I am really sick of people hating on other people just because they don't understand their belief system. What's up with that? Some people don't have the same beliefs as you, humanity. Get over it!
Anyway, I have decided to enlighte the unenlightened with an easy-to-read guide to some of the world's most basic religions and philosohphies. If yours isn't on here, leave a comment and I will be sure to add it to the list.
Judaism
Judaism is, basically, pre-Christianity. One of their main holy books is the Torah, which is the most well known in the popular consciousness. It is a scroll that is kept in a cabinet. Each week a section is read until it is finished. Then it starts all over again. Another sacred text is the Tenakh, which is a collection ofsacred ancient writings that were written a thousand years ago. Another collection of writings is the Talmund, which was written about 2000 years ago. It is about the correct way to follow the Torah.
Jewish people, like Christians, believe in the Ten Commandments. There is a very good description of these in the song, Count to Ten. Good Kings Come in Small Packages I know it's dorky, but bear with me.
Judaism began with a man named Abraham. God came to him and said that his decendants would be his chosen people. If you are interested in hearing more about how Judaism started click here.
Jewish people can choose to be orthodox, meaning they follow all of the rules explicitly stated in their holy books, or not. Some of what that entails is staed in the link above.
Their main holidays are Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur--the new year related holidays
Sukkot--harvest celebration
Shavuot--celebration of the giving of the Torah
Passover--celebration of the flight from Egypt
Christianity
Christianity is based on the Bible. The Bible is split into two parts: the New Testament and the Old Testament. The Old Testament is very much the same as what Jewish people believe. The New Testament is where they differ. In the New Testament, this guy named Jesus is born and he claims to be the son of God. They believe that Jesus died so that humanity would not be punished for their sins, but could, instead, join God in heaven forever after their death.
The complications come because there are so many different kinds of Christians. Originally, there was just Catholic. Then the Church split into Catholic and Protestant. Now there is Greek Orthodox, Irish Catholic, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian and many others. I think I will eventually do a post detailing some of the different breakdowns, because this is the religion that I am most familiar with. The most important holidays are Christmas--birth of Jesus
Easter--resurrection of Jesus
Islam
Here is where things get tricky. Islam, as a religion, is very close to both Christianity and Judaism. They both begin with God talking to Abraham. However, there are slight differences. Their most famously known holy book is the Koran (or the Qur'an). Islam, instead of the Ten Commandments, has Five Pillars. These Five Pillars are:
- Shahadah (declaration of faith)—to bear witness or testify that there is no god except one God (Allah) and Muhammad is His prophet or messenger. •Salat (ritual prayer)—the five daily prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. The prayers are offered in Arabic language and facing the direction of Mecca.
•Zakah (alms tax) –Giving 2.5% of one's
wealth to the poor and needy.
- Sawm (fasting)—Muslims fast during the daylight hours in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar called Ramadan. The purpose is to remind people of the goodness of what they have and to show equality with the poor. Ramadan is a time for study and self-discipline.
•Hajj (pilgrimage): Muslims believe in making a pilgrimage to Mecca to
the Ka'bah at least once in their lifetime. The kA'bah is believed to have been
built by Ibrahim (Abraham)and one of his sons. Muhammad restored it to worship
Allah. For this reason it is a very sacred place to Muslims
BTW: I copied and pasted these from this amazing site here.
In America, there is not a lot of education about the religion of Islam. Therefore, there are many misconceptions.
Islam allows you to apostate without punishments. They do not allow women to be stoned to death. They do not believe that non-Muslims will go to hell. There is freedom of religion. Statues, music, alcohol, images, and singing are allowed.
And, for god's sake, there are no 72 virgins!!
I swear, if I hear this one more time I'm going to scream!
This is not found in the Qur'an. It is found in a hadith. Hadiths are writings of teachings of the prophet Muhammad. This hadith is very confusingly sourced. It's like, "Well, I was listening to a guy, who said that his friend said that his mom said that her cousin said that this guy he met one time heard that his 5th grade teacher heard the prophet Muhammad say, like, 72 virgins or something."
Also, the translation of this hadith was spotty at best, so "virgins" could have meant anything from "pretty things" to "white grapes". 72 white grapes. Huh.
Islam allows you to apostate without punishments. They do not allow women to be stoned to death. They do not believe that non-Muslims will go to hell. There is freedom of religion. Statues, music, alcohol, images, and singing are allowed.
