Comparative religion

Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophical concerns of religion such as ethics, metaphysics and the nature and form of salvation. Studying such material is meant to give one a richer and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine.

In the field of comparative religion, a common geographical classification of the main world religions includes Middle Eastern religions (including Zoroastrism and Iranian religions), Indian religions, East Asian religions, African religions, American religions, Oceanic religions, and classical Hellenistic religions.

Geographical classification

According to Charles Joseph Adams, in the field of comparative religion, a common geographical classification discerns the main world religions as follows:

1. Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and a variety of ancient cults;
2. East Asian religions, comprising the religious communities of China, Japan, and Korea, and consisting of Confucianism, Daoism, the various schools of Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism, and Shintō;
3. Indian religions, including early Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and sometimes also the Theravada (“Way of the Elders”) Buddhism and the Hindu- and Buddhist-inspired religions of South and Southeast Asia;
4. African religions, or the cults of the tribal peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa, but excluding ancient Egyptian religion, which is considered to belong to the ancient Middle East;
5. American religions, consisting of the beliefs and practices of the Indian peoples indigenous to the two American continents;
6. Oceanic religionsâ€"i.e., the religious systems of the peoples of the Pacific islands, Australia, and New Zealand; and
7. Classical religions of ancient Greece and Rome and their Hellenistic descendants.

Middle Eastern religions

Abrahamic or Western Asian religions

In the study of comparative religion, the category of Abrahamic religions consists of the three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which claim Abraham (Hebrew Avraham אַ×'ְרָ×"ָם ; Arabic Ibrahim إبراهيم ) as a part of their sacred history. Other religions (such as the Bahá'í Faith) that fit this description are sometimes included but are often omitted.

The original belief in the One God of Abraham eventually became present-day Rabbinic Judaism. Christians believe that Christianity is the fulfillment and continuation of the Jewish Old Testament. Christians believe that Jesus (Hebrew Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ) is the Messiah (Christ) foretold in the Old Testament prophecy, and believe in subsequent New Testament revelations based on the divine authority of Jesus in Christian belief (as the Incarnation of God). Islam believes the present Christian and Jewish scriptures have been corrupted over time and are no longer the original divine revelations as given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. For Muslims, the Qur'an is the final, complete revelation from God (Arabic الله Allah), who believe it to have been revealed to Muhammad, who is believed by Muslims to be the final prophet of Islam.

Christianity and Judaism are two closely related Abrahamic religions that in some ways parallel each other and in other ways diverge in theology and practice.

The historical interaction of Islam and Judaism started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of Islam. There are many common aspects between Islam and Judaism, and as Islam developed, it gradually became the major religion closest to Judaism. As opposed to Christianity, which originated from interaction between ancient Greek and Hebrew cultures, Judaism is very similar to Islam in its fundamental religious outlook, structure, jurisprudence and practice. There are many traditions within Islam originating from traditions within the Hebrew Bible or from post-biblical Jewish traditions. These practices are known collectively as the Isra'iliyat.

The historical interaction between Christianity and Islam connects fundamental ideas in Christianity with similar ones in Islam. Islam accepts many aspects of Christianity as part of its faith - with some differences in interpretation - and rejects other aspects. Islam believes the Qur'an is the final revelation from God and a completion of all previous revelations, including the Bible.

Iranian religions

Several important religions and religious movements originated in Greater Iran, that is, among speakers of various Iranian languages and hence with an Iranian cultural background. They include Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Zurvanism, Mandaeism, Manichaeism and Mazdakism.

Indian religions

Indian religions refers to a number of religions that have originated on the Indian subcontinent. They encompass Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Buddhism and modern Hinduism are both post-Vedic religions. Gautama Buddha is mentioned as an Avatar of Vishnu in the Puranic texts of Hinduism. Some Hindus believe the Buddha accepted and incorporated many tenets of Hinduism in his doctrine, however, Buddhists disagree and state there was no such thing as Hinduism at the time of Buddha and in fact, "Indeed, it absorbed so many Buddhist traits that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the latter in medieval and later Hinduism." Prominent Hindu reformers such as Gandhi and Vivekananda acknowledge Buddhist influence. Gandhi, like Hindus, did not believe Buddha established a non-Hindu tradition. He writes, "I do not regard Jainism or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism."

