Final

Alicia Young

HST 111/ENG 111

Dr. Brandon and08cp, 9/29/10

The Differences Between Hinduism and Judaism

     Hinduism and Judaism, can be contrasted through ideas of creation, religious laws, “how to”s, and belief of inequality or lack thereof. In the ancient world the principle of heaven and reincarnation differed dramatically. The faith in how God or gods should be worshipped defined a religion. Through these ideas the differences between Judaism and Hinduism can be analyzed.

     The ideas of creation are one of the first main points to discuss when comparing religions. In Hinduism we see the world was created by sacrifice. A victim named Purusha was born at the very beginning. It is said gods sprinkled with sacred water upon sacrificial grass and from this came sacrificial formulas and sacred chants. By dividing the body of Purusha the gods created the castes, animals, the moon and sun and wind and atmosphere. From his feet came the earth and by his ears came the cardinal directions of the Earth. The great sacrifice reached the sky and that was where the gods lived (Rig Veda: Sacrifice as Creation, page 76-78). In Judaism the earth was created by one god, the God, in seven days. God created light by command, and divided the light from dark. He also created the waters and the earth and Heaven and he created and fruit trees and plants and created signs for seasons and days and years. He added the sun and the moon and the stars. On the fifth day of creation God put whales and other animals into the waters and created birds for the air. The next day God created beasts and crawling animals and living creatures and he made man in His image. He made male and female and gave them power over the fish and birds and beasts. On the seventh day God rested and ended his work, naming the seventh day a blessed day. In Hinduism humans and animals and the earth, sun, and the moon were created through sacrifice and the separation of body parts from Purusha. Judaism states God commanded things to be and so they were.

     From the creations come ideas of equality and lack thereof. The upper caste system for Hindus comes into being from the division of the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of Purusha. The belief in inequality goes back to the origins of the religion and has even filtered into American society today where one who follows Hindu religion may change their name so as there will be no indication of a lower caste. Instead of sacrifice, God made man and woman in His image and loved them both as equals. In an interaction between the Lord and a group of upper class members the Lord explains the ideas of equality within the castes. He says, “Now suppose a king were to gather together a hundred men of different classes and to order the brahmans and kshatriyas to take kindling wood of sal, pine, lotus, or sandal, and light fires, while the low class folk did the same with common wood. What do you think would happen? Would the fires of high-born men blaze up brightly..and those of the humble fail?” (Buddhism and Caste, pg. 200) In this statement the Lord indicates that while someone may be in a certain class, it does not make mean he is incapable of doing the same things as those in a different class.  This idea that comes from Judaism shows a difference within the two religion and clash between social boundaries of Hinduism and Judaism.

     Another main difference is the two religions definition of the after life and the main religious laws of Hindus and the followers of Judaism. The idea of reincarnation is popular within Hindu culture as oppose to Judaism where it is not one of their beliefs. The two religions do share their own set of “laws” which determine what happens to it’s follower after death. The rules of Hinduism are known as the Eight Fold Path, which came from a spiritual teacher named Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha. Buddha founded Buddhism, a branch of Hinduism, and taught his followers of the Eight Fold Path. In his first sermon he preached the Four Noble Truths, the Eight Fold Path, and the middle way. The middle way is the course between the extremes of the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of pain (The Buddha’s First Sermon, pg. 197). The last of the Four Noble Truths describes the end of suffering and how it can be eliminated by the Eight Fold Path. The Path not only characterizes the middle way but it sets a way of life for its followers. Divided into three basic parts, wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration, the Eight Fold Path contains eight different practices. All parts of the Path lead to the rising of the next portion of the path. One must first understand the right view of the Path and cast out the wrong view, once the right view is attained this leads to right intention, after right intention is achieved the idea of right speech emerges following with right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Through these ideas and the achievement of all the practitioner will achieve enlightenment and will no longer suffer from hatred or delusion. Once enlightenment is obtained then the cycle of reincarnation and suffering will cease and death will then lead to Nirvana, a place where there is no suffering.  Judaism says God spoke to one of his followers and laid down His commandments, the “rules” of Judaism. God says that if a follower lives by his rules then when he dies he will reach heaven and will live forever in the presence of the Lord. However, if one does not abide by God’s code then he will go to hell, but still live forever. These rules God gave to his followers are referred to as the Ten Commandments. They include not having any other god before God, not worshiping ones self, not to take the Lord’s name in vain, keeping the Sabbath day holy, honoring ones mother and father, not taking the life of another human, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness against ones neighbor, and not coveting anything of his neighbors (Genesis Chapter 20, pages 208-209) The rules of the Hindu religion tell it’s followers what to do to eliminate suffering while the laws of Judaism are set to explain what not to do, else suffer forever.

