religions-is, chr, bud & hin[1]

8/8/2019 Religions-Is, Chr, Bud & Hin[1]

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SUNWAY UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE

MORAL STUDIES


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Main Religions and Beliefs in Malaysia:

Islam Christianity

Buddhism - Taoism - Confucianism

Hinduism Sikhism

Native Beliefs

TOPIC THREE: THE VALUE OF

RELIGION AND BELIEF


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TOPIC THREE: THE VALUE OF

RELIGION AND BELIEF

ISLAM

Background- The heart of Islam is submission to the total will

Allah (The God - the one and only God)

- The Arabs claim they are Semitic people as the

Jews are, as Abraham had two sons Isaac and

Ishmael. The Arabs claim they are descendents

of Ishmael


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- Islam was to be a continuation of Gods

revelation to his people through the last prophet,

Prophet Muhammad

- Prophet Muhammad came from a respected

merchant family that was part of the Quraysh

tribe

- In the year 611, Muhammad had a series of

remarkable experiences in his solitary

meditations in the Mount Hira- The archangel Gabriel would appear and recite

words to him by which he recorded into the

Quran


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- In the beginning of his teachings, he was

derided and mocked and had to go through trials

before the teaching of Islam is accepted

throughout Arab

The prime references for every Muslim are:

i) Quran - regarded as the paramount reference

to the original Islamic teachings

- contains scriptures or verses that

originated from Allah in the form ofinstructions to Prophet Muhammad

ii) Hadiths - records of Prophet Muhammads

sayings and actions


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The aspects of Islamic Teaching

i) Aqidah - (faith and belief) that the ultimate power

and authority belongs to Allah, theCreator of the universe and everything init

- aqidah is manifested through the practiceof ibadah

ii) Ibadah - prayers, rituals, rites, acts required by thereligion

- this includes the five pillars of Islam:

a) saying the Shahadah (There is no god but Allah;

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)


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b) praying five times a day and it is obligatory

c) zakat is the alms on wealthd) fasting during the Ramadan

e) hajj at least once in ones lifetime

- ibadah also contains the six pillars of faith,which are related to the belief and faith in Allah:

a) belief in Allah

b) belief in angelsc) belief in the Holy Books

d) belief in Rasuls (Messengers of God)


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e) belief in Judgement Day

f) belief in Qadak and Qadar (fate and rate)

iii) Akhlak - ibadah must be complemented by

akhlak (code of conduct) eg. belief,

faith, attitude, behaviour and actions

- refers to good and positive conduct

that becomes the foundation for a

solid aqidah through the continuous

practice of ibadah in ones life


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CHRISTIANITY

Background

- The word christ means deliverer, sent by God

to save the world

- Christians believe that God exists in three forms

ie. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

- The bible is regarded as a holy book that would

lead mankind towards a moral, enlightened and

excellent life

- Christian ethics are explained in details in the

form of stories and advice in the Old Testament

and New Testament


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- The Old Testament addresses various issues onmoral ethics

- The Book of Proverbs is a collection of moraland religious teachings in the form of sayingsand proverbs eg.

i) Honest people are safe and secure, but thedishonest will be caught (Proverbs 10:9)

ii) Be generous and share your food with thepoor. You will be blessed for it (Proverbs 22:9)

- The conduct of Christian believers is defined inthe Ten Commandments as follows:

i) You shall have no other gods before Me


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ii) You shall not make unto yourself a graven

image of anything that is in heaven or earth

iii) You shall not take the Lords name in vain

iv) Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy

v) Honour your father and mother

vi) You shall not kill

vii) You shall not commit adultery

viii) You shall not steal

ix) You shall not bear false witness against yourneighbour

x) You shall not covet your neighbours goods


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The Teachings of Jesus Christ

- The New Testament serves as a witness of Jesus

life, death, victory and the new creation ofpeople after Jesus death

- It also includes Jesus Christs teaching which is

aimed to strengthen the laws and instructionsgiven by God

- Jesus has also summed up the Ten

Commandments into two:

i) love God with all your heart, soul and mind

ii) love your neighbour as yourself


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Christian Denominations

- Among the denominations that can be found are

the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian,

Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Assemblies of

God, etc.


