Religion in the Public Sphere

Our world contains a remarkable diversity of religious traditions. In most cases, religion plays essential roles in the lives of the world’s population dictating how people live, eat, and even what they wear. While some religions believe in one God, some belief in many gods or no god at all.This encourages individuals of the particular faith to live a life of moral integrity and respect for everyone as they believe in specific promises of a future life after that. According to Harrison (2006), religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices that are often considered sacred and unite the believers in one single moral community referred to as a church. Harrison (2006) also posits that religion is a set of rituals, rationalized by certain beliefs, which mobilizes certain supreme powers with the purpose of transforming individuals into new creatures and also preventing them from sinning, hence stabilizing the society. This paper delves into various religions in the public sphere such as Buddhism, Islamic and Judaism discussing their beliefs, rituals, and mythology associated with them. It will also analyze the commonalities of the religions and how globalization has impacted them in the last 20 years.

Biographies of the speakers

Patel Agnivesh is a social-spiritual activist. Born in the early 1930s, Patel in his entire life has devoted himself in championing for human rights as well as respect for Buddhism religion. He has achieved this through the opening of schools that teach people on Buddhism culture, practices and beliefs. He has been a monk for close to 40 years in India and Thailand. In 2003, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for his dedication in promoting tolerance, cooperation, and understanding in matters of religion. He will be discussing Buddhism traditions, beliefs and rituals.

Sheikh Abdalla Mohammed is an Imam in Egypt. He studied sacred sciences, law, and religion in Egypt. He later trained as a judge in Egyptian courts. He is a former judge at Egypt Islamic courts, also a minister for Islamic Affairs and Education. In Egypt, he has been named as one of the Most Influential Muslims. He has also received various awards as an Islamic scholar and an advocate for peace.

Chief Rabbi Benjamin Disraeli was born from a Sephardic Jewish family. He is the founder of education projects such as Kinloss Learning Centre(KLC). He has transformed the community into a vibrant center of social, cultural and religious activities. His works of building synagogues and tackling inequality and development from a faith perspective have been lauded by many worldwide. He will offer great insights on Judaism religion, culture, beliefs and rituals.

Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the oldest forms of significant world religions which began in India. The teachings of the religion spread across Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, and China. Today, most Buddhists are scattered all over the world. Buddhists believe that Shakyamuni is the founder of the religion. The sufferings, afflications, and pain saddened Shakyamuni that people would go through before they died. He, therefore, sought to understand more about life and how one could alleviate suffering. His quest for religion and knowledge led him into performing asceticism, a lifestyle of strict discipline. He continued spreading this religion throughout towns in India, after that gaining popularity and became widespread worldwide.

Buddhism believes in certain basic tenets such the Reincarnation, Dharma, and Karma. According to Buddhists, they believe that after people die, they are reincarnated into a new being. The latest being becomes either an animal or deity depending on the kind of life he or she used to live in the world (Tang , 2016). To them, positive deeds often result in good Karma and may result in one being reincarnated into a higher deity. Detrimental deeds/ karma, on the other hand, may result in an individual being reborn into a lower form. They also believe that human beings can alleviate themselves from suffering by living a lifestyle that follows the teaching of Budha. The instaructions are referred to as Dharma.

Buddhism primary goal is to ensure that human beings become more enlightened and reaching Nirvana. Nirvana is a form of lifestyle that allows that one conducts themselves morally. This is by refraining from falsehood, vulgar language and talks that are likely to cause division. Besides, individuals are required not to steal, maim or kill or kill others.They should, therefore, concentrate on promoting goodness and getting rid of evil. This state is achieved when one is enlightened, and no longer is in the path of death reincarnation.Buddhists also believe in four noble truths. They think that in life one has to go through suffering( Tang, 2016). The ultimate goal of Buddhism is, therefore, to end the suffering through death and rebirth.

Islam

Islam as a religion is estimated to have approximately over 1.6 billion persons worldwide. The word Islam in the religious context implies voluntarily submitting to God or peace. Muslims believe in one unique God known as Allah. The word Allah is derived from Arabic and is translated as Lord or God.They think that he is the basis of all teachings in the Quran that guide their conduct in the world( Poliakov & Olcott,2016). Without God, they say that nothing can exist in the universe. To them, Allah is merciful and knows everything humans do. He wants the best for all people hence helping them overcome obstacles they might be facing in life. They also believe in prophets through which God’s revelations to humanity was brought to them. According to Islamic, Prophet Muhammad is a unique creation from God, who asks people to worship Allah but not anyone else. He is considered to be the only prophet who can get messages from God after other prophets like Abraham, David, and Moses.

Muslims also believe in the revealed/divine books. In Islam, the Holy Qur'an is considered as the word of God. The holy book is arranged according to numbers and chapters. The second source of Islamic teaching is the Hadith and Sunnah. The books teach about prophet Muhammad life including how he lived. Other books they recognize include Torah, Psalms, and the Gospel(injil). They also believe in Angels created and who act under the direction of God. The Qur’an identifies angel Gabriel as one of the angels who appeared to prophet Muhammad to deliver various messages to him.

Muslims also believe in the power of destiny. They believe that everything happens because of a reason and there are no random occurrences. They believe that God has everything decided beforehand an will always reign supreme despite the human will( Poliakov & Olcott, 2016). Muslims believe in life after death. In the event a person is about to die, they are required to recite confession of faith as well as ask forgiveness from people they have wronged.