     By taking the ideas of creation and how to worship God or gods Hinduism and Judaism can be contrasted with obvious differences. The faith in the afterlife or lack there of, also, shows how the two religions are not the same. The final few points of difference in the two religions include the laws of each religion and the punishments for not abiding by them, a caste system or belief in equality for all, and how the two religions worship. These six points are the main examples of contrast for Judaism and Hinduism.

Final

Alicia Young

HST 111/ENG 111

Dr. Brandon and08cp, 9/29/10

The Differences Between Hinduism and Judaism

     Hinduism and Judaism, can be contrasted through ideas of creation, religious laws, “how to”s, and belief of inequality or lack thereof. In the ancient world the principle of heaven and reincarnation differed dramatically. The faith in how God or gods should be worshipped defined a religion. Through these ideas the differences between Judaism and Hinduism can be analyzed.

     The ideas of creation are one of the first main points to discuss when comparing religions. In Hinduism we see the world was created by sacrifice. A victim named Purusha was born at the very beginning. It is said gods sprinkled with sacred water upon sacrificial grass and from this came sacrificial formulas and sacred chants. By dividing the body of Purusha the gods created the castes, animals, the moon and sun and wind and atmosphere. From his feet came the earth and by his ears came the cardinal directions of the Earth. The great sacrifice reached the sky and that was where the gods lived (Rig Veda: Sacrifice as Creation, page 76-78). In Judaism the earth was created by one god, the God, in seven days. God created light by command, and divided the light from dark. He also created the waters and the earth and Heaven and he created and fruit trees and plants and created signs for seasons and days and years. He added the sun and the moon and the stars. On the fifth day of creation God put whales and other animals into the waters and created birds for the air. The next day God created beasts and crawling animals and living creatures and he made man in His image. He made male and female and gave them power over the fish and birds and beasts. On the seventh day God rested and ended his work, naming the seventh day a blessed day. In Hinduism humans and animals and the earth, sun, and the moon were created through sacrifice and the separation of body parts from Purusha. Judaism states God commanded things to be and so they were.

     From the creations come ideas of equality and lack thereof. The upper caste system for Hindus comes into being from the division of the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of Purusha. The belief in inequality goes back to the origins of the religion and has even filtered into American society today where one who follows Hindu religion may change their name so as there will be no indication of a lower caste. Instead of sacrifice, God made man and woman in His image and loved them both as equals. In an interaction between the Lord and a group of upper class members the Lord explains the ideas of equality within the castes. He says, “Now suppose a king were to gather together a hundred men of different classes and to order the brahmans and kshatriyas to take kindling wood of sal, pine, lotus, or sandal, and light fires, while the low class folk did the same with common wood. What do you think would happen? Would the fires of high-born men blaze up brightly..and those of the humble fail?” (Buddhism and Caste, pg. 200) In this statement the Lord indicates that while someone may be in a certain class, it does not make mean he is incapable of doing the same things as those in a different class.  This idea that comes from Judaism shows a difference within the two religion and clash between social boundaries of Hinduism and Judaism.

     Another main difference is the two religions definition of the after life and the main religious laws of Hindus and the followers of Judaism. The idea of reincarnation is popular within Hindu culture as oppose to Judaism where it is not one of their beliefs. The two religions do share their own set of “laws” which determine what happens to it’s follower after death. The rules of Hinduism are known as the Eight Fold Path, which came from a spiritual teacher named Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha. Buddha founded Buddhism, a branch of Hinduism, and taught his followers of the Eight Fold Path. In his first sermon he preached the Four Noble Truths, the Eight Fold Path, and the middle way. The middle way is the course between the extremes of the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of pain (The Buddha’s First Sermon, pg. 197). The last of the Four Noble Truths describes the end of suffering and how it can be eliminated by the Eight Fold Path. The Path not only characterizes the middle way but it sets a way of life for its followers. Divided into three basic parts, wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration, the Eight Fold Path contains eight different practices. All parts of the Path lead to the rising of the next portion of the path. One must first understand the right view of the Path and cast out the wrong view, once the right view is attained this leads to right intention, after right intention is achieved the idea of right speech emerges following with right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Through these ideas and the achievement of all the practitioner will achieve enlightenment and will no longer suffer from hatred or delusion. Once enlightenment is obtained then the cycle of reincarnation and suffering will cease and death will then lead to Nirvana, a place where there is no suffering.  Judaism says God spoke to one of his followers and laid down His commandments, the “rules” of Judaism. God says that if a follower lives by his rules then when he dies he will reach heaven and will live forever in the presence of the Lord. However, if one does not abide by God’s code then he will go to hell, but still live forever. These rules God gave to his followers are referred to as the Ten Commandments. They include not having any other god before God, not worshiping ones self, not to take the Lord’s name in vain, keeping the Sabbath day holy, honoring ones mother and father, not taking the life of another human, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness against ones neighbor, and not coveting anything of his neighbors (Genesis Chapter 20, pages 208-209) The rules of the Hindu religion tell it’s followers what to do to eliminate suffering while the laws of Judaism are set to explain what not to do, else suffer forever.

