Spirituality Guide

Despite being one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, the number of followers of this religion are around 200,000.

Origins: “The religion was founded by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek; Zarthosht in India and Persia). Conservative Zoroastrians assign a date of 6000 BCE to the founding of the religion; other followers estimate 600 BCE. Historians and religious scholars generally date his life sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE on the basis of his style of writing.” [Source]

Not much is known about Zoroaster’s early life, but he is said to have had a divine vision at about age thirty and believed in one creator God. He claimed that the polytheistic deities of the age were evil spirits.

Beliefs: In the three-fold path - good thoughts, good words, and good deeds - is the way to keep chaos, which humanity (as well as other elements) is at battle with, at bay. Concern is placed with the soul, not the body, even in religious rituals related to death.

God: They believe that there is only one God who created everything. Their God’s - Ahura Mazda - creation is the antithesis of chaos, evident as falsehood and disorder. Ahura Mazda will ultimately prevail, at which point the universe will undergo a cosmic renovation and time will end.

Principles:
*Their worship includes prayers and symbolic ceremonies.

* Members are dedicated to a three-fold path, as shown in their motto: “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.”

* Members can pray at home instead of going to a temple if they wish.

*Zoroastrians do not generally accept converts. One has to be born into the religion. This belief is disputed by some members.

*The traditional wing of Zoroastrianism discourages and does not recognize inter-faith marriages.

Other sources of information:
Zoroastrianism @ Wikipedia
Zoroastrianism @ Religious Tolerance
Zoroastrianism @ BBC
Zoroastrianism.com

Taoism - pronounced Daoism - is another religion/philosophy combination dating back to traditions from thousands of years ago. “Tao” is translated to “the path” or “the way”.

Origins: “The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius… Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three great religions of China. With the end of the Ch’ing Dynasty in 1911, state support for Taoism ended. Much of the Taoist heritage was destroyed during the next period of warlordism. After the Communist victory in 1949, religious freedom was severely restricted.” [Source]

Beliefs: Taoism is a combination of various teachings and philosophies, and is not a unified religion. Different branches of Taoism have different beliefs, but there are core beliefs that nearly all who follow Taoism share. (See: Principles)

God: The traditional Chinese religion is polytheistic. There are many dieties who compose an hierarchy that mirrors the bureaucracy of Imperial China. These deities may be promoted or demoted for their actions and some deities are exalted humans. Deities worshiped vary according to geographical regions and historical periods in China, though the general pattern of worship is more constant.

Principles: “Taoism theology emphasizes various themes found in the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi, such as naturalness, vitality, peace, “non-action” (wu wei), emptiness (refinement), detachment, the strength of softness (or flexibility), receptiveness, spontaneity, the relativism of human ways of life, ways of speaking and guiding behavior.” [Source]

Other sources of information:
Taoism @ Wikipedia
Taoism @ Religious Tolerance
Taoism @ Religious Worlds
Taoism.net

Origins: “Sikhism was founded by Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, (1469-1538). At Sultanpur, he received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. He taught a strict monotheism, the brotherhood of humanity. He rejected idol worship, and the oppressive Hindu concept of caste.” [Source]

His main message was recorded to be “devotion of thought and excellence of conduct as the first of duties”. For Sikhs and Hindus, he was a Prophet who gave to the world the gospel of love, goodwill and reconciliation

Beliefs: Like some other religions, humans are ’stuck’ in the cycle of reincarnation until they are able to move beyond the distractions of social conflict and worldly pursuits. A spiritual union with god will result in salvation.

“Nanak distinctly emphasised the irrelevance of outwardly observations such as rites, pilgrimages or asceticism. He stressed that devotion must take place through the heart, with the spirit and the soul.” [Source]

God: Sikhism is monotheistic. God created all and full understanding of God is beyond the ability of humans. Nanak taught that God must be seen from the ‘inner eye’ which required meditation of followers.

Principles:

Abortion - Abortion is generally forbidden in Sikhism, as it interferes in the creative work of God - who created everything and is present in every being.

Sikhism and Contraception - Sikhs have no objection to birth control.

Euthanasia and suicide - Sikhs have a high respect for life which they see as a gift from God. Most Sikhs are against euthanasia and suicide, as they believe that the timing of birth and death should be left in God’s hands.

Sikhism and Organ Donation - Sikhs have no objections to the donation and transplantation of organs.