East Asian or Taoic religions

A Taoic religion is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"). This forms a large group of religions including Taoism, Confucianism, Jeung San Do, Shinto, I-Kuan Tao, Chondogyo, Chen Tao and Cao Dai. In large parts of East Asia, Buddhism has taken on some taoic features.

Tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order. It is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced and ordered and is associated with nature, due to a belief that nature demonstrates the Tao. The flow of Ch'i, as the essential energy of action and existence, is compared to the universal order of Tao. Following the Tao is also associated with a "proper" attitude, morality and lifestyle. This is intimately tied to the complex concept of De, or literally "virtue" or "power." De is the active expression of Tao.

Taoism and Ch'an Buddhism for centuries had a mutual influence on each other in China, Korea and Vietnam. These influences were inherited by Zen Buddhism when Ch'an Buddhism arrived in Japan and adapted as Zen Buddhism.

Comparing traditions

Bahá'í Faith

• Bahá'í Faith and the unity of religion
• Bahá'í Faith and Buddhism
• Bahá'í Faith and Hinduism
• Bahá'í Faith and Zoroastrianism

Buddhism

• Bahá'í Faith and Buddhism
• Buddhism and Christianity
• Buddhism and Eastern religions
• Buddhism and Gnosticism
• Buddhism and Hinduism
• Buddhism and Jainism
• Buddhism and Theosophy
• Buddhism and Sikhism
• Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity

Christianity

• Christianity and other religions
• Buddhism and Christianity
• Comparison of Buddhism and Christianity
• Christianity and Islam
• Christianity and Judaism
• Christianity and Neopaganism
• Christianity and Paganism
• Christianity and Vodou

Mormonism

• Mormonism and Christianity
• Mormonism and Islam
• Mormonism and Judaism

Hinduism

• Hinduism and other religions
• Ayyavazhi and Hinduism
• Bahá'í Faith and Hinduism
• Buddhism and Hinduism
• Hinduâ€"Islamic relations

Islam

• Islam and other religions
• Christianity and Islam
• Hinduâ€"Islamic relations
• Islam and Jainism
• Islamicâ€"Jewish relations
• Ahmadiyyaâ€"Jewish relations

• Islam and Sikhism
• Mormonism and Islam

Jainism

• Buddhism and Jainism
• Islam and Jainism
• Jainism and Sikhism

Judaism

• Christianity and Judaism
• Islamicâ€"Jewish relations
• Ahmadiyyaâ€"Jewish relations
• Hinduism and Judaism

Paganism and Neopaganism

• Christianity and Paganism
• Christianity and Neopaganism

Sikhism

• Hinduism and Sikhism
• Islam and Sikhism
• Jainism and Sikhism

Taoism

• Taoism and other religions

Zoroastrianism

• Zoroastrianism and other religions

See also

• Comparative mythology
• Hierographology
• Inclusivism
• Institute for Interreligious Dialogue
• Interfaith
• List of religions
• Panbabylonism
• Parallelomania
• Patternism
• Religious pluralism

References

Further reading

• Eastman, Roger (1999) The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition. ISBN 978-0-19-511835-3.
• Momen, Moojan (2009) [Originally published as The Phenomenon of Religion in 1999]. Understanding Religion: A Thematic Approach. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 978-1-85168-599-8. 
• Muhiyaddin, M. A. (1984) A Comparative Study of the Religions of Today. Vantage Press, USA. ISBN 978-0533059638.
• Smith, Huston (1991) The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. HarperOne, USA; Rev Rep edition. ISBN 978-0062508119.

External links

• Patheos.com's Side-By-Side Comparative "Lenses"
• ReligiousTolerance.org
• ReligionFacts.com
• Comparative-religion.com
• Studies in Comparative Religion
• Answers to Questions of Faith From Several Worldviews
• Comparative Religion studies inspired by Aldous Huxley's - The Perennial Philosophy