The Western And Eastern Traditions Essay - 2396 Words

As a result of their different views on the ontology of the original creation, the Western and Eastern traditions greatly differ in their understandings of the concept of being created in God’s image, as well as their views on the fall and human vocation. As a result, the Western and Eastern tradition hold two very different understandings of the goal and origin of faith and salvation. When comparing and contrasting how Calvin of the Western tradition and Lossky of the Eastern Orthodox tradition understands what it means to be created in God’s image and how sin effects this human vocation, we see the main differences theologically start at the creation in the garden, which in turn affects their views on the Imago Dei, the nature of sin, and the fall. Consequently, they also have vastly different views regarding the reason Jesus came to the earth, and the steps that God had planned for the carrying out his plan of salvation. Western theologians, such as John Calvin, ofte n view the beginning of creation as a perfect, whole, and pristine paradise. In other words, it was mature and complete. The fall was a momentary event of disobedience, a radical change in the course of creation. It is because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as prompted by the serpent in the garden, that humans experienced the fall. Their disobedience to God caused creation to change from the mature, perfect stage it was in to brokenness, sin, and ultimately paradise lost.Show MoreRelatedThe Western And Western Traditions924 Words   |  4 PagesReligions from around the world all have an ultimate goal that they want to achieve within their lifetime, whether it is reaching enlightenment or getting your will in line with God. The following statement claims that the Eastern and Western traditions only have two goals in life and lumps all religions in each region together, â€Å"You Abrahamic faiths are all the same, being religious is an act of will , getting your will in right alignment with God. For us in the East, it is not about will, it isRead MoreWestern and Non Western Divinity 774 Words   |  3 PagesIn more recent years there have been attempts to combine the views and concepts of western and non-western religious philosophies. For example, the Kyoto school of philosophers attempted to combine the phenomenology of Husserl with the insights of Zen Buddhism. Largely, most of the philosophers belonging to this school of thought were heavily influenced by the German philosophers, specifically the works of Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. In addition, many engaged their cultural resources toRead MoreEastern and Western Parallels1424 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout time, Westerners have more or less oppressed Eastern culture, creating the west as the metaphysical head of the world. The west’s ethnocentric tendencies, have acted as a suppressant to the spread of non-western thought. Even though Eastern ideolog ies tend to differ greatly from thoughts of the western world, there is some level of unity between the two. Unlike the ecclesiastical influences, seen in the west, Confucianism and Sikhi present thoughts about the individual and humankind’sRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Buddhism : Zen Buddhism855 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant. Thus, it is the goal of both religions to help people break free from the confines of the Self and realise this interconnectivity. The quote shows some of the differences that exist between Eastern Traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism and the Western Traditions like Christianity. Eastern Traditions believe in the idea of a force which connects all things, but is devoid of personality or a particular identity. Hence, they represent this force in multiple forms and these forms serve as GodheadsRead MoreWorld Religions: Comparative Discussions1010 Words   |  4 Pages What does each tradition have to say about whether a human being has an individual soul? What is the significance of this soul (or lack thereof) in each tradition? The concept of the self is critical to a great many religious traditions. Understanding ones own individual position within the context of the universe helps to drive ones relationship to the divine, to the pedestrian and to ones fellow man. This is the orientation that helps define atman in the Hindu tradition. Here, this layeredRead MoreNew Age Spirituality in the Context of Western Esotericism Essay1251 Words   |  6 Pages In researching for this essay, I encountered certain difficulties with the strict nature of classifying New Age spirituality and Western esotericism. As is the case with so many things in life, this issue is more complex than simple black and white comparisons. While the main purpose of this paper is to argue in favour of the ways in which these two systems are connected, I will be making certain concessions. One of the main problems presented by the study of these systems is how broadly definedRead More Eastern and Western Religions Essay899 Words   |  4 Pages The â€Å"Soul† According to Eastern amp; Western Religions The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortalRead MoreHistorical Context Of Paul Vi s Decree On Ecumenism1733 Words   |  7 Pagesand West. Regarding the Church in the East, Unitatis Redintergratio explains that the Catholic Church enjoys a special relationship with the Orthodox Church, due to their shared apostolic foundation (UR 14). Unitatis Redintergratio teaches that the Eastern churches should have the autonomy to govern themselves, considering them in full communion with the Catholic Church because they share spiritual, liturgical and theological similarities (UR 15-17). The last few paragraphs of the decree speaks aboutRead MoreCultural Differences between the West and East716 Words   |  3 Pagesit goal to compare Western World, here represented by Europe and the USA, and Eastern World, represented by the Eastern and the Southeastern Asia. While most of the Eastern Asia is heavily traditional because of influence of Confucianism and Taoism, the West is more liberal and atheistic. Because of this, these two cultures parts away in questions of family traditions, family bonds, general respect towards elders, and also the value of education. As mentioned before, tradition has a very strong unshakableRead MoreMajor Differencies Between Eastern and Western Philosophies as the Basis for Adult Education1037 Words   |  5 Pagesthe philosophies of the east and west Western philosophy has its roots in Athens, Rome and Judeo ­Christianity while Eastern philosophy is derived from Confucianism, Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism. As Greek and Latin are to Western civilisation, so classical Chinese is to East Asian civilisation. I will focus on four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies. 1. Western Individualism and Eastern Collectivism In the Greco‑Roman tradition, the image of Prometheus powerfully illustrates