All religions are theistic. All believe in God. The Buddhists and Jains may not directly refer to God, yet they speak of the Divine Principle of perfection. When this principle is embodied in a being, he is called Arhat. The highest state which man has to achieve is the state of Nirvana or Moksha in which all earthly passions, desires and needs are sublimated. The individual attains “eternal bliss” according to Jainism. The Buddhists, who like Jains, do not postulate the existence of God in a direct manner, believe that the highest state which man can reach is the state of the Buddha. He is Divine, the Kevalin or Mukta or the embodiment of love and Prajna. All other religions believe in the existence of God and that God is one. Hindus call Him Brahman, Iswara or Paramatma; Christians call Him “Father in Heaven”, Jews call Him Jehova, Zoroastrians call him Ahura Mazda; and Muslims call Him Allah. This is what the Hindu seers postulated- Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti.The names by which God is called in different religions are:
Hinduism: Iswara / Paramatma / Brahman (Iswara is the concept of God in religion but in Vedantic philosophy, it is conceived as Brahman- The Absolute).
Zoroastrianism: Ahura Mazda (The Wise One) – The God of Truth, Wisdom and Illumination.
Jainism : Arhat; Kevalin
Buddhism: State of the Buddha – Nirvana (Abhoot, Akshar, Dhruva and Satya) – The embodiment of love and Prajna.
Judaism: Jehova
Taoism: Tao, meaning ultimate reality and truth.
Islam: Allah – The merciful, the compassionate and the sole Lord of creation. (There is only one God and Muhammad is his Messenger).
Sikhism: Sat or Akal (There is but one God whose name is Truth and who is eternal).
Christianity: Father in Heaven.
Thus all the religions are monotheistic.
All religions believe in the three-fold functions of God, viz., creation, protection and destruction. Hindus attribute these functions to Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara – the triple aspects of Brahman. Christians refer to the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. Old Testament refers to God as the Creator, Preserver and the Maker of Laws. Sikhs refer to God as the Creator, the Caretaker and unto whom all things ultimately revert.
Man’s relationship with God: “Man is part and parcel (an aspect) of God”, says Hinduism. “As eye is near the nose, so God is near me”, says Zoroastrianism. “God created man from dust and blew the spirit in him”, says Judaism, Christianity and Islam. “Atma is the master of man”, says Buddhism. “God is within you”, says Sikhism. “God is the ground of all existence”, says Judaism.
All religions believe in secondary god or angels. This is not to be confused with polytheism.
All religions believe in three worlds (Lokas) – Earth, Heaven and Hell. The philosophical explanation of these is that they represent different state of consciousness. Hell means “sub-human”, Earth means “human”, and Heaven means “divine”.
All religions believe in the principle of soul or spirit. “Body dies but not the soul”, says the Gita. “Dust thou art and to dust thou returnest was not spoken of the soul,” says the Bible.
All religions emphasize on the necessity and value of sacrifice. “Surrender unto God’s will,” says the Koran. “Sacrifice the self unto Self,” says the Gita.
All religions believe in the equality of man. All are the children of God. All are equal. “At the subtle levels of our personality, there is no difference between you, He (God) and me.”
All religions emphasize on the supreme value and efficacy of prayer. Prayer is the golden link between man and God. It is a means of intimate communion and rapport with the Almighty. It promotes concentration, purifies the heart and brings peace within and without.
All religions lay the same emphasis and stress on the necessity of ethical life. Morality is the indispensable pre- requisite for a religious life.
The Ultimate Goal: The aim and goal of all religions is to make man perfect. Man is incomplete without religion. Religion unites man with God and even transforms him to become “God- like”. In this, one’s spiritual effort is firstly necessary; then God’s grace will fulfill it.
