Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 17

comparative religion - Fields of study

The objective investigation of the religions of the world by scientific and historical methods. Its approach is descriptive and comparative, and is not concerned with questions of the truth or falsity of the beliefs it examines. Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1917), often called ‘the father of comparative religion’, did much to bring a knowledge of the world's religions to the notice of the English-speaking world. The discipline has contributed greatly to our knowledge of religions by identifying recurring patterns of belief and practice among religions widely separated by culture and geography, as well as by indicating what is distinctive in each religion.

Fields of study

Origin belief Humanism Fundamentalism

Abrahamic Monotheistic

Judeo-Christo-Islamic Judeo-Christian Christo-Islamic Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an

Dharmic religions

Ayyavazhi and Hinduism Buddhism and Hinduism Zoroastrianism and Hinduism Hinduism and Sikh Panth Jainism and Hinduism Hellenism and Hinduism

Mysticism and Esotericism

Kabbala (Judaism), Gnosticism (Christianity), Sufism (Islam), Magi (Zoroastrianism), Yoga (Hinduism), Vipassana (Buddhism) Chakra Ideal perfection: "Baqa" (Sufism), 'Najat' (Islam), 'Nirvana' (Buddhism), 'Salvation' (Christianity), and 'Mukti' (Hinduism).

Other Comparisions and topics

Hinduism and Confucianism Comparing Eastern and Western religious traditions Judaism and Buddhism Christianity and world religions Christianity and Buddhism Hinduism and other religions Islamic comparative religion

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