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World Religions 101 – Resource: Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero Secular/Atheist/Non-religious/Agnostic – This larger grouping includes all people who deny the existence of any and all gods, Although many commonly believe that affirming God is the prerequisite for any religion, some religions are atheistic: neither Buddhists nor Taoists typically worship any divine beings or Gods. If grouped together the total world-wide population is close to 850 million. It is also important to understand that people who describe themselves as atheist or non-religious do have a moral compass or a set of values that guide their life. Judaism – A major monotheistic religion (smallest in terms of followers but very influential on other monotheistic religions) in which followers attempt to follow the Torah, or “law”. Today there are about 14 million Jews worldwide but Judaism gave birth to the two largest religions in the world – Christianity and Islam. These monotheistic religions together constitute the “Abrahamic” religions because of their intertwined history and belief systems. Judaism’s scripture is called the Tanakh, which is a combination of the Torah (the five books of Moses), Neviim (book of prophets and history) and Ketuvim (including Psalms, Proverbs, Job and sacred songs). Important concepts are the covenant, or relationship between Abraham and God (which was broken and remade through the cycle of exile and return) and God’s commandments which are closely adopted by Christians. Christianity – The world’s largest monotheistic religion with a total population of nearly 2.1 billion followers. Christians see sin (intentionally violating divine or moral law) as the core human problem. Christians describe being freed from sin as salvation which brings eternal life in Heaven. The story of Jesus is recorded in the New Testament, which along with the Old Testament constitutes the Christian Bible. The dominant Christian view is that Jesus is the Son in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The story tells of how Jesus was crucified, bearing the weight of human sin and that through his death humans can reach salvation. Key practices include baptism (initiation by water), and Holy Communion (a reenactment of the Last Supper where Jesus shared with his followers before his arrest, trial and execution). The religion is guided by the 10 commandments and also includes differing uses of religious sacraments (a religious ceremony involving tangible objects: bread, wine, water etc.). Three main branches of Christianity are Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestantism. Islam – The faith of over 1.3 billion people and the world’s second largest religion. Islam literally means “submission” and Muslims show their submission by practicing the Five Pillars of Islam: praying toward Mecca, fasting during the month of Ramadan, almsgiving (help the less fortunate), going on pilgrimage to Mecca, and testifying that there is no other god but Allah and Mohammed was his prophet (messenger). Their holy book, the Quran, speaks about caring for the poor, a day of judgment, and a future bodily resurrection. The holiest cities are Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem (in that order). The religion is divided into two larger branches the Sunnis (the majority) and the Shiiites. Much like Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that if you have lived a righteous and devout life you will be received into heaven. Buddhism – A philosophy or religion founded in northern India by Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha or “Awakened One”. Worldwide followers of Buddhism are close to 360 million people. Buddhists believe that the core to human problems is dukkha or suffering (dissatisfaction). They trace the origin of suffering to ignorance (not knowing). Buddhists seek to bring an end to suffering by eliminating desire and ignorance. Traditionally they do not see Buddha as a god but simply someone who has achieved enlightenment or nirvana. Followers believe in karma (idea that your actions now and in the past will influence your future). Chanting and meditation are common practices amongst followers. Buddhist followers are extremely pacifist (do not believe in conflict or war to resolve problems). Hinduism – A very diverse, polytheistic, Indian religion with nearly 900 million followers. Hinduism includes beliefs regarding the concept of reincarnation and also includes practices such as yoga. Although there is no official scripture followers do reference the writings in the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. Hinduism also has no identified founder because it was created by God (atman) who has been eternally present. Many scholars point out that Hinduism is very God centered whereas most monotheistic religions place a strong emphasis on the prophet. All divinities (from the good-natured cowherd, Krishna to the elephant headed Ganesh, remover of obstacles) that Hindus worship are simply manifestations (different physical versions) of God. Hinduism’s concept regarding creation started with the life giving sound and vibration of Om/Aum. Although Hinduism outwardly appears polytheistic many Hindus are monotheistic and insist that underlying these many versions is one Absolute Reality. None of the Hindu endorse caste-based discrimination (treating people poorly because they are of a lower social ranking)