Out of this general lack of knowledge then, the individual would most likely have no knowledge of the diversity of religions within the United States, let alone the diversity present around the world. But occasionally, an individual decides to come out from under the sheltering protection of their religion to gain a better understanding of other beliefs. Unfortunately, what one finds is a vast array of religions with such "unconventional" rituals and beliefs, it can make it very difficult to try and decipher them. The author of this paper can appreciate problem because this exact situation happened. It will be the goal of this paper to allow the reader (and myself) an opportunity to get a better understanding of the diversity of the more prevalent religions in the United States, and abroad. This will be achieved by discussing

eastern religions and western religions, then finally comparing and contrasting the main ideologies of these religions of this modern era. To begin our discussion, we'll focus first on Hinduism. Hinduism is the third largest religion, with a history dating back to 1500 B.C.E. They gain their knowledge through their distinct scriptures written during relatively different time periods. These three different scriptures help to reform some of the teachings which had an effect on the practice of religion. Hinduism initially started out as a religion which practiced sacrifices and magic. With the addition of the second scripture, the "Upanishads" spoke of how people go through cycles of rebirth or "Samsara", to achieve "Moksha" which is liberation to holiness. In "Bhagavad Gita" or the third scripture, it introduces Hinduism to the concept of "Bhakti" which relates to devotion and love to god. Hinduism also believed in a caste system in which the people were born into certain segments of society. After being born into the low caste urban dwellers, the goal is to be reborn into an upper class caste system. Which carries with it greater social as well as religious benefits. Buddhism, also an eastern religion was originated around 563 B.C.E. Buddhism was created with the belief that all life is suffering because of desire. So to achieve "Nirvana", or the ultimate Buddha state, you must extinguish all desire. This was often done by Ascetism, or denying bodily needs as much as possible. Buddhism developed many branches which often emphasized similar as well as dissimilar beliefs and actions. But the modern day Buddhism does have characteristics of being a very psychological religion. Buddhism still focuses on suffering and evil, and that you must get beyond this to achieve the ultimate state. It also emphasizes that one should not get attached to personal things in this world, as it will not help you achieve nirvana. Finally, Buddhism as a general rule, is unclear if there is a supreme god or creator. Confucianism is a far east religion of China which has its own views and beliefs. Confucianism was founded by the Chinese teacher Confucius. Confucianism believes that traditions and stable order is essential for harmony. They believe in "Tien", which would be analogous with heaven in which an order is present which includes the universe and the whole cosmos. Dissimilar to earlier confucianism, current belief holds that there is no real appreciation for a monotheistic god. Also, relating to their emphasis on societal order, they naturally believe that the solution to evil is the proper order of society. The final goal of confucianism is to achieve harmony with the Way

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