SOCIAL STUDIES FACT CARDS
RELIGIONS
Copyright © by Toucan Valley Publications, Inc. | Source Citation


RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD DATABASE
Number of Cards
32
Card Description
One card each on 13 religions; One card each on 19 denominations of Christianity

RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
An Introduction

WHAT IS A RELIGION?

A religion is a set of beliefs that explains some of the more difficult questions that people ask, such as: Where did the world come from?  What is the purpose of life?  What is the difference between right and wrong?  What happens to people when they die? 

There are many different religions in the world.  Some religions can look back to one person as their founder. Some of these are: Abraham (Judaism), Jesus of Nazareth (Christianity), and Muhammad (Islam).  Other religions such as Shintoism and Taoism evolved over time and have no historical leader or founder.  Most of the religions included here have existed for hundreds or thousands of years, although a few are more recent. 

Each religion has a set of beliefs or teachings, which members follow.  Some teachings are very exacting, while others leave much room for personal or local variations. 

Some religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, believe in a single deity or god.  Others, such as Hinduism and Shintoism, believe that there are many gods and goddesses.  Still others, such as Buddhism and Confucianism, do not believe in gods at all, but concentrate on the behaviors and spiritual experiences of individual believers. 

Many religions use symbols or objects to help them in their devotions.  These might be statues of gods or of important people (such as Buddha or the Christian saints), pictures or drawings, or objects such as a cross or prayer beads. 

Rituals or ceremonies are part of most religions.  Many groups gather together on certain days of the week or month to share worship.  Others worship alone at a temple or home shrine.  Most religions have special ceremonies for rites of passage such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death. 

In these pages, you will find highlights of many of the religions of the world.  All of the world’s largest religions are included, as are some of the smaller ones that have some unique or interesting features.  Members of a religion often have disagreements, and various sub-groups are formed, which are known as denominations.  A number of Christian denominations have been considered in detail because they are widespread in North America.   

Many native peoples, such as Native Americans and Australian aborigines, have belief systems, sometimes known as tribal religions.  Yoruba, an African religion, has been included as a representative tribal religion. It is one of the largest and most organized. 

B.C.E. AND C.E.

The Gregorian calendar, used in America and Europe, is based on a calculation of the birth of Jesus Christ.  The traditional abbreviations, B.C. and A.D., are for Latin phrases referring to dates before and after the birth of Jesus.  The more recent abbreviations B.C.E (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era) are used here because they recognize faiths beyond the Christian tradition.


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