WHAT ALL RELIGIONS HAVE IN COMMON

By: ANUSHKA DWIVEDI

RELIGION

The Idea that God never came directly and instructed people to follow him rather always used a person from among the peoples. As in the case of Abrahamic religions ( Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and also Hinduism. In Abrahamic religions, there is One God who sent Messengers or Prophets. An almost same concept can be seen in Hinduism Where there is a God who appeared in many Avatars among the people as a human himself at different periods of time. All these messengers or avatars were able to do things that normal humans can’t do.

Religion can be defined as an organized system of beliefs by followers, ceremonies, practices, and worship that are centered around one supreme God, or deity. Religion can also be described as man’s attempt to gain the highest possible good for himself by living his life the best way he can according to some spiritual guidance.

Most religions have the following things in common:

• A supreme being to worship

• Sacred texts for instructions

• A golden rule to follow for instruction on how people should relate to others

• A pilgrimage that may or may not is required by some religions

The Golden Rule in all religions encourages people to treat others as they would like to be treated. It is stated in a way that people should be treated in a fair and just manner.

If you are wondering why there are only 12 major religions while there are hundreds of religions in the world, the answer is quite simple. Religion is considered major not because it is viewed as being more special than another. Instead, it is based on the number of current adherents in that particular religion.

The number of followers is based on census reports and population surveys that do change over the years. Because of the way questions are phrased on the surveys, it is difficult to get an accurate number of adherents, especially on informal and unorganized religions.

I think the most common thread among the vast majority of religions is the belief that your actions directly impact your destiny.