Are all religions ultimately the same?

Introduction:
Looking at the world as whole; you see many different races, religions, geographys, different
political stances and many many more. In a world filled with some highly different inputs and
outputs we ask one meaningful question. Are all religions ultimately the same? This question was
asked about 6 major religions; Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
When we look at these religions the questions isnt really a yes or no answer. But you can see a
lot of similarities passed on from each religion kind of like improvements as you move along in
time. In this paper we will be going through each religions history and likeness to the next
religion in line starting with Hinduism.
Hinduism:
Hinduism started around 500 B.C.E. to 300 C.E. Hinduism is considered the worlds third largest
religion. The religion itself is based off of the Vedas. The Vedas are considered the foundation of
the religion which came about from nomads that visited the area. Hinduism is considered
polytheistic and worships many Gods and goddesses.
They believe in reincarnation (The fact that everyone and everything has a soul) is the ability
that when one dies, you come back as something else and this cycle is forever until you become
one with the ultimate reality or Brahman. It is said that becoming a person is one of the higher
levels of incarnation and means that much closer to being Brahman.
Next is Karma is the law stating that with every action there is basically a reaction. Thus if we
do something bad, something bad will come back at us, it doesnt necessarily mean in this life, it

could be from past lives or be passed onto future ones. The implications of Karma is that it
shows that everyones actions, thoughts, feelings and more have longer lasting effects then one
might think.
We also have Dharma which is considered the ethics and duties one should follow to make a
person better and Artha ones goals to work hard and prosper.
The Goal of Karma, Dharma, and Artha is to help a person escape the cycle of life and death
called samsara. To be able to fully escape is to be able to gain moksha (which is freedom from
time and space through the Ultimate reality.)
The deities the Hindus follow are very vast. They are expressed in epics and Puranas stories told
about Heroic poems and narratives and talked about Myths and legends surrounding the deities.
The Hindu mind is averse to assigning an unalterable or rigidly fixed form or name to the deity.
Hence it is that in Hinduism we have innumerable god-forms and countless divine names.
(T.M.P Mahadevan, Pearson). In Hinduism you have three major groups of worships; Shaktas,
Shaivas, and Vaishnavas. And within those groups you have many ways of pleasing or
worshiping each major deity.

Buddhism:
Buddhism was founded in India between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.E. by a man named
Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama honored a Hindu sage while growing up. His father was a rich
land owner. It is said that as a child he grew up with a lot of the finer things. But during a walk in
town he was faced with four sights (these were kept hidden by his father) the first sight was a

bent old man, the second was a sick person, the third was a dead person and lastly he saw a
mendicant. It is said that the mendicant intrigued his interest in the Hindu reincarnation. This led
to Gautama to give up his riches and left his family in search of finding total liberation from
suffering. He started his path from learning from Brahmanic traditions (Hinduism) which he was
unhappy with and wanted more. He then tried a Self-denial practice which was unsuccessful
leading Gautama to try a middle approach. Due to this middle approach it is said that Gautama
gained a great awakening or enlightenment. After this the Buddha began his teachings.
Buddhism and Hinduism:
These two religions share a lot with each other. This is mostly due to the Buddha taking the
concepts of Hinduism which he learned during his childhood and the beginning of his journey to
find the ultimate path. The result of Buddhism is from trying to find a better way of Hinduism,
improving on its teachings and concept to better help find a way to end suffering. They both
(Hinduism and Buddhism) believe in reincarnation the cycle of life and death repeated. In
Hinduism you have a permanent self or eternal soul within each reincarnation. Which in
Buddhism you have the no self doctrine. They both have a form of Dharma which is used to
help break up the cycle the difference between Hinduisms dharma is that it set more on duty
verses Buddhisms dharma is a path to be followed so that one can achieve liberation from
suffering. Hinduism doesnt consider the wheel of life and death as suffering but is way to try to
get to the ultimate reality. Siddhartha Gautama takes from the ideas of Hinduism and adjusts
them to find a better way of ending the cycle with his Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold
Path
Sikhism:

Further comparing Buddhism and Hinduism, you must include Sikhism, another religion who
takes from Hinduisms concepts and adds to them to make them better fitting for the world at
that time.
Sikhism is a 3rd religion formed in India by the Guru Nanak, during the time of the sant
movement in which the sants were rejecting outward forms of ritual expressions in exchange for
an internal one. During Guru Nanaks life he had little concern over material things. He resisted
the formalities of the Hindu religion. The Guru traveled and taught in India, the Himalayas,
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Arabia. When people asked him whether he would follow the
Hindu or the Muslim path, he replied, There is neither Hindu nor Mussulman, so whose path
shall I follow? I shall follow Gods path (According to the janam-sakhis, Pearson).
Sikhism, like Buddhism, follows Karma, Dharma and Samsara as does Hinduism. Sikhism is
monotheistic state verses the polytheistic views of Hindus. Sikhs believe in one true God. The
Sikh also believe in reciting Gods name which they call the naam jap. Hindus allow the
worship of idols in a way of deity worship especially in the Vaishnavism and Shaivism, unlike
the Sikh who do not worship idols. All three Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism all are looking
for a way to liberation from the cycle known as reincarnation. Hindus believe that it comes from
following Karma and dharma. Buddhist believe Dharma holds key to ending the surfing cycle,
and the Sikhs believe in Mukti through the will and grace of God, which was proposed by the
Guru Sahib. Unlike Buddhism, both Sikhs and Hindus refer to the soul as the Atman or self,
which the soul stays the same going through each life. The Gurus criticized the caste system
which the Hindus use which is important to the law of Karma and Dharma. Due to the constant
wars over the territory in which the Sikhs live called the Punjab, helped shaped the people and
teachings. Even though the Sikhs are very non-violent they have had to fight for their people,

