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Just wondered what my other options are. Please describe what they are and the general belief of the religion. A little historical background would also be nice.

2007-01-03 02:36:33 · 14 answers · asked by Laura L. 2 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

14 answers

The oldest surviving Religion is Hinduism. It's over 60,000 years old.

The basic principles of that Faith are [a] "Deivehah nirguna, nirakara" or the State of God [they do not believe that God has a gender and is pure Absolute "Force"] is beyond physical and intellectual perception [b] that all Creatures are born equal and Man doesn't have dominion over all else. Which is the basic principle behind a lot of them being vegetarians. [c] The many personal "Gods" that families have are from their folktales and it's permitted because Hinduism is a way of Life and does not ban anything nor give you the carrot and stick of Heaven and Hell.

Then there's Buddhism, that's a bit younger than Hinduism, founded by Gautama Buddha, basically in rebellion to Hindu rituals which had happened because of some of the Priestly class who took control and tried to formalize it into a set of rituals.

This Religion further strengthens the Hindu Concept of non-violence and demands the surrender to the Order of Goodness. "Buddham sharanam gachchami, [I surrender to Buddha] Dharmam sharanam gachchami [I surrender to Religion and the Good Path], Sangham sharanam gachchami [I surrender to the Order of Buddhism]" is the vow every Buddhist must take.

Jainism. Contemporary to Buddhism, believes in the Supremacy of the Thithankaras or 21 Divine Teachers. Totally non-violent, they sweep the florr gently before them when walk so that they may not accidentally step on an insect and wear a mask over their nose and mouth so that they may not accidently breathe in or have an insect come into their mouths!

Of course, Buddhists and Jains are strictly vegetarians. Jains are a bit more strict because they will not eat any thing that isn't blessed by the sun, like potatoes, carrots and other roots!

Sikhism. Founded by Guru Nanak Dev, Believes in the supremacy of the Guru. This Religion began after Islam and is fairly young. Begun to actually build a bridge between the Hindus and Muslims in India, Sikhs are now sworn enemies of the Muslims who killed their second last Guru and had their last Guru make them all swear that they wouldn't cut their hair nor smoke till they'd killed every last Moslem!?

Shinto, Japan's original Ancestor Worship where the Emperor is given Divine Status. It's also almost as old as Buddhism which slowly took over to be number one there.

Zoroasterism. The Fire worshippers of Persia who were persecuted and massacred by the Moslem in Iran and fled to India, where they now are among the leading Communities.

Baha'i The reformist attempt of Baha'ullah to make Islam more moderate and more open to the Freedom of other Faiths. Also of Iran, they were persecuted and massacred for being apostates to Islam and are now living in many non-Islamic Countries.

There are quite a few more; but I really need to take a break, now!!!!

2007-01-03 03:04:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

I have a very long explanation coming up.

Okay. 2000 years ago, christianity came around. Long before that though, with about 30,000 years under its belt, Paganism reigned supreme. The reason for this... You may have seen a witch doctor perform a public healing ritual, right? If not, then I can explain to you. The witch doctor of the village was looked up to because he had contact with the spirits and could spiritually heal people and give them better peace of mind about a life-threatening illness. They knew about the proper roots to use (like, the African Voudoun discovered the healing properties of the asper root, the prime use in Aspirin today) for healing, and they knew the proper incantations... All of that great stuff. That's general Paganism.

Under Paganism, several groups fall under it: Wiccanism, Shamanism, Celticism, Druidism, Voudoun. (there are several more that I can't remember right now.)

Celticism and Druidism came from Ireland and Scotland, and some other various areas of Europe. Shamanism was strictly Native American, Voudoun (voodoo) was African in origin. Paganism was always around a long time before christianity.

Holidays of these Pagan religions still exist to this day. Samhain ("adopted" by the christians as Halloween), Winter Solstice (christmas), vernal Equinox (Easter) and several other holidays as well. All of them have Pagan origins.

