- 7 characteristics shared by the main religions
- They keep deeds
- They have gods and prophets
- They have a place of worship
- What is there after death?
- Symbols
- Moral guide
- Art and iconography
- References
Some of the characteristics of religion are the worship of gods or prophets, beliefs in a system of norms and values, symbols or places of worship.
Religion is a system of beliefs and moral norms that serve as a spiritual guide for the human being; the mythology that compose them and their main characteristics vary between culture and culture.
There are a large number of religions in the world, but the main ones - those with the most believers - are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Some historians have contributed ideas of how man could have his first approaches to religion.
It is believed that it began with animism, a belief system of some indigenous peoples who consider the existence of a spiritual nucleus in people, objects and places; others consider naturalism - the explanation of natural phenomena - as the origin.
However, given the diversity of religions, the existence of an established origin is a controversial idea.
Despite everything, the truth is that religion has marked characteristics that have been shared throughout history and between cultures.
7 characteristics shared by the main religions
Today we know the components of different religions, their differences, their similarities and the guide of ideals and norms that they represent. These are some of them.
They keep deeds
The main religions have scriptures that tell their mythology, their belief system and their ethical code.
In Christianity is the Bible, a compilation of texts originally in Hebrew and Aramaic that talks about the creation and life of Jesus Christ.
Such is the importance of this book in the history of humanity, that it is the first book to be printed, it has been translated into 2,454 languages and it is the best-selling literary piece in the world.
The Bible also talks about the commandments that the Christian of faith must observe, similar to how it occurs in the Koran, the holy scriptures of Islam that are the basis not only for religious performance, but also for Islamic culture.
Other religions that have texts are Hinduism (Shruti and Smiriti), Judaism (Torah) and Buddhism (stories about the life of Buddha Gautama).
They have gods and prophets
Another common feature among religions is the worship of one or more deities. This separates the religions into two variants: monotheistic (they worship a God) and polytheistic (they worship a group of divinities).
In ancient times, religious systems explained natural phenomena - among other things - by means of divinities.
Ancient Greek and Mayan civilizations, for example, were polytheistic and had gods of thunder, rain, sun, and moon. Other religions, such as the Compilation of Hindu beliefs, feature a large number of deities (believed to be millions).
The monotheistic religions have for their part a single divinity and a prophet in charge of preaching it on Earth, like God in Christianity, who is considered the creator of man and the universe.
The Christian religion affirms that God put his son and prophet Jesus Christ among men to preach his word. In parallel there are Allah in Islam and his prophet Muhammad.
They have a place of worship
One of the main icons of religiosity are its temples, places of worship whose architecture, site and purpose vary between religious groups.
In the Jewish religion are the synagogues, whose characteristic position indicates that there are Jewish practitioners in the immediate surroundings.
Buddhist monks in Thailand
For the Christian religion, these temples range from small churches to large cathedrals and culturally it is a symbol of refuge.
On the other hand, for followers of the Islamic faith, these places of worship are called mosques and also serve to hold social events.
What is there after death?
One of the bases of religiosity - in some cases - is the belief in a life after death. The Christian religion speaks of a place to go after death known as paradise (and its counterpart as hell).
The place assigned will depend on compliance with religious statutes and complying with the moral standards of Christianity. Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, on the other hand, handle the concept of reincarnation.
The man can return in different forms, which will be given according to his behavior in a past life.
In these religions the term "karma" is used, the force that controls the destiny of life; good karma or bad karma will influence the quality of future life.
Symbols
The different religions of the world have symbols or emblems that identify them. In the past, when man declared wars to expand his religion, these symbols were a banner.
The Christian religion, with more than 2 billion believers, has a vertical cross alluding to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Symbols of the main religions
Islam is identified by a crescent moon and a star, a symbol that is also associated with the Ottoman Empire and appears on the flags of countries that used to belong to this region.
Judaism is represented by the Star of David, the symbol of Hebrew cultures.
For its part, Hinduism is identified with the mantra "Om" written in the Indian syllabary devánagari (ॐ), considered the primordial sound and basis of divine songs.
Moral guide
Among religions - as in philosophy - we can see a marked difference in statutes.
While Islam and Christianity manage a neighbor-centered way of life, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist religions and spiritual systems profess a search for balance and natural balance, where the introspection of the person is valued more.
These beliefs are led by a spiritual guide. In Christianity this person has a role of pastor or priest, Judaism has rabbis and Hinduism with gurus.
Art and iconography
Finally, we must recognize that religion has been responsible for innumerable offerings and tributes on the part of the human being.
There is a relationship between art and religion dating from prehistoric times, such as the example of the paintings found in the Chauvet cave, part of a funeral rite.
Prayer in Cairo (1865) by Jean-Leon Gerome
Since then, man has created images related to religiosity and its icons, as Michelangelo did with the Christian iconography of the Sistine Chapel, or the relationship found between Arab architecture based on patterned geometric figures that represent perfection. and divinity of God in Islam.
References
- Fernández, S. (2017) What are the main religions of the world? Travel Jet. Recovered from viajejet.com
- Fordham, C. (2016) A Brief History of Religion. The Huffington Post. Recovered from huffingtonpost.com
- Goldammer, A. and Moritz, K. (sf) Religious symbolism and iconography, Encyclopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com
- Pecorino, P. (sf) What is Religion ?. Social Sciences: Philosophy of Religion. Recovered from qcc.cuny.edu
- N. (sf) Polytheism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com