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CHRISTIANITY
With some 2 billion followers, Christianity is the
world's most widespread religion. Christianity is based
on the life, death, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
The religion has three main branches—Roman
Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.
Beliefs
Central to Christianity is the belief that Jesus is the
Christ, or chosen one, whom God sent to the world to save humans. Christians
maintain that Jesus had to suffer, die, and be resurrected (raised from the
dead) to make up for people's sins. Christians view Jesus' new life after death as
hope that they too may be granted everlasting life.
Christians also believe in the Trinity. The Trinity (meaning the three) is the idea
that three figures are united in one God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus),
and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is thought of as a helper sent to guide
and teach humans.
The sacred scripture of Christianity is the Bible. It has two books—the Old
Testament (or Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament, which tells the story of
Jesus.
Practices
At the core of Christian living is love for God above all things. Christianity also
tells people to love one another and to be forgiving, humble, and kind.
Many Christians regularly attend church services, with Sunday being the most
common day of worship. Services usually involve singing, Bible readings, and a
sermon, or a talk by a priest or minister. In many churches, services include a
ceremony called Communion. In this ceremony, members eat bread and drink
wine in memory of the final meal Jesus had with his followers.
JUDAISM
The religion of the Jewish people is Judaism. Judaism
has more than 14 million followers throughout the
world, more than a third of whom live in the United
States. Many other Jews live in Israel, a country at the
eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
Beliefs
Like Christianity and Islam, Judaism teaches that there
is only one God and that God created the world. God expressed what he expects of
people in the Ten Commandments and other laws.
Jews believe that God chose them to have a special relationship with him. They must
devote themselves to God and love one another because God selected them to bring
knowledge of him to the rest of the world. They believe that, in return, God has
promised to make the Jews (Israel) a great nation that will eventually draw other
nations together in a worldwide community of justice and peace.
The sacred book of Judaism is the Hebrew Bible. Particularly important to Judaism are
the first five books, which are known as the Torah. These writings explain and
interpret God's laws. The Talmud is a collection of traditional Jewish laws along with
stories and comments about those laws.
Practices
A Jewish service takes place inside a synagogue.
In Judaism the lives of individuals are closely connected to the larger community. The
Jewish house of worship, called a synagogue, also serves as a community gathering
place. Its leader is known as a rabbi. At the heart of synagogue worship is the public
reading of the Torah.
An important time during each week is the Sabbath. Jews observe this period of
holiness and rest from sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday.
Divisions
Judaism has three main divisions. Orthodox Jews are the most traditional. They
believe that Judaism today should be practiced just as it was in ancient times. In the
1800s two groups broke away. They believed that Judaism should adapt to new
situations. Reform Jews made the most changes. They do not participate in all the
ceremonies that are observed by Orthodox Jews. Conservative Jews uphold many
ancient traditions but have made some changes in their religious practices.
ISLAM
Islam is one of the world's major
religions. Its founder was Muhammad.
The religion has about 1.3 billion
followers worldwide. Most of the
followers of Islam, called Muslims, live
in North Africa, the Middle East, and
southern and central Asia.
Beliefs
At the core of Islam is this idea: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is
the prophet of Allah.” Muslims believe that Allah created the universe and that
humans must submit to his will. The content of the Koran, the holy book of
Islam, is believed by Muslims to be the word of Allah as told to Muhammad.
Practices
Five duties, called the five pillars of Islam, are expected of every Muslim. The
first is the most important: to profess that there is one God and that Muhammad
was his prophet. The second duty is prayer. Muslims pray five times a day. On
Fridays communities gather at a place of worship, called a mosque, for special
prayers. The third duty is charity. The fourth duty is to fast, or refuse to eat,
from sunrise to sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. The fifth duty is to
make a pilgrimage, or journey, to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia at least
once.
Divisions
There are two major branches of Islam. Most Muslims belong to the Sunnah
branch. They are called Sunnites. Sunnites are known as traditional Muslims.
They follow the sayings of Muhammad and emphasize community.
Members of the smaller Shi'ah branch are called Shi'ites. They believe that the
truths of the Koran are revealed only through a community leader called the
imam. Interpretations by other people are not accepted. For this reason Shi'ites
are not as open to other views as Sunnites are.
