Religion is a defining factor of every community. Members In a particular community believe their lives and activities are guided by a supreme being. They belief that the Supreme Being is capable of controlling their undertakings, lives as well as their moral behavior. Religion has been a major factor in ensuring the society is in harmony. However, the differences occur when a particular group has a different belief from another. For instance, religious beliefs of Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Atenism are not the same. In order to have a harmonious society, it is essential to compare and contrast the religious beliefs of Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Atenism in order to enhance one’s knowledge about a Supreme Being and moral obligation.
Atenism in ancient Egypt was the worship of god Aten. Aten god was represented in form of a sun. In the 14th century, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV wanted to consolidate the Egyptian gods to one. Atenism and Judaism share some similarities because before the Hebrews left Egypt, they copied many aspects of Atenism into their own religion. For instance, Moses’ idea of having monotheism was from Atenism.
Zoroastrianism just like Atenism and Judaism was monotheistic. Zoroastrianism and Judaism had a prophetic figure that was believed to mediate between God and people. Forinstance, in Judaism there was Prophet Moses and in Zoroastrianism there was Prophet Zarathustra. Different from Atenism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism belief their God has an ethical preference. They believe that their God is flawless and a perfect God. Judaism and Zoroastrianism have specific religious attires and head-covering that defines their dedication to the worship of God. For example, the Zoroastrians wear shirt (sedreh) and a kushti (girdle).The Jews on their part clad in a fringed garment (tallit).
Even though Atenism and Judaism share the same idea of one god, Aten is not grounded on moral preferences. Moreover, it was not established similarly as Judaism. For instance, In Judaism, God says that he will make many people to be priests so that they can represent him on earth. In Atenism, king Akhenaten claimed to be a mediator between human beings and (Aten Interfaif 1).
Judaism is different from Zoroastrianism because the Jews believe that the purpose of life is to enjoy life, love their God and make the world a better place to live. On the other hand, the Zoroastrians believe that they were created to serve their deity by showing good deeds to others and to listen to God’s guidance. Another difference is that every Jew is supposed to do good and leave what is bad while in Zoroastrianism, human beings have equality ability to be bad or good. In considering the prayers, the Zoroastrians pray five times in a day while the Jews pray three times a day (Diffen1).
In conclusion, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Atenism share the same belief of one God. Even though there are many debates in which one religion influenced the other, they were able to define the behaviors of the people. Zoroastrianism on its part was not able to effectively define the ethical obligations of the people as it lasted for twenty years. Judaism claims that every person is responsible for his or her actions. Zoroastrianism on its part says that human beings have an equal ability to do bad or good.
Work Cited
- Diffen, ‘Judaism vs Zoroastrianism’ n.d. Web 28 September 2019. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Judaism_vs_Zoroastrianism
- Interfaif, ‘Was Atenism monotheism? 25 July ,2012. Web 28 September 2019. https://www.interfaith.org/community/threads/15582/
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Similarities Between Judaism and Zoroastrianism.
(2022, February 21). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/judaism-zoroastrianism-and-atenism-as-the-religions-of-the-ancient-world/
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