World Religions
By: Abbi Watters
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus suffered and was crucified. Jesus is the one and only son of God. He will return to judge the living and the dead. Anyone who repents their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved. The book of this religion is the Holy Bible, holding prophecies, promises, stories, and parables. There are two major holidays in this religion, Christmas and Easter. Christmas is said to be the day that Jesus was born and Easter is said to be the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and brought back to Earth. Christians pray on a regular basis and attend church Sunday mornings or Saturday evenings. Most Christians have been baptized, committing themselves to the Lord, either as an infant or as an adult, and regularly participate in communion.
Judaism
Judaism (monotheistic) is a religion and tradition that is rooted and lead by the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Jews refer to the Bible as the Tanakh, an acronym for the texts of the Torah, Writings, and Prophets. Other sacred texts include the Talmud and Midrash, the rabbinic, legal, and narrative interpretations of the Torah. Two of the major holidays are Yom Kipper and Hanukkah. Yom Kipper is said to be the day of repentance for the Jews and Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday remembering the dedication of the Holy Temple. Gifts are received each day of Hanukkah.
Hinduism
Hinduism promotes tolerances do is all about following the rules the right way only. Rituals include putting pictures of thier gods in their homes, meditation, ect. The main holiday is Diwali, a hindu festival of lights, held in the period October to November. The four main denominations are Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavis, and Smartism. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the fiscal year in India. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with their religious book being the Veda.
Islam
Islam is based on the ministry of a man named Muhammad, and on the words that Allah gave to the world through Muhammad. The basic belief of Islam is that there is only one God therefore it is monotheistic. Their God's name in the Arabic language is Allah, and who is the sole and sovereign ruler of the universe. The Muslim scripture is the Holy Qur'an. The Muslims worship in a mosque mainly on Saturdays. Dhu Al-Hijja is the month of pilgrimage during which all Muslims, at least once in their life, should try to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Buddhism
Buddhism (polytheistic) goes beyond religion and is more of a Philosophy. You could even say Buddhism has more of an atheist aspect of it. Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favors. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested in its lap and a compassionate smirk tells them to strive to develop peace and love within themselves. The Tipika is the Buddist Holy Book. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.
Buddhism - Introduction