- CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is based upon the teachings of Jesus, a Jew who was born around 2000 years ago. Primarily Christianity was a fringe cult, yet by the beginning of the 4th century AD it had pushed out pagan religions across Europe and established itself as the religion of the Roman empire. Rome became the seat of power of the church where popes were elected as successors of St Peter, whom Jesus had appointed to lead his church. The religion continued to expand in the middle ages as monks and missionaries traveled to spread the teachings of Jesus. In 1054, in an event known as the schism, the orthodox Christians broke away from the Roman catholic church. The conflict between them has never been resolved, and today the orthodox church is dominant in Russia and Greece. The Renaissance brought about further questions, and those who protested against catholocism such as Martin Luther and John Calvin became known as protestants. The reformation of the church was sweeping across Europe. Attempts to enforce obedience to the Roman Catholic church became increasingly aggressive, particularly in Spain where the Inquisition tortured heretics into submission. In many countries Protestants were persecuted and driven out.
Christians believe in a single god who encompasses three elements, known as the holy trinity, the father, the son (Jesus) and the holy spirit. All Christian groups believe that Jesus was the son of god, born to Mary, a virgin, because the child was conceived of the holy spirit, not of her husband Joseph. They also believe that after his execution on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead. According to Christian doctrine, Jesus was sent to earth to redeem the sins of humankind through his death and resurrection. Christian teaching comes mostly from the new testament, a record of the life of Jesus and his teachings, which promise that faith in god through Jesus and good works will bring eternal life.
- CONFUCIANISM
Regarded universally as one of the greatest philosophers of ancient times, Confucius taught a message of spirituality over materialism in 5th century BC China. He attempted to resurrect the Zhou Dynasty religion and restore social order to its politically corrupt regime. It was only 400 years later that his teachings became widely accepted, under the Wan Emperor Wu, who made Confucian values the backbone of all state ideology and social institutions. The popularity of Taosim and Buddhism in the early first millennium AD overshadowed Confucianism, until the Song Dynasty merged all three beliefs into neo–office. By the beginning of the second millennium, it had branched out into two schools of thought, Hsin and Li. All variations were rejected once again in the 17th century by the Qing dynasty, which re–established confucain teachings in their unadulterated form. They were overturned however by the Chinese revolution of 1911, which regarded confucainism as decadent and reactionary, views that were compounded when communism came to power in 1949. These ideals are still held in high esteem by Chinese people today and around 5 million followers remain active in South east Asia.
When assessing their beliefs it is more a system of social and ethical values than a fixed religion, it promotes personal virtue for the wider benefit of the community. Sincerity, benevolence, loyalty and propriety are the key values outlined in the five scriptures.
- JUDAISM
Around 4000 years ago a nomadic tribe led by Abraham abandoned their old gods and became monotheists, worshipers of one god, known as Hebrews. Abraham and his followers left their home in the territory now called Iraq, and settled in Canaan, the area to the west of the river Jordan, which is now Israel and Palestine. Escaping from famine the growing community moved to Egypt but the pharos enslaved them. Many generations later a new leader, Moses, led them to freedom in a new land, the same territory to the west of the River Jordan that is now so bitterly fought over today. In 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed the Jews temple and deported many of them to Babylon (now Iraq). They kept their traditions alive and, when their exile ended, some chose not to go home, creating the first Jewish Diaspora. The second temple was destroyed in 70 AD. After this the Jews carried their traditions with them. Rabbis (teachers) became the custodians of the faith, and Jewish communities developed in many parts of the world, from southern India to northern Europe. The Nazi genocide left many Jew survivors stateless and homeless, leading the UN to support the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 in part of Palestine, as a home for the Jews. This has been an issue of conflict and contention with the Palestinian people very since. Today there are some 15 million Jews around the world, with the largest community in the USA.
Jews believe in one god but do not worship prophets. Orthodox Jews believe that a Messianic age will come, bringing peace and justice through the co–operation of all people and the help of god. The Jews regarded their relationship with god as a binding agreement, or covenant. There are 613 mitzvoth (laws) covering every aspect of daily life. Collective worship is in a synagogue over the sabath (Saturday) but Jews also pray individually at home, three times a day. Each synagogue contains an arc, a cupboard which houses the torah, handwritten in Hebrew on a parchment scroll.
- SIKHISM
This is a relative newcomer amongst the mainstream religions, founded 500 years ago by Shri Guru Narak Dev Ji, in the Punjab region, part of which is in India and part of which is in Pakistan. Guru Nanak had a vision telling him that devotion to god would lead to enlightenment. Sikhism grew steadily until the 17th century, when the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb tried to enforce mass conversion to Islam. Gobung Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, militarised the movement to protect Sikh beliefs and assembled the Shri Guru Granth, the most sacred text. Following Singh's death Sikh's upheld the Granth as its 11th Guru and appointed military leaders to defend the their faith. A Sikh state was established in 1801 in the Punjab, where prosperity reigned until the sheikh wars against the British from 1845–49. Following defeat the Sikhs existed in harmony with the British until the massacre at the golden temple of Amritsar, the holiest of Sikh places, in 1919. Calls for reinstatement of Sikh rule resumed but were ignored when India was partitioned in 1947, although Sikhs were given majority rule in one sector of the Punjab in 1966. There are currently 22.5 million Sikhs in the world, mostly in the Punjab, Britain and North America.
This religion centres around the relationship with god, belief in reincarnation and the importance of the community. They believe it is possible to break out of the birth/death cycle and achieve unity with god through prayer, benevolence and overcoming the five cardinal sins, krodh (anger), karn (lust), moh (worldly attachment), Ahankar (pride) and lobh (greed).