     By taking the ideas of creation and how to worship God or gods Hinduism and Judaism can be contrasted with obvious differences. The faith in the afterlife or lack there of, also, shows how the two religions are not the same. The final few points of difference in the two religions include the laws of each religion and the punishments for not abiding by them, a caste system or belief in equality for all, and how the two religions worship. These six points are the main examples of contrast for Judaism and Hinduism and examples as to why and how they are different.

The Differences Between Hinduism and Judaism- Draft Revision

Alicia Young, HST 111, 08cp, 9/29/10

The Differences Between Hinduism and Judaism

     Hinduism and Judaism, can be contrasted through ideas of creation, religious laws, “how to”s, and belief of inequality or lack thereof. In the ancient world the principle of heaven and reincarnation differed dramatically. The faith in how God or gods should be worshipped defined a religion. Through these ideas the differences between Judaism and Hinduism can be analyzed.

     The ideas of creation are one of the first main points to discuss when comparing religions. In Hinduism we see the world was created by sacrifice. A victim named Purusha was born at the very beginning. It is said gods sprinkled with sacred water upon sacrificial grass and from this came sacrificial formulas and sacred chants. By dividing the body of Purusha the gods created the castes, animals, the moon and sun and wind and atmosphere. From his feet came the earth and by his ears came the cardinal directions of the Earth. The great sacrifice reached the sky and that was where the gods lived (Rig Veda: Sacrifice as Creation, page 76-78). In Judaism the earth was created by one god, the God, in seven days. God created light by command, and divided the light from dark. He also created the waters and the earth and Heaven and he created and fruit trees and plants and created signs for seasons and days and years. He added the sun and the moon and the stars. On the fifth day of creation God put whales and other animals into the waters and created birds for the air. The next day God created beasts and crawling animals and living creatures and he made man in His image. He made male and female and gave them power over the fish and birds and beasts. On the seventh day God rested and ended his work, naming the seventh day a blessed day. In Hinduism humans and animals and the earth, sun, and the moon were created through sacrifice and the separation of body parts from Purusha. Judaism states God commanded things to be and so they were.

From the creations come ideas of equality and lack thereof. The upper caste system for Hindus comes into being from the division of the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of Purusha. The belief in inequality goes back to the origins of the religion and has even filtered into American society today where one who follows Hindu religion may change their name so as there will be no indication of a lower caste. Instead of sacrifice, God made man and woman in His image and loved them both as equals. In an interaction between the Lord and a group of upper class members the Lord explains the ideas of equality within the castes. He says, “Now suppose a king were to gather together a hundred men of different classes and to order the brahmans and kshatriyas to take kindling wood of sal, pine, lotus, or sandal, and light fires, while the low class folk did the same with common wood. What do you think would happen? Would the fires of high-born men blaze up brightly..and those of the humble fail?” (Buddhism and Caste, pg. 200) In this statement the Lord indicates that while someone may be in a certain class, it does not make mean he is incapable of doing the same things as those in a different class.  This idea that comes from Judaism shows a difference within the two religion and clash between social boundaries of Hinduism and Judaism.

