God is not One by Stephen Prothero makes the point
that all religions are indeed different.
There are similarities between them, but many fundamental differences. That’s why there is conflict between nations’
political, economic, and cultural belief’s systems. Prothero therefore examines eight rival
religions, viz., Islam: The Way of Submission, Christianity: The Way of
Salvation, Confucianism: The way of Propriety, Hinduism: The Way of Devotion,
Buddhism: The Way of Awakening, Yoruba: The Way of Connection, Judaism: The Way
of Exile and Return, and Daoism: The Way of Flourishing. In the 9th Chapter a Brief Coda on
Atheism: The Way of Reason was addressed.
‘“The
Tao has ten thousand gates,’ say the masters,
and
it is up to each of us to find our own.”
Prothero wrote, “To explore the great religions is
to wander through these ten thousand gates.
It is to enter into the Hindu conversations on the logic of karma and
rebirth, Christian conversation on the mechanics of sin and resurrection, and
Daoist conversations on flourishing here and now (and perhaps forever). It is also to encounter rivalries between
Hindus and Muslims in India, between Jews and Muslims in Israel, and between
Christians and Yoruba practitioners in Nigeria.
Each of these rivals offers a different vision of “a human being fully
alive.” Each offers its own diagnosis of
the human problem and its own prescription for a cure…. Muslims say pride is
the problem; Christians say salvation is the solution; education and ritual are
key Confucian techniques; and Buddhism’s exemplars are the arhat (for
Theravadins), the bodhisattva (for Mahayanists), and the lama (for Tibetan
Buddhists).”
Conflicts at the national and international levels
are to be expected. But people and societies
should aim at fostering inter-religious understanding to be able to work
together in peace.
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