Some characteristics of religion are the worship of gods or prophets, beliefs in a system of norms and values, symbology or places of worship.
Religion is a system of beliefs and moral norms that serve as spiritual guide for the human being; the mythology that composes them and their main characteristics vary between culture and culture.
There are a lot of religions in the world, but the main ones - those with the most believers - are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Some historians have provided insights on how man could have his first approaches to religion.
It is believed that it began with animism, a belief system of some indigenous peoples who consider the existence of a spiritual core in people, objects and places; others consider naturalism - the explanation of natural phenomena - as the origin.
However, given the diversity of religions, the existence of an established origin is a controversial idea.
In spite of everything, the truth is that religion has marked characteristics that have been shared throughout history and between cultures.
7 characteristics shared by major religions
At present we know the components of different religions, their differences, their similarities and the guide of ideals and norms they represent. These are some of them.
Keep scriptures
The main religions have scriptures that tell their mythology, their belief system and their ethical code.
In Christianity is the Bible, compilation of texts originally in Hebrew and Aramaic that speaks about the creation and life of Jesus Christ.
Such is the importance of this book in the history of humanity, which is the first book to be printed, has been translated into 2,454 languages and is the best selling piece of literature in the world.
The Bible also talks about the commandments to be fulfilled by the Christian of faith, similar to what happens in the Koran, the sacred scriptures of Islam that are the basis not only for religious performance but also for Islamic culture.
Other religions that have texts are Hinduism (Shruti and Smiriti), Judaism (Torah) and Buddhism (stories about the life of Buddha Gautama).
They have gods and prophets
Another common feature among religions is the worship of one or more deities. This separates religions into two variants: monotheists (worship a God) and polytheists (worship a group of deities).
In antiquity, religious systems explained natural phenomena - among other things - by means of divinities.
Ancient Greek and Mayan civilizations, for example, were polytheistic and had gods of thunder, rain, sun and moon. Other religions, such as the compilation of Hindu beliefs, have a large number of deities (believed to be millions).
The monotheistic religions have in their turn a single divinity and a prophet charged with preaching it on Earth, as God in Christianity, who considers himself to be the creator of man and the universe.
The Christian religion affirms that God placed among his men his son and prophet Jesus Christ to preach his word. Parallel to this are Allah in Islam and his Prophet Muhammad.
They have a place of worship
One of the main icons of religiosity are its temples, places of worship whose architecture, site and purpose varies among religious groups.
In the Jewish religion are synagogues, whose characteristic position indicates that there are Jewish practitioners to the immediate environs.
Buddhist monks in Thailand
For the Christian religion, these temples range from small churches to large cathedrals and culturally it is symbol of refuge.
On the other hand, for followers of the Islamic faith, these sites of worship are called mosques and also serve to carry out social events.
What is there after death?
One of the foundations of religiosity - in some cases - is belief in a life after death. The Christian religion speaks of a place that goes after death known as paradise (and its counterpart as hell).
The place assigned will depend on the fulfillment of religious statutes and comply with the moral norms of Christianity. Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, on the other hand, manage the concept of reincarnation.
Man can return in different ways, which will be given according to his behavior in a past life.
In these religions the term"karma"is used, the force that controls the destiny of life; good karma or bad karma will influence the quality of the future life.
Symbols
The different religions of the world have symbols or emblems that identify them. In the past, when man declared wars to expand his religion, these symbols were a banner.
The Christian religion, with more than 2 trillion believers, has a vertical cross in allusion to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Symbols of the main religions
Islam is identified by a crescent moon and a star, symbol that is also associated with the Ottoman Empire and appears in the flags of countries that used to belong to this region.
Judaism is represented by the Star of David, symbol of Hebrew cultures.
For its part, Hinduism is identified with the mantra"Om"written in the Indian syllabary devánagari (), considered the primordial sound and basis of divine songs.
Moral guide
Among religions - as in philosophy - we can see a marked difference in statutes.
While Islam and Christianity manage a system of life centered on one's neighbor, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist religions and spiritual systems profess a quest for balance and natural balance, where the introspection of the person is most valued.
These beliefs are led by a spiritual guide. In Christianity this person has a role of pastor or priest, Judaism has rabbis and Hinduism with gurus.
Art and iconography
Finally, we must recognize that religion has been responsible for innumerable offerings and tributes by the human being.
There is a relationship between art and religion dating back to prehistory, as the example of the paintings found in the Chauvet cave, part of a funeral rite.
Prayer in Cairo (1865) by Jean-Leon Gerome
Since then, man has created images related to religiosity and its icons, as did Michelangelo with the Christian iconography of the Sistine Chapel, or the relationship between Arab architecture based on geometric figures that represent perfection and divinity of God in Islam.
References
- Fernández, S. (2017) What are the main religions in the world? Journey Jet. Retrieved from viajejet.com
- Fordham, C. (2016) A Brief History of Religion. The Huffington Post. Recovered from huffingtonpost.com
- Goldammer, A. and Moritz, K. (s.f) Religious symbolism and iconography, Encyclopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com
- Pecorino, P. (s.f.) What is Religion?. Social Sciences: Philosophy of Religion. Retrieved from qcc.cuny.edu
- N. (s.f.) Polytheism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Recovered from britannica.com