The Religion Book : Big Ideas Simply Explained | Summary

 The Religion Book : Big Ideas Simply Explained

Religion helps people to make sense of the world

Religion goes back through the entire thread of history. As far back as our cave-dwelling ancestors, we can see evidence of a belief or faith system from drawings on cave walls and historical accounts of burial ceremonies. Two main subjects draw humans to religion: continuation to the afterlife and the desire to make sense of the world.

From unexplained weather phenomena to how we came to live on this planet, religion provides comfort for millions of people around the world and has been that way for centuries. We have pieced together the different religious customs and ceremonies of past civilizations from the relics found during excavations, providing a fascinating glimpse into history. However, in many religions, the central tenets of those faiths haven’t changed a considerable amount since their beginnings. Of course, life has evolved, yet the basics have remained static.

Every religion believes something slightly different from the others, yet the basics are often very similar in construction.

Religion and morality are tied together exceptionally closely. It is the general idea of good versus evil, and to get into heaven or succeed in the afterlife, you need to be and do good. With that in mind, many religions guide followers on living a life that will help them achieve that aim. Morality differs from religion to religion, but every single main religion has a strong focus on the afterlife.

Learning more about the main religions worldwide helps knock down the walls of confusion and ensures everyone can become more open-minded and accepting of one another. It’s also very interesting to learn more about different religions that perhaps you don’t know too much about, making this summary an enlightening read on many levels.

The basics of ancient religion still influence the main religions of today

We tend to think about the main religions we still see today, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. However, many civilizations throughout ancient history had different belief systems. These systems helped shape society in particular parts of the world, e.g., Egypt, and connect with the major faiths we see.

We’ve established that the afterlife is a strong thread running through every religion. Still, perhaps the Ancient Egyptians are most famous for their elaborate rituals to ensure passage to the afterlife. Bowing down to Osiris, Lord of the Afterlife, ancient Egyptians often created considerable offerings to the dead, including constructing the Great Pyramids and a series of tombs found underneath. Even the rituals we read about, such as mummifying and embalming, were all to ensure passage to the afterlife, or Aaru.

Egyptians wanted to live after their death as perfected beings in Aaru, the field of reeds, which was itself a perfected version of the Egypt they already knew.

Another historical being known to help shape the idea of religion and passage into the afterlife was Confucius. A Chinese scholar, Confucius explored the idea of being a good person and whether that helped you to pass into the afterlife or whether “goodness” is something you were born with.

For acceptance into the afterlife, a person should focus on doing good throughout their life. However, this should be for no benefit of their own, but simply because they can.

Confucius’ idea of morality deemed that a person could learn to be good to ensure acceptance to the afterlife. This includes doing good deeds for others, reading, and learning for no reason other than to do it, and focusing on achieving something called “ren.” Ren is summed up as “humaneness.” Confucius stated that someone who can do these things could ensure their acceptance into heaven.

Did you know? The Ancient Egyptians believed that every person had a shadow. This shadow helped to protect them and allowed them to make good choices throughout life.

Hindus have no single God yet focus on living a virtuous life

The Hindu religion can be traced back to around 1700 BCE and is based upon the Four Vedas. These are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu religion, and they are written in Sanskrit. The religion bases itself on tradition, and despite its status as a religion, it doesn’t follow the same regular guidelines, i.e., Hindus do not have a single deity or God.

Hinduism is often confusing because it covers many slightly different religions that span across India. Many customs vary widely from place to place, but the very basics of how people live their lives remain the same.

“Hindu” translates roughly to “Indian,” which, when compared to other religions, makes it more of a way of life than a traditional belief system.

Despite having no named deity or Prophet, Hindus follow the theory of samsara. This is the life cycle of birth, following on to death and rebirth of the soul, which is called “atman.” There is also the strong desire to attain moksha, which is the release from the endless cycle of life, or death, and progression to the afterlife.

As with most other religions, to be admitted to the afterlife, you must conduct yourself in a certain way during life. Hindus believe this to be called “dharma,” which means living in the “right” way, being virtuous and appropriate. However, those are very loose terms and could be open to many different interpretations. That is perhaps why many Hindus live in a much stricter way than others.

The teachings of Buddha led to the establishment of the Buddhist religion

An interesting fact about Buddhism is that it didn’t become a religion until many years after the death of Buddha himself. The teachings of Buddha were passed through his scholars, eventually leading to followers living their lives to reach the same level of enlightenment.

Mediation is considered a solid tool to help Buddhists reach spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

Although Buddhism does have a central figure to focus upon, it is similar to Hinduism, considered to be much more philosophical than some of the other established religions around the world, and has different variations spread across the Asian region. Also interesting are the teachings of Buddha, which were not established because of a vision or message but received but from his own experiences.

Many years after Buddha passed away, his teachings, printed in the Tipitaka, explain how you can reach a state of enlightenment and see the path towards nirvana. At this point, you are above typical human desires and attachments, two things Buddha believed to stand in the way of human happiness and satisfaction. From this, the Four Noble Truths were founded:

• Dukkha, the main focus of suffering

• Samudaya, the cause of suffering

• Nirodha, the truth of the end of suffering

• Magga, the truth of the path to ending suffering

By achieving Magga (a difficult task), followers are on their way to the Middle Way, the same path Buddha followed to total enlightenment.

