Why Do We Do Things Differently?

Stephen Prothero’s “God Is Not One” is a survey of world religions, comprising vital information on a vast array of different sets of belief. As someone who has never studied religion before, nor belongs to a particular faith, the variability within these religions is staggering. One might be satisfied to define religion as “how a person goes about believing in God,” but soon finds that even that definition has its holes. Thankfully, “God Is Not One” does an amazing job of cluing its reader into the nuances that are sometimes forgotten about the religions it approaches.

Religions across the globe have their own distinctive rites and rituals, idols, traditions, and values. Each have in common a desire to explain something unexplainable by common wisdom, or attributing some aspect of life to some higher power. Many religions have at their heart etiological stories, which explain some sort of natural phenomenon through the physical manifestation of their deity or deities. From high winds and thunderstorms to love, fertility, and the sun, such religions focus on the physical world in this life. Other religions try to explain the "next" life or the afterlife. These religions usually give a moral code to live by, with stricter adherence to this code offering a better afterlife.

All religions are similar in a manner, appreciating life, doing good, respecting others..etc yet they still have their differences, the differences that gives it, its uniqueness. And the person practising it, his individuality.

There are many religions throughout the world today. Although there are several different religions, many individuals are not educated about the other beliefs besides there own. Religions today do have differences but are also very much the same. This is demonstrated between the religion of Yoruba, and Christianity. The Gods that the people in these religions worship are different but have the same purpose throughout the lives of each individual. Each individual’s purpose and goal in these religions also display similarities. Furthermore the rituals that are done throughout these religions are done for directions and to improve the relationship between the individual and their god. There are various differences and similarities between

Religions have very distinct differences because every religion has something that another one does not. The differences can even cause conflicts between different religions even if they are in the same family. Religions also have similarities that can cause feuds to end if people use it in the right way. You can see these similarities and differences in Hinduism and Native American religions if you look at how they do their rituals, rites of passage, view of gods, view of holy book, afterlife, and the role of women.

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have similar origins, development, beliefs, and sacred texts. Contrary to popular belief all three of these religions share more common ground than one would think. The differences are present of course, but the similarities help one understand where all three were derived from and why. All of the religions share the common ground as to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the belief of monotheism, and “ethical standards required social justice for individuals and for the community” (144). Judaism is the oldest religion out of the three, then falls Christianity, and lastly Islam.

Everything that exists today such as life on earth is known to eventually come to an end. Most religions believe in the day of judgment and it is generally defined to be the day that God judges the moral worth of the individual humans or the whole human race. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are three of the worlds largest religions that have created controversy between many countries over how they view some aspects of religion such as the day of judgement.

For thousands of years, the concept of God and religion has been on the frontlines of thought and conversation. There are many variations of religion, each with their own beliefs and practices. Many people struggle with their concept of religion. Judaism and Islam have their own similarities and differences, many of which are illustrated in the evolving beliefs and values of Antonio in Rudolfo A. Anaya's Bless Me,

There are may religions in the world, but through out the different religions there are many crossovers and similarities. Mattie Stepanek said “It doesn't matter how you pray. Just pray. All religions are beautiful and they all have one common belief. There's something bigger and greater than us that can give us and take from us life. It is better than the here and now”. Religion itself means “a belief in and worship of a greater power” (dictionary.com). By people believing in any kind of religion, it means that similarities can start there. With so many religions having similarities, it might be hard to distinguish from certain religions from another. Religions like of African and Native Americans might not at first seem alike, but as you look deeper into their religions and see they have similarities. These similarities are attributed as beliefs, rituals, and history. Their growths and struggles might not have happened at the same time, but both religions are still celebrated today.

The definition of religion is, “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects” (“Religion”). Many of the world religions at first glance appear to be very similar. However, on closer examination, the differences in the religions are made clear. For example, Mormonism is often described as a branch of Christianity because both religions have Jesus as a central figure. Despite this misconception, Mormonism and Christianity have major differences in their historical backgrounds, key writings, definitions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, beliefs about salvation and what happens after death, among other

Though each religion is unique, some religions have several traits in common. For example, many religions are polytheistic, meaning that there are many gods. But, some religions only believe in one god, meaning that the religion is monotheistic. The religions also have many things that differ with each other, like the sacred text, symbol, and traditions. These qualities are what make each religion different and special.

Religion has played a very important role in society and the history of mankind for over thousands of years. Originally created by ancient peoples as a way to explain the unknown, religion has greatly evolved and spread across the globe. As new religions have formed and spread, the diversity and similarities between these new religions have also increased, especially due to their geographic locations. Two civilizations in particular with both similar and distinct religions are ancient China, and ancient Egypt. Ancient Chinese religion and ancient Egyptian religion share many things in common with each other, yet at the same time they are

Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.

Each religion has a different perspective but most important is where the religions generated from. Major religions started in various parts of the world.

Christianity and Islam are two of the world’s largest and most recognized religions. They are both religions believing in one God and each has a holy book, the Qur’an and the Bible. Both books encourage belief in God and teach patience and honesty. They both also forbid lying and stealing and believe in some type of Heaven and Hell. So, if they have so much in common, why is there so much conflict between the two? This question is the exact reason why I chose to take World Religion. I thought it was important to learn and understand the beliefs of other religions so that I could better understand the issues affecting our society today. But that is easier said than done. It is hard to separate the actual religion from the outside