Comparing Unitarian Universalism And Buddhism

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Religion is a very complex topic due to the fact that every religion is distinct and values different rules and morals individual religions also tend to hold beliefs that conflict with one another which has been a source of contention for centuries. However, if you look closely enough at any two religions you are bound to find similarities even between religions that seem to be the ultimate contradiction and differences in those that appear to be identical. In this case Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism are two religions in particular that at first glance look as though they are very similar yet when examined on a more profound level greater distinctions can be made. As a result, it is necessary to break down both Buddhism and Unitarian Universalism …show more content…
For example, Unitarian Universalism originated from the unification of two different religions in 1961 while Buddhism was founded by a single person named Siddhartha Gautama in the year 525 B.C.E. (“Unitarian Universalist”;“Buddhism” 2016). Additionally the basis for Unitarian Universalism in America stems from the establishment of the first Unitarian church located in Philadelphia, founded by Joseph Priestly in 1796 and the first Universalist church founded by John Murray in Massachusetts in 1779 (“Unitarian Universalist”). On the other hand Buddhism spread to America during the 19th century after an Indian emperor named Asoka declared Buddhism the religion of India causing it to spread throughout many other Asian countries and later to America through the immigration of Asians in society (“Buddhism” 2004). History as a rule is extraordinarily unique because no two situations can ever be exactly alike, nevertheless it is possible to find similarities between the two scenarios being compared. For instance, one similarity between Universalism and Buddhism is that they both originated in countries whose names have since been altered specifically Transylvania now known as Romania, where Unitarianism originated and Northern India the initial location of Buddhism, which is presently known as Nepal (“Unitarian Universalist” ;“Buddhism” 2004). Ultimately the history of Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism is quite diverse with significantly fewer similarities than

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