Nirvana is the ultimate goal for every Buddhist—reaching spiritual enlightenment at its highest level.

Jews have been persecuted for years yet hold firmly to their beliefs

Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you consider Judaism is the Holocaust. However, this isn’t the first and only persecution that Jewish people have faced throughout the years. The Jewish religion is perhaps the oldest and most misunderstood of all religions, dating back to around 2000 BCE.

The Hebrew Bible, often referred to as the Torah, outlines God creating the world and His connection with Jews in the Canaan region. God made a promise to the Prophet Abraham that He would protect the Jewish people. He said if they obeyed Him and His wishes, including circumcision to show their obedience, He would defend those who prayed and grant them Israel.

The unique agreement that the Jews have with God gives comfort to followers daily and helps them feel protected against hostile forces.

The Torah is so revered that nobody is allowed to touch it. It is kept in a safe spot within the synagogue and read using a pointer.

There is a tremendous amount of misunderstanding around the Jewish faith, and again, this has led to multiple persecutions throughout the centuries. By learning more about this ancient faith, we can ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself in the same horrific ways. The Jewish religion certainly has its apparent base in Israel; however, the historical horrors we have seen over the years have led to many Jews being displaced to other regions.

Largely because of their position as displaced immigrants and their distinctive faith, Jews have been widely persecuted throughout their history.

Christianity remains one of the most prevalent religions worldwide

Christianity dates back to around the 1st century BCE. Christians believe in one God and the Messiah, Jesus, who died on the cross and was resurrected to heaven, bringing salvation to humankind as a result of His sacrifices.

In the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God in human form, and when He came to earth, it was the start of the New Testament. As such, most of the Christian faith is based upon the teachings of Jesus throughout the Gospels and has a strong focus upon the importance of living a good life to be admitted to heaven as a result.

Perhaps the most important story in the Bible is the crucifixion and Jesus’ resurrection to heaven to be seated alongside God. The most important part of this story also refers to the Trinity. That means that God exists in three ways—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Roman Catholic religion is a branch of Christianity. That means that those who identify as Catholic are Christian. The other two branches of Christianity include Protestant and Orthodox. However, within these, you will also find different sub-branches, usually according to the country.

Catholic followers are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholics.

One of the differences between Christianity and many other religions is that Jesus is considered to be more than a prophet. In many other religions, Jesus is not considered to be the son of God.

The teachings of God as revealed in the Qur’an

Islam is an ancient religion that was founded in 610 CE. Another of the world’s religious groups that is highly misunderstood, Muslims live their lives focusing on doing good for others and committing themselves to God.

Of course, one of the reasons why Islam is so misunderstood is that many have taken the original teachings and twisted them into something which is far removed from what is actually contained within the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book. To better understand Islam, we need to strip away those preconceived notions and get back to basics, understanding the reality of what life is like as a Muslim.

What we see reported in the newspapers about Islam is extremely far from the mark. It’s essential to truly understand the religion and give respect to its followers.

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations directly from God to be contained within the Qur’an. This is considered the true message from Allah, or God, and was written in Arabic.

Islam believes in one God, and Muslims dedicate their life to serving Allah. Life is considered a gift from God, and as such, it should be conducted in the right way, avoiding sin and temptation. On the Day of Judgement, it will be how a person lived their life that determines whether they will go to heaven or hell.

The holiest city in Islam is Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and many Muslims spend their days in and around the local community mosque there. The Five Pillars of Islam are:

• Shahada, the profession of faith

• Salat, prayer

• Zakat, almsgiving, or offering worship to Allah

• Sawm, fasting

• Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, to be closer to Allah

Conclusion

No religion is better or more important than another. All religions are equal. That is something we all need to understand from the start. What one person chooses to believe and how they choose to live their life is their personal choice. We should all respect individual choices and simply learn to live side by side in harmony.

That would be a perfect world, wouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, religion has caused divisions throughout history and even continues to do so in the modern world. The key to knocking down these walls is to understand religions and their true nature. When you see small snapshots of what a religion is “supposed to be” about, it’s easy to form an opinion. However, it’s vital to learn more and understand the facts.

Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions out there, alongside Judaism. However, there are countless myths and fake rumors about all the others too. Religion remains a dividing subject but one which is designed to bring people together. If we want to live in a harmonious world, we need to understand that the religion a person chooses and how they decide to live their lives is what brings them comfort and reassurance in this challenging world we live in. It’s nobody else’s business to judge or pass an opinion.

Of course, religion as a subject is fascinating too. Perhaps by reading about different religions, you may decide to delve a little deeper and learn even more. Religion isn’t for everyone, but it’s often most crucial for those who choose to live a religious life.

Try this

• If you want to learn more about the religion that perhaps a friend or colleague follows, it’s fine to ask questions as long as you do it respectfully. Ask if they mind and then have a deep conversation to learn even more.

• Cast aside any preconceived ideas you may have about a particular religion and simply see it for what it is—a personal choice that someone has made to live their lives.

• Explore your own ideas and thoughts on religion and see if they’ve changed after spending time with this summary.