Compare And Contrast Eastern And Western Religion

856 Words2 Pages

Religion has been a key part in every society, as Emile Durkheim stated religion involves, “things that surpass the limits of our knowledge.” Religion is defined as a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred. This definition creates a boundary between sacred and profane. Organized religion gives society something to strive for and practicing religion allows people to celebrate the power of their society. Religion can be divided between western religion and eastern religion; each distinct section has its own beliefs and understandings of what god is and how he is incorporated into their lives. Islamic religion and Hinduism are two religions on each side of the spectrum, Islamic religion is considered …show more content…

Islam and Hinduism are two religions that fit this statement; although they practice in different parts of the world they share similar traits. Some similarities of both religions are that of spiritual consequences and moral development; Islam’s do this by prayer five times a day to their god Allah and Hindus participate by a ritual called dharma. Another similarity that both religions believe in is damnation although the way each religion believes it is carried out is widely different. There are also differences between these two religions; the major one which is shown in all eastern and western religions is their belief in a physical entity of god or a moral and spiritual one. Islamic religion believes their god is Allah and he sent the prophet Muhammad to teach the religion to its followers. Hinduism believes that their god as a universal moral force. There are also differences in how their religion sets up gender roles within their communities; Islamic cultures are patriarchal where Hindu religions are bilateral. Woman in Islamic culture are to be seen and not heard and even then they are expected to stay out of sight as much as possible; they are not asked for their opinion and are expected to follow very strict guidelines in the way they dress and speak …show more content…

Religion brings hope and duty, the promise of salvation and its believers follow for those reasons along with many others. Throughout the world you see many differences in religion and the rules they are based upon; in our book they are separated between eastern and western religions, each with their own fundamental background and basis. Religion gives people a higher power to believe in that they are protected if they follow the will of their gods. The differences seen are major division between religions but their similarities are what make the common ground for religion possible and the ties that hold our societies

More about Compare And Contrast Eastern And Western Religion

Open Document