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Are all Religions the Same?

Comparison Paper
by Alyssa Carn
May 2, 2016

Introduction:
There are so many definitions and ideas about what religion is. Religion is defined as a
particular response to dimensions of life considered sacred, as shaped by institutionalized
tradition (Fisher, p. 2-3). Religion is also described as a system of symbols through which
people orient themselves in the world with reference to ultimate reality (Jacobs). All religions
have many beliefs, sacred books/texts, and different influencers that brought the religion to life.
By looking at the religions of Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity, it is apparent that even
though they are different there may be similarities between them, which is important because
knowing these differences and similarities might allow them to be more united in some ways and
also create more respect for each other.
Beliefs:

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In Buddhism, the biggest belief is in the Dharma, which was given and taught by Buddha.
Buddhist see the world as suffering, nothing is permanent, and there is no eternal self. Their
beliefs are based on the idea that to reach liberation, or Nirvana, they must follow the teachings
of Buddha. Buddhist also believe in reincarnation as part of the cycle of birth and death, but
eventually there will be an end. They believe that, depending on their actions, or karma, of their
last life they will be able to return to this world into a different object or body, which isnt
permanent. They believe in wisdom and knowledge that can be seen.
Jewish beliefs arent always clear, because they have many different worshipers around
the world. Their beliefs are based primarily on the Hebrew Bible called the Tanakh. The Torah
also is the bases of their beliefs. They believe in the stories of Abraham and Moses. They believe
in the Twelve Tribes of Israel, which were said to be Abrahams descendants (Fisher, p. 251).
Judaists believe in a covenant, which is a special covenantal relationship between the Jewish
people and God (Fisher, p. 251). They also believe that the main purpose of this life is to get
closer to God.
Christians believe in Jesus who is the bases of their religion. They follow the teachings
of Jesus and believe in his life. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah, who was sent down to
save them and guide them in this world. They believe in the Bible, especially, the New
Testament. They believe that Jesus was crucified and he was resurrected. They believe in the
love of Jesus and of others. Christians believe in a heaven and following the commandments.
Similarly, all three religions have a very high stand of their beliefs. Jews and Christians
both believe in a Messiah that did or will come. The Jews thought that he was a different person.
They all believe that in some way their actions can be a major impact on them in the future.
Buddhists through karma and Christians and Jews through keeping the commandments. All of
these religions have a belief that they can be liberated from sin or suffering.

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Looking at their differences, Buddhists believe differently about a higher power than
Jews and Christians. Buddhists dont believe in a higher power. They might believe in a higher
self, but not in an eternal self. Jews and Christians believe in God, but in different ways. Jews
dont believe that Jesus is the Messiah. They believe that he was an entirely different person.
Another difference is that Buddhist dont believe in the Bible, but Jews and Christians do believe
that it is a very sacred book in their own ways.
Sacred Books/Texts:
For the Buddhists, there are many precious and sacred texts that they use in their religion.
The Dharma, which was mentioned earlier, is a collection of Buddhas teachings. The Dharma
consists of the Three Marks of Existence, the Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths, and other
specific and sacred texts. The Buddha diagnosed the human condition and proposed a cure, one
step at a time is the bases of the Four Noble Truths (Fisher, p. 144). The bases of the Four Noble
Truths is describing that there is suffering, but the cure is called the Eightfold Path.
Judaisms sacred book is the Torah and the Hebrew Bible called the Tanakh. The five
books of Moses are the Torah, which is considered the most sacred part of the scriptures
(Fisher, p.248). The Torah is first part of the Hebrew Bible.
The Christians sacred book is the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament, and
the New Testament. The New Testament is very important to Christians. They read and study
these book because it teaches them about Jesus and his teachings.
It can be hard to find similarities to those sacred texts because it almost doesnt seem
right to compare them. The biggest similarity between all of those books is that they are there to
teach the worshipers about their religion. These texts give good examples of how to live their
lives in the best way possible. All of those sacred texts are examples to live by in order to gain
happiness or enlightenment in some shape or form. In some way or another all those books are
important and sacred to each religious group. Those are sacred books and texts that teach and
guide the people of that certain religion.

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The differences of the text are separated by the teachings. The Dharma explains how to
get saved from suffering in this world. The Dharma is to help the worshiper to be able to reach
the farther shore, which is Nirvana or liberation (Fisher, p. 143). That was one of the many
ultimate purposes of the Dharma. The Torah, used by the Jews, teaches to the worshiper about
the prophets and people before them. The Torah teaches them about the Israelites and Moses. The
Torah is used to guide the people to righteousness. In Christianity, the bible was, most
importantly, to lead the people toward Jesuss teachings, which were in the New Testament.
Influencers of the Beginning:
Buddhism started off by a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who was later named
Shakyamuni Buddha. Through the Middle Path and deep meditation, he came to great realization
of the wheel of death and rebirth. Most importantly he realized the cause of suffering and the
means for ending it (Fisher, p. 140) His teachings created what is called the Dharma. He wanted
to show his followers of the great wisdom that he came to realize. By that they may be able to
reach liberation from the sufferings of this world.
It is hard to describe who was the founder of Judaism because it has no single founder
and no central leader (Fisher, p. 246). Abraham, Moses, and Ezra were a few prophets that
founded Judaism, but they were all alive at different time periods. Abraham was the first
patriarch, which makes him important to Jews. Moses brought the Israelites out of bondage and
had the Ten Commandments revealed to him on Mount Sinai. Ezra wrote the Torah down for the
first time. These were very important men during their time that they were alive. They are also
considered to be very important men to Jews today.
The Christians started off similarly as the Jews, except their founder is Jesus. The
Christians have used the stories of the Bible, and the New Testament, which is based on Jesus
and his teachings. Jesus is considered the Messiah (Fisher, p. 307). Stories in the Bible taught
that he made remarkable miracles happen for his followers that blessed them. Jesus is the biggest

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influencer of this religion. He taught about love and kindness. Most Christians celebrate Jesuss
birth because he is very important to Christianity.
Similarly, the people who founded these religions did it because it was the path that they
knew was right. They believed somethings needed to change about this world so they did
something about it. They followed God or a realization that they needed to make improvements
it this world. They all did what they knew was true and what they believed in.
The differences that you can make about the people who influenced their religion are that
they were all different people with different names and different expectations. They all came to
different realizations of their callings that influenced and impacted their religion in different
ways. Buddha found realization by meditating, fasting, extreme self-denial, exposure to the four
sights (Fisher, p. 138), and a deep unsatisfied mind and soul about this world. The prophets of
Judaism and Christianity were men, who had a certain task from God that lead them to guide
their people in different ways. Jesus, in Christianity, is a glorified man who did exactly what God
intended him to do, which lead the church the way it was intended be.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity are very different in their teachings
and believes, but through all of these differences they somehow end up having a few similarities.
These similarities give these religions a certain unity between each other. All the religions,
including Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity, are all unique in their own way. I believe that by
learning about each religion and their uniqueness we all can gain more respect for each religion
and for each other. Learning about their differences and similarities is just another way to see
how amazingly unique all religions are in some way, shape, or form.

Work Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999. Print