From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comparative religion in the West typically focuses on comparing Eastern and Western religious traditions. This is closely related to the comparison of, and distinction between, Eastern and Western philosophy. Western tradition refers to prominent faiths in Europe and the Anglosphere, generally focusing on Abrahamic faiths. Eastern tradition refers to important faiths in the Sinosphere and Indosphere, usually focused on Dharmic and Taoic faiths. While acknowledging the differences, critics complain the distinction is oversimplified, forces some religions into arbitrary categories and ignores traditions outside of the recognized "great religions" of the world, such as neopaganism and African religion. The comparison is also complicated by the growing presence of Western varieties of Oriental faiths and Eastern versions of Occidental faiths.

Contents 1 Western religion 2 Eastern religion 3 Disputed and unclear traditions 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

Western religions are the most important religions within European culture and include Judaism and Christianity. Until the mid-twentieth century, Islam was regarded as an "Eastern" religion. Now it is included in the category of Western Religions.

Eastern religions are mostly either Indian or Chinese in origin: The Dharmic religions faiths of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism; and the Taoic religions of Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto.

Zoroastrianism is related to Hinduism due to their shared Indo-Iranian background.

Animist/Primitive/Shamanistic religions which are independent or previous to the dominant religions.

Sikhism is a relatively modern religion that is related to Hinduism, but has elements that are similar to the Abrahamic religions as well.

Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse and other European polytheistic religions can be considered western or pre-western, although they may share a common ancestor with Hinduism; see Proto-Indo-European religion.

Neopaganism, which is a revivalist movement, draws on the religions of cultures all over the world, usually focusing on polytheistic traditions, and originally based on that of pre-Christian Europe.

• Religions of the world

• "Comparing Eastern and Western Religions" by Sandra LaFave
• "Using Western Philosophy to Approach Eastern Religions: An Initial List" by Charles Ess