land, and freedom. From this consistent fighting came the five ks in which Guru Gobind Singh ji
commanded the Sikhs to wear at all times; Kesh (uncut hair just like the Hindus), kangha (a
brush to keep the hair neat so that they could be told apart from other Indian groups), Kara (a
metal bracelet said to be a symbol that God is never ending.), Kachera (a type of stringed
undergarment), and a Kirpan (dagger). These are symbols of faith.
Looking at all three faiths you can see that they are based on the same principles starting with
Hinduism and are built upon in their own way to fit the needs of the people and time, resulting in
the differences of Buddhism and Sikhism.
Judaism:
Moving to the western civilizations of the time we first look at Judaism. Judaism is based off of
the monotheistic view of having one God who created everything. God Spoke to Moses who was
sent to help free the Jewish people from the Egyptians who in slaved them. Once set free Moses
was told to go to a holy mountain in which God told Moses to inscribe on plates the Ten
Commandments. These Commandments were turned into the Torah which is the five books of
Moses including his life and journey to find their way back to the holy land and the
Commandments. The Commandments are used to teach people how to live their lives and are
rules to not be broken. By following these rules and life lessons one becomes closer to God.
Christianity:
Christianity has the same origins as Judaism up until the birth of Jesus Christ. The two religions
separated around the first century, focusing on Jesus and his life. During time, the people felt
that the end was near for Jewish people, this apocalyptic way thinking brought about the world
ending texts which stated that a Messiah would come and judgement would be upon them. This

Messiah is said to be Jesus. All Christian groups use a version of the Hebrew Bible called the
Old Testament, which is fixed differently than that used by the Jewish people. The book called
the New Testament which is the addition of the twenty-seven books included made after Jesuss
life on earth. Because of how complex the bible is (like the Judaism) many interpretations have
caused many different groups to emerge from the book.
Christians believe that each person is responsible for their own sins and can be cleansed through
repentance and accepting Jesus into their life alongside God. On the other hand you see in the
Jewish faith that you become closer with God through prayer, rituals, your actions, and by
keeping traditions. The Christian bible depicts a heaven and a hell in which God will judge you
based on your life and whether you accept him as your savior, compared to the Jewish faith in
which very little about heaven and hell is talked about in the Tanakh. The major difference
between both faiths is the Messiah, the Jewish people believe that King David will come back
one day and restore Israel bringing peace and prosperity. Christians believe Jesus is the true
Messiah and that he sacrificed himself so that humans could receive salvation for our sins and
one day he will return to give the final judgement. Both religions have seen hardship and times
of persecution adding to the faith of the people of follow.
Islam:
Islam is based off of the prophet Muhammad during a time nomadic tribes. When he was around
forty he was visited by an angle named Gabriel, who insisted upon him to recite what is now
called the Quran (which means word of God). During this time people in the region were
polytheistic, thus when Muhammad proclaimed that there is only one God, people didnt take to
the idea and Muhammad was ridiculed and defamed. He and his followers were forced to leave

Mecca for three years. Once allowed to come back the persecution continued a city called
Yathrib recognized Muhammad as the true prophet and invited him to help fix their cities issues.
He accepted. Later a war between Mecca and Medina broke out, after a few battles Muhammad
negotiated a truce between the two cities. Muhammad died in 632 C.E. His friend Abu Bakr was
claimed to be the first Caliph. Muhammads life and his teachings were put into the Hadith.
The Islamic faith incorporates a lot of the Jewish history. Moses is considered a prophet in both
religions and is talked about highly throughout the Quran. They both gain origins through the
history of Abraham. Both religions overlap throughout the many years making both very similar
in traditions and other theological outputs, the Islamic religion also acknowledges the existence
of Jesus as a prophet as well. The reason this works so well is because they believe that
Muhammad is the last prophet and thus the Quran is the last book regarding law and religion and
doesnt need to be changed.
Conclusion:
After looking at the history of each religion and comparing similarities and differences, the
people and what theyve had to overcome, it is hard to answer the question Are all religions the
same. By looking at the western religions and the eastern religions they both in compass a lot of
the same ideas and deities and spirituality, But they all have different appeals to people and add
to each religion by taking the ideas and going deeper on them, they also reflect a lot upon the
time period they were founded. Taking the Sikh as an example they can be seen as influenced by
Muslim and Hinduism roots due to being in India and being fought and conquered a lot by
Muslim leaders they have a monotheistic view on life but also believe in reincarnation, Karma,
and Dharma. So trying to answer this question one cant just give a yes, or no answer but all

religions take from one another and give different things for people to choose from making them
original and unique in their own ways.

Citations:
"REVEL: Student Guide - Pearson Higher Ed." N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2016.