HINDUISM
Hinduism is the world's oldest major religion. Some
traditions of Hinduism date back more than 3,000 years.
Over the centuries, however, its followers—called Hindus—
have accepted many new ideas and combined them with the
old ones. More than 800 million people practice Hinduism
worldwide. Most of them live in India, where Hinduism
began.
Beliefs
Hinduism has neither a founder nor a central organization. No one has set down a list of
beliefs for all Hindus to follow. However, all Hindus revere the Veda, an ancient body of
sacred literature.
Hindus believe in a spiritual power called Brahman. Brahman is the source of all existence
and is present in everything and every place. The human soul, called atman, is part of the
universal Brahman. Hindus generally believe that when someone dies, the atman is reborn
in another body. A soul may return many times in human, animal, or even plant form. This
idea is known as reincarnation.
Hindus are expected to act according to the principle of ahimsa, which means
“nonviolence.” This means that one must never wish to harm anyone or anything. Hindus
consider many animals to be sacred, especially the cow. Devout Hindus eat only
vegetarian food.
Hindus worship many gods. The god Vishnu is considered the protector and preserver of
life. The god Siva represents the forces that create life as well as those that destroy it.
The supreme goddess is most commonly called Shakti. Like Siva, she can be either
beneficial or fierce, depending on her form. The worship of Vishnu, Siva, and Shakti are
the three major branches of modern Hinduism.
Brahma (not to be confused with Brahman) is considered the creator of the universe. In
ancient times he was widely worshipped, but his following is now small.
Practices
In a form of worship called puja, Hindus pray for a god to enter a home or temple and
then treat the god as an honored guest. They worship an image of the god and offer up
food, water, and other items.
Tantrism is the search for spiritual knowledge and for release from the cycle of rebirth. It
involves chanting sacred sounds and words called mantras and drawing symbols called
mandalas.
Pilgrimages, or journeys to holy places, have been common in Hinduism since ancient
times. Many pilgrimage sites lie along the Ganges River in northern India, which Hindus
consider the holiest of rivers.
BUDDHISM
The religion based on the teachings of the Buddha is
known as Buddhism. The Buddha was born with the
name Siddhartha Gautama and lived sometime in the
6th to the 4th century BC. He became enlightened,
meaning that he found a way to free himself from
the cycle of desire and suffering. The Buddha taught
his followers how to achieve this too.
Buddhism began in India and spread to central and
southeastern Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Today
some people in the Western world also follow Buddhism. At the beginning of the 21st
century Buddhism was the fourth-largest religion in the world, with about 360 million
followers.
Beliefs and Practices
Buddhism is based on the Buddha's teachings, which are called the Four Noble Truths.
The first truth is that life is made up of pain and suffering. The second is that all
suffering is caused by one's desires. The third is that one can be free of these desires.
The freedom from desire is called nirvana. The fourth truth is the Eightfold Path,
which explains eight ways to achieve nirvana.
The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Path. It teaches that people should not
indulge in too much luxury and pleasure. But they should also not harshly deny
themselves all worldly comforts. Instead, people should take a middle, or balanced,
course in their behavior.
Buddhism has three main parts. These parts are called the Triratna, or “the three
jewels.” They are: the Buddha, or the teacher; the dharma, or the teaching; and
sangha, or the community of believers. Buddhist monks believe that the three jewels
protect them. This is expressed in the Buddhist prayer, “I take refuge in the Buddha. I
take refuge in the dharma. I take refuge in the sangha.”
Divisions
Many years after the Buddha's death two major groups appeared among his followers.
One group followed a branch known as Theravada, meaning “Way of the Elders.” It is
the older and more conservative branch of Buddhism. Many people in Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia belong to this group.
The other group is called Mahayana. This form of Buddhism is popular in Mongolia,
Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Nepal. Zen Buddhism comes from Mahayana
Buddhism.
The Theravada Buddhists concentrate on freeing themselves through improving their
own lives. Mahayana Buddhists believe they can achieve enlightenment through a life
of good work for others.