Dharam Yudh - Just war - Sikhism has a concept of the Just War. It’s called ‘Dharam Yudh’, meaning war in the defence of righteousness.

Other sources of information:
Sikhism @ Wikipedia
Sikhism @ Religious Tolerance
Sikhism @ BBC
Sikhs.org

Shinto, the native religion/philosophy of Japan, is as old as Japan itself. Shinto encompasses the activities of the Japanese people in worshiping all the deities of heaven and earth.

Origins: Unlike other religions, Shinto does not have a known founder or sacred scripture. Shinto emerged out of the traditions and activities, being called ‘Way of Kami (the deity or the deities)’.

Beliefs: In contrast to many monotheist religions, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There is no absolute right and wrong, and nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami. [Source]

God: Shinto followers worship various kami (spirits or spirit gods). These sacred spirits take the shape of various landmarks, living things, as well as forces of nature. Humans become kami after they die.

Principles:There are “Four Affirmations” in Shinto:

1. Tradition and the family: The family is seen as the main mechanism by which traditions are preserved. Their main celebrations relate to birth and marriage.
2. Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
3. Physical cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth often.
4. “Matsuri”: The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.
[Source]

Other sources of information:
Shinto @ Wikipedia
Shinto @ Religious Tolerance
Shinto @ Japan Guide
Shinto @ BBC
What is Shinto?

According to traditional Jewish Law, a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism in accord with Jewish Law. Judaism differs from many other religious and cultural groups in that it is a combination of culture, ethnicity, and religion all wrapped up into one.

Origins: “At its core, the Bible is an account of the Israelites’ relationship with God from their earliest history until the building of the Second Temple (c. 350 BCE)… Abraham, hailed as the first Hebrew and the father of the Jewish people, rejected the idolatry that he saw around him and embraced monotheism. As a reward for this act of faith in one God, he was promised many offspring: “Look now toward heaven and count the stars/So shall be your progeny.” (Genesis 15:5)” [Source]

Beliefs: Judaism is interesting and quite different from other religions in that it has no dogma, no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are more important than beliefs, though there is room for belief in Judaism.

The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith. Rambam’s considered his thirteen principles of faith the minimum requirements of Jewish beliefs.

God: Followers of Judaism believe that there is only the one G-d and that the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being is neither male or female. G-d is just, merciful, and the creator of everything who transcends time.

Principles: 1. G-d exists
2. G-d is one and unique
3. G-d is incorporeal
4. G-d is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected
[Source]

Other sources of information:
Judaism @ Wikipedia
Judaism @ Religious Tolerance
Judaism @ BBC
Judaism 101

Jainism may be a ‘minority’ religion with over four million followers, but it is another one of the world’s oldest religions, with its beginnings found in India.

Origins: “Jainism traces its roots to a succession of 24 Jinas (”those who overcome”, or conqueror) in ancient East India. The first Jina is traditionally believed to have been a giant who lived 8.4 million years ago. The most recent and last Jina was Vardhamana (a.k.a. Mahavira, “The Great Hero”) He was born in 550 BCE) and was the founder of the Jain community. He attained enlightenment after 13 years of deprivation. In 420 BCE, he committed the act of salekhana which is fasting to death. Each Jina has “conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed `his’ soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability…” [Source]

Beliefs: Followers of Jainism believe that all living beings have a soul and that we are all responsible for our own souls - jivas. Compassion to all life is very important to Jainism and not only is killing absolutely abhorrent but vegetarianism is quite common. Jainism also has the belief in reincarnation in which a soul (jiva) is transferred to the next body immediately upon death. That body can be human or animal. Deliverance from the cycle of reincarnation is achieved when a soul is freed from all karma.

God: “Jains view God as the unchanging traits of the pure soul of each living being, chiefly described as Infinite Knowledge, Perception, Consciousness, and Happiness (Ananta Jnāna, Ananta Darshana, Ananta Cāritra, and Ananta Sukha). Jains do not believe in an omnipotent supreme being, creator or manager (kartā), but rather in an eternal universe governed by natural laws.” [Source]

Principles:Followers of Jainism are expected to follow five principles of living:

Ahimsa: “non violence in all parts of a person — mental, verbal and physical.” 3 Committing an act of violence against a human, animal, or even vegetable generates negative karma which in turn adversely affects one’s next life.

