Christianity

Date of creation: most modern scholars argue for an earlier or later date, the
most agreed upon being between 6 BC and 4 BC. Christianity began as a Jewish
sect in the mid-st century. !riginating in the eastern "editerranean coast of
the "iddle #ast $modern %srael and &alestine', it (uic)ly spread to *yria,
"esopotamia, +sia "inor and #gypt. %t grew in si,e and in-uence o.er a few
decades, and by the 4th century had become the dominant religion within the
/oman #mpire.
+s of the early 0st century, Christianity has appro1imately 0.0 billion
adherents. Christianity represents about a (uarter to a third of the world2s
population and is the world2s largest religion. Christianity is the state religion of
se.eral countries. +mong all Christians, 34.56 li.e in the +mericas, 05.46 li.e
in #urope, 00.56 li.e in +frica, 3.6 li.e in +sia, .06 li.e in !ceania and
7.86 li.e in the "iddle #ast.
9 Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of :a,areth $st
century' as presented in the :ew ;estament. ;he Christian faith is essentially
faith in Jesus as the Christ, the *on of <od, and as *a.ior and =ord. +lmost all
Christians belie.e in the ;rinity, which teaches the unity of >ather, *on $Jesus
Christ', and ?oly *pirit as three persons in one <odhead. "ost Christians can
describe their faith with the :icene Creed. +s the religion of By,antine #mpire in
the @rst millennium and of Aestern #urope during the time of coloni,ation,
Christianity has been propagated throughout the world. ;he main di.isions of
Christianity are, according to the number of adherents:
Catholic Church, headed by the &ope in /ome, is a communion of the
Aestern church and 00 #astern Catholic churches. &rotestantism separated
from the Catholic Church in the 6th-century /eformation and split in many
denominations, #astern Christianity which include #astern !rthodo1y, !riental
!rthodo1y and the Church of the #ast. ;here are other smaller groups, such as
Jeho.ah2s Aitnesses and the =atter Day *aint mo.ement, whose inclusion in
Christianity is sometimes disputed.
&ersonal !pinion
"y personal opinion about this religion is that % agree with it. % am a belie.er of
this religion % only belie.e in one god and that is Jesus. % belie.e in all its rituals
and customs. % donBt @nd anything wrong with this religion, % li)e e.erything
from it. % belie.e it is the best religion compared to the other ones. % li)e how
de.oted people in this religion are towards <od. %t is a .ery welcoming religion.
&ope Benedict CD% is the spiritual leader of o.er one billion
Christians worldwide. +s Bishop of /ome the &ope is the *upreme &ontiE and earthly
head of the Catholic Church and all other Churches in union with the ?oly *ee.
Christian rituals:9 Baptism, 9 /econciliation 9 #ucharist $>irst Communion' 9
Con@rmation 9 "arriage.
Baptism' >irst Communion' "arriage'
Christianity *ymbols:9Christian Cross, 9Bread and Aine, 9;rinity
Christian Cross' Bread and Aine' ;rinity'
&lace of worship: ;emple or Church
%slam
"ost religious historians .iew %slam as ha.ing been founded in 600 C# by
"uhammad the &rophet. ?e li.ed from about 547 to 630 C#. ;he religion started
in "ecca, when the angel Jibril $JibreelF <abriel in #nglish' read the @rst
re.elation to "uhammad. %slam is the youngest of the world2s .ery large
religions.
+s of :o.ember 07, there are about .G3 billion "uslims. ;his represents 86
of an estimated 07 world population of 6.G billion people. Aith .54 billion
"uslims, %slam is the second-largest religion in the world and arguably the
fastest-growing religion in the world.
%n the ?adith of <abriel, the %slamic prophet "uhammad e1plains, H>aith is to
aEirm your faith in +llah, ?is angels, ?is Boo)s, ?is "essengers and the =ast
Day, and to belie.e in the Di.ine Destiny whether it be good or bad.H
;he si1 *unni articles of belief are:
. Belief in <od $+llah', the one and only one worthy of all worships $tawhid'.
0. Belief in the +ngels $mala2i)a'.
3. Belief in the Boo)s $)utub' sent by +llah $including the IurJn, <ospel and
;orahK;ana)h'.
4. Belief in all the "essengers $rusul' sent by +llah $including "uhammad,
Jesus, "oses, +braham, :oah, and +dam'
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment $(iyama' and in the /esurrection $life after
death'.
6. Belief in Destiny $>ate' $(adar'.;he @rst @.e are based on se.eral IurJnic
creeds.
;he +rabic term for the uni@ed community of "uslim belie.ers is ummah
wahidah, often simply shortened to ummah. %t is the idea of an imagined
worldwide community of "uslims united in submission to <od. %slamic doctrine
teaches that membership in the ummah should transcend geographical,
cultural, tribal, and ethnic boundaries. +ll belie.ers in the ummah are e(ual,