Apart from their beliefs, Islamic practices center around various things such as daily prayers, giving to the less fortunate, fasting as well participating in Hajji at least once in a lifetime. On prayer, they say their prayers at least five times per day. The preparation for prayer involves washing of feet, hands and the head. They must bow their head, and the forehead must come into contact with the ground. Prayers often require a direct relationship with their God. Giving to the poor is often highly encouraged.

Muslims are often encouraged to fast and obligate during the month of Ramadhan. Fasting happens from dawn to sunset. The main aim is to remember the poor who cannot afford as well as unifying people together.They are also required to pay pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The Hajji offers an opportunity for them to build a new relationship with their God.

Judaism

Judaism is often referred to as the religion of the jews. Worldwide there are about 13.5 million Jews, approximately 5 million in the USA, 6 million in Israel, and the remainder is dispersed throughout the world. Judaism believes in the superiority of one God. The Jewish people acknowledge God's presence in everything they do. Their ethical and religious guidelines are based mainly on the 613 Commandments and Talmud that are derived from the Torah( Beider, 2017). Many of the guidelines emphasize the importance of ritual purity Judaism does not allow the ordination of women in leadership roles as rabbis. They also Jews of all movements celebrate many select days throughout the years. Some of the holidays include the Passover, Hashanah, and Rosh. 

They perform specific rituals on the first Shabbat during the birth of young girls. Jewish leaders often assemble at the synagogues to select the names for the new baby girls in a ceremony known as Simchat Bat. At the service, the parents of the children are required to read individual readings from the Torah and most importantly bless their children. Baby Jewish boys also undergo procedures such as circumcision on the eighth day after birth to induct them into the church( Beider, 2017).

Commonalities of the Religion

Many scholars have attempted to provide a detailed description of what is common in almost all religions. One, the above faiths believe in cultic practices. This includes performing of rituals/ specific behaviors that embodies the devotion publicly. The ritual acts are often considered as being sacred and carried out with particular intentions(Juergensmeyer,2003). For example, in Christians, Baptism is done through full immersion in water or sprinkling of holy water. This signifies that the person has become spiritually pure and has since been transformed into a new person with a new spiritual identity.

Religion also deals with the nature of a supreme being that is treated with respect and supreme validity( Harrison, 2006) . The supreme being often regarded as the "God" is the object of devotion and practice. People with religious authority are often appointed and go through training to act as the bridge between the people and the "God." The priests and Imams, for example, intercede for the people in cases of calamities. Additionally, they help members of the religion get a deeper understanding of God and most importantly how to live the world, by interpreting various scriptures.

According to Harrison (2006), religion also defines the appropriate code of conduct among the people. Ethics are institutionalized either as natural laws and formal behaviors. In Islam, Women are required to wear long robes that cover their feet as well as jews.Religion also believes in some mystery. Some of the faiths explicitly address the mystery through teaching their members while others are more subtle. The above religions believe in life after death, obligating their members to live a pure life to meet "God" when he comes to meet his people.

Impact of Globalization after 20 years

Due to the emergence of modern technology, religion has not been immune to the burgeoning effects brought about by globalization. Globalization has been benefited as well as threatened religion. Da Silva Moreira (2014) posits that one of the threats being the secularization of religion. In the advent of technology, society has become increasingly modern. This implies that religion has become less critical as the years progress. This has resulted in the decline of religious practices as well as beliefs in the modern society. Religion has retreated into the private sphere of life as compared to being announced publicly.

Due to globalization, religions have found fertile land through which they can grow, spread and thrive. Through the media, religions that were perceived to be outdated have become widespread despite the geographical locations through which they started. The dissemination of information about various kinds of religion has resulted in people embracing and accommodating everyone beliefs. Muslims, for instance, have been able to establish a community of believers worldwide known as Umma. This has therefore led to the strengthening of identities as well as increased understanding and respect for other cultures.

In conclusion, Religion is an essential aspect of human life as it gives the ultimate meaning of existence as well as identity. It further provides an individual with appropriate guidelines in all circumstances, thereby giving life with purpose. The resemblance and differences in the three major religions show that we should be sensitive to the diversity of religious beliefs and practices. Besides, we should appreciate the richly textured traditions, despite the emergence of globalization which has secularized religion.

References

Beider, N. (2017). Religious Practices and Beliefs among Religious Stayers and Religious Switchers in Israeli Judaism. Sociology of Religion , 78 (1), 81-99.

Da Silva Moreira, A. (2014). Globalization, Cultural Change and Religion: The Case of Pentecostalism. Open Journal of Social Sciences , 2 (04), 381.

Harrison, V. S. (2006). The pragmatics of defining religion in a multi-cultural world. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion , 59 (3), 133-152.

Juergensmeyer, M. (Ed.). (2003).  Global religions: An introduction . N ew York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Poliakov, S. P., & Olcott, M. B. (2016). Everyday Islam: Religion and Tradition in Rural Central Asia: Religion and Tradition in Rural Central Asia . Routledge.

Tang, Y. (2016). The Integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. An Anthology of Philosophical and Cultural Issues (pp. 197-208). Springer, Singapore.