            Another main difference is the two religions definition of the after life and the main religious laws of Hindus and the followers of Judaism. The idea of reincarnation is popular within Hindu culture as oppose to Judaism where it is not one of their beliefs. The two religions do share their own set of “laws” which determine what happens to it’s follower after death. The rules of Hinduism are known as the Eight Fold Path, which came from a spiritual teacher named Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha. Buddha founded Buddhism, a branch of Hinduism, and taught his followers of the Eight Fold Path. In his first sermon he preached the Four Noble Truths, the Eight Fold Path, and the middle way. The middle way is the course between the extremes of the pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of pain (The Buddha’s First Sermon, pg. 197). The last of the Four Noble Truths describes the end of suffering and how it can be eliminated by the Eight Fold Path. The Path not only characterizes the middle way but it sets a way of life for its followers. Divided into three basic parts, wisdom, ethical conduct, and concentration, the Eight Fold Path contains eight different practices. All parts of the Path lead to the rising of the next portion of the path. One must first understand the right view of the Path and cast out the wrong view, once the right view is attained this leads to right intention, after right intention is achieved the idea of right speech emerges following with right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Through these ideas and the achievement of all the practitioner will achieve enlightenment and will no longer suffer from hatred or delusion. Once enlightenment is obtained then the cycle of reincarnation and suffering will cease and death will then lead to Nirvana, a place where there is no suffering.  Judaism says God spoke to one of his followers and laid down His commandments, the “rules” of Judaism. God says that if a follower lives by his rules then when he dies he will reach heaven and will live forever in the presence of the Lord. However, if one does not abide by God’s code then he will go to hell, but still live forever. These rules God gave to his followers are referred to as the Ten Commandments. They include not having any other god before God, not worshiping ones self, not to take the Lord’s name in vain, keeping the Sabbath day holy, honoring ones mother and father, not taking the life of another human, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness against ones neighbor, and not coveting anything of his neighbors (Genesis Chapter 20, pages 208-209) The rules of the Hindu religion tell it’s followers what to do to eliminate suffering while the laws of Judaism are set to explain what not to do, else suffer forever.

Draft

     Hinduism and Judaism, can be contrasted through ideas of creation, religious laws, “how to”s, and belief of inequality or lack thereof. In the ancient world the principle of heaven and reincarnation differed dramatically. The faith in how God or gods should be worshipped defined a religion. Through similar religious ideas we can see just how much Judaism and Hinduism were different.

            The ideas of creation are one of the first main points to discuss when comparing religions. In Hinduism we see the world was created by sacrifice. A victim named Purusha was born at the very beginning. It is said gods sprinkled with sacred water upon sacrificial grass and from this came sacrificial formulas and sacred chants. By dividing the body of Purusha the gods created the castes, animals, the moon and sun and wind and atmosphere. From his feet came the earth and by his ears came the cardinal directions of the Earth. The great sacrifice reached the sky and that was where the gods lived. (76-78) In Judaism the earth was created by one god; the God in seven days. In the beginning there was darkness. God created light by command, and divided the light with darkness and named them Day and Night. God created the waters and the earth and separated the two from the space above, called Heaven. Then God commanded the earth to grow grass and fruit trees and plants and created signs for seasons and days and years. He added the sun and the moon and the stars. On the fifth day of creation God put whales and other animals into the waters and created birds for the air. The next day God created beasts and crawling animals and living creatures and he made man in His image. He made male and female and gave them power over the fish and birds and beasts. On the seventh day God rested and ended his work, naming the seventh day a blessed day. In Hinduism man and animal and the earth, sun, and the moon was created through sacrifice, by the separation of body parts from Purusha. Judaism states God commanded things to be and so they were.

From the creations come ideas of equality and lack thereof. The upper caste system for Hindus comes into being from the division of the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of Purusha. Where as God made man and woman in His image and loved them both. The belief in inequality goes back to the origins of the religion and has even filtered into American society today where one who follows Hindu religion may change their name so as there will be no indication of a lower caste. In an interaction between the Lord and a group of upper class members the Lord explains the ideas of equality within the castes. He says, “Now suppose a king were to gather together a hundred men of different classes and to order the brahmans and kshatriyas to take kindling wood of sal, pine, lotus, or sandal, and light fires, while the low class folk did the same with common wood. What do you think would happen? Would the fires of high-born men blaze up brightly..and those of the humble fail?” (Buddhism and Caste pg. 200) In this statement the Lord points out that while one may be in a certain class, it does not make mean he is incapable of doing the same things as those in a different class.  Through this ideas born from Judaism are seen clashing with the religious and social boundaries of Hinduism.

            Another main difference is the two religions definitions of “heaven” and the main religious laws of Hindus and the followers of Judaism. The idea of reincarnation is popular within Hindu culture. In a Hindu sermon life is explained by Four Noble Truths and how sorrow can be eliminated by following a certain set of rules. Judaism says God spoke to one of his followers and laid down His commandments. The Four Noble Truths explain that life is sorrow and suffering and the only way to end suffering is to follow the Eight Fold Path. Through this, it is explained, suffering will cease. God says that if a follower lives by his rules he will die and reach heaven where he will live forever. If a follower does not abide by Gods code then he will go to hell, and live forever.

Prewriting

How did religious beliefs vary from culture to culture in the ancient world? Choose two sources to compare and contrast any of the following: Mesopotamian Religion, Hinduism, Hebrew religion.

Explain their major religious beliefs and how they resembled or differed from each other.

What do I know? (Brain storming)

Two religions differed through worship and “reward/punishment” system

“Written” text differ.

