Essay, Research Paper: Religions & Philosophies

In the history of the world, there have been many religions and philosophies. These religions and philosophies developed practices and beliefs which are shared by other religions, but some are unique to one religion or philosophy. In addition to that, all the religions and philosophies have affected regional culture and/or world history in one way or another. The religions Judaism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism are religions that have had a great impact on their region and the world greatly.
The religion of Judaism is a religion that is still practiced by many today. One of the practices of Judaism is strict discipline through daily prayer, family relationships, ethical behavior, ritual practices, dietary laws, individual prayer, and public observances. These practices are summarized in the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are still practiced today by many Jews. The religion of Judaism has had a major impact on world history. The largest impact was The Holocaust. In The Holocaust, the Nazis tried to genocide the Jewish people. More than 6 million Jewish mothers, fathers, and children died, but Judaism still lives on today. Also, due to The Holocaust, many countries became involved in World War II. Judaism did indeed have a major impact on the world.
Buddhism is a religion that has branched out from Hinduism, so as a result, shares many of the same beliefs and practices. However, one of the beliefs that is unique to Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths that stand at the heart of Buddhism and are:
1) All life is full of suffering, pain, and sorrow.
2) The cause of suffering is the desire for things that are really illusions, such as riches, power, and long life.
3) The only cure for suffering is to overcome desire.
4) The way to overcome desire is to follow the Eightfold Path
Eventually, due to Buddhism's great tolerance of diversity, Hinduism absorbed Buddhist ideas and made room for The Buddha as another Hindu G-d. This affected the religion of Hinduism greatly, but Buddhism still lives on today and is a major religion in Japan.
Zoroastrianism was a religion founded around 600 BC. A Persian prophet and religious reformer Zoroaster, founded the religion. A belief of Zoroastrianism is that people's own choices governed their fate. At the final judgment, those who had chosen the side of goodness would not be doomed to a dismal underworld, but would ascend to paradise. However, those who had chosen the side of evil would suffer forever in a fiery pit. Zoroastrianism had a major affect on Persia itself. At that time, Persia's unity was falling apart. Due to Zoroaster's religious beliefs, he helped unite the empire.
In conclusion, religions greatly affected world history and the culture around them. Whether it be Judaism with the state of Israel, Buddhism and its effect on Hinduism and later become the prominent religion of Japan, or Zoroastrianism uniting the Persian empire. They all effected the world. If it was not for these religions, the world would not be anything like it is today.


Word Count: 507