explaining why the world is the way that it is. These types of questions are often

explained by religion, a very powerful thing. Religion can be explained in a

variety of ways, depending on which specific religion is being talked about, but

an excellent definition of religion in general is a quote from Wilkinson:

A religion is a set of beliefs and practices, often associated with a

supernatural power... Adherence to a religion implies a belief in a divine

force, as well as offering moral guidance for believers. Religion also

binds people into communities with common goals and values. (55)

The four sets of non-Christian beliefs that are most practiced in the East all are

in agreement with this quote, but Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are

very much different when compared to each other.

Dating back to 700 BC, Judaism is the oldest religion that teaches belief in

one all-powerful god (Wilkinson 76). Although practiced all over the world, the

homeland of Judaism, where one-third of its followers live, is in Israel (Parrinder

140). The Patriarchs, or forefathers, of Judaism are Abraham, his son Isaa

There are three major religious holidays in Judaism. The first is the period

feel as though she is being taken care of well enough (Wilkinson 113).

the peoples of the community. Although these separate religion explain the

like Biddhists, Hindus try to build up good karma with the hope of a pleasant

in remembrance of the Israelites that left Egypt (Wilkinson 80).

The Islamic faith is based upon the Five Pillars of Islam. They are

Some common words found in the essay are:
India Buddhism, Religions East, Shiva Shiva, Biddhists Hindus, Concentration Buddhist, Hebrew Savage, Muslim Muslim, Mecca Muslim, Hindus Savage, Bat Mitzvahs, hindu gods, difficult questions people, faith allah, savage 224, cycle rebirth, islamic faith, build karma, bijlefeld 288, vishnu shiva, wilkinson 62, wilkinson 76,
Approximate Word count = 1923
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)