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Below is a description of various World Religions. By no means does this include all religions. Please return to this page as additional religions will be added. Click the symbols below to learn about the different faith traditions.
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Buddhism
Buddhism is a path of development leading to Insight to the true nature of life. Through meditation, one follows this path toward Enlightenment or Buddahood.
Buddhism is not considered a religion in the traditional sense. It does not worship God or gods. It does promote the teachings that (1) nothing is permanent, (2) actions have consequences, and (3) change is possible.
Buddha, meaning 'One Who is Awake' (Enlightened), was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepa around 480 BC. After witnessing old age, sickness, and death, Siddhartha decided to seek out their meaning and the purpose of life itself.
He attempted traditional teachings and ways for discovering life's meaning, but until he sat down one day under a pipal tree he could not reach enlightenment. Determined to gain insight, he sat still under the tree for days until, on the 40th day, he attained Enlightenment.
For the next 45 yars of his life, he traveled and taught the method of attaining Enlightenment.
Buddhists are those who adhere to the traditions of Buddha. In the world today, there are approximately 350 million Buddhists, many of whom live in the United States. In China, there are over 105,000,000 adherents. Although, Thailand ranks as the number one most populated Buddhist country with 90,000,000 adherents - 95% of the entire country.
The three major branches of the Buddhism are Mahayana (185,000,000 or 56% of all Buddhists), Theravada (125,000,000 or 38% of all Buddhists), and Vujrayana [Tibetan] (20,000,000 or 6% of all Buddhists)
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Christianity
Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Click on this link to discover a brief history about the faith of Christians.
Confucianism
Confucionism can best be understood as a way or code of life. Its adherents are primarily found in China. Confucionism has a great influence in Chinese government, education, and personal behavior for the Chinese people. Confucionism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion. Although, some have argued that it is a civil religion, where everyday life is the arena for religion.
Master Kong (K'ung, Confucius, 551-479 B.C.), the founder of Confucianism did not intend to create a new religion, but to interpret and revive the unnamed religion of the Zhou (Chou) dynasty. Zhou was a ritualistic religion and Confucius applied the philosophy of ritual to all parts of life - not only to worship, but to government, education, and normal codes of conduct. According to Confucious, such ritual required that each person had their proper role.
Under the Han Emperor Wu (r. 140-87 B.C.), Confucianism become accepted as orthodoxy. From that time on the imperial state promoted Confucian values to maintain law, order, and the status quo.
Until the 1890s, Confucianism was the way of the Chinese people. Since the revolution, the public ideology of the People's Republic has abandoned Confucian teachings. Although Chinese' present day Maoism has similarities, it is not the way of Confucious. Maoism is a teaching derived from Mao Zedong and remains the official doctrine of the Communist Party in China. It teaches a commitment to transforming the world by applying the lessons of a utopian ideology to the actions and institutions of everyday life. Both Confucianism and Maoism are uniquely Chinese.
It is difficult to determine how many strict Confucionists there are in the world today. Approximately 5 million adherents live in Korea. In China, Taoism is the preffered religious practice.
Hinduism
Hinduism originated over 3000 years ago. It is not a single unified religion and has no founder, single teacher, nor prophets. Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman. Although, there are many other deities such as Krishna, Shiva, Rama and Durga.
Hinduism is monotheistic (Believes in One God). However, Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His Infinite manifestations around us and within us perpetually. Realizing that it is impossible for mankind to visualize the Infinite, Hinduism presents us with His forms to help us visualize him. This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma. Karma and rebirth are interrelated concepts in Indian philosophy. According to the theory of Karma, we are all part of a cycle of births and rebirths. This cycle has no beginning nor end.
Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion, with around 900 million followers. About 80% of the population of India regard themselves as Hindus.
Islam
Islam is an Arabic word which means 'peace' and the act of resignation to God. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last of a line of prophets which began with Adam. Each prophet was sent to remind people of the will of God. Islam holds that the messages of all prophets had but one essence and a core composed of two elements. First is tawhid, the acknowledgement that there is only one God and that all worship, service and obedience are due to Him alone. The second is morality, which the Qur'an defines as service to God, doing good and avoiding evil. Muslims attribute particular importance to social service, alleviating other people's suffering and helping the needy.
Islamic practice is based on what are called the five
pillars of faith. The first is the shahadah (the confession of
faith): "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger".
The second is salat (the performance of five daily prayers).
These prayers occur before sunrise, between mid-day and mid-afternoon,
between mid-afternoon and sunset, immediately after sunset and between
twilight and dawn. Before worshipping it is necessary to wash the hands,
mouth and teeth, arms, face, nose and feet. When Muslims pray they always
face the Ka'ba in Mecca. Congregational prayers are held on Friday; otherwise,
Muslims can pray on their own or with others.
Zakat, the third pillar, is the payment of 2.5% of one's total
income to the state for distribution to the poor and less fortunate. The
term zakat literally means "purification", suggesting that wealth
is defiling unless shared with others.
Sawm, the fourth pillar, is the practice of fasting. During the
month of Ramadan Muslims are required to totally abstain from food, drink
and sex each day from dawn to sunset. (Children, the sick and those journeying
are exempt from the requirement to fast.) The purpose of the fast is to
cultivate spiritual, moral and physical self-discipline. The end of Ramadan
is marked by a festival called Eid al-Fitr, which Muslims celebrate with
congregational prayer the first morning after Ramadan with gif ts and
visits to relatives and friends.
The fifth pillar is the Hadj,
a pilgrimage to the shrine called the Ka'ba in Mecca
which is incumbent once in the life of all Muslims whose health and financial
resources enable them to make the journey. Muslims believe that the Ka'ba
was the first house of God on earth built by the prophet Ibrahim, and
this is commemorated by the Hadj.
