FINAL COMPARISON PAPER:

Do Religions Seek Similar Goals

In Their Beliefs And Practices

Maridon Romney
12/8/2015
HUMA 2300
Suzanne Jacobs

Over the course of the semester, we have learned about more than a handful of faiths and
religions. Some old, some new, some highly structured and others, more personal in nature. It was
estimated in 2010 that roughly eight out of ten people on the planet are religious. This study was done
in 2010 by the Pew Research Centres Forum on Religion and Public life. In 2010 there were 6.916
billion people on the planet. Today, there are 7.3 billion people on the planet and religion is reportedly
on the rise. So with the majority of people on the planet believing in a deity or higher power/existence
of some kind, the questions remains to be fully explored and understood, what is religion, what purpose
does it serve for people, and do these religions have similar goals and ways to achieve them?
The goal of this paper is to lay out in clear terms the similarities and differences between
Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism to better come to a conclusion about what goals religions have and how
they achieve them through their beliefs and practices. Each of the religions I am comparing have
dynamic and profound beliefs which are the building blocks of the purpose they serve for the people
who believe them.
We have already discussed in class that the primary goals of all religions can be functional or
substantial. In a nutshell one could arguably chalk it all down to easing the burden of being human and
mortal in a universe whose time and depth confounds us all. Its more than that however. Humans are
curious beings. We ask questions and if the answers elude us we guess. This is our nature, so is religion
born of such processes? After thousands of years we have developed a conscious mind and the view of
a picture much greater than ourselves. This is a crucial aspect of belief systems and religion.
In the three religions chosen, Islam and Sikhism are monotheistic, though they differ
fundamentally in their definition of deity, and Buddhism is the only one considered to be non-theistic.
Buddhism was founded as a belief system that focused more on the journey rather than the destination
or our arrival here. The first Buddhas focus was on earthly suffering and how to cure it. He believed
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that everything a person needed to attain happiness in this life could be found right here on earth within
ourselves, without a deity. He therefore did not teach the worship of a deity. Instead he taught others
the way of the Noble Eightfold Path to liberation. On this path a person is able to achieve salvation and
enlightenment. Liberation from reincarnation then could be said to be the god of the Buddhists.
Liberation from the suffering all beings face as a condition of our mortality. The goal of Buddhism is to
obtain enlightenment by travelling the Eightfold path.
In Islam, there is a God. That God is Allah, known by over 90 names, Allah is the name that
encompasses them all; the Lord of the Worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Islam is therefore
a strictly monotheistic religion. Muhammad taught that Islam existed eternally before his revelations
and would continue eternally after. He was a prophet, not a God himself but through him the truth of
the universe and humanity was revealed. Revealed to Muhammad was everything mankind needed to
know about mankinds purpose here, defining every act, thought and journey as a means to Allahs end.
In this way, returning to Allah with honour having been a faithful Muslim is their goal and it is the only
way to achieve salvation. The only way to achieve that salvation is through Allah by having a personal
and sacred relationship with and singularly worship him. Allah and his role as a supreme God and
creator defines the entire religion and its followers.
Similar to Islam, Sikhism was revealed to a man not called a prophet but a Guru, who like
Muhammad, received heavenly inspiration that mankind had lost its way and also like Muhammad was
to become a guide and an example to those seeking salvation. In Islam there is only one prophet,
Muhammad and the rest are lesser prophets. Muslims believe that there are no prophets after him, and
there are no living prophets today. There were ten successive Gurus in Sikhism, the last Guru then
concluded the succession saying it was not necessary anymore to pass the Guru-hood on to another

living being. He ordered the writings of the previous Gurus and his own to be compiled and the Guru
Granth Sahib was made. Known to be the only living Guru today, it lives in the form of a sacred text.
Sikhs also differ slightly in their beliefs of monotheism from Islam. More accurately described
as part monotheistic, part pantheistic, their God, Ik Onkar, is the pervading spirit the one constant
who permeates all things and is not separate from them, but a part of everything. In Islam, Allah is
similar to Ik Onkar in that Allah permeates all things and transcends them, but is different in that he is
considered to be independent of all creation.
While Islam is greatly influenced by the culture of the Arabs and the world they come from,
Sikhs were greatly influenced by their own region. In the time of the first Guru, Guru Nanak, the
Punjab state had been ruled by many nations, and affected by many cultural and political changes.
Heavily tinted by the colours of castes in that region, Sikhism was novel in the near complete
renunciation of class, gender, and religious inequality, believing that all faiths offer a path to their God.
Islam is more rigid in their beliefs considering Islam to be the only true religion and path to salvation
under Allah. This salvation seems to be their end goal ending their suffering on earth and enjoying
eternal bliss in the hereafter. For Sikhs and Buddhists the end goal of salvation is similar in that
suffering and reincarnation end with the provisions of karma being met.
Sikhism also differs from Islam in that they do not recognise the prophets and the stories of the
Old Testament, being that it was a newer religion than the other Faiths and peoples of the Book. To
summarise, Sikhism is a Dharmic religion and Islam is an Abrahamic religion. They differ
fundamentally in their definition of God, and Islam believes that Muhammad was the last prophet, and
Sikhs claim to have a living Guru still with them today in the form of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is
also their most sacred text.

