Religions: basic facts, Tom Lehrer & Ian McEwan

Below facts about four religions (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) are for your information, if you know them already, good.  I am certain that other religions have their respective peculiar facts.

 

Strangely enough, these facts reminded me of satirist Tom Lehrer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lehrer).  Below link is of couple of short songs by Tom from the 1960s, the first of which 1:46 minute captures this human dilemma with a rare satiric and comedic way of looking at our world yesterday, today and possibly tomorrow!?!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCluI87gQ3I

 

Stranger still, these facts also reminded me of this Ian McEwan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_McEwan) interview, see below link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7LjriWFAEs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Hussein
 

The facts about religions

Whether one is a believer or not is a secondary matter.
The following facts have some sensible things.

Christianity:

One Christ, One Bible, One Religion

BUT the Latin Catholic will not enter Syrian Catholic Church.
These two will not enter Marthoma Church.
These three will not enter Pentecost Church.
These four will not enter Salvation Army Church.
These five will not enter Seventh Day Adventist Church.
These six will not enter Orthodox Church.
These seven will not enter Jacobite church.
Like there are 146 castes in Kerala alone, and each will not go to the other's church to pray...!

 

So much for One Christ, One Bible, One Jehova.....

What a unity!

Islam:

One Allah, One Quran, One Nebi....!
AND ALL MUSLIMS CALL THEMSELVES BROTHERS!
BUT,
Shia and Sunni cannot see eye to eye and kill each other anywhere and everywhere.
The Shia will not go to Sunni Mosque.
These two will not go to Ahamadiya Mosque.
These three will not go to Sufi Mosque.
These four will not go to Mujahiddin mosque...

There are 13 castes in Muslims and these brothers can't share their places of worship.
The brothers have been killing, conquering and fighting each other in the name of Islam.

 

Peace has been an ever elusive goal among the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

One Allah, One Quran, One Nebi....!

Great unity!

THEY ARE KILLING THEMSELVES IN THE NAME OF RELIGION.

Hinduism

 World's first religion

1,280 Religious Books,
10,000 Commentaries,
more than one lakh sub-commentaries
for these foundation books,
330 million gods,
variety of Aacharyas,
thousands of Rishies,
hundreds of languages...

still everyone goes to the

SAME TEMPLE ...

Hindus never quarreled each other for the last ten thousand years in

the name of religion.

Only politicians had tried to divide and rule.

 

Buddhism:

Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion behind

Chistianity, Islam and Hinduism

Buddism is both a religion and philosophy

largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama

Three concepts, Karma, Rebirth, Samsara

They classify themselves as Theravada or Mahayana

Both accept the Buddha as their teacher

Both accept the Middle way, Dependent origination, Four Noble Truths,

Noble Eightfold Path and Three marks of existence

Both accept that members of the laity and of the sangha can pursue the path toward enlightenment (Bodhi)

Both consider buddhahood to be the highest attainment

They do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God

They consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination

and to work for their good, happiness and peace

and to develop wisdom leading to the realization of the Ultimate Truth

The moral is:

KEEP RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS AND

POLITICS OUT OF RELIGION

The killings will stop and there will be peace on earth!

hussein.cairo@gmail.com

© Dr Hussein A Amin 2011