And, for god's sake, there are no 72 virgins!!
I swear, if I hear this one more time I'm going to scream!
This is not found in the Qur'an. It is found in a hadith. Hadiths are writings of teachings of the prophet Muhammad. This hadith is very confusingly sourced. It's like, "Well, I was listening to a guy, who said that his friend said that his mom said that her cousin said that this guy he met one time heard that his 5th grade teacher heard the prophet Muhammad say, like, 72 virgins or something."
Also, the translation of this hadith was spotty at best, so "virgins" could have meant anything from "pretty things" to "white grapes". 72 white grapes. Huh.
Hinduism, I would argue more than any other religion, is tied to the area where it is popular (India). Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, and was started in prehistoric time. Hinduism is a lot more rooted in practices than the previous religions we've talked about. It is very entangled in the caste system. The caste system is a hierarchy of classes. Dharma is the code for leading your life. You can only be reincarnated up the ladder if you complete your dharma. For example, if you are born into a family of warriors, then, even if you are better at being a baker, you should be a warrior. For you, it is better to be the worst warrior in the world, than to be the best baker in the world. The idea of karma is that, through pure acts, knowledge and devotion, (once you reach the top rung of the reincarnation ladder) you can reach paradise. Their sacred texts are called the Vedas. More about the Hindu gods and traditions can be found here.
Actually, one of my favorite movies is a great intro into Hindu mythology (sorry. I don't know a better word.). It is free on YouTube and is called Sita Sings the Blues.
Buddhism
Once upon a time, there was a Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama. Because he was a prince, he was kept inside his luxurious palace. One day, he left the palace to see what the world is like. On his journey, he saw a poor man, a sick man, and a dead man. This was the first time that he had been exposed to suffering, so he (with the help of a monk) gave up his life as a prince and decided to become a wandering holy man. He later meditated under a Poplar- figtree and gained Enlightenment or Nirvana. He then gained the title Buddha, or the Enlightened One.
He taught the Three Universal Truths and the Four Noble Truths.
- Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.
- Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons doesn't make you happy.
- There is no eternal, unchanging soul and "self" is just a collection of changing characteristics or attributes.
- Human life has a lot of suffering.
- The cause of suffering is greed.
- There is an end to suffering.
- The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path.
Buddha did NOT want people to worship him as a god. His views were similar to Hinduism, but there were some distinct differences, namely that anyone could achieve nirvana, regardless of their caste, through the eight fold path. One of their sacred texts that tell the teachings of Buddha is called the Ripitaka. Buddhism is one of the least abrasive religions that you can find. Because their entire philosophy revolves around peace, they have never really caused a historical conflict (besides getting kicked out of India, but that wasn't their fault).
Sikkhism
Sikhism was started by a guy named Guru Nanak. He preached tolerance of other faiths, which is awesome. Sikhs believe in one God. They believe they should remember God in everything they do, and that everyone is equal in God's eyes. They don't drink or smoke , and they believe that their jobs should help society. They don't have clergy and their sacred text is the Guru Granth Sahib, which is a collection of sayings of Guru Nanak and other gurus.
Taoism
Not actually a religion. Technically, it is a philosophy, or a lifestyle. Tao means "the way". This is a very trendy belief system. The yingyang symbol? Yeah, that's from these guys. Tai Chi? These guys. Taoists believe that that they should live in harmony with the Tao or Way. If they do this they will merge with the Tao, free their soul, and become one of the Immortals. I hate to oversimplify their beliefs, but it is basically about being chill and being in tune with the natural flow of the world. Pretty awesome.
Wicca
LOL->
Wiccan spirituality is focused on the earth and its seasons and the forces and rhythms of nature and human beings. Its roots are in the ancient pre-Christian indigenous religions of Europe. Wiccan festivals include the solar and lunar cycles. Wiccans see divinity in all living things and see divinity as being both male and female. All of life is perceived as sacred and interconnected. Nature is an important spiritual teacher to Wiccans. Modern Wiccan practice is a creative and dynamic force. Spiritual insight is achieved through living in harmony with the earth.
Also, no Satan worship. People who say this are ignorant. Don't be ignorant. Don't say dumb things.
Anyway, I hope you learned something today. I know I did. If your religion isn't up there, shoot me a comment. Same goes for if I got something wrong. I just did the best I could, but I only have so much knowledge in me. I think I got the general ideas right for each of them, but, if I left something out, let me know. Thanks, guys!
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