People across the world are associated with various religions including Shintoism and Judaism where they practice several rituals and have varying beliefs regarding their deities; however, there are essential messages that are the same among all the spiritualities. The Shinto religion is mainly practiced in Japan, and they believe in Kami, their gods, in the form of things and concepts that are considered to be divine spirits living among the people. Also, their ideologies are not written or specified on a particular written material, but they are passed through generations. On the other hand, Judaists believe in one all-powerful deity, God, that is holy and in spirit form. They follow the Holy Scriptures written by spiritually inspired individuals, Hebrew Bible (Oxtoby 94).
First, both religions preach continued respect for human nature. The elders are obliged to pass the message from one generation to another concerning the importance of all humans and their value compared to other things. According to both religions, people should live united and peacefully amongst themselves. The Shinto regards every person as a child of Kami and believes that human life and nature are sacred and their existence is not comparable with any other thing whether living or non-living. Similarly, the Bible in Leviticus 19; 18 commands the Judaists to live in peace, harmony, and unity, “shall not take vengeance on any of your people, but shall love your neighbor as you love yourself, I AM LORD” (Oxtoby 91) Additionally, both religions believe that all humans are obliged to be always morally upright and shouldn’t engage in activities that show disrespect to oneself or others around them. Shinto strongly advocates for right practices, sensibility, and attitude while Judaists are taught by the scriptures, particularly the first section, Torah, how to live morally and ritually right amongst them.
Although the outcomes are different, all religions teach their believers that one’s afterlife is determined by one’s characters and behaviors while alive. To have a better life after death one is supposed to live a morally right and purified life and should avoid things or activities that might deny him or her passage to the lands of the righteous. The Shinto believes that their ancestors gladly accept those who die with purified hearts in the gloomy underworld known as Yomi. Similarly, the Judaists believe that just like there is time to be born, there is a time to die and one should go through it unflinchingly because there is an afterlife that is determined by one’s life while alive. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2; states “…a time to every purpose under heaven – time to be born and die” illustrating that those who believe in God and the Bible should not fear death since there is a better place for them in heaven (Oxtoby 141).
In conclusion, religions might be based on varying beliefs regarding their deities and rituals, but they have a universal message concerning the interaction of people with one another. Every religion has its ways of teaching and guiding its followers and how they should live morally right, peacefully and united amongst themselves. According to all religions, love is one of the significant unifying factors among humans, and the believers are always taught to embrace it if they have to live conflict-free lives. Hence, the essential message of all religions is to have a peaceful and united world where all the human races embrace love and respect.
