Essay on Existential Questions in Judaism and Hinduism

Essay on Existential Questions in Judaism and Hinduism Introduction All too often reoccurring themes are similarly revealed in Judaism and Hinduism to include existential questions of why we are here, if a God(s) does exist why is there evil, is there freewill, and how do these faiths treat the afterlife? I will closely analyze these themes, to answer the existential questions on the two religions. Judaism Judaism is the religion of the Jews (Cohn-Sherbok Cohn-Sherbok, 2010). Currently there are estimated to be about 13.5 million Jews in the world. In the holocaust of world war two, many Jews were tortured and killed. The earliest Jewish history goes back to the Hebrew Bible which has the five books of Moses, commonly known as the Torah. These documents are laws and ethical teachings, which begins with the story of creation. The main patriarchs of this religion are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Cohn-Sherbok Cohn-Sherbok, 2010). Today, Judaism is based on the commandments which are based on the Torah (Stern, 2009). Many of these commandments cannot be fulfilled without the use of the temple. Judaism believes in one God, they refer to the teachings of the prophets and the Rabbis. They engage in prayers three times a day. Through the acceptance of the covenant, the Jews chose to follow the commands of God (Wilson, 1989). Judaism contends with the claim that, the primary aim that we are here is to celebrate life. Celebration of life involves fulfillment of GOD’S covenant. Jews believe that all believers should participate in doing good deeds for mankind (Edersheim, 2010). In a world that is full of injustice and evil deeds, the Jews perceive themselves as repairers of the world. They say that, people should love God with all their hearts. Our purpose according to the Jews, is to develop an immensely strong social justice ethics. Judaism believes in Gods existence. They believe that, God is the sole creator of everything that is found in the world (Edersheim A. , 2006). According to this religion, God has always been in existence. They believe that, none existed before God and that God will exist forever. The Jews believe that, God has the power to transcend life and death. Evil is seen as a result of mans desire to commit sin, it is the immediate consequence of not following Gods commandments (Stern, 2009). This is attributed to the first human beings, Adam and Eve. After Eve persuaded Adam to eat a fruit from the tree of life and death (a tree that God had warned Adam not to eat from in the Garden of Eden) Adam ate, he immediately suffered the consequences of not following God’s directive (Cohn-Sherbok Cohn-Sherbok, 2010). Currently the Jews repair their own sins through confessions. Through confessions, one is able to ask for forgiveness from God almighty. In case a person wrongs another person, th ey are supposed to ask for forgiveness from them. The concept of free will among the Jews is centered on Gods interference with individual choices. The medieval philosophy and rabbinic literature, has for a long time developed the divine providence. God is concerned with watching over, guiding and intervening in the affairs of humankind. Free human will, according to the Jews, is within the dimensions of the Torah given to the Jews. Jews were urged to follow the precepts of the Torah. Hinduism Hinduism is a religion of the Hindus (Hopkins, 1971). This religion hailed supreme in the country of India. It takes pride in being the oldest tribe in the world. Hinduism was not founded on any prophet; its inception has no fixed date. Therefore its teaching is not based on any prophet or a set of dogmas which are preached by a particular set of teachers (Edgerton, 1972). Hinduism scriptures are the oldest in the world; the Vedas are the foundational scriptures of the Hinduism (Edgerton, 1972). The fundamental principle in this religion is that it is a liberal religion. Though it is divided into different sects, there is uniformity in the outlook of life and conception of religion among the different sects (Edgerton, 1972). The Hindu religion, states that human beings are here to break the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. After an individual achieves all this three cycles, then they are able to achieve salvation which is the sole purpose why human beings are here (Edgerton, 1972). Being in the world is perceived as a progressive growth towards salvation. The goal of this philosophy therefore, is to free from the cycle of birth and reincarnation (Hopkins, 1971). The monists is a subset in the Hindu religion, it believes that only Brahman exists. They consider Brahman as their God. On the other hand, Pantheist believes that all things in the world, including the entities are God (Edgerton, 1972). According to the monotheistic sects, God is imminent and also transcendent (Hopkins, 1971). He is very different from the others. The Hindu belief in God therefore, varies from one sect to the other. The Hindu religion is dependent on different schools of thought such as monism. The Hindus believe that, everything in the world is a manifestation of God (Hopkins, 1971). Polytheism involves a number of deities, which controls the different aspects which are found in life. Through monotheism, the Hindu believes in one God, this line may have many incarnations and manifestations. Unintentional sins repentance is prescribed, whenever a person commits a sin. Sins which are intentional in the Hindu religion are paid through what is commonly referred to as karmic consequences (Hopkins, 1971). Just like Judaism evil results from humans’ unwillingness to follow prescribed directives. Hinduism suggests that, human beings have a free will. They however are only able to practice this free will when they look at