The rise of Islam begins with the Prophet
Muhammad who was born in the city of Mecca in about 570 CE and
orphaned at the age of six. In the year 610 Muhammad received the first
of a series of revelations from Allah. These occurred over a period of
twenty-three years, and were memorized and dictated by Muhammad to his
companions. These revelations are known as the Qur'an
(which means 'reading'), the sacred book of Islam.
According to United Nation's statistics the population of the
Muslim world in 1990 was 1.212 billion, a figure that represents about
a fifth of the world's population. Today Arabs only account for 15% of
the Muslim population. Now there are fifty independent Muslim countries,
and many other countries have large Muslim populations.
At a level of 1.2 billion, [in1999] Muslims represent between 19.2% and 22% of the world's population. It has become the second largest religion in the world. Christianity has slightly less than 30%.
Judaism
It is impossible to present the whole of Judaism in a few paragraphs. The faith is rich with history. Just a few notes:
The Jewish Religion is approximately 3500 years old.
It began in the Middle East and was founded by God through Abraham and
Moses. It is the considered the parent faith of Christianity. Jews believe
that there is only one God and that the Jewish People are specially chosen
by God.
Jews worship in Synagogues, whose spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.
The Jewish Holy book is the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, especially the first
5 books, called The Torah.
There are approximately 12 million followers, most of whome live in Israel and the USA.
6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out Judaism.
Further reading on Judaism is encouraged. Please visit these helpful sites:
About Jewish
and Catholic Relations:
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Shinto
Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion which started about 500 BCE (or earlier). Its name was derived from the Chinese words "shin tao" ("The Way of the Gods") in the 8th Century CE. Religion and politics were unseperable. The Yamato dynasty consolidated its rule over most of Japan and, until after World War II, the imperial family (namely the emperor) was considered divine. Shinto established itself as an official religion of Japan, along with Buddhism.
Unlike most other religions, Shinto has no real founder, no written scriptures, no body of religious law, and only a very loosely-organized priesthood. Shinto does not have as fully developed a theology as do most other religions. It does not have its own moral code. Shintoists generally follow the code of Confucianism.
There are "Four Affirmations"in Shinto:
Tradition and the family: The family is seen as the main mechanism
by which traditions are preserved. Their main celebrations relate to birth
and marriage.
Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature
is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
Physical cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their
hands, and rinse out their mouth often.
"Matsuri": The worship and honor given to the Kami
and ancestral spirits. (The Kami are the Shinto deities).
Sikhism, the youngest and the fifth largest world religion, was founded 500 years ago by Guru Nanak. It emphasises the belief in One Supreme Being, the Creator. It offers a simple straight path to eternal bliss and spreads a message of love and universal brotherhood.
Sikhism is a monotheistic faith. It recognizes God as the only One. He who is not subject to time or space. He who is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of the Universe.
In Sikhism, ethics and religion go together. The inculcation of moral qualities and the practice of virtue in everyday life is a vital step towards spiritual development. Qualities like honesty, compassion, generosity, patience, humility etc. can be built up only by effort and perseverence. The lives of the Gurus show how they lived their lives according to their code of ethics.
Sikhism does not believe in Avtarvada, that God takes a human form. It does not attach any value to gods and goddessses and other deities. The religion rejects all rituals and routine practices like fasting and pilgrimage, omens and austerities. The goal of human life to merge with God is accomplished by following the teachings of the Guru, by meditation on the holy Name and performance of acts of service and charity.
The Sikh Scripture (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru. This is the only religion which has given the Holy Book the status of a religious preceptor. There is no place for a living human Guru (Dehdhari) in Sikh religion.
Taoism
Tao (pronounced "Dow") is more of a philosophy than a religion. It refers to the path, or the way. It is experiential. Tao seeks balance in the Universe and embodies the harmony of opposites; i.e. love/hate, light/dark, male /female. Thus, the popular symbol - Yin-Yang (symbolizing any two opposing forces in nature).
The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius. He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime.
Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three great religions of China. With the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty in 1911, state support for Taoism ended. During the cultural revolution in China from 1966 to 1976, Taoism was nearly destroyed. However, religious tolerance since that time has helped to restore this way of life.
Taoists are thos who follow Taoism. Taoism currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily centered in Taiwan. About 30,000-50,000 Taoists live in North America.
Zorastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a theology with strongly dualistic teachings. It is a highly ethical religion. Humans are free to choose between right and wrong, truth and lie, and light and dark, and that their acts, words, and thoughts would affect their lives after death. It is believed by some that Zoroastrianism's ideas of heaven, hell, and the resurrection of the body profoundly influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is a monotheistic religion.
The Main Sacred Text for this religion is The Zoroastrian "Avesta" ("Book of the Law"). It is a collection of sacred writings divided into: liturgical works with hymns ascribed to Zarathustra; invocations and rituals to be used at festivals; hymns of praise; and spells against demons and prescriptions for purification. Compiled over many centuries, the Avesta was not completed until Persia's Sassanid dynasty (226-641 C.E.).
Zarathustra was a Persian (Iran around 6th Century B.C.) who saw visions of God, "Ahura Mazda." Ahura Mazda, according to Zarathustra, is the creator of all that is good and who alone is worthy of worship. In his visions, Zarathustra was taken up to heaven, where Ahura Mazda revealed that he had an opponent, Aura Mainyu, the spirit and promoter of evil. Ahura Mazda charged Zarathustra with the task of inviting all human beings to choose between him (good) and Aura Mainyu (evil).
There are approximately 150,000 Zorastrians in the world, many of whom live in the United States.
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