- HUMANISM
This is a philosophy which places humans rather than god or gods at the centre of life – it originated in ancient Greece. Manuscripts dating from 600BC record discussions between Greek scholars about the purpose of life and the role of the gods in it. The philosopher Protagoras (490–420BC) wrote 'man is the measure of all things.' For the next 800 years these ideas continued to be explored throughout the middle east and western Europe, but from the 6th century AD, during the dark ages, the church gained power and stifled debate about the existence of god. The renaissance brought renewed interest in classical art and philosophy–and the invention of the printing press gave many more people access to ideas beyond their won immediate experience. Once again people started to question whether supernatural forces or human beings were in charge. By the 19th century science was challenging religious doctrine, we only have to look at Darwin's 'On the origin of species' as one example of this. Indeed his theory of evolution was in direct conflict with biblical accounts of the creation of the world. Humanist ideas continued to grow throughout the 20th century and today it has more than 3 million members in 30 different countries.
Humanists focus on the values of human beings, asserting that people are in control of their lives and the societies they belong to, and it is in their hands to improve their lives, not gods. Moral values come from human needs and experience, and are not imposed from above by a supernatural being. They argue that life should be based on evidence, not faith, we have only one life and should not wait for reward or punishment after death.
- ISLAM
Islam originated among the Arabic speaking peoples of the middle east who were followers of the prophet Muhammed. Born in 570AD in Mecca, in the country we now know to be Saudi Arabia, at the age of 40 Muhammed experienced visions is which the Aggel Gabriel taught him to recite the teachings of the one true god, Allah. The words were recorded as the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book. In 616 Muhammed proclaimed himself the prophet of Allah and began to preach to a fast growing follower. In 622 he was forced to leave Mecca and took his followers on to Medina. The date of the hijra (flight) to Medina marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In the years that followed Muhammed attracted so many supporters that he returned to conquer Mecca. Islam rapidly spread throughout Arabia, and Muhammed remained its spiritual leader until his death in 632. When he died a power struggle ensued over who should succeed him. The largest group were the Sunnis, who remain the majority of Muslims today. Numerous other sects also grew, including the Shi'ite's, who believed that the leadership should remain with Muhammed's family line. The Shi'ite's are the majority Muslim group in Iran, with the other major Muslim group (the Sufis) taking a more mystical approach toward Islam. Sunnis (followers of the prophets way) make up nearly 90% of the worlds Muslim population, with most of the remaining 10% being Shi'ite. The tensions between these groups were never resolved, and remain a source of conflict today. Today Islam is the second biggest religion in the UK, and the fastest growing religion in the world.
They believe in one god, Allah, with Muhammed installed as the prophet. Faith and action are interwoven and religion is a way of life, and the obligations that Muslims believe are placed on them rest on the five pillars of Islam: The shahadah, the declaration of faith in Allah, is the central pillar. Salah is prayer, zakah is the obligation to give to the poor, sawm is fasting during the month of Ramadam and the hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which Islam asked every believer to make once in their life time.
- HINDUISM
This religion has evolved from a mixture of beliefs practices by people living along the river Indus in India and Pakistan from as far back as 7,000 BC. The Hinduism of today took shape during the second millennium BC, when the Ayran people a nomadic tribe from the Baltic region, arrived in India. They brought with them the Sanskrit language and introduced the caste system, which soon became associated with Hinduism. Buddhism and Jainism broke away from Hinduism around 800 – 600 BC, leaving it weakened in India for several centuries. It then grew during the early part of the millennium AD, mostly at the expense of Buddhism, until the introduction of Islam in 7th century. The Turks fought hard to conquer India during the 11th and 12th centuries and achieved great success in the areas that are now Pakistan and Bangladesh. Christianity made an impression in India too, particularly during the 17th and 18th century, but failed to have the same impact as Islam. Hinduism regained ground in the 18th and 19th century and currently has over 900 million followers around the world, 90% of which live in India.
Hindus believe that Brahman is the supreme spirit and creator of the universe, who is formless, eternal and an intrinsic part of the soul. Hindus fall into three groups according to the form of Brahman they worship: Vishnu (the preserver), Shiva (the destroyer) and Shakti (mother goddess). Belief in reincarnation is fundamental to Hinduism, and they can follow three paths to improve their chances of an upgrade next time round–knowledge (jnana), work and religious performance (karma) and devotion (bhakti). There are several holy scriptures to assist Hindus break out of the cycles of life – the vedas (most ancient), the mahabharata (the longest poem in the world) and the Ramayana (poem in which good overcomes evil) – all of which were passed down the ancient generations by word of mouth.
- BUDDHISM
This upholds the teachings of Gautama Buddha, a Nepalese prince born probably in the 5th century BC, who rejected the pursuit of material gain in favour of amore spiritual existence. After achieving spiritual enlightenment he spent his life teaching what he had learned throughout Northern India. The Emperor Ashoka, who ruled over much of South Asia in the 3rd century, accelerated the spread of Buddhism across the rest of the sub continent and into Thailand, Korea and China. Buddhist ideas spread to Europe following British colonisation and trading, and it really took off in America where Victorian transcendentalists celebrated the benefits of meditation. Buddhism's aim of creating conditions favourable to meditational or spiritual development attracted many adherents in the 1960s. Most western major cities have active Buddhist communities today, although most of the worlds 325 million Buddhists still live in Asia.
Buddhists attempts to escape the life cycle and achieve a state of enlightenment by focusing on spiritual development and following the four noble truths...1. Dukkha (all existence is full of suffering), 2. Trsna (suffering occurs when we cling to what is wrong for us and resist change), 3. Nirvana (pursuit of enlightenment) and 4. The eightfold path (practical guide to ending suffering).
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