The Three Main Religious Groups Of Southwest Asia

Religion as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the belief in a god or in a group of gods; an organized

Religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, principles and practices that define the relations between human being and sacred or

Religions in South and East Asia like Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and legalism have all helped unite people and create a way of living in the “right” way. Not only did religion and beliefs bring people together as a whole but also gave them a standard on how to live their life. In south Asia the religions Buddhism and Hinduism helped unite India under religion. Legalism helped stop the warring states period in china. Religion is a powerful force that can help people in many ways but can also cause conflict between opposing religions.

Southwest Asia is home to a variety of cultures as well as religions. It has an significant past with three major religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. It is quite remarkable that Southwest Asia has been a holy place for all three, and although it causes turmoil it is important to understand the three religions and their customs. Such information may help us not to judge so quickly or perhaps to grow in our knowledge about the world. Hopefully this will help everyone to have a wider view of the world than just the town they reside in or even the country they live in.

The three most popular religions in Southwest Asia are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. These religions have similarities like they all believe in God but different ways. There are different ways these religions worship God. There are many holy days in these religions that get celebrated. The holy books that these religions read are similar in a way but different in many ways. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism could come in conflict with each other because one religion won’t agree with what the other religions are teaching.

The three major religious of Southwest Asia are Christianity, Judaism and Islamic. Christianity was born first from the Jews. Then Islamic developed from both Christianity and Jewish. All three of these religions were born in the Middle East and even though they are different they all are connected to one another.

In Wikipedia religion is defined“A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to an order of existence.” There are approximately more than four thousand religion in the world. Christianity and Islam are part of the major significant religion.

The eastern religions that we have discussed in class are Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The western religions that we have discussed in class are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The Eastern Religions have originated in countries such as China, India, and Japan. The western religions originated in Europe and the Americas. There are few similarities between eastern religions and western religions, but many differences. The biggest difference between the two religions is that eastern religions believe in more than one god, whereas western religions believe in one God.

The main Chinese religions have many key features. The main religions include shamanism/ancestor reverence, Confucianism, Daoism, Mahayana Buddhism, and idol worship. These 5 religions share some features in common. For example, Chinese popular religion focuses on the human being’s pursuit of health, wealth, and happiness in their lives (quote the textbook). Chinese popular religions want the human to be doing well and succeeding in their day-to-day activities of their lives. Another key component of the main Chinese religions is respecting one’s elders. The religions teach the importance of obeying the commands of the elders and honoring the family name. The Chinese allow place a strong emphasis on the temple. The temple is a place where the people could communicate, understand, and learn about their gods (quote the textbook). The next subsections will be describing the key religious practices of each of the 5 Chinese religions.

Judaism is different from Islam and Christianity in surprisingly different ways considering that this was the starting religion and all other religions branched off from here. Jews believe that the Torah is the most important part of the holy book, which is called Tenakh and is written in Hebrew. The holy book has three distinct parts called Neviim, Ketuvim, and torah. They believe that about 3,000 years ago, God gave the torah to Moses, Judaism’s most important prophet. Judaism’s rituals involve breaking of Shabbat bread, and sharing wine. They worship on Friday evening and Saturday morning. They come together at a Holy building called a synagogue to pray. Jews are orthodox, conservative and reformed.

The spread of religion first began through contact with neighbouring countries which gradually expand throughout the years. Buddhism and Islam are one of the most widespread religions across Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Trade merchants and imperial support of the religion were major factors in the facilitation and localization of the spread of Buddhism and Islam within Southeast Asia. However, there were also limitations presented which hindered the development of each religion in within their countries as introduction of newer religions and changes to political and imperial power would have affected the progression to become fully localised pre-1800s.

Religion is defined as "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God" . There are many recognised religions of the world, which all teach its followers to live life "the right way", whose definition varies according to the religion itself. They have some beliefs and practices that distinguish themselves from each other. Some examples are differences and similarities of Buddhism and Islam.

Religion is defined as "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God" . There are many recognised religions of the world, which all teach its followers to live life "the right way", whose definition varies according to the religion itself. They have some beliefs and practices that distinguish themselves from each other. Some examples are differences and similarities of Buddhism and Islam.

The South Asian religions contain a variety of concepts of divine beings that are based on the different views that have came from these cultures and religion practices as well as stories that have been told since BC. In Hinduism they conceptualize and worship the divine beings as absolutely everything. In Buddhism there is a very similar view but it goes more in depth with the Buddha. Jainism involves the idea of being in an endless life cycle that is carried around through one's soul.

Southwest Asia is a region of conflict; many of the countries maintain power through military superiority and dominance. Many governments and regimes have risen to power but only to collapse due to the constant conflict in the region. This is why it has been important for governments and regimes to maintain a strong military to keep order in the region. However, one small country, Qatar does not maintain dominance through military superiority. Despite being one of the smallest countries and having a minimal military Qatar has become a major influence and power though means of economic and political influence in Southwest Asia.