Santeria is Hispanic in origin. I odn't have much knowledge about it though.

2007-01-03 02:39:28 · answer #2 · answered by Cold Fart 6 · 0 1

Islam got here some years after the Biblical money owed. historic information and archaeology helps the biblical money owed in historic past belonging to the Hebrews. Islam has no such help. The Bible has many witnesses and thoughts, the Quran has Muhammad. Muhammad claims that the genuine Scriptures have been lost in apostasy, in spite of the undeniable fact that our findings of the lifeless Sea Scrolls have concluded that it is erroneous. apparently sufficient, Joseph Smith of Mormonism (LDS church) additionally claims that the genuine Scriptures have been lost in apostasy, and that a "new revelation" grew to become into necessary. The Bible tells us to beware of absolutely everyone who claims to herald new revelation, particularly revelations which contradict the words of God. It additionally says that even demons can come off as angels of sunshine, and that if a meant holy angel consists of the guy offering a sparkling revelation, then that angel is accursed. Cults and heretical fake sects of Christianity have the comparable factor in uncomplicated, the distortion of the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church provides their very very own teachings, and positioned their teachings over the words of God. God isn't a liar and he won't in any respect contradict His very own words. The Jehovah's Witnesses (The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) is likewise a counterfeit Christianity, because of the fact they declare that one can't interpret the which ability of the Scriptures merely via examining the Bible, quite, you're able to desire to verify their teachings with the verses taken out of context. God says we would desire to continually no longer upload or bypass over to His words. additionally we would desire to verify the Bible verses in context, so as that we are no longer using a which ability which the Scripture isn't implying.

2016-10-06 09:19:45 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

Look up details in Wiki but I give you a list of most of the main ones.

0) Zorasterism. Primarily in Iran (persia) Ver ancient monotheistic one. I almost forgot.
1) Hinduism. Primarily in India. Very broad and old religion. Has lots of Gods but some don't consider it to be multi-theistic.
2) Budhism: In asia: Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China a bit in India. Spawned from Hinduism
3) Sikhism. Relatively new religion I gather. India
4) Janism. From India
5) Shintoism. Japan
6) Taoism. Primarily in China
7) Paganism/Wicca/Druidism. Dead religion revived. European and a whole family of religions
8) Scientology. Invented by science fiction guy for profit but made into honest religion by those who followed him after he died. United States
9) Confusinism. China
10) Animism. Primarily in Africa. Actually family of religions which are pretty old.
11) Nature religion of the North American native peoples. Again, likely whole family of religions

2007-01-03 02:45:19 · answer #4 · answered by rostov 5 · 0 1

there are alot of religions in this whole world , every country has diferent religions , for me i'm Iraqi girl (the country of religions), there are Muslims , Bahaaian, Shabacian, Sabeian, Ashorian,...ect besides Islam, Christianity and Judaism as you said.

2007-01-03 02:49:11 · answer #5 · answered by Sara 3 · 0 0

Hinduism, the oldest religion in the world. Try about.com for a weekly newsletter about the Hindu religion with interesting and new topics.

try tickle.com to see which religion will best suit your belief system. its pretty interesting.

2007-01-03 02:55:47 · answer #6 · answered by cuteami78 2 · 0 1

The are several books out that list, and slightly explain, all the religions of the world. They are far too numerous to list here. My advice, stick with Jesus the Christ. You'll be better off in the long run. YBIC

2007-01-03 02:45:26 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

I am spiritualist
and as such believe in life after death proven through spirit communications ... you may be more familiar with the term mediums
we believe in God although each person im sure has individual ideas of what God is and means to them
we dont have any religious books as such
we have what is called 7 principles such as the brotherhood of man and personal responsibility

