religious
christianlity
Christianity tends to take beliefs quite seriously. The early fathers and councils carefully distinguished between "orthodoxy" from "heresy" in an effort to preserve what they saw as the true Christian message.
Many Christian rituals and religious practices vary between denomination, individual church and individual Christian, but some practices are common to virtually all forms of Christianity.
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion meaning the belief of one,three separate identities. These are the Father, Son, and Holy.The Christian holy book is know as the Holy Bible. Holidays, feasts and fasts are a significant part of Christian religious practice. The feast days celebrate joyous historical events, such as the birth and resurrection of Christ, while the fast days provide a special opportunity to focus on self-reflection, self-discipline, and repentance. Some Christian holidays have come to have a considerable impact on western culture and traditions.
judaism
Jewish life is marked by numerous occasions in which individuals and families take time out of their everyday lives to focus on God and his mitzvot (commandments), including daily prayer, Sabbath services and holidays. This section explores the special ceremonies and celebrations that mark important stages in a Jewish person's life as he or she journeys from birth to death.
History is of the utmost importance in Judaism. Whereas the sacred texts of most ancient religions focus on myths and philosophical concepts, the Jewish Bible is centered around historical narrative; and most Jewish holidays are intended to connect modern Jews with their historical ancestors and traditions.
The name of God in Judaism used most often in the Hebrew Bible is the four-letter name יהוה (YHWH), also known as the Tetragrammaton. El (god), Elohim (god, plural form), El Shaddai (god almighty), Adonai (master), Elyon(highest) and Avinu (our father) are regarded by many religious Jews not as names, but as epithets highlighting different aspects of YHWH and the various 'roles' of God.[1] It's polytheistic.
The holiest book in Judaism is the Torah which is the first five books of the Hebrew bible. The Torah contains the five books that were revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai and it is stored inside the Ark. Nobody is allowed to touch the Torah, so a special pointer called a yad is used to follow words when reading.
This is the first in a series of pages on the Jewish holidays. This page discusses some basic considerations that apply to all or many holidays. Each of the individual holiday pages talks about the significance of a holiday, its traditional observances and related customs, the date on which each holiday will occur for the next five years, and in some cases recipes for traditional, Ashkenazic holiday-related foods.
The Hebrew word mitzvot means "commandments" (mitzvah is its singular form). Although the word is sometimes used more broadly to refer to rabbinic (Talmudic) law or general good deeds ("It would be a mitzvah to visit your mother"), in its strictest sense it refers to the divine commandments given by God in the Torah. Full article...
The important Jewish philosopher Maimonides made a list of the 613 commandments he found in the Jewish Bible, and here they are. View list...
In addition to the 613 mitzvot, Jewish law incorporates a large body of rabbinical rules and laws. These are considered just as binding as the mitzvot, although the punishments for violating them are less severe. Another difference is that it is possible, though unlikely, for the rabbinical laws to be changed, but no rabbi can change the Torah mitzvot. The rabbinical portion of halakhah falls into three groups: a gezeirah, takkanah, and minhag. Full article...
Hinduism
The religious life of many Hindus is focused on devotion to God (perceived as Brahman, Shiv
a, Vishnu, or Shakti) or several gods. This devotion usually takes the form of rituals associated with sculptures and images of gods in home shrines.
Hindu religious practices center on the importance of fulfilling the duties associated both with one's social position and one's stage of life. With regard to the latter, traditional Hindus are expected to pass through four stages(ashramas) over the course of their life:
- brahmacharga, which takes place during the school years, is focused on acquiring knowledge and developing character;
- grastha, the middle years, is focused on worldly pursuits and pleasures such as marriage, family and career;
- vanaprastha, when one's children reach adulthood, is a time of increased focus on spiritual things; and
- sanngasu, in the last years of life, one may abandon the world entirely for a life of contemplation
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It's polytheistic.
In Hinduism there is no particular holy book, but there is one particular scripture considered holy by all sections of Hindus and that is the Vedas. The Vedas has four parts Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka & upanishat.
