The Most Focused Religion
Introduction
Among the many religions that are present in the world are those which instill strict adherence to behavior and deeds for their followers. Others are prevalent to determining the priority accorded to family values and status of the family values such that some religions such as Christianity believe in the perfect family being made up of the father mother and children while others do not recognize such a set up. The behavioral component of religion is depicted in the degree of morality and ethical values that are practiced by the participants of the religion. The key attributes of religions are determined by the historical analysis of the group such that the basis through which the religion was formed has significant impacts on the overall traits and unique values.
Discussion
The religion that is most focused on behavior and deeds
Buddhism is the one religion in the world where virtuous behavior and ethical values are instilled and adhered to strictly. The activity of the body, mind and speech is maintained by adherence to the four conditions of the Sila which are chastity, calmness, quite and extinguishment (Armstrong, 2001).
According to the teachings of Sila, which is the foundation of the meditative tradition that is practiced by Buddhists, peace of the mind results into an external peacefulness. Hence for a Buddha to experience serenity and effective mind cultivation, they must maintain a peaceful mind such that they are able to accomplish their meditative cultivation happily. The teachings of the Sila dictate that for a Buddha to carry out meditation well and for them to live happy lives that are free of worries; they must adhere to the five precepts of Buddhism (Armstrong, 2001).
Examples of the precepts include; abstaining from taking life through violent and non-violent activities as the peace of mind that is required to carry out satisfactory meditation is interrupted by subsequent haunting by the dead person’s spirit. Similarly, theft or taking what has not been bestowed to a Buddha is refrained due to the impact of loss towards the owner of the item. Lying is also prohibited such that Buddha’s should speak the at all times to evade any occurrence of misleading other people (Armstrong, 2001).
The concept of mediation is very critical to the daily activities of Buddha faithful hence enough preparations should be made prior to the real mediation hence the members are requested to ensure that they have conducted fewer misdeeds. To attain the peaceful mind that is a vital component of the meditation, an individual should have abstained from the five precepts such that their mediation is conducted effectively (Partridge, 2005).
The religion that focuses on cultivation of spiritual and moral character
Spiritual and moral characters are intensively cultivated by Christianity especially in the Ten Commandments which dictate how human beings should behave towards each other and towards God. In order for Christians to remain at per with God they are requested to adhere to the rules which shape their spiritual character in terms of respect for the Creator and loving Him above everything else in the world (Partridge, 2005).
Similarly, the concept of moral character is depicted in the way in which Christians try to emulate the life of Jesus Christ who portrayed moral and spiritual righteousness when He was living amongst men. By living according to the character of their role model, Christians are able to abstain from a variety of evils hence making their spiritual and moral dimensions upright (Partridge, 2005).
The Bible which is considered the Holy Book for the Christians prohibits men and women who are not marriage partners from engaging in marital affairs. This way infidelity is condemned and morals are upheld. Consequently, the morals of young children are strengthen at an early age as those who obey their parents are promised a longer life on earth hence children strive to present their best morals so as not to annoy their parents. Similarly, drunkenness is prohibited as it often culminates into immoral behavior, as well as, erosion of an individual spiritual character due to loss of soberness.
Poor morals tend to create barriers between man and God as He is not happy when Christians live against His will hence as a way of respecting this relationship, Christians practice good morals and through the good morals their spiritual characteristics is enhanced (Partridge, 2005).
Religions that present family values as central to their beliefs
Christianity has held family values at heart with the presentation of the perfect being depicted as consisting a mother, father and children. Marriages made up of two adults of the same gender are not considered as holy marriages while presence of more than one spouse is not regarded as a Christian marriage. This way the traditional marriage set up has been maintained for subsequent years and Christians recognize the traditional marriage as the ideal one (Partridge, 2005).
Other family values that are practiced include love and respect of every member of the family. The Christian teachings regard wives as being equal to their husbands such that they should not be mistreated or oppressed by degrading them as juniors. Consequently, husbands are expected to provide for the entire family, in addition to, assisting their wives bring up the children (Partridge, 2005).
Jainism is another religion that has incorporated family values as the center point of their religious practices. Young children are taught from an early age that violence is a sin hence they learn to abstain from any violent deeds. This family value prevents spouse battering such that the husband or wife cannot physically abuse their counterpart. The same case applies to physical punishment of children hence counseling is adapted as the most preferred form of problem solving. This way, the family values and setting is maintained harmoniously as rational problem solving skills are used rather than incorporation of those which will disrupt the normal activities of the family (Jain, 2004).
Jain children are taught about the negative effects of violence when they are young such that they grow up fully aware that nothing positive is obtained from violent activities. Consequently, this instills self-discipline in them and when they become independent they refrain from similar activities (Jain, 2004).
Influence of historical context on characteristics
The historical context of non-violence in Jainism is attributed to the fact that those who practice violence may not attain liberation of the soul. Liberation of the soul is the climax of Jainism as at this point the Jain is able to identify their ability to control their emotions and behaviors. Consequently, the teachings of Jainism state that life is sacred hence it should not be destroyed such that the participants of the religion are requested to avoid violence even upon microscopic creatures (Jain, 2004).
Buddhism has developed the traits and deeds which are non-traumatizing such that their meditation sessions are not interrupted by the thoughts and feelings of past actions. This is exhibited by the teachings which deem an accomplished Buddha as one who is able to end suffering of the body and mind. Suffering as an essential component of human life is depicted as culminating from earthly cravings and pleasures. Therefore, for Buddhas to end the suffering and cravings, they must learn how to remain peaceful at all times by doing everything in moderation such that the extremes are avoided (Armstrong, 2001).
Meanwhile the Christian values on living morally upright lives which are spiritual has been influenced by the fear of punishment as is depicted in the first people on earth who were punished for acting against the will of God. This misdemeanor cost them a lot as they were evicted from their home and made to toil extra hard to met their needs. Consequently, Christians are always striving to emulate their spiritual role model; Jesus Christ such that despite the fact that He was not a human being, the Christians as His followers try to live in a similar holy way(Partridge, 2005).
Conclusion
Various religions in the world have demonstrated diverse ways through which they instill spiritual nourishment and practices among the faithful. The difference in values and characteristics is dependent on the historical backgrounds that are exhibited by the fundamentals of the religion. This diversity provides ample information for determining the basics through which the religions were formed and the nature of spiritual direction that is communicated to the followers.
References
Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. Penguin Books. p. 187 2001
Jain Duli Chandra (Ed.) Studies in Jainism. Set of 3 books. New York: Jain Stucy Circle, 2004
Partridge, Christopher, H. introduction to world religions. Fortress Press. 2005
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