2007-01-03 02:41:21 · answer #8 · answered by Peace 7 · 0 1

Wicca
Buddhism
Shinto-ism

All manner of nature based religions

2007-01-03 05:56:52 · answer #9 · answered by j_d_barrow 3 · 1 0

Hinduism
Hindus believe in reincarnation and karma. Dharma is their duty in life, traditionally assigned by the caste system, a social ranking based on family. The caste system has been officially abolished by the government of India (the origin and center of the religion). Once one fulfills their dharma, they earn karma, basically positive favor in the eyes of the gods. Once one has enough karma, attained from performing one's dharma in many lifetimes, the soul can fuse with Brahman, the ultimate God, in what is known as moksha. Then, you are delivered from the cycle of rebirth. This is the ultimate goal of Hindus.
Hinduism originated in India thousands of years ago from ancient religions, which were polytheistic. Therefore, Hinduism encompasses many deities and nature spirits. There are many ancient Indian epics, the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Upanishads, from which festivals and beliefs are derived. It is generally accepted that one can convert to Hinduism.

Buddhism
Buddhism was not originally a religion. An ancient Indian (Hindu) prince named Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Buddha, was locked in his palace most of his life, sheltered from suffering and pain. He did not know his people were in distress. One day, he left his castle. He saw three terrible new things outside: sickness, death, and pain. He went to meditate under a bodhi tree on these new sights. He later arose, with the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths: all life is suffering, desire causes this suffering, one must cease desiring, and this could be achieved by the Eightfold Path: right speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration, thoughts, and understanding (any good Buddhist site will go into detail here). Therefore, classic Buddhism is practiced through nonviolence and contemplation.
Boddhisatvas are Buddhist "saints" who have achieved enlightenment but remained on earth to teach others. Buddha never meant to be worshipped, but he is now by many Buddhists. You can hold Buddhist beliefs and religious beliefs at the same time, and you can "convert." My favorite Buddhist quote is "if you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." It basically means that anyone pretentious enough to say he is Buddha is not humble enough to actually be Buddha, so kill him because of blasphemy.

Wicca/Paganism
Wicca is a modern revival of ancient pagan beliefs (think mythology). Its followers may be referred to as witches. Wiccans generally hold very diverse beliefs and not much is standardized between covens (groups) and traditions. Many Wiccans practice magick or New Age activities, but many regard this as separate from Wicca. Wiccans believe in a Goddess and God as the primary deities, with all the various deities of all world religions and mythologies as manifestations of the different aspects of the Goddess and God. Wicca is a very ethical religion. The Wiccan Rede, a main tenet, states "Do as ye will, an ye harm none;" essentially that you may do anything you like as long as it doesn't hurt yourself or others. Therefore, Wiccans tend to be nonviolent. Wicca is a nature religion, reveling in the cycles of the earth and seasons. Seasons are marked with 8 Sabbats throughout the year, when rituals are held to mark the equinoxes and solstices. Sabbats correspond to a traditional story of rebirth of the God every year. There are also 13 Esbats, ceremonies held at the full moon, each year. Each practicioner of Wicca holds their own personal beliefs in deity and worship, so some worship with others in covens or as a pair, while some prefer to worship as solitaries, learning through books and personal experience with deity. Wicca tends to be feminist and liberal. Wiccans in general also believe in reincarnation.
Wicca is one of the most repressed religions in the world. Wiccans are afraid of the repercussions of revealing their beliefs: some lose their jobs/kids, some are shunned, and some become crusaders for true religious freedom. Wicca is growing and becoming more recognized, even by the US government. Many people become Wiccans because it is a noncanonical, unstructured religion that allows for greater freedom of beliefs than most religions. Wicca has roots in ancient beliefs, but was created in the 1900s mainly by Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner.

I personally am Wiccan, but I see great value in all religious beliefs. I incorporate many deities, from Artemis to Jesus and Krishna, into my personal practices. I hope I have remained unbiased enough for your tastes, and hope I have informed you well. If you decide you are interested in Wicca, I would recommend "The Spiral Dance," by Starhawk as a good introductory book.

2007-01-03 03:17:51 · answer #10 · answered by Aewin 2 · 1 0

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