As a Christian I have never really given much thought to other religions. My primary concentration has been on being a Christian, a member of the Baptist Church. Following the teachings of the Pastor and elders in my Church has been my focus. However, my perspective and thought process is very different today as it relates to religion. My interest has been peaked and I am curious to understand how all religions relate to each other since most were outgrowths of other religions.

The most significant historical thing that I learned is that Christianity originated from Judaism which is the oldest living religion. I am also now aware that Christianity has the largest following in the World. In North America most people practice Christ

It is my opinion, as it relates to the course curriculum, that the course offered provides for a fresh perspective on the introduction to religion but there was one religion that I did not learn about as fully as I would have liked. During class we referred to Christianity often but we did not study it in-depth. This left a lot of questions open for me. I also felt that the visual presentations could be improved upon. The films that were shown were of interest but I really did not learn much through viewing of the films. Also, the films were a bit outdated and could have focused on more recent events surrounding religion.

Faiths that were developed in India are very different as compared to Christianity which relates to theology and a belief in one God. For instance, Jainism is more ethical in that it is revolved around the moral life of a person and relates to philosophy of life. Hinduism, which has the largest following, is different because those practicing this religion believe in more than one god or goddess and have three major concepts which are absolute, reality, rebirth and liberation. Buddhism is also much different from Christianity. The major differences include the fact that Buddhists do not worship a God or creator. Instead they worship all spiritual beings including, animals, gods, a Buddha, and other holy persons. Additionally, there is no “holy” book or transcriptions written by a Buddha.

In Japan, Shinto, which is the national religion, is the most widely practices religion. If I had to make a comparison I would say that Shinto is more like the religions of China since there is no belief in one God as a creator. The religion is centered more on the Japanese value system as it relates to social behavior and personal motivation. The Shinto religion does have a similarity to Christianity in that commitment and loyalty is a guiding principle of both religions.

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