The Hindus celebrate numerous holidays and festivals. Because of the sheer diversity of Hindu beliefs and regional variations in celebrations, the exact amount of ceremonies practiced in modern times is impossible to calculate. Some scholars have isolated at least one thousand annual festivals or ceremonies, acknowledging that many other local or otherwise individualized ceremonies exist.
Buddhism
Buddhism incorporates a variety of rituals and practices, which are intended to aid in the journey to enlightenment and bring blessings on oneself and others. The practice of meditation is central to nearly all forms of Buddhism, and it derives directly from the Buddha’s experiences and teachings. Meditation is is the central focus of Zen Buddhism and the only way to liberation in Theravada Buddhism.
In addition to meditation, the Mahayana schools of Buddhism have developed a variety of other ritual and devotional practices, many of which were inspired or influenced by the existing religious cultures of India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Tibet. The articles in this section provide an overview of some of the main Buddhist sacred rituals and practices.
- Meditation - Mental concentration and mindfulness
- Mantras - Sacred sounds
- Mudras - Symbolic hand gestures
- Prayer Wheels - Reciting mantras with the turn of a wheel
- Monasticism (coming soon)
- Pilgrimage - Visiting sacred sites (coming soon)
- Veneration of Buddhas and Deities (coming soon)
The name of Buddhist god is Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama was the man who became Buddha, the Awakened One. Similar to the way Jesus became Christ. Since his death the only contact with him is through his teachings which point to the awakened state.
Buddhism is monotheistic.
The sacred book of Buddhism is called the Tipitaka. It is written in an ancient Indian language called Pali which is very close to the language that the Buddha himself spoke. The Tripitaka is a very large book. The English translation of it takes up nearly forty volumes.There are many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community. Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar. The most significant celebration happens every May on the night of the full moon, when Buddhist all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. It has become to be known as Buddha Day.
Islam
The religious rituals of Islam are relatively few in number, but great in importance. The Five Pillars of Islam are fivepractices regarded by all sects as essential to the Muslim faith. Other notable Islamic practices include the mystical rituals of Sufism and various distinctive Shi'ite practices.
- Confession of faith (shahada)
- Ritual prayer (salat)
- Alms tax (zakat)
- Fasting during the month of Ramadan (sawm)
- Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
- The history of Islam concerns the Islamic religion and its adherents, known as Muslims. "Muslim" is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits to God". Muslims and their religion have greatly impacted the political, economic, and military history of the Old World, especially the Middle East, where lie its roots. Though it is believed by non-Muslims to have originated in Mecca and Medina, Muslims believe that the religion of Islam has been present since the time of the prophet Adam. The Islamic world expanded to include people of the Islamic civilisation, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization.
- The 99 names of God or 99 names of Allah (Arabic: أسماء الله الحسنى ʾasmāʾ allāh al-ḥusnā), are the Names of God by whichMuslims regard God (Allah) and which are described in the Qur'an, and Sunnah, amongst other places.[1] There is, according to hadith, a special group of 99 names but no enumeration of them. Thus the exact list is not agreed upon, and the Names of God (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed 99 in the Qur'an and Sunnah. According to a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud some of the names of God have been hidden from mankind,[2] therefore there are not only 99 names of God but there are more.
- It's polytheistic.
- Islamic holy books are the texts which Muslims believe were authored by God to various prophets throughout humanity's history. All these books, in Muslim belief, promulgated the code and laws that God ordained for those people. Muslims believe the Quran to be the final revelation of God's word to man, and a completion and confirmation of previous scriptures.[1] Despite the primacy that Muslims place upon the Qur'an as God's final word, Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures, and belief in all the revealed books is an article of faith in Islam. The four revealed books mentioned by name in the Qur'an are the Torah (revealed to Moses), the Zabur (revealed to David), the Injil (Gospel) (revealed to Jesus), and the Qur'an itself.
- There are two official holidays in Islam: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting), and Muslims usually give zakat (charity) on the occasion. Eid Al-Adha is where Muslims usually sacrifice an animal and distribute its meat among family, friends and the poor.