people and societies where they’re practiced. Two examples of these religions are Buddhism and Hinduism. Hinduism is believed to have been the oldest religion that still exists to this day. There is currently no known founder. It’s a polytheistic religion that has many major beliefs, such as reincarnation and karma. According to Hindi beliefs, what a person does in a lifetime affects what place in society that person will be in his or her next life. The many gods that Hindus believe in are all the faces and personalities of one god. Moksha is a worldly understanding that Hindus strive to attain. However, it’s believed to occur over many lifetimes, and is achieved through reincarnation, or rebirth. Buddhism is a polytheistic religion that is quite similar to Hinduism. It was founded by a man named Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha, the Enlightened one. Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation and nirvana, a concept similar to moksha. They both deal with the concept of the understanding of life and the end of the cycle of reincarnation. While reaching Enlightenment, or wisdom, the Buddha founded the Four Noble Truths that state in order to achieve happiness and stop all suffering, one must give up all worldly attachments and desires by living a life of poverty. Unlike Hinduism, however, Buddhists reject the idea of the caste system, a division of social classes. Thus, the first followers of Buddhism were essentially people who were low socially, such as laborers and commoners. As Buddhism and Hinduism became harder and harder to follow, there were many changes made. Most Buddhists found it hard to give up all of their wants and desires. Two groups, the Theravada and Mahayana sects, were formed. The latter had provided salvation to all who followed it, and thus it became much more popular. The Theravada sect contained the people who followed the original teachings of the Buddha. In response to the rising popularity of Buddhism, Indian art was majorly affected. Sculptures of Buddha were common to see among merchants. As for Hinduism, despite the laws that forbid the isolation of people of lower class, the caste system still thrives in Indian society. In addition, a trend towards monotheism is currently occurring. In conclusion, the major religions of Buddhism and Hinduism have greatly affected the people and societies of the areas where they’re practiced. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the world people and societies where they are practiced. Two such religions are Buddhism which started in India and Christianity which started in Rome. Buddhism was started by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha or the â€Å"enlightened one†. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, or re-birth after death. They thought that this was true for all living things; including animals. Buddhists also believe in giving up all self desires to help reach nirvana. This means that one cannot want anything and will then reach a state of perfect understanding and will become enlightened. The Buddhists followed the eight-fold path, or middle-way and the four noble truths. They believed that if you follow the four noble truths and the eight-fold path, you will be born again (reincarnation) and will reach nirvana. Lastly, they also believed in no social classes, so everyone was equal. This religion affected many people in many ways. It caused Buddhists to â€Å"be good† and follow the cold of law. The thought of no social classes also caused many people to convert to Buddhism causing the religion to spread as well as their ideas and practices. Another religion that greatly affected society is Christianity. All Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the only son of God and was born of the Virgin Mary. Also, he was sent to earth to spread the word of God and Christianity. Christians follow their code of law known as the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments tell one how to be a good Christian. Christians also their book the Bible and go to church every Sunday. Lastly, Christianity does not believe in any social classes. They believe that all people are created equal. Christianity provided a way of life, a close, loving, personal relationship with God, and eternal life after death (one goes to heaven; another belief). These three statements caused Christianity to spread and affect almost everyone in the world. Christianity is now the largest religion in the world. Christianity affected the world by spreading its ideas and influencing other religions. Many religions affected or still affect our world today. They may have affected people in their ideas, beliefs, practices, or even how they spread. If it wasn’t for all the different religions, our entire world would be different. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the people and societies where they are practiced. Two such religions are Buddhism and Christianity. Beliefs Religious beliefs and practices have been around for a very long time, affecting societies and ways of life in positive ways. Two religions, that ironically both of their founders were raised to believe in other religions, that display this are Buddhism and Christianity. Starting with Buddhism, it was founded by Siddartha Gautama in India who was actually born Hindu. This is why Hinduism and Buddhism share a few common beliefs. One belief from Buddhism is the eightfold path. This is a guideline of how to live and act in daily life in order to achieve another belief, Nirvana. Nirvana is reached when you are released of all selfishness and worldly possessions. It is a state of understanding and happiness. They also, like Hinduism, believe in Karma which is what goes around comes around. Basically if you are bad it will come back at you. People who practice Buddhism are very peaceful and sometimes meditate. They live with harmony in hopes of achieving Nirvana and being reincarnated into a good next life. Like Buddhism, Christianity’s founder was not born Christian. The founder, Jesus Christ, was born Jewish in Israel. He is believed by all Christians to be the son of God. Christians are monotheistic, they believe in their one god, who is coincidentally named â€Å"God.