Comparison of Religions Considering Fundamental Beliefs and Rituals

It is of great importance when comparing religions to take careful consideration of fundamental beliefs and rituals each religion engages in. this gives and aids in understanding each religion more clearly. A comparison enables analysis of disparity among different aspects of a religion as it relates to another religion. In this paper, Judaism and Hinduism will be analyzed and a comparison of beliefs of sickness and health will be looked at and distinguish the differences between the two religions. Hindus' view on ailment is based on Ayurvedic medical tradition concerned with sustaining or restoring order to the body relative to the cosmos. It connects back to basic metaphysical beliefs—that the human body is homologous with the universe, and that a microcosmic and macrocosmic correspondence of elements determines our welfare.

Health pertains to an adequate physical balance, and medical practice encourages this balance through sustenance and minimum levels of invasive intervention. There are three vital senses of humor that constitute the equilibrium of the body – bile, wind, and phlegm. They are inconsistently changing, and sickness occurs when one of the three are disrupted and becomes imbalanced due to inappropriate actions of the body, mind, and speech; misuse of the objects of the senses; or discrepancy depending on the time of the year (seasons). It may also be a consequence of personal conduct (e.g. immoral thoughts or behaviors) that can be rectified through mental and/or behavioral improvements. Linking physical maladies to the spiritual domain, they can arise from astrologically depraved times or karma. Although the principle of karma appears to associate illness with sin, paralleling bad health with the consequences of evil committed in a previous life, the pursuit of spiritual goals does not overshadow the value of medical practice in the Hindu tradition.

In Hinduism, healing includes therapeutic practices such as surgical procedures, use of medicinal herbs, and meditation. “Diet, herbs, water, minerals, and other treatments are [typically] used for cures” in this system of healing. Traditionally, yoga was therapeutically used as a part of Ayurvedic practices to delve into the actualization of the true self (atman) and the nature of reality (Brahman). Due to an immense variance within Hinduism, a variety of perspectives on spirituality and physical health develops. More theistically oriented Hindus place emphasis upon seeking deities to bring about physical well-being of individuals. As time progressed, Europeans and American missionaries and health practitioners spread western medical perspectives to India and made an impact on Hindu understandings of physical wellness. However, Hindus continue to follow Ayurvedic medical tradition, homeopathic, and native approaches.

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On the other hand, ancient Judaism acclaimed God as a source of health and illness, with sickness a divine-mandated punishment for individual and communal sins because God is almighty, all-knowing, and all-merciful. This idea is exemplified in the Book of Job. The protagonist is afflicted with physical ailments to test his faith. It is later revealed that Job’s sicknesses are not the result of spiritual inadequacies but instead result from a divine plan undistinguishable to humanity. This further illustrates that God is the force responsible for both sickness and healing: 'There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded, and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.' Eventually, God restores Job’s physical health due to his ensuring trust in God’s omnipotence. The Lord “blessed the latter days” of his life “more than the beginning,” and he died “old and full of days”.

These are two knowledgeable sources about medical issues that are extremely important to Judaism: the Mishnah, and the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. Unlike some religions that reject the body, in Judaism, it is expected to embrace corporal desires and it is wrong to deny them because they are divine creations. Therefore, the mainstream Judaic tradition opposes asceticism and monasticism. People are responsible to take care of their bodies, which are considered on gift from God.

In Jewish tradition, medical practice is a responsibility for those who have the knowledge and skills to perform them. For those that are not a physician, visiting and praying for the well-being of the sick is a fundamental value. According to David ben Shmuel haLevi, “True healing is through prayer, for healing is from heaven, as it is written, ‘I have smitten, and I shall heal’”. Hence, while Torah law offers countless commandments in relation to physical health, these instructions are not authoritative merely because they mandate positive behaviors but more prominently, because they are commanded by the divine.

Nevertheless, there are as many similarities as there are differences. In Judaism, God is responsible for all healing and illness, and is the only one who can restore the body and spirit. Therefore, sickness was viewed as a divinely ordained form of individual or communal punishment. Jews pray in the Synagogue in support of the sick and believe that healing helps restore health and spirit so that a person can continue living life to the fullest. The accessibility of treatment and medication is seen as a gift from God. Hindus look for the cause of everything that happens to you in your own karma. Disease is therefore the result of your own behavior/imbalance and is considered as a kind of cleansing. Hinduism respects medicines, but there are many traditional solutions to healing that are used more often.

In conclusion, these two religions are mostly different in sickness and healing. Each specify an ideal of health embedded in proper relationships among humans, other beings, or the divine. Thus, each emphasizes some sort of commitment to the social community, as well as in some cases, to the community of immortals. Living in a community that seeks to alleviate injustice and care for the sick is important for personal well-being. Both offer different prayers, meditation, good deeds, as well as traditional medical practices to ease these illness or disharmony.

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