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Major World Religions Overview B U D D H I S M Buddhism is the second fastest growing religion. Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, being exceeded in numbers only by Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Buddhism began around the year 535 BC in India and since then has amassed about 376 million followers. The founding person of Buddhism is Guatama, the Buddha. Buddhism can be traced back to Gautama Siddhartha (c. 620-540 BC) who is titled The Buddha (Sanskrit for "The Awakened"). He was born a prince and lived in luxury. As Siddhartha continued living in the luxury of his palaces, he grew increasing restless and curious about the world beyond the palace walls. He finally demanded that he be permitted to see his people and his lands. The king carefully arranged that Siddhartha would not see any suffering when he left the palace. However, he chanced to see a couple of old men who had accidentally wandered near the parade route. Amazed and confused, he chased after them to find out what they were. In his chase he came across the ill and the dead. For the first time in his life saw death. He learned that all of us get old, sick, and eventually die. At the age of 29, Siddhartha came to realize that he could not be happy living as he had been. He had discovered suffering, and wanted more than anything to discover how one might overcome suffering. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. Seeking the solution to human suffering He first tried meditation. He then fasted severely for six years. He is said to have brought himself to the brink of death by only eating a few grains of rice each day. Siddhartha then realized that these extreme practices were leading him nowhere, that in fact it might be better to find some middle way between the extremes of the life of luxury and the life of self-mortification. He determined that a better path to achieve the state of Nirvana -- a state of liberation and freedom from suffering -- was to pursue a "Middle Way." This way was largely defined by moderation and meditation. Key Beliefs Reincarnation The concept that one must go through many cycles of birth, living, and death. After many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana - a state of liberation and freedom from suffering. Virtue, good conduct, morality The principle of equality: that all living entities are equal. The principle of reciprocity: This is the "Golden Rule" in Christianity -- to do onto others as you would wish them do onto you. It is found in all major religions. Concentration, meditation, mental development Developing one's mind is the path to wisdom which in turn leads to personal freedom. Mental development also strengthens and controls our mind; this helps us maintain good conduct. Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm. Summary The aim of Buddhist practice is to end the suffering of cyclic existence, by awakening the practitioner to the realization of true reality, the achievement of liberation Nirvana. To achieve this, one should purify and train the mind and act according to the laws of karma: perform positive, wholesome actions and avoid negative, harmful actions. H I N D U I S M Most people believe that Hinduism began as early as 3100 BC in the region around the Indus River in India. Hinduism is generally regarded as the world's oldest organized religion. Hinduism is different from most world religions, because it does not have a founder. Rather it is a faith tradition that has evolved in India over thousands of years. Today Hindu believers number about 900 million and is the third largest religion in the world. The Nature of God Hindus believe in the universal soul (Brahman), as the sole reality who is present in all things. Brahman has no form, and is eternal. Brahman is creator, preserver and transformer of everything. Brahman appears in the human spirit as atman, or the soul. God or gods? Contrary to popular understanding, Hindus recognize one God, Brahman. The gods of the Hindu faith represent different expressions of Brahman. Hindus recognize three principal gods: Brahma, who creates the universe Vishnu, who preserves the universe Shiva, who destroys the universe. The Vedas These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for Hindus and are written in the sacred language, Sanskrit. Hindus believe that the texts were received by scholars direct from God and passed on to the next generations by word of mouth. Key Beliefs Dharma Hindus themselves refer to their beliefs as dharma, which means law or a way of life. It represents the individual's internal law, to which obedience must be given if that individual life is to live in accordance with a Divine Will. This is what Hindus consider the sole or primary purpose of life. Reincarnation the rebirth in another body (after physical death) cycle of birth and death, until it attains liberation Karma Karma is central to the Hindu faith. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived. So if you behave badly in this life, your next incarnation is likely to be more unpleasant than your current one—you reap what you sow. The Caste System Traditionally, there were four main castes, plus one group of outsiders: The Brahmins, or priests: the highest caste, believed to have emerged from Brahma’s mouth. The Kshatriyas, the warrior or ruling class who were made from Brahma’s arms. The Vaishyas, merchants or artisans who came from Brahma’s thighs. The Shudras, the unskilled laborers and servants who emerged from Brahma’s feet. These were the lowest class. The Untouchables, those too lowly to be within the system were known as the untouchables Caste Today Members of the upper castes consider the lowest castes to be ritually unclean, therefore marrying someone from a different caste, while not officially outlawed, is generally not recognized. Today, caste barriers have largely broken down in the large cities. "Untouchability" has been abolished by law. However, loyalty to a caste is much harder to eliminate and it still provides a sense of community and belonging, particularly in country areas. I S L A M The Islamic religion started in the area known as Palestine in the year 622 AD. It has about 1.3 billion followers, most of them in the Middle East. Islam means “to submit to the will of God” Holy Book The holy book of the Muslims (people who follow the Islam religion) is the Qur'an, 114 chapters of Muhammad's divinely inspired revelations. Followers of Islam believe that God (Allah) revealed his direct word for mankind to Mohammad and other prophets, including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe that parts of the Gospels and Torah have been misinterpreted or distorted by their followers. Muslims view the Qu’ran as corrective of Jewish and Christian scriptures. Mohammed Mohammed was born around 570 C.E in the city of Mecca in what is today Saudi Arabia. He is considered by Muslims to be God's last and greatest prophet. The Muslim creed: "I believe in God; and in His Angels; and in His Scriptures; and in His Messengers; and in The Final Day; and in Fate, that Good and Evil are from God, and Resurrection after death be Truth. "I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship but God; and I testify that Muhammad is His Messenger." Some of the religious beliefs are: Allah (God) alone is worthy of worship. The Entire universe is created by Allah, and nothing is unrelated to Him. Allah provides the material resources necessary to maintain life. Allah has raised up prophets for humanity's needs, and revealed to them the straight path of life. Allah gives to humanity freedom of choice. All Muslims are equal before Allah. There will be a day of judgment. Allah has sovereign rights to judge whether all people have followed the straight path, as described in the Qur'an, during their lifetime. Five Pillars of Islam There is none worthy of worship except God and that Mohammed is his messenger. Establishing of the five daily Prayers The Giving of charity Fasting from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan The Pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Ramadan, which is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it. Countries with Muslim populations in excess of 10% C H R I S T I A N I T Y The Founding People of Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. The Christian religion began about 30 AD. It is the world's largest religion, with an estimated 2.1 billion adherents, or about one-third of the total world population. Place of Origin Christianity started out in Judea, during the early Roman Empire. It was in this area, specifically in the city of Jerusalem where Jesus was born, that the first true beginnings of Christianity began to develop. Christianity spread throughout the world when it was adopted as the religion of the Roman Empire 300 years after Jesus was crucified. Followers/Leaders of Christianity The leader of Christianity was Jesus, and the followers were his 12 disciples. After Jesus was crucified the disciples took over full control and found other people that were interested in practicing the Christian religion. Main Philosophy The main points of Christian beliefs are: God is the Creator of the universe. God is a Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is both fully man and fully God. He was born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, resurrected from the dead, and ascended to the Father. Salvation from spiritual death, a separation from God due to mankind's sin, is available to believers only through the person and work of Jesus Christ and by the grace of God. Sin and Evil are realities in our existence. The bible records God's revelation. All believers are promised life everlasting. Holy Book The holy book for the Christianity religion is the Holy Bible that contains an Old Testament and a New Testament. The Old Testament is actually a part of the Jewish religious writings at the time. J U D A I S M Founder The founder of the Jewish religion was Abraham around the year 2000 BC. The God of the ancient Israelites established a divine covenant with Abraham. The concentration of these people began in the area of the world east of the Mediterranean Sea in a region called Palestine. Holy Book The sacred writings of the Jewish people is found in the Tenakh. The Tenakh corresponds to the Jewish Scriptures, (often referred to as the Old Testament by Christians). Basic Philosophy of Judaism 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. God is one and unique, God is the creator God is lawgiver God is personal We have the obligation to worship The Torah is God's law God is judge and will reward the good and punish the wicked The Messiah will come. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other The words of the prophets are true and Moses was the greatest of the prophets 10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men 11. The dead will be resurrected Jewish Practices Observation of the weekly Sabbath as a day of rest, starting at sundown on Friday evening. Strict discipline, according to the Law, which governs all areas of life Regular attendance by Jewish males at Synagogue Celebration of the annual festivals including Passover, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Hanukkah. The local synagogue is governed by the congregation and is normally led by a rabbi who has been chosen by the congregation. A rabbi is a teacher who has been well educated in Jewish law and tradition. There are about 14 million Jewish believers in the world today.