ETHICS AND RELIGION

The 5 Major Religions of the World
 

How was the universe created? What’s our purpose here on Earth? Is there an afterlife? Or does the mind simply vanish after death? Throughout the centuries people have asked themselves these questions, and some have used religion as a way to get some answers. Religion helps people get a better sense of the world they live in and it also helps them guide their lives. When someone is part of a religion they recognize one main deity, many deities, or in some cases they don’t worship a deity at all. For many hundreds of years, thousands of wars have been fought, some of them with a religious purpose for behind them. There are over six billion people living in our planet and most of them are part of some religion. There are some religions that have similarities with each other and there are others that are as different as day and night. There are some religions which are extremely popular and there are others which have barely survived as mere memories. But in the world today there are five main religions which have the largest number of followers. These religions are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

http://massivedynamic.hubpages.com/hub/The-5-Major-Religions-of-the-World

Does ethics require religion?

By James A. Donahue | March 1, 2006

The relationship between religion and ethics is about the relationship between revelation and reason. Religion is based in some measure on the idea that God (or some deity) reveals insights (perceptions) about life and its true meaning. These insights are collected in texts (the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, etc.) and presented as “revelation.” Ethics, from a strictly humanistic perspective, is based on the tenets (principles) of reason: Anything that is not rationally verifiable cannot be considered justifiable.

We can accommodate the requirements of reason and religion by developing certain qualities that we would bring to our everyday ethical discussions. Aristotle said that cultivating qualities (he called them “virtues”) like prudence, reason, accommodation, compromise, moderation, wisdom, honesty, and truthfulness, among others, would enable us all to enter the discussions and conflicts between religion and ethics—where differences exist—with a measure of moderation and agreement. When ethics and religion collide, nobody wins; when religion and ethics find room for robust discussion and agreement, we maximize the prospects (possibilities) for constructive choices in our society.

Adapted from: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_ethics_require_religion

Quotes about five different religions

“God has no religion.” -  “Yes I am, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a Jew.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“When  I  do good, I  feel good. When  I  do bad, I  feel bad. That's my religion.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

“None of you believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
― Anonymous, The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari - Arabic-English

“The good will is all — and all the talents are ways to fulfill it.”
― Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook