East,west and the middle

We divide the world as east, west and the middle when come to religion, culture and philosophy. This division need not represent the ground reality of today but for the sake of analysis we may use these words. In this world of information technology in 21 century it is surprising how we still divide the world in terms of religion, culture and language. It clearly indicates that the progress in science and technology has nothing to do with deep rooted beliefs, dogmas and cultural values. West represents the western world of Christianity as a predominant religion and culture with their industrialization and technological advancements. The East represents the eastern world with Hinduism and Buddhism as religion and culture, with rising powers of India, China and Japan and their economic prosperity. The middle represents the Persian Gulf region with Muslim and Jewish religions, their oil wealth and prosperity and religious and cultural values. When we look at the fundamental and core teachings of these religions there are some differences. How and why there are differences in their fundamental teachings? Does it mean they are incompatible and irreconcilable with each other? Or have we misunderstood or misinterpreted these fundamental teachings? If there are so many differences, what is the background for these differences.It is a huge task to delve deep into the subject and make a sensible analysis. But we can look at core teachings of these religions and draw some obvious conclusion. In Christianity: Its main points are : a. belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Holy Spirit b. the death, descent into hell, resurrection, and ascension of Christ c. the holiness of the Church and the communion of saints d. Christ's second coming, the Day of Judgment and salvation of the faithful. The core teaching of Jesus Christ is to “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. 2. In Islam: “God is only One and incomparable. Purpose of existence is to Love and serve God”. 3. In Judaism: “There is a single incorporeal God, who gives command which constitutes a moral Law for all humanity.” 4. In Hinduism: “Only God exits and everything else is only an illusion ‘Maya’. 5. In Buddhism: Buddha is not a God and Buddhism philosophy does not entail any theistic world-view. It teaches three universal truths. a. Nothing is lost in the universe. b.Everything changes. c.Law of Cause and effect (Karma) Once can read the above teachings and conclude that all religions in the world except Buddhism teaches about God and the relation of human beings with God. Buddhism does not discuss about God but teaches the universal truths, which sound more like ‘scientific principles’ than religion. It is a practical philosophy and it is appealing to new generation and the ‘New age’ world without discussing about God. By deeply contemplating all religious teachings I am of the opinion that purpose of human existence is to understand God and try to reach him by practicing moral and ethical values. People loving each other with the common purpose of reaching God seems very logical. If there are conflicts and differences between people then the main purpose of reaching God cannot be achieved. If only God exists and everything else is only an ‘illusion’ then there is no place for human conflicts and differences. By loving one another there is a hope for human beings to achieve the goal of reaching God.