Satya: speaking truth; avoiding falsehood

Asteya: to not steal from others

Brahma-charya: (soul conduct); remaining sexually monogamous to one’s spouse only

Aparigraha: detach from people, places and material things. Avoiding the collection of excessive material possessions, abstaining from over-indulgence, restricting one’s needs, etc.

Other sources of information:
Jainism @ Wikipedia
Jainism @ Religious Tolerance
Jainism.Org
Jainism @ BBC

Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions and has over 900 million believers all over the world.

Origins: Some of the earliest evidence of the Hindu faith dates back to 3000 BCE. “Archaeological excavations in the Punjab and Indus valleys (right) have revealed the existence of urban cultures at Harappa, the prehistoric capital of the Punjab (located in modern Pakistan); and Mohenjo-daro on the banks of the River Indus.” [Source]

Beliefs: Hinduism is an extremely diverse religion. Although some tenets of the faith are accepted by most Hindus, scholars have found it difficult to identify any doctrines with universal acceptance among all denominations. Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include Dharma (ethics/duties), Samsāra (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action and subsequent reaction), Moksha (liberation from samsara), and the various Yogas (paths or practices). [Source]

God: Hinduism is very diverse in that is spans polytheism, monotheism, atheism, and more. There is a mine (simplified - perhaps oversimplified) split between those who focus on the soul - the atman - and the brahman - the supreme spirit as two sides of the same soul. Realizing that they are the same is the ultimate goal. The other side of the split considers Brahman and worship him or her through the god of choice (depending on the sect).

Principles [Source]:
Abortion - When considering abortion, the Hindu way is to choose the action that will do least harm to all involved: the mother and father, the foetus and society.

Animal Ethics - Because Hinduism is a term that includes many different although related religious ideas, there is no clear single Hindu view on the right way to treat animals

Capital Punishment - There is no official Hindu line on capital punishment. However, Hinduism opposes killing, violence and revenge, in line with the principle of ahimsa (non-violence).

Contraception - There is no ban on birth control in Hinduism.

Euthanasia and Suicide - There are several Hindu points of view on euthanasia and suicide. Most would say that assisting death brings bad karma because it violates the nonviolence principle. But there are accepted Hindu ways to bring about death.

Organ Donation - No religious law prohibits Hindus from donating their organs and tissues.

War - Like most religions Hinduism includes both teachings that condemn violence and war, and teachings that promote it as a moral duty.

Other sources of information:
Hinduism @ Wikipedia
Hinduism @ Religious Tolerance
Hinduism @ BBC

Standing as another religion originating many centuries ago, Confucianism is also not truly a religion. It is widely regarded as a ‘code of conduct’ for life rather than any sort of religion. Confucianism relies primarily on rhetoric to explain Confucius’ ideas on moral, political, philosophical and other types of issues.

Origins: Confucianism has survived through many years of being accepted, then suppressed, and once again accepted on a much wider scale. It was started by K’ung Fu Tzu (commonly pronounced Confucius in English). He lived during the Chou dynasty, spending much of his life wandering and giving advice to rulers. He wrote many things on morality and ethics. Confucianism gradually developed from his teachings and writings.

Beliefs: Confucianist philosophy at its best leads to healthy and content people, which is one goal of Confucianism. Importance is placed on honesty and the principles listed below.

God: “His way to please God or the gods is through a “good conduct” with your family, neighbors, and society… if you are a good person, God is going to like you…” [Source] Confucianism has no church, no teachings on the worship of God or gods, and also no teachings on life after death.

Principles [Source] :
The “Jen”: The essence of all his teachings may be summed up under this one word ‘Jen’. The nearest equivalent to this difficult word is “social virtue”. All those virtues which help to maintain social harmony and peace like benevolence, charity, magnanimity, sincerity, respectfulness, altruism, diligence, loving kindness, goodness are included in Jen.

His “Golden Rule” is: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others”. “The injuries done to you by an enemy should be returned with a combination of love and justice”.

The “universal virtues” are: Wisdom, Benevolence, and Fortitude… Asked about what is “Benevolence”, he answered: “It is to love all men”; what is “knowledge”? “It is to know all men”… The “perfect virtue”: “Gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness”.

Other sources of information:
Confucianism @ Wikipedia
Confucianism @ Religious Tolerance
All About Confucianism

Having somewhere between one and two billion followers, Christianity is probably the most well known religion in the world. It also has one of the most well known histories, full of bloodshed endured and caused.