All three religions, especially Sikhism and Buddhism stress peace and unity between mankind.
None of these religions are advocates of violence, and only Sikhism and Islam are given permission by
their beliefs to defend their faith with physical force.
It is a belief in these higher powers, or states of being that forms the basis of a religion. When
compared to each other they seem to have a common goal: A guide to living this life in the fullest,
happiest way we can. Each of these beliefs create a motivation to realise our greatest potential as
individuals and subsequently humanity as a whole. Perhaps it can be said that religious beliefs push us
to be better than we were before.
Each of these faiths carry these strong beliefs that motivate mankind to do better, higher power
inspires the religious to live their lives in a way that fulfils this goal. That motivation becomes the
practices that fulfil belief. Religious practices are inseparable from beliefs as they come from and add
substance to them. In effect, they exist in a way where one cannot be without the other.
The most significant beliefs seem to be most heavily connected to the act of prayer. All three of
these religions practice it but differ greatly in their style and purpose because of their differing beliefs.
The most well-known system of prayer between the three is Salat, the praying of Islam. Five times a
day at very specific times, facing the direction of mecca, muslims pray to their God. One of the five
pillars of Islam it is one of their most important and sacred practices enjoined upon all Muslims. The
five pillars represent the duties and practices of all Muslims in which they perform in the name of
Allah. These five are: A testimony that Allah is the one and only true God, the Salat (prayer five times a
day), the Zakat (giving of alms to the poor), Sawm (fasting for the holiday Ramadan), and finally, their
mandatory at least once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj. These sacred practices should
be performed faithfully and accompanied with a peaceful, compassionate life as set forth by Allah, to
strengthen ones belief in him, thereby creating a full circle between beliefs, sacred practices and the
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relationship they possess. This supports the idea that beliefs create practices, and practice strengthens
belief in turn creating stronger, or more sincere practice.
Sikhism and Buddhism also place a lot of emphasis on prayer but not in the same way Islam
does. Because they originate in the Indian subcontinent their idea of prayer and sacred practice are
closer to Hinduistic meditation and mindfulness. "Buddhist prayer may be thought of as a focused
expression of the sentiments of yearning, commitment and appreciation. It is, however, distinguished
by the fact that Buddhism locates the divine within the life of the individual practitioner. The purpose
of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our innate inner capacities of strength, courage and wisdom rather than
to petition external forces. (January 2001 SGI Quarterly). Other Buddhist practices seem to lay all of
their focus on this innate connection between themselves and the environment they exist in. They do
not petition or give gratitude to a deity, and their prayers are not answered by a deity. Answers to their
prayers come in the form of external beneficial change.
Sacred texts in a religion are also a very important aspect of religious practice. Sacred texts
often hold all of the knowledge and foresight of religious leaders, prophets and enlightened guides. In
Islam we have the Holy Quran, in Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib and in Buddhism the Tripitaka.
Sacred texts in general are an accompaniment or complement to beliefs and all sacred practices as
beliefs and practices are usually carefully described and prescribed. In them, every aspect of life and
how to live it can be found from diet, prayer, guidelines to life and daily activities. They prescribe the
necessary steps one must take to achieve a religions goal. While they are so similar in their content, the
details of the content contain the sometimes blunt and sometimes subtle differences of faiths reflecting
their beliefs. Sacred texts themselves can be very different. In Islam the Quran was composed by
Muhammad under the direction of Allah through revelations that came in chunks and were eventually
compiled altogether. The Quran is said to be complete and cannot be altered in any way.
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In Sikhism their sacred text comes similarly from enlightened Gurus who were inspired by God
in their teachings and writings but the text eventually became the next and last Guru. The Sikhs
consider this text be a living Guru, their last and final official guide to God and salvation. Buddhists
also have sacred texts which are a compilation of teachings and monastic disciplines (Living
Religions, Fisher. p.151). They are also a complete record but come from many sources as they are not
centered around one deity. Though the life and teachings of the original Buddha are contained in them
they are not directly devoted to him, and Buddha himself is not the being Buddhists worship. So
although they all differe slightly in their origins, distinct teachings, and current statuses, they all share
the role of being a religious foundation and spiritual paradigm.
Hand in hand with sacred texts is the need in Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism to study the sacred
texts extensively. Each believes that it aids in the remembrance of why they are faithful, gives relevant
advice to problems and situations one faces on a daily basis, and teaches you how to better worship and
serve others.
We can now come to the conclusion from the evidence that religious beliefs and their
corresponding practices become the literal representation of a religions goals and how one can achieve
them. Beliefs lay out the purpose of practice, and practice in turn strengthens belief. For the people
involved in a given religion, the benefits of being involved in such a process and cycle are undeniable.
While each religion is different, sharing some similarities with other religions, their goals can be
universally comprehended. Each religion offers a kind of end goal, or salvation to be gained, or a
liberation from the mundane mortality of humankind. These beliefs and goals seem to be centred
around a natural human need to learn, grow and work for the betterment of our kind. Though they
achieve similar goals in different ways it would appear that for all their differences they are mostly
similar in that sense of human amelioration.
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Sources:
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions 9th Edition. London: Lawrence King Publishing, 2014. Print.

Author Unknown. BBC Religions Information Archive. Last updated 2009/10/27

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ritesrituals/worship.shtml. (Sikh Prayer)

Author Unknown. Soka Gakkai International. Last updated Unknown.

http://www.sgi.org/about-us/buddhism-in-daily-life/prayer-in-buddhism.html (Buddhist Prayer )
[Courtesy January 2001 SGI Quarterly]