† They believe in the 10 commandments, which, like the eightfold path, is a guideline for Christians to follow so the will go to the Golden Gate of Heaven. In Christianity, you must confess your sins so that you can be forgiven by God, because he forgives all. Christians live their lives doing good deeds, studying the Bible, and trying their best to follow the commandments. Christianity and Buddhism are actually similar; all religions are. Whether by guideline, language, place of origin, or beliefs they share in common goals. However, every single religion is alike in one way: they believe. Whether in one god or a hundred, they do believe and have faith that there is more than just this one life. Test Essay- Belief Systems Religions were and still are a major issue. Religion allows people to live better lives. It always affects the people or society in one way or another. Two of these major religions are Buddhism and Islam. Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) has many beliefs. One of them is the Four Noble Truths, which states that the reasons for pain and suffering in the world are people’s selfish desires. One must give up all desires, through the assistance of the Eightfold Path. By following the Eightfold Path, one can achieve nirvana, wisdom and union with the Creator. Some of the aspects are right conduct, views, and concentration. Buddhism rejects the caste system. They believe in reincarnation, life after death. Buddhism definitely affected people. It allows people to be happy, non-violent, and tolerant. Buddhism also created monks and nuns. These people must learn to beg so that they could learn humility. They must live a life of poverty, and can’t marry. Islam was founded by Muhammad. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last prophet. Their major god and only god is Allah. They also believe in the Five Pillars. This includes complete faith and trust in Allah, fasting, praying five times a day, almsgiving, and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. The Five Pillars can be compared to the Eightfold Path in the way it provides guidelines to achieve union with the Creator. Their holy book is the Quran, which gives them rules and regulations for moral conduct and behavior. Islam affects the people. Muslims must follow all Five Pillars to live right and go to heaven. They must follow the guidelines of the Quran. They must also celebrate Ramadan and fast. Religion is a major part of people’s lives. There are many different religions in the world today. Our religion basically makes us who we are. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the people and societies where they are practiced. Buddhism and Judaism are only two of such belief systems that have made impacts on people. These religions not only affected the people in the religion, but their entire society. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama- the Buddha. It is said that he had enlightenment and found out the cause of all suffering. This answer is called the Four Noble Truths. Essentially, Buddha said that the way to end all suffering is to detach from all selfish desires. The way to do this is to follow the Eight-Fold Path and the Middle Way – mid-way between self- denial and selfishness. This way, followers reach nirvana- a state of total understanding. People who follow Buddhism don’t recognize a caste system- so everyone is equal, unlike Hinduism- where Buddhism is derived from – which had people called â€Å"untouchables† who were considered unclean. Buddhism influenced the arts on the Silk Road Trade Routes. Statues of Buddha were placed along the roads and a lot of people learned about Buddhism while on these trade routes. Judaism was founded by Abraham- the father of the Hebrews. They are monotheistic and believe in God- Yahweh. It is written in the Torah- the Jews sacred scripture- that Yahweh directly spoke to Moses and gave a set of laws called the Ten Commandments, which are to guide the Jews to live a good life. Yahweh also established a covenant with his people, He would love and protect them and in return, they will follow his laws. Jews celebrated Passover to commemorate their freedom from slavery in Egypt and when God preserved their first born child. Jews, as a part of their laws, have to eat kosher foods. They can’t eat certain meats or mix certain foods together. Judaism was the first monotheistic religion to be established and laid the foundations for later monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam. Judaism and Buddhism both had impacts on people and society in different ways. Either by laying foundations for future religions or being a place of relief for outcasts, they made a big impact. Belief Systems Throughout history, there have been many belief systems and philosophies. Some have died out, or become unpopular, such as many Greek polytheistic religions in the past. Others, such as Confucianism and Judaism, have lived on and affected the lives of many. Confucianism is a philosophy started by a wise teacher, Confucius, in China. By teaching his theories and ways, this philosophy came to conquer many people’s beliefs. Confucians believe greatly in familial respect, or the respect in families, especially for elders. Education was also greatly valued. They believed education and respect could greatly influence social order. With the social order gained, a strong government can be developed. Judaism, on the other hand, was a religion. It was said to be Abraham who started this religion. Jews believe in the concept of monotheism, or the belief in one God. In this case, their God is a loving god. Through their God, the Ten Commandments were given to them to follow. They based their ways of life on the Torah, in which concepts such as the Sabbath, and kosher foods, were also based on. These two belief systems had a strong worldwide hold on people. Confucianism became a major philosophy among many Asian countries, such as Taiwan and China. Great respect and education is still extremely important in daily life. There is even a Teacher’s Day to honor Confucius. Judaism also had a preserved effect on people. Judaism laid the first foundations for other religions, such as Christianity and Islam. They, too, believe in only one God. Unlike Confucianism, however, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are spread all throughout the world. Now, history has moved on. Many ideas, cultures, and religions have risen and fallen. The concepts of Confucianism and Judaism, on the other hand, are still spreading and affecting the lives of many.