Sacrifice? (Judaism- pg. 209; Hinduism pg. 76)

Both considered divinely inspired

6 differences:

Hinduism

Reincarnation: (Four Noble Truths) Life is Sorrow. Sorrow is result of selfish desire. Selfish desire can be destroyed. It can be destroyed by following the 8 fold path. (until you rid yourself of selfish desire you will continue to come back to life and suffer) (pg.196-197/78 Worlds of History)

Caste system: kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, & Brahman upper class (pg. 199-201/81 Worlds of History)

8 fold path

How to reach nirvana: Budda’s first sermon: Four Noble Truths- lead to 8 fold path (pg. 197 Worlds of History)

World created by sacrifice (pg. 76-78 Worlds of History)

How to worship – destroy desire (pg. 197 Worlds of History)

Hebrew

Rewarded with heaven through following the laws of the lord

No caste system: all men equal “Now suppose a king were to gather together a hundred men of different classes and to order the brahmans and kshatriyas to take kindling wood of sal, pine, lotus, or sandal, and light fires, while the low class folk did the same with common wood. What do you think would happen? Would the fires of high-born men blaze up brightly..and those of the humble fail?” (Buddhism and Caste pg. 200)
(pg. 199-201 Worlds of History)

10 commandments (pg. 208-209 ch. 20 Worlds of History)

How to reach heaven

World Created by God (pg. 204-207 Worlds of History)

How to worship- believe/praise God

400+ commentary (religion)

            In my opinion the morality of Judaism benefits cultural work for American society more than the caste system based on the morality commonly associated with Hindus. In America, success in the work place originates from perseverance and hard work. A staff member who is merely a “team mate”, and doesn’t have much or any power in the work place, can strive to prove they have the characteristics and ability needed to be a manager.

An excellent example would be Marshall Mathers, more commonly known by his stage name “Eminem”. In the early 90’s Mathers had a job cooking and washing dishes at a restaurant for minimum wage (Bozza); but in 1999 his album “The Slim Shady LP” won Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and his second album, “The Marshall Mathers LP” broke the record for fastest selling album in the United States. (Skanse) This is a perfect example of someone who went from average to awe-inspiring by working to make it to the top.

            Hinduism includes a caste system that does not exist in the beliefs of those who follow Judaism. The caste system is based on hereditary rights that lead to severe social restrictions. Though there are castes that are not affected by this system in a negative way, the members of the lower social status suffer greatly. Those born into the higher class have the privilege of staying in the same class for their entire life. In return, the members of the shunned caste, also known as the untouchables, are discriminated against until they die. Regardless of their efforts, the outcastes have no way of moving up in the caste system.

The system enforces social classes that define who a person is and assigns them pre-designated profession and even required living places. It creates unbreakable social boundaries that are extremely taboo and could cost a higher member their social status if violated. Judaism allows individuals to choose a trade of their choice. It also permits them to live where they choose- within the boundaries of their financial resources. In the Hindu caste system members engage in their labor often and work hard because they are not provided with much monetary support while Judaism promotes the desire to exert more effort in ones occupation to achieve success which in turn will, hopefully, lead to more financial remuneration.

People such as Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford may have never flourished without the freedom provided by the morals of Judaism. A caste system could have prevented them from exploring fields of interests and discovering things that benefit Americans even to this day. This is why morals from Judaism benefit cultural work for America more than the Hindu caste system would.




Citations:

Bozza, Anthony. Whatever You Say I Am The Life and Times of Emminem. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2003. pg. 14. Print

Skanse, Richard. "Eminem Bounces Britney From Top Spot." Rolling Stones 31 May 2000: n. pag. Web. 20 Sep 2010

Young-Alicia: First Blog

       My name is Alicia Marie Young. I was born in Seattle, Washington. I am 18 years young. I moved to Richmond when I was 5 and grew up in Short Pump. I have two younger brothers and 3 younger step brothers/sister. I enjoy shopping and going out to eat. I think movie tickets are a waste of money. I drive a white car. I love texting and (good) music. I plan on attending Sarge for 2-3 years. I want to major in psychology. I want to move out of Richmond when I get older. I have no idea how people stay here their whole lives. I can't cook, I don't know how. I think crocs are awful. I work at a restaurant 5 days a week. My boss is crazy. I think Diet Coke tastes better than regular Coke. I'm an awful driver- avoid me in the parking lot. I'm a vegetarian. I am vain and conceited. My natural hair color is blond. I smoke Camel cigarettes and I am trying passive agressively to quit. When I work out I secretly desire to dance on the treadmill. I detest loud, obnoctious individuals. I don't have a favorite color.