the truth that lies within them. According to the Hindu religion, the fact that people have a living consciousness makes them have a free will. Every soul Atman is independent of the other according to the Hindu (Hopkins, 1971). Human beings possess the power to do such things like discrimination; this enables them to exercise free will. According to the Hindu religion, free will is the force that makes human beings different from the animals (Edgerton, 1972). The Hindu religion says that, a person should be the master of their own fate. Both religions have included the existential questions on the reason that human exists. Religion affirms that a person is responsible for whatever thing that may make them suffer. One has the freedom and ability to determine their actions. Man has the ability to change their thoughts and desires. Whoever selfishness has contaminated the concept of free will; this is because the Hindu religion says that man’s will is free. Similarities between Hinduism and Judaism The Hindu religion and Judaism have several similarities. These two religions to a large extent have characteristics that overlap one another. Both religions have symbols. In Hinduism, there is a religious symbol called the Om, this symbol literally means Brahman (Edgerton, 1972). On the other hand, Judaism has a symbol that is commonly referred to as â€Å"The star of David†. This symbol is an emblem which was modeled after the Shield of David (Jacobsen, 2008). Both Hinduism and Judaism are the oldest religions in their categories. While Hinduism is the oldest polytheistic religion (Hopkins, 1971), Judaism takes credit in being the oldest monotheistic religion (Cohn-Sherbok Cohn-Sherbok, 2010). Hinduism has the belief that all gods are one. Jews on the other hand believe that there is one God. Hinduism Afterlife When we look at Metzs analysis of Hinduism and the Rig Veda as transcending, the literal meaning of the words† (K. A. Jacobsen 54), we can begin to understand Jacobsens perspective on death in Hinduism. Death is not the end of life, Jacobsen writes, the next life is also here in this world essentially defining reincarnation (K. A. Jacobsen 78 ). Hindus refer to death, as mahaprasthana or the great journey (Edgerton, 1972). When a person learns the lessons of this life, and the karma intensifies, then the soul comes out of the physical body. The physical body returns its elements to the earth (Jacobsen, 2008). The awareness, intelligence, will and memory still lives in the soul. According to the Hindu, death is a natural experience and people should not fear it. Death is seen as a transition from a physical world to an astral plane. Through dying, people drop of their physical bodies, death in the Hindu religion is seen as a spiritual opportunity, which helps people to achieve their divine self. According to the Hindu, the soul is immortal. It is responsible for animating life. After death, the soul reincarnates again until all the karmas have been created (Hopkins, 1971). The soul never dies and it is Gods presentation of will and love (Edgerton, 1972). Death according to the Hindu is blissful; it is like meditation (Hopkins, 1971). After death a persons soul is reborn in a fleshy body. The fleshy body must be one that fulfills the karmic pattern of an individual. Therefore Hinduism perceives the current body of a person as a duplicate of the last physical form (Edgerton, 1972). Afterlife in Judaism The Jewish interpretation of the afterlife is found to be vague and is rarely discussed in Jewish circles. In fact the Torah, which you would expect would prepare a Jewish follower for the afterlife, has no clear reference at all. Though the afterlife concept in Judaism is vague, some Jewish have tried to explain Judaism beliefs of the afterlife. According to Judaism religion, after death the soul becomes immensely confused (Hopkins, 1971). It lingers round the body of a person trying to go back. After the confusion, there is a twelve month period where the soul becomes purified of all its sins. During the twelve month period, the soul is punished for all its sins a period referred to as Gehanna (Cohn-Sherbok Cohn-Sherbok, 2010). After purification, the soul goes to a place referred to as Gan-Eden. Those who are righteous are not subjected through the punishments. People who do not repent during this time, are cut off and are not promised of an afterlife (Edersheim A. , 2010). Gan E den is a transitory phase, in this phase there is a physical resurrection which enables the soul to reside in a spiritualized state of existence in the olam-Ha-ba (Stern, 2009). Differences between Hinduism and Judaism Hinduism greatly emphasizes on reincarnation, while Judaism emphasizes on life after death. Hinduism religion perceives the soul as having a free will to do things; whoever Judaism shows the soul as being subject to a supreme being. According to Hinduism beliefs, a person dies many times, before he/she attains salvation or oneness with God, this is not the case for Judaism religion, where a person dies once and the soul waits for twelve months to know its fate. The soul begins its journey once a person dies according to the Hinduism religion; however Judaism is contrary to this belief since they suggest that once a person dies, the soul struggles to leave the body. Similarities There are several similarities on the beliefs about afterlife in Judaism and Hinduism. Both religions believe that there is life after death. Hinduism believes that through reincarnation a person is able to acquire a new life, Judaism on the other hand believe that resurrection, enables the body to live in a spiritualized form. Both religions believe in soul transformation, while Hinduism believes in the Karma, Judaism has strong believes in Gehanna (Edersheim A. , 2010). Both religions refer to the soul