Let’s Talk About Faith

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on earth. Jesus established a moral code from the concepts of love, charity, and humility, and he asked the faithful to follow his lessons. Jesus caused suspicion among the upper classes and the leaders of the Jewish faith. These people persuaded the Roman governor, who was already concerned about unrest among the Jewish population, that Jesus was a dangerous troublemaker. Jesus was put to death as such, crucified like a common criminal, about 30 CE. Christians believe he was resurrected on the third day after his death, as proof that he was the Son of God. This belief helped the religion spread farther among Jewish communities in the Middle East, both within the Roman Empire and beyond. When Jesus’ followers realized Jesus was not immediately returning to earth to set up the Kingdom of God, the disciples of Jesus went out, to spread the new Christian message. The christian belief that Christ was divine as well as human was met with hostility by many Jews. The stories of Jesus and his followers are in Christianity’s holy book called the bible. The Bible is a collection of sacred texts in Judaism and Christianity. It is a collection of scriptures written at different times by different authors in different locations. Jews and Christians consider the books of the Bible to be a product of divine inspiration or an authoritative record of the relationship between God and humans. The author includes this religion in the book because it is the highest practiced religion in the world right now followed by Islam and Hinduism in that order so by using these 3 religions the author expands the understanding of the other religions that are being practiced by being in a position to base them off of a religion that the reader could be familiar with.

The author included these three religions in the book for various and sometimes glaringly obvious reasons, but something as small as a change in location could disrupt these reasons. One philosophy that would have been used instead of Hinduism, which ties Pi to India, could be Buddhism. Buddhism is similar to Hinduism in most of its basic beliefs. One different thing is the lack of a caste system and the fact it ’s not as tied down in a communal culture. A religion that could replace Christianity is Judaism. Judaism share many of the same basic beliefs and some traditions but Christianity has more followers than Judaism so it won out.

Exploring different religions can give you a better and deeper understanding of your own religion or philosophy. The author of Life of Pi explored an extreme trial and test of faith through the eyes of a boy who “just wanted to love god” and made it accessible to a larger group of people by showing this boy exploring three religions.

Works Cited

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"Hinduism 101: An Introduction To The Hindu Religion." - The Buddha Garden. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.

"The LitCharts Study Guide to Life of Pi." LitCharts. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.

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River, By The. "Hinduism: Caste System, Reincarnation, and Karma." Hinduism: Caste System, Reincarnation, and Karma. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"Untouchable." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

"What Is ISLAM? An Overview for Christians • ChristianAnswers.Net." What Is ISLAM? An Overview for Christians • ChristianAnswers.Net. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.