Comparative Religion : The Sensible Way

Religion is one of the main aspects of our multifaceted life. If we completely sideline the God and Theological parts of a religion, then still it will have an important impact on our life. It is my firm belief that even in its base, religion is much more than just worshiping God and interpreting his impact on our life, religion is the most simple form that binds two completely different-minded individuals. It is also the force that can be used both for uniting and dividing.

As we have different religions available to adopt and also have different interpretations of thereof, it is quite natural to wonder which one of them has better qualities than the other. For that reason, I am here to present my point of view.

It is quite complex to rank religion because it includes so many aspects, but still, I will try my best to do so. For the sake of the answer, I will here compare religions based on these 3 aspects. I think these aspects are the main ones and most of the other aspects of religion directly or indirectly depend on them

1. The Social aspect i.e. how it organizes its followers and how well is its religious administration. IMO the main job of a religion is to unite people and organize the community most efficiently. The more efficient a community is, the better will be its productivity and conversion from other religions. This can easily be judged through the new conversion to the religion.
2. Theological Aspect i.e. how it manages the men's interaction with God. This will be the most complex thing to compare as it highly depends on personal choice which Theology one finds supreme. I will here present my personal views.
3. Adaptation Aspect i.e. the quality of the religion to adapt with time. This quality I think is important for the social and political progress of society and religion both. As I can not find any good way to measure this aspect, I will presume older religion as more adaptable than the newer ones.

I will here compare different religions in these aspects and give them a score out of 10 for each. I again say that this is my view, if the reader disagrees with me then he is free to compare religions with the same or different techniques and choose the most suitable for himself among them.

I will take the following religions:

1. Vedic Religion(Arya Samaj interpretation)
2. Puranic Religion(Orthodox School interpretation)
3. Sikhism
4. Islam
5. Christianity (Both Catholic and Protestant)

Vedic Religion:

The Social aspect: In initial studies, it looks like The holy Vedas highly support organizing the community. In scriptures, support communion and congregation is highly respected, some verses suggest that even eating alone was considered a sin in Vedic Times. But still, there is no strong organization of Vedic religious community on the ground in current times and conversion too is minimal. Score 6/10.

Theological Aspect: Vedic Theology is highly developed and practical, it effectively counters the argument that "if there is god then why there is so much misery". The concept of God and society is simple yet satisfying. I personally very much like Vedic Theology. Score 9/10.

Adaptation Aspect: Vedic Religion, as apparent from the name, is based around the holy Vedas, and just like any other written word, their prevalence with time is only limited. This drawback is visible in current times when due to their high emphasis on Vedas, the blind followers of Vedas refuse to let go of the unproductive and irrelevant concept of the Varna System. Score 6/10.

Total Score: 21/30.

Puranic Religion:

The Social aspect: The main concept here revolves more around symbolism and hints of community building, unlike Vedic Scriptures where it is specifically mentioned that a man must form a strong community, the scriptures here just give hints of community building. But just like the Vedic Religion, community building is weak and conversion is minimal. Score 5/10.

Theological Aspect: Puranic Religion offers a more developed and complex Theology than Vedic Religion. This was the result of centuries of adaptation in the scriptures. But this amount of complexity also promotes the hereditary priest class of understanding and propagating that theology. Score 7/10.

Adaptation Aspect: In observation, this religion is found more adapting than Vedic religion, but its adaption is less stable and efficient due to a complete lack of community building. Score 6/10.

Total Score: 18/30.

Sikhism:

The Social aspect: Sikhism has the most efficient community-building system in any religion, which is the reason it has not only managed to survive but also thrive despite its more radical views and comparatively low population. The Sikh people are the only religious community in India that elects its religious administrator through proper Voting. Despite the population being lesser than Muslims and Christians, it has more representation in government than both. Sikhs have their own dedicated conversion institutions and thus their conversion is more than both Vedic and Puranic Religion Score 8/10.

Theological Aspect: Sikh theology in my opinion not that developed. It has some pretty good concepts for congregation but its mysticism elements are a dislike for me. Score 5/10.

Adaptation Aspect: Sikhs too have a religious book in the form of their Living guru Shri Guru Granth Sahib. But in practice, it is more like a theological guidance and unlike Shri Vedas and Puranas, it does not include social and political laws or even guidance. Most religious laws too are created and implemented by the elected persons of the Sikh congregation. Score 8/10.

Total Score: 21/30

Islam:

The Social aspect: Islam specifically emphasizes the need for a strong community. Their religious and political laws mandate the congregation in Mashjid once every week. This practice was able to create strong community ties among individuals in Islam. Score: 7/10.

Theological Aspect: Islam too offers a time-tested and adapted theology. But it lacks the separation of Theological and Legal Laws. Islamic laws are more connected to their theology than to practical conditions. Score 6/10.

Adaptation Aspect: As the main source of Islamic laws is its theology itself and it too is centered around one written book, the adaptiveness of Islam is very law. This is the reason for its decline in Modern times. Score: 5/10.

Total Score: 18/30.

Christianity (Both Catholic and Protestant):

The Social aspect: Christians in Europe and America were able to develop the most stable and developing communities. The Catholic branch of Christianity also has a complete system of religious administration, but unlike Sikhism Christianity was not able to incorporate an elected clergy system. Score: 7/10.

Theological Aspect: Christian Theology is among the most popular ones currently. But it is also the most complex one and in my opinion the most senseless one, but with a strong community building, they were able to develop their own Theology and propagate it to the Globe. Score: 7/10.

Adaptation Aspect: This varies from Sect to Sect, but overall the adaptability of Christianity is above Islam but below Sikhism. Score: 6/10.

Total Score: 20/30.

Religious Ranking according to me:

1. Vedic Religion and Sikhism
2. Christianity
3. Islam and Puranic Religion.