as being immortal; this means that the soul cannot be destroyed. Conclusion Though Hinduism and Judaism have distinctive features, which make them differ from one another, the two religions share some characteristics. Despite the fact that their belief in God contrast immensely, they both believe in life after death. According to the two religions, evil emanates as a consequence of man’s wrong doings. Though Hinduism encourages a free will among its followers, Judaism is limited to Gods will upon human kind. References Cohn-Sherbok, D., Cohn-Sherbok, L. (2010). Judaism: A Beginners Guide. Va;Arlston: Oneworld Publications; Reprint edition . Edersheim, A. (2006). The Temple- Its Ministry and Services. New York: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Edersheim, A. (2010). Sketches of Jewish Social Life. New York: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. . Edgerton, F. (1972). The Bhagavad Gita. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Hopkins, T. J. (1971). The Hindu Religious Tradition (The Religious Tradition of Man). Santa Barbara: Cengage Learning. Jacobsen, K. A. (2008). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. New York: Routledge Publshers. Stern, D. H. (2009). Restoring The Jewishness of the Gospel: A Message for Christians Condensed from Messianic Judaism. New York: Messianic Jewish; Revised edition. Wilson, M. R. (1989). Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. Washington D.C: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

A Portrait Of A Killer - 1042 Words

The National Geographic film, A Portrait of a Killer, examines the types of stress that living beings can endure, and how it can thus affect the rest of their bodies. Severe chronic stress can lead even lead to the destruction of brain cells. Dr. Robert Sapolsky is a neurobiologist of Stanford University who has been researching stress for over thirty years. In order to study stress and its implications upon nonhumans, he went to Africa to study baboons. This species has only three hours of stress caused by eating, and the rest of their daily routine is consumed by about nine hours of free time. Much like Western society, baboons socially stress out one another, as they have social hierarchies to regulate how them interact with one another. When put under stress, both humans and baboons have cortisol and adrenaline found in their blood. 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Definition of International Human Rights Instruments free essay sample

International treaties and even declarations can, over time, obtain the status of  customary international law. International  human rights  instruments can be divided further into  global instruments, to which any state in the world can be a party, and  regional instruments, which are restricted to states in a particular region of the world. Most conventions establish mechanisms to oversee their implementation. In some cases these mechanisms have relatively little power, and are often ignored by member states; in other cases these mechanisms have great political and legal authority, and their decisions are almost always implemented. Examples of the first case include the UN treaty committees, while the best exemplar of the second case is the  European Court of Human Rights. Mechanisms also vary as to the degree of individual access to them. Under some conventions – e. g. he  European Convention on Human Rights  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ individuals or states are permitted, subject to certain conditions, to take individual cases to the enforcement mechanisms; under most, however (e. g. the UN conventions), individual access is contingent on the acceptance of that right by the relevant state party, either by a declaration at the time of ratification or accession, or through ratification of or accession to an optional  protocol  to the convention. This is part of the evolution of international law over the last several decades. It has moved from a body of laws governing states to recognizing the importance of individuals and their rights within the international legal framework. 2. 1 Situation in Malaysia â€Å"MALAYSIA has only signed two out of the eight core international human rights treaties,† says Alice Nah, National Human Rights Society (Suhakam) executive committee member. â€Å"As time goes on, however, Malaysia’s reluctance to sign these treaties will become more untenable, particularly if it wants to be a recognised and respected member of the United Nations (UN),† she tells  The Nut Graph  in an e-mail interview. Malaysia is seems to be miles away from international human rights goals as Malaysia still impose certain limits to their citizens on some human rights freedom. Before this, the detention of activists and opposition politicians under the Internal Security Act (ISA) before it was abolished was said to be one of the biggest reluctant towards the international human rights treaties proposed by Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Thus the question arises is why does Malaysia seems to be so reluctant towards the international human rights treaties? Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) vice chairperson, says the commission has recommended for the government to ratify the treaties on economic, social and cultural rights, and on civil and political rights but there has been no positive response so far. â€Å"I imagine that the government must have its own reasons for not ratifying them at the moment. Possibly one of the important factors which the government has to consider before deciding is associated with the (bumiputera) affirmative policy which could be interpreted at the UN level as discriminatory,† Another Suhakam commissioner, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, elaborates, â€Å"The continued reliance on legislation which violates fundamental liberties such as the ISA on preventive detention, the Official Secrets Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act on freedom of expression makes it difficult for Malaysia to ratify the UN bill of rights. The human rights treaties specify what states can and cannot do to people which they are legally binding. Perhaps Malaysia is afraid of making such commitments. However, In any part of the earth, there is a time and tide for everything. This happens to be a time when the human rights quest is at high tide. All sections of society, including members of the exalted institution of the judiciary, must take note that freedom is on the march. The spirit to seek for liberty is spreading. The questions deals on human rights and freedom being published everywhere. The idea of fundamental rights forms part of the legal fabric of every society . It is now recognized that though state sovereignty is a shield against external aggression, it cannot be used as a sword against one’s own nationals. Human rights abuses in any land deserve world-wide condemnation because, Martin Luther King once said, â€Å"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere†. Human rights issues have become globalised. All nations of the world are under massive political pressure to conform to the international law on human rights. There are nearly one hundred international treaties, covenants, declarations and protocols on human rights issues. The most important from the human rights and perspective are the following: 1)The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 2) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976) 3)International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) 4) Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1957/1977/1984) 5) United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-Custodial Measures (Tokyo Rules) (1990) 6) Basic Treatment for the Treatment of Prisoners (1990) ) Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984) 8) Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987) 9)Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal Arbitrary and Summary Executions (1989) 10) Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (1979) 11) Basic Principles for the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. THE LINKAGE O F UDHR AND THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION A large number of provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) find their correspondence in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. Among them are: 1)Article 5 – Personal Liberty Articles 3, 9. 2)Article 6 – Abolition of slavery and forced labour 3)Article 4 4)Article 7(1) Prohibition of retrospective criminal laws. 5)Article 7(2) – Protection against double jeopardy 6)Article 11(2) 7)Article 8 – Equality and non-discrimination Articles – 2, 6, 7, 23(2). 8)Article 9 – Protection against banishment and freedom of movement )Article 10(1)(a) – Freedom of speech Article 19 10)Article (10)(1)(b) – Freedom of assembly Article 20(1) 11)Article 10(1)(C) – Freedom of association Articles 20(2), 23(4) 12)Article 11 – Freedom of religion Article 18 13)Article 12 – Rights in respect of education Article 26 14)Article 13 – Right to property Articles 17, 27(2) 15)Article 14 – 28 Right to citi zenship Article 15 16)Article 119 – Right to vote in elections Articles 21(1) amp; 21(3) 17)Article 25(2) – special protection for motherhood and childhood. 18)Article 27 – right to cultural life 9)Article 29 – duties to the community. 20)Article 5 – protection against torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. 21)Articles 8-10 – right to seek redress before a court. 22)Article 11 – presumption of innocence 23)Article 12 – right to privacy, family, home or correspondence. 24)Article 14 – right to asylum against persecution. 25)Article 16 – right to marry and found a family. 26)Article 21(2) – equal access to public service 27)Articles 22, 25 – right to social security, basic necessities. 1. 2 Human Rights in Malaysia Courts In the real case, Malaysia actually has not ratified most international human rights covenants and Treaties though in their constitution provides few Articles regarding the issue of human rights. Even the treaties that are ratified are not self executing. Unlike in the USA or Germany the Malaysian Constitution does not contain a clause to confer legal status on international treaties. As such, in Malaysia treaties that are signed by the executive are binding internationally but need incorporation by the national legislature to form part of the law of the land and to be enforceable in the courts. In the case of R v Chief Immigration Officer, Heathrow Airport ex p Salamat Bibi (1976) 3 All ER 843. A treaty signed by the executive cannot change the law of the land. If it were to be so, that would result in law making by the executive in derogation of the powers of the national legislature. That will be a serious violation of the doctrine of separation of powers.. The International law, whether customary or contractual, is not law per se ie in municipal systems. The reception of international human rights law in national courts poses many legal problems. In case of conflict between international laws and national laws, courts of most countries including Malaysia adopt the rule that national law prevails. In the legal theory of Austinian positivism, law is a command of the sovereign and a product of state action. Extra-territorial laws cannot be granted the nomenclature of law unless they are authorized by the national legislative authority. Furthermore it is stated in Article 160 of Malaysia’s Federal Constitution that International law is not part of the definition of ‘law’ in the stated Article under the Malaysia’s Federal Constitution.