Learning about other religions: Project 101

[deathbycherries]

1. Islam
Text/Founders/Religious Entities/Followers:  Islam is the belief in one God, "Allah", whose teachings were revealed to the prophet Muhammad and are written in the Quran.

Basic Beliefs:

1. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, beneficient, and not part of a trinity.
2. Do not believe that God rested on the seventh day, nor do they believe he plots against mankind, or wrestled with one of his angels.
3. Believe in some of the prophets in the Christian bible including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus.  Although, they do not believe that Jesus is the messiah or the son of God.
4. Believe in judgment day.
5. Believe in Al-Qadar or divine predestination.  This is not a belief that humans don't have freewill, but that God knows all that has happened and will happen.
6. "A man walking along a path felt very thirsty.  Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and came up.  Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst.  The man said, “This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt.”  So he went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water, and gave the dog a drink.  So, God thanked him and forgave his sins.}  The Prophet
   was asked, “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?”  He said: {There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human."
7. 
   Five Pillars of Islam: there is one God, pray five times a day, "zakat" or giving 2.5% of a total net worth to the community", fasting during the holy month of Ramadan (the month when the Holy Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad), and the pilgrimage to Makkah, a once in a life time ritual.
   

2. Buddhism
Text/Founders/Religious Entities/Followers:  Siddhartha Gotama was known as the "Buddha" and became enlightened at the age of 35.

Basic Beliefs:

1. Buddhism is a way of life in which followers strive to live a moral life, be mindful of thoughts and actions, and develop wisdom.
2. the Buddha was not a god nor did he claim to be
3. Buddhists pay respect to the buddha by bowing but do not worship him
4. It is tolerant of other religions, does not concerned with labels, and believe in moral teachings of other religions.
5. Four noble truths: life is suffering, suffering is caused by craving and hate, we can achieve happiness by giving up craving useless things and living in the present, and the noble 8-path leads to the end of suffering.
6. 5 precepts: don't kill anything, don't steal, avoid intoxication, don't lie, and don't be promiscuous.
7. Karma every action has a reaction.

3. Hindu
Text/Founders/Religious Entities/Followers: Originated in India from around 10,000 BC.    Basic scriptures are known as “Shastras”.  These were composed by saints and sages at different times.

Basic Beliefs:

1. Believe in reincarnation
2. It is not just a religion but a way of life that governs everything a person does.
3. Hindus believe in honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, praying, perseverance, and contentment.
4. One God called “Brahman”.  Also have gods and goddesses numbering in the thousands that represent aspects of the Brahman.  Has a trinity including Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer).  They also worship spirits, trees, and animals.
5. Believe in Karma
6. A being is reincarnated until all karma is resolved and moksha or liberation from this cycle is achieved.  All souls will eventually reach this.
7. All life is sacred.
8. No religion teaches one way over others.  All are paths to God.

4. Jainism

Basic Beliefs:

1. Believe in a cyclic universe.  In the first half, humans’ well-being and lifespan increase.  In the second half, humans’ well-being and lifespan decrease.  We are in the fifth era of the second half.
2. A “Jina” is a conquerer of worldly passions.  Each human is capable of becoming one.
3. Those of follow this religion hope to seek Moksha.  Once liberated they are called Siddha’s.  These are blissful souls, purified, and with infinite knowledge.  They are god.  Thus, believe in karma
4. God is not the creator of the universe, but a liberated soul.
5. A man’s future is in his hands
6. Three paths of liberation: right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.
7. Five virtures: non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possession.
8. Follow six rites daily: meditation, prayer, respect ascetics, repent and confess, non-attachment to the body, and renounce certain activities to discipline one’s self.
Everything is eternal.

5. Mormonism
The Start of the Mormon church: Started in 1820 by Joseph Smith who saw a vision of two celestial beings who claimed all existing churches were wrong, an abomination, and all professors were corrupt.  Joseph was told by the angel Moroni that gold plates could be found with the everlasting gospel that were buried by him and his father, Mormon, 1400 years earlier written in Egyptian hieroglyphics.  Joseph found these along with magical eyeglasses that he used to translate the hieroglyphics into English, which then became the book of Mormon.
Basic Beliefs:

1. Believe men and women are “gods in embryo”.  No original sin.
2. Believe that the true church vanished when the apostles died, and Smith restored it with his latter-day saints.
3. Believe God was once a child and mortal.
4. Deny Hell.
5. Some believe in polygamy.
6. Believe that Jesus is our savior, and believe in the word of the bible.
7. Believe in modern day saints.
8. Baptize the dead.
9. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol.

In researching, I see some conflicting views.  One website states that polygamy is absolutely against Mormon doctrine?

6. Wicca

1. Believe in the god and goddess.  They go by many names.  “They are everything and nothing at once”
2. Have respect for nature through recycling, conserving water, and by reducing animal cruelty.  The gods are reflected in nature
3. All human beings have the right to believe what they want.  A wiccaning is a prayer asking for the goddesss and god to watch over the child.
4. People are encourage to eat, drink, believe, read, wear, or say what they like.  Don’t distinguish what “bad behavior” is.
5. Believe everyone is responsible for themselves and don’t blame others for their own problems.  Choices have consequences. Your life is in your hands.
6. Each person is expected to contribute to the community.
7. As long as you don’t harm anyone, do what you want.
8. Believe five elements make up everything: Earth, air, fire, water, and Akasha/spirit.  Believe in eight sabbats or holidays based on the solar system and show the relationship between the Goddess and God.
9. Celebrate Esbats or coven meetings during the full moons or new moons.
10. Magick is produced during rituals, spells, chants, blessings, and prayers.  This is using personal energy to cause change.
11. Believe whatever is sent out will be returned times three.
12. Reincarnation

7. Scientology

1. No god figure.  Some believe it is not a religion.
2. Believe a person is a spirit called a thetan.  Over many centuries, these spirits have forgotten their former existence as gods over MEST: matter, energy, space, and time.  Scientologists seek to return to this state. 
3. After death, they believe the spirit is taken to an “implant station” where “psychs” erase its memory, it will return to Earth, and inhabit a new body.  Scientologists try to clear a person’s spiritual barriers.
4. Believe that physical conditions can be fixed and are not allowed to seek medical attention without permission.
5. Believe that “Body Thetans” are disembodied spirits of aliens from millions of years ago and murdered.  They were implanted with various false memories.  Christianity and Anglo-American society are manifestations of this.  These need to be removed to fix mental and physical problems.

8. Sikhism
Text/Founders/Religious Entities/Followers: “Sikh” means a strong and able disciple.  Most are from India.  Founded by Guru Nanak Dev born in 1469.  After four journeys he preached that religion is a way to unite people, but it has set people against each other.  “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim, so whose path shall I follow?”  I shall follow the path of God.”  The sacred text is the Adi granth, and they worship in a temple.

Basic Beliefs:

1. Karma and reincarnation.
2. Guru Nanak believed salvation does not end in heaven, but absorption into God.  Don’t believe in heaven and hell.
3. Wear turbans, pray, and meditate regularly by repeating God’s name with rosary beads.
4. The householder is the ideal of all people.
5. Aim to balance work, worship, and charity.
6. Vices: lust, anger, greed, and worldly attachment

9. Jehovah's Witness
Text/Founders/Religious Entities/Followers: Use a bible called the New World Translation regarded by Greek and Hebrew scholars to be very poorly translated.

Basic Beliefs:

1. Jesus is inferior to God because he is both God and man.
2. Don’t believe in Hell.  Believe the wicked will be destroyed.
3. Don’t believe in blood transfusions because of verses in the bible that state we should not eat blood.
4. No clergy because we should no show partiality to any person or flatter anyone.
5. 144,000 elect be in heaven and have spirit bodies.  Other good people will live on a restored earth.
6. Cross rejected as a pagan symbol.  The Watchtower is their symbol.
7. Only celebrate Christ’s death.  All other religious holidays are of pagan origin..

10. Indigenous African religions

1. These religions impact the way people live their everyday lives, what they eat, how they farm, do chores, marry, educate children, bury the dead, and treat illnesses.  Religion is present in everyday activities and ritual ceremonies.
2. Some believe in one God and others believe in multiple gods.  Usually one is the creator.
3. God is not directly involved in human society.
4. Believe in the spirit world that are engaged with humans and can act as messengers to God.  Similar to angels.  Good spirits help against illness and misfortune.  Bad spirits bring death and suffering.
5. Recent dead ancestors continue to engage in the family for years by helping to bring prosperity.  However, if they see things there don’t like, they may withdrawal their protection.
6. Spirits of the long dead live with God.  Important individuals may stay longer because they are more interested in kingdoms, nations, and communities.  Have great respect for their ancestors.  Food and drink may be offered to ancestors.
7. Some believe in nature spirits.  For example, some that live in the skin that control the rain.
8. There are priests, rain-makers, and healers.
9. Rain-makers communicate through possession to find the cause of draughts, and are then provided by spirits with the remedy.
10. Illnesses have a spiritual basis, so it needs a spiritual remedy.  There are herbalists and spiritualists/diviners