Origins [Source]: “Christianity began as a Jewish sect. The Christian Church traces its history to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, and saw the early bishops of the Church as the successors of the Apostles in general. Central to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches is Apostolic Succession, the belief that the bishops are the spiritual successors of the original twelve apostles, through the historically unbroken chain of consecration.”

Beliefs: Most Christian churches place special emphasis on the worship of the only god and not of other gods or false idols. Obeying the ten commandments and repentance of sins are also of great importance along with attending church on Sundays. The latter has, in recent time, slowly come under examination as to whether or not it is a true necessity.

God: In the Christian religion, the is only one true god, which is often broken down into the trinity: God the father, God the son (Jesus), and the holy spirit. It is through worship and repentance to Jesus that believers are able to enter a happy afterlife.

Principles:
The Ten Commandments:
1. You shall have no other Gods but me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Respect your father and mother.
6. You must not kill.
7. You must not commit adultery.
8. You must not steal.
9. You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
10. You must not be envious of your neighbour’s goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Other sources of information:
Christianity @ Wikipedia
Christianity @ Religious Tolerance
Christianity.com

Buddhism has long been a major religion, its origins stretching far into the past and now claiming to have 300 million followers. A way of life as well as a religion, the Buddhist principles are followed by many who don’t claim to be Buddhist.

Origins: Buddhism’s origins take root about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, became ‘enlightened’ when he was about 35 years old. Little of Siddhartha’s life can be regarded as established with historical fact, but it’s said Siddhartha’s father saw a wise man upon Siddhartha’s birth and the wise man said he would be a great king or a great holy man. While some consider Buddhism to be purely a way of life, it is still considered a religion.

Beliefs: There are many beliefs associated with Buddhism, but well known are the three noble truths: Life is suffering, suffering is caused by craving and aversion, and that suffering can be overcome and happiness is attainable. As Buddhism is regarded as a way of life, there are basic principles, but believers are encouraged to test these truths for themselves.

God: The Buddha was not a god nor did he claim to be. Buddhism claims to transcend a personal god. “Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching.” [Source]

Principles [Source]:
The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Other sources of information:
BuddhaNet
Buddhism @ Wikipedia
Buddhism @ About.com

Fast becoming recognized as one of the world’s fastest spreading religions, Baha’i now claims to have more than five million followers.

Origins: Baha’i was founded by Bahá’u'lláh in 19th-century Persia. Bahá’u'lláh claimed to be the most recent of holy messengers in a line that includes Moses, Krishna, and Jesus. The Baha’i regard him as the bringer of a new religion like Jesus or Mohammed. He also claimed to be a descendant of Abraham through Abraham’s third wife.

Beliefs: As it says on the Baha’i site, the Baha’i teachings are essentially of unity and love. They believe that all messengers of god have gradually revealed the teachings of the one major religion over time and that all religions are truly to the one god who has sent the messengers such as Krishna and Jesus. “Together, the world’s great religions are expressions of a single unfolding Divine plan…” [Source]

God: Baha’i teaches that there is only one god and that god is too great for humans to understand. God is thus revealed through his manifestations. A person’s purpose on earth is to learn to know and love God through such methods as prayer and reflection.

Social Principles [Source]:
Unity of God
Unity of religion
Unity of humankind
Gender equality
Elimination of all forms of prejudice
World peace
Harmony of religion and science
Independent investigation of truth
Universal compulsory education
Universal auxiliary language
Obedience to government and non-involvement in partisan politics
Elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty

Other sources of information:
Baha’i.org
Baha’i Faith @ Wikipedia
Bahá’u'lláh @ Wikipedia

Finally, as promised, I am going to start my series on major religions of the world. The thing to remember about these introductions is that they will be brief. I just plain don’t have the time to go through every little nuance and detail of each religion.

At the end of each post, I will post other sources of information so you can learn even more than what I provide in these posts, which, admittedly, won’t be much. However, my goal is to give everyone a little taste of the religions out there. If you like the taste, then it’s your choice to pursue things further.

I will only post the barest basics. Please don’t make judgments based purely on what I post. That is like judging the entire forest for what you see on one branch of one tree. You could miss something

I am posting them in alphabetical order. This is just to take care of any judgments before they can happen. I’d rather avoid any conflicts and this helps take care of a few.

