Religion Similarity Chart
| | Judaism | Christianity | Islam | Buddhism | Hinduism |
| God | One God | One God | One God | No God | One God – many forms which represent different aspects of one God |
Central Figure | Moses | Jesus Christ (as the son of God) | Muhammad | Buddha | No prophets or messiahs |
| Scripture | Torah, Prophets, Writings from the Talmud (oral and traditional commentary) | Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) | Qu’ran (direct revelation from God) and Hadith (Muhammad’s teachings and sayings) | Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) | Many scriptures such as Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Ramayan |
War | Peace is always preferable, but war in self-defense is considered obligatory. | ‘Just war’ can be fought as a last resort; tradition of non-violent resistance | War should be fought only in self-defense within strict limits. | Dialogue is used for conflict resolution | Practice of Ahimsa is preferred (non-violence in thought and action towards all aspects of nature) |
| Divisions | Modern movements include Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, and Reconstructionist. | Many theological divisions and schisms; Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, numerous Protestant churches. | Sunni-Shiite schism based on disagreement over Muhammad’s successors; broad debate over Islam’s role in modern society; little theological debate | Therevada, Mahayana, Tantric, there are many different schools within these divisions | Worship: Vaishnava (worshippers of Vishnu) and Shaiva (worshippers of Shiva); Brahmanical: Based on one of the 4 Vedas; Philosophical: Vedanta, Sankhya, Yoga, Tantra |
| Fundamentalism | Ultra-Orthodox Jews reject the secular world and live in strict communities. | Debate over literal meaning of the Bible; efforts to bring religion into daily life. | Return to “pure” Islam; rejection of secular culture; efforts to bring religion into daily life and create an Islamic state. | Strict following of the Buddha’s teaching doesn’t allow for fundamentalism because of the core love and kindness teachings | Although there are Hindus who are more conservative or traditional than others, there are no real religious fundamentalists because there is no exclusivity in Hinduism |
Holy City | Jerusalem | Jerusalem | Mecca | None | Many holy cities: Varanasi, Badrinath (N), Rameshwaram (S), Kedarnath (W), Jagannath (Puri)(E) |
| Jesus | A historical figure; not the Messiah. | The Son of God | Highly respected as the second-to-last prophet,Muhammad was the last prophet | A historical figure | A historical figure |
| Hierarchy | No hierarchy; rabbis are considered teachers. | Catholics and Orthodox have extensive hierarchy; some Protestant branches have almost non. | No hierarchy; prayers are led by imams (teachers) who have studied the Qu’ran. | Very little hierarchy, Dharma teachers or monks help Buddhists to achieve enlightenment | Although the modern Indian caste system originated from Hinduism, the original hierarchy was fluid and based on a being’s actions not class, occupation, or family |
| Idols, images | Images and statues are forbidden. | Images and statues allowed in some denominations, but not worshipped | Images and Statues are forbidden. | Many images of the Buddha can be found in many different shapes and forms, they tell stories of the Buddha | Statues and images are used as a vessel for prayer, a representation of a relationship with God - the images and idols themselves are not worshipped |
Charity | Tzedakah; 10 percent of income | Tithe: 10 percent of income | Zakat: 2.5 percent of total wealth each year | Buddhists live their lives with kindness and generosity so they are willing to help someone in need anytime they can | Daya (compassion) and Dana (being charitable in actions and sharing possessions with those less fortunate without seeking praise) are two important beliefs |
| Proselytizing (to convert) | No proselytizing; Jews must turn away would-be converts three times to ensure their commitment. | Conversion considered important in most traditions; Catholic and Protestant churches have missionaries. | Da’wa: Muslims should share their knowledge of Islam without trying to convert. Only God can bring someone to Islam. | Buddhists meditate and act in kindness and compassion to put positive energy out into the world to help others – there is no proselytization because all beings have Buddha nature | Hindus believe in one ultimate truth which is inside everyone, therefore, there is nothing to be converted to, different religions are seen as different paths towards discovery of the true Self (universal truth) |
| Tolerance | Jews tolerate other religions, and does not seek to convert. | History of intolerance, oppression of other religions and dissenting Christians. | Muslims taught to tolerate other religions; special respect for Jews and Christians—“People of the Book.” | Buddhist teaching is grounded in love and kindness to everyone | Hindus are taught to respect all other religions - Hinduism does not insist upon one God or one religion for all beings |
| Women | Men and women are equal in the eyes of God; traditional Judaism prescribes different roles for men and women. Orthodox men and women worship separately. | Men and women worship together. Some Protestant churches ordain women as priests. | Men and women are generally treated the same in the Qu’ran, although women are oppressed in many Muslim cultures today. Men and women traditionally pray separately. | In some schools of Buddhism women cannot be high monks | Men and women are treated equally in the religion, many forms of the Divine and many powerful deities are represented as female goddesses |
| House of Worship | Synagogue | Church | Mosque | Temple | Temple |
| Main day of Worship | Saturday | Sunday | Friday | There is no worship, Buddhists chant and meditate daily | Many gods and goddesses traditionally have a day upon which they are worshipped |
| Diet | Must keep “kosher”: no pork or certain seafood; other meat to be killed by kosher method; separation of meat and dairy. | None | No pork; other meat should be prepared by a halal method. No alcohol | Buddhists don’t believe in killing, including for food, but some monks beg for their food so they must eat meat | Ahimsa leads to a simple vegetarian diet. No alcohol. |
| Life after Death | No immediate life after death; life in the “world to come” after the coming of the Messiah. | Day of Judgment, followed by Heaven and Hell. | Day of Judgment, followed by Heaven or Hell. | Buddhists are reborn into new lives until they reach enlightenment then they can stop the cycle or birth and death or take the Buddhist vow and keep being reborn until all beings reach enlightenment | The Hindu soul is reincarnated and continues in the cycle of rebirth (Samsara) until they reach Moksha - liberation when truth is realized |
| Mysticism | Kabala | Numerous mystical traditions | Sufism | Some used in select schools of Buddhism | Some mysticism practices |