and all members of the ummah are called upon to support, assist, and protect
each other.
&ersonal !pinion
% thin) itLs a .ery interesting religion e.en though % donLt agree with e.ery
custom,belief or rules they follow. ;he less respect for people of other religions
and atheists, women is less important in this religion are some things % really
disli)e about this religion. ;here are many similarities in these two religions
Christianity and %slam. ;hey both ha.e a ha.en and hellF belie.e in one god,
women is less important in both religions.
&rophet "uhammad is the leader of %slam religion.
%slamBs rituals:
a' ;estimony b' &rayer c' >asting
%slam *ymbols:
a' *tar and Crescent b'+llah c' #ight &ointed *tar
&lace of Aorship:
;he "os(ue
BMDD?%*"
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a .ariety of traditions,
beliefs, and practices largely based on teachings attributed to *iddhartha
<autama, who is commonly )nown as the Buddha $meaning Hthe awa)ened
oneH in *ans)rit and &Jli'. Buddhism was founded in appro1imately 467 B.C. %t
was founded by a prince named *iddhartha <autama who was born in
Napila.astu in 4G7 B.C. ?e was isolated in lu1ury and )ept ignorant by his father
of pain and suEering. +gainst his father2s wishes, *iddhartha left his )ingdom
and searched for the 4 :oble ;ruths about suEering in 467 BC.
%t all originated when he sat and fasted under a sacred @g tree, called the Bodhi
tree $the tree of awa)ening' for 48 days. >inally, he understood life and
suEering and he became )nown as the Buddha or Hthe enlightened one.H ?e
began to teach others. ;heir amount of followers .aries between 377-577
million followers.
Belief *ystem:
;he >our :oble ;ruths were the @rst statement of <autama Buddha following his
enlightenment. ;hese truths are among the most fundamental of the Buddhist
teachings and are at the core of the enlightenment e1perience. :oble #ightfold
&ath
;he :oble #ightfold &ath is actually contained within the >our :oble ;ruths, but
represents the means by which followers can ease the suEering of e1istence. %t
is the pathway laid out by <autama Buddha for followers to reach bodhi, or
enlightenment.
;he organi,ational structure of Buddhism .aries with the branches. ;here is
usually a national head(uarters, which is the !Oce of the Bishop. Buddhist
churches are di.ided geographically into districts. !rgani,ations are maintained
by each congregation to meet the spiritual, social, and educational needs of the
members. +ny (uali@ed member of the congregation may conduct worship
ser.ices. Aeddings, funerals, and other religious functions are conducted by
senior members of the congregation.
"y &ersonal !pinion
% really li)e this religion because according to its rules and norms it is the
teachings to guide one to directly e1periencing reality. ;here is no <od in
Buddhism. Buddha said HAor) out your own sal.ation with diligence. ;his
means there is no supernatural spirit or power in this religion. %t emphasi,es on
power of man and how he succeeds. !ne thing % donLt li)e is that since Buddha
was a man, how is it right e.erything he said no matter how wise he was.
Buddhism does not ha.e a particular leader as such.
*ome sects recogni,e the Dalai =ama as the spiritual leader of their lineage.
*ects can recogni,e certain indi.iduals as reincarnations of signi@cant people in
the lineage and therefore show them respect and accept their guidance.
Buddhist /ituals:
-"editation - "ental concentration and mindfulness
- *ymbolic hand gestures -&ilgrimage - Disiting sacred sites

Buddhist *ymbols:
#ight *po)ed Aheel Boddhi ;ree Beggin Bowl

&lace of Aorship: Buddhist ;emples, "onasteries, *tupas, and &agodas.a';emple
b'"onasteries
JMD+%*"
Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion, and the history of Judaism cannot be
separated from the history of the Jewish people.
%ts foundation lies in the original co.enant made between +braham and <od,
circa 877 BC#, when +braham was called to lea.e his home in Mr and tra.el to
Cannan $later )nown as &alestine and %srael', a land which <od promised to gi.e
to his descendants. Judaism was founded in the "iddle #ast primarily %srael,
)nown as the &romised =and. ;here are between 0-4 million )nown Jews
throughout the world today.
;he belief system of Judaism is monotheism. ;he 2<olden /ule2 @rst appeared in
the ?indu sacred te1ts: HDo not to others what ye do not wish done to yourselfF
and wish for others too what ye desire and long for, for yourself.H %t was written
almost 777 years before the Jewish ;orah. ;hey also follow the 3 &rinciples of
Judaism >aith.
;heir organi,ational structure is as follows : ;he traditional Jewish community is
referred to as the )ahal or )ehilