Doctrine of the Five Primary Religions

A comparison of Orthodox teachings

* _{The Old Testament opens with a reference to God as a plural entity and with the statement that both Adam and Eve are made in "Our" image. The Ten Commandments also suggest that early Jews believed in multiple deities, as the Second Commandment asserts that God is "jealous" and that there should be no other gods "besides" God. These inconsistencies later are resolved as the Jews accept a singular masculine God. Later still, the Jews acknowledge the “Holy Shekinah” – a feminine aspect of their Godhead.}

** _{To Buddha, the multiple gods and goddesses of Hinduism were of secondary importance, since true enlightenment can only be achieved by following a solitary journey of Truth (i.e., Dharma). Buddha described nirvana as a state of enlightenment in which the soul is released from the Earth plane. However, Buddha never clarified whether, after achieving buddhahood, the soul joins with God in the Ethereal plane.}

*** _{Jesus taught that there is one God. However the Roman Catholic Church created the Holy Trinity (i.e., God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) and a lesser evil divinity known as Satan, thereby reviving the pagan belief in multiple deities. Jesus also taught that mankind is inherently good and capable of earning salvation, but the Catholic Church expanded the Jewish concept of sin (that man is responsible for his own actions) and decreed that mankind is innately sinful. Lastly, Jesus taught that the path to salvation is faith in God plus good works, which means following the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule (the Eleventh Commandment). However, many Christians believe Jesus is a deity who will grant salvation to his worshipers, regardless of good works.}

The Primary Religions on Charity

The Golden Rule is universal!