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BUDDHISM

Background

- According to de Silva (Singer,1991), Buddhismwas founded by Buddha

- Siddartha Gautama was born around 560 B.C. in

northern India into a royal family- He was a prince, brought up in a luxurious

environment where enjoyed every comfort of life

- However, he decided to leave his family behindand to seek the truth of sufferings

- He even went through rigorous self-mortification

to seek for the truth but it was to no avail


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- Then he decided to seek enlightenment through

meditation

- He sat under a Bodhi tree and resolved not to rise

from that place until he reached enlightenment,

of which he did

- After achieving enlightenment, he was calledBuddha or the Awakened One

Buddhist Ethics

- Buddhist ethics refer to the analysis and thoughtsof Buddha on ethical issues and the reflection of

his perceptions


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- Buddha placed importance on ethics within the

social dimension

- He viewed ethics as an individuals need in

establishing a quality life, honourable conduct

and meditation training

- To understand Buddhist ethics, the Four NobleTruths which is the basis of Buddhas teaching

needs to be examined:

i) 1st Noble Truth - dukkha (statement ofsufferings)

ii) 2nd Noble Truth - samudaya (recognizing how

sufferings exist)


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iii) 3rd Noble Truth - nirodha (termination of all

sufferings or achieving nirvana)

iv) 4th Noble Truth - magga (how to end all types

of sufferings or the Noble Eightfold Path)

- The Noble Eightfold Path involves the

following:

i) The right understanding wisdom

ii) The right thought

iii) The right speech ethical

iv) The right bodily action conduct

v) The right livelihood


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vi) The right effort mental

vii) The right mindfulness training

viii) The right concentration

- The Noble Eightfold Path is a three stage moral

training scheme consisting of the practice of

noble conduct and the evasion of evil ways,

meditation training and the development of

wisdom


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An overview

- Buddhists believe that the human life isgoverned by karma or cause-effect and that

human life cycle includes the process of

reincarnation

- Thus, karma and reincarnation are interrelated

to mans conduct and behaviour

- It signifies good deeds will be justly rewarded

and bad deeds cause bad reactions on anindividual (Angutta-Nikarya, 1957 Vol. 36)


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HINDUISM

Background

- Hinduism is regarded as possibly the oldest

religion in the world

- Human lives again and again in multiple lives,trying to break through and reach oneness with

God


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- The law of karma dictates that good deeds are

rewarded with good rewards whereas evil

deeds are rewarded with bad consequences- Hinduism believes that as an infinite being,

infinite awareness and infinite joy are within

human hands

- The word dharma (in Sanskrit) means moral

and social order

- In India, ethics is regarded as the spirit of a

complex moral and religious aspirations

involving an individual in his personal capacity

and also as a member governed by social and

political structures


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Brahmanical Hindu Ethics

- There are three basic conditions in the ancient

societys perspective:

i) Veda-veda is a collection of texts whereby

the principles and regulations are the final

authority. Its principles exist in the form ofGods, that became the models of human

conduct.


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ii) A specific social regulation principle (society

structure) was introduced and the classes are

called varna (colours):

- Brahmana (Brahmin): religious educated group

of people

- Kshatriya: administrators, army officers

- Vaishya: farmers, economists

- Shudra: slaves, labourer

iii) A number of positive humanistic traits and

moral ideals are emphasized eg. truthfulness

(satya), giving (dana), affection, fidelity,

forgiving and avoid injuring all creatures


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The Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism

God Brahman

Lord

Brahma Lord Vishnu Lord Siva

Wife:

Sarasvati(reflection of

arts, science &

knowlegde)

Birth of

mankind

Wife: Maha

Lakshmi

(protector ofnatural environ)

Save mankind from

all sufferings

Wife:

Sakti

(kindhearted

& brave)

Destroyer of evil


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Significant Days in Hinduism

- The special days are determined by the lunar

calendar and generally involve special prayers tothe gods and goddesses

- Two of the festivals include Thaipusam and

Deepavali- On Thaipusam, the moon Thai, would cross

paths with a shooting star called Pusam hence,the name Thaipusam appears

- One of the most common rituals is the act offulfilling the devotees vows and exhibiting theirgratitude to the gods


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- Deepavali means the rows of lights and is a

symbolic illustration on how darkness was

eliminated by the gods, by bringing light to the

people

- It is through this light that it is hoped that the

gods give their blessings to mankind, to preventman from committing bad and wrongful things

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