Thematic Essay By Astrella Dacosta The world is filled with many different belief systems. All belief systems are different and influence their followers and the society differently. Judaism and Hinduism are belief systems that are great examples of this. Judaism was developed in a land called Cannan, which is presently Israel. They worship in temples called synagogues. Most people credit Abraham to be the founder with creating Judaism, because he made a covenant with God. Some people credit Moses to be the founder of Judaism because he helped the Jews leave Egypt, and got the 10 Commandments from God at Mt.
Sinai. The 10 Commandments are one of the teachings of Judaism. It gives followers laws to live by. Jews also believed in Monotheism. Monotheism is believing in one god. Jews believed that there was a single god that created the universe and that God also had an individual and personal relationship with every Jew. Judaism had influence on the people and society who followed the religion. A current influence Judaism had on its' followers is the conflict in the Middle East. Many different religions claim Jerusalem to be their homeland, so they have been fighting for control of the city for years.
Hinduism was developed in India and was a result of cultural diffusion between Aryan invaders and Native Indians. Hinduism followers want to achieve "moksha" which is their goal in life. It means to be freed from "samsara" which is the cycle of being reincarnated. To achieve moksha you must become one with Brahma. Hindus also believe that reincarnation is influenced by "karma" and "dharma. " Karma is the good deeds a person does in their lifetime. Dharma is the role or job that a person has in their current lifetime. Hinduism also had a lot of influences on the followers.
An influence that is still going on is from that social caste of India that originated from Hinduism is still strongly believed in. The caste system was a class structure that seems harsh to the lowest class. Even though the caste system has been outlawed, many people still heavily believe in it and live by it today. There are many diverse religions around the world. All religions have some sort of influence on their followers based off of how they practice it. Some belief systems are very similar, but still there are differences. Those differences also influence the followers of that religion differently.