I am not pushing any religion. I don’t think people need religion by any means. Plenty of people I know function and live perfectly fine lives without an ounce of any religious belief touching them. However, I do encourage open minds and that’s why I’m introducing all these religions, however briefly.

I hate to feel the need to make all these things clear, but I, like many others, have been scarred by religious fanaticism. That makes me cautious. However, I do hope you enjoy your introduction to the various religions.

Last week we talked about how to break down religion into four main groups: Theism, Deism, “Ever-Present” and Nontheism. I then broke theism down into its various categories.

Today I’m going to do the same thing with deism, ‘ever-present’ and nontheism.

Deism is the belief that yes, god(s)/being(s) does exist, but god/gods does not interfere with the world/universe. The break down of this category is similar to the breakdown of theism but without quite the ‘black and white’ definitions.

In pandeism, you have the belief that the creator came before the universe, created the universe, and is now on the same level as or is the universe.

In polydeism, many gods came together to create the universe, but after it was created, they stopped interacting with it.

“Ever-present” – a term I made up – describes the broader belief that gods/beings are present in everything. This category can be broken down into four subcategories:

Pantheism takes away the division between god and the universe, making them equally one.

Panentheism, similar to pantheism, also believes that the universe and god are joined together. However, this belief puts god as greater than the universe.

Cosmotheism is a combination of both man and creator. This belief is that the cosmos and man are essentially one. What man wants, the cosmos want, and vice versa.

Animism, put simply, is the belief that everything has a soul and is thus important at some level.

Nontheism is broken down into Atheism and Agnosticism, which I have talked about before here

As you can see, there is a lot to religion even at a broader level than individual religions. That’s why I wanted to explore the broader categories before getting into the individual religions. In future posts, I will begin exploring individual religions.

In the last post, we broke down religion (or rather, religious belief systems) into four main categories: Theism, Deism, “Ever-Present”, and Nontheism. Today I am going to break down theism further into subcategories of identification
You’ll recall that theism is the belief that gods/beings exist and they also interact with the world/universe.

Theism can further be broken down into monotheism and polytheism. If you look at the prefixes ‘mono’ and ‘poly’, it’s easy to keep their definitions straight.

Monotheism is the belief that there is one and only one god. This is a fairly well known line of belief and is the current state of what you could call the evolution of religions being primarily polytheistic and moving to monotheism over time.

An interesting belief falling under the monotheism category is ‘misotheism’ which encompasses the belief that there is one god but that one god is evil instead of the benevolent good god of many other religions.

Where mono means one, poly means many. Those who have polytheistic beliefs believe that there is more than one god/being wandering around in the great ‘out there’.

The subcategories of polytheism are mostly to do with leaning towards one god in one area or another.

Henotheism, while believing in more than one god, believes that one god is supreme above all others.

Monolatry doesn’t believe so much that one god is supreme as it believes only one god should be worshiped.

Lastly, the one with the fun name – kathenotheism – is more of an equal opportunity worshiper. It believes in more than one god and worshiping one of the many, but the difference is that each god will get their turn in supremacy.

In future posts, I’ll break down the remaining three categories of religion.

When it comes to religion and spirituality, the subjects within the main subject are often more widespread and complicated than people realize.

Coming up on this site, I will be exploring individual religions and the basics in their beliefs. Before I do that, however, I would like to explore religion just a bit more.

To make it easier, I think it’s best to start in the broadest senses and then narrow down to specifics. When it comes to religion, the broadest category would be if you believe something or not, but I am going a bit narrower than that with some definitions in the realm of belief.

The first way to break down religion is into four categories: Theism, Deism, what I call “ever-present”, and Nontheism.

Theism is that yes, gods or like beings do exist and they interact with the world/universe.

Deism is like theism in that the belief is that gods/beings exist. However, in deism, the belief is that they do not interact/intervene with the universe.

“Ever-Present” – a term that has no official status and is something I’m probably using incorrectly – is the category of belief that encompasses a diety in everything. There are sub-classes of exactly what has a soul or is a diety, but I will explore that later.

Lastly, we have Nontheism where we have Atheism and Agnosticism. This gets a little tricky when you break it down because some Agnostics have a personal faith, but we’ll talk about that later.

And there you have your Intro to Religions 101. In future posts I’ll be breaking these categories down before exploring individual religions groups.