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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
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
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