Concept of Supreme Being and Religious Actions Essay Example

necessary in controlling the outward behavior of a person as well as their internal behavior. Secondly, they help to guide individuals on how to conduct their religious obligations. Thirdly, vows can be used in determining the concentration of one’s heart. Furthermore, they help in preparing persons to the castigation of a puritan’s life. Vows help a person in soul emancipation as well as attainment of moksa. Lastly, the vows act as a code of conduct for lay persons. Outside the Jain community vows enable lay persons to be able to relate well with fellow humans who belong to other religions as well as maintaining environmental ethics. It also enables individuals to respond to major matters on development as well as economics through following equal tactics to development (Cort, 2001).

Both Hinduism and Sikhism trace their origins in Indian subcontinent with Hinduism being polytheistic with a few being monotheistic (Lipner 2009) and Sikhism monotheistic. Hindus believe in various rituals in the names of their gods explained using various theories while Sikhs are not believers of rituals. Idolatry is legal in Hinduism where various idols are used to represent various gods while Sikhism forbids idolatry (Singh and Fenech, 2004). Both Hindus and Sikhs use temples as places of worship as well as the concept of salvation referred to as mukti or moksha which is spiritual freedom. Both Sikhs and Hindus believe in rebirth where the cycle can only be broken when one attains a union with God, mukhti. They both believe in Maya where they view the world as an illusion that distracts one from worshipping God.

Being the world’s third largest religion, it is believed to have emerged

from Brahminism with no specific founder. Hinduism is symbolized by Aum, a sound used to refer to God during meditation and is made up of several religious group hence not recognized as a single religion. Hindus value practice compared to beliefs and believe in a supreme being called Brahman who is defined in form of gods and goddesses that they worship. They are also staunch believers of reincarnation as well as karma. Their spiritual objective is to merge with Brahma in a process called moksha where one attains spiritual freedom from reincarnation understanding, dedication, meditation and good deeds. They worship in shrines located in their houses and temples which is a communal place using a holy book called Sanskrit. Hindu carry out various practices which include worship, pilgrimage, cremation as well as the caste system (Klostermaier, 2007).

In summary, the world is made up of several religions that despite their differences believe in one Supreme Being. Believers are also expected to behave in a manner that is acceptable by religion and should avoid unjust ways that may separate them from God. As a result each religion has a code of conduct that members are to abide by.

References

• Cort, J. E. (2001). Jains in the World: Religious values and ideology in India. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Klostermaier, Klaus. (2007). A Survey of Hinduism (3rd Ed). State University of New York Press. pp. 173- 210.
• Lipner, J. J. (2009). Hindus: Their Religious beliefs and practices (2nd Ed). Routledge. pp. 8-20.
• Long, Matthew. (2011). Islamic Beliefs, Practices and Cultures. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. p 86.
• Singh, P. and Fenech, Louis. E. (2014). In the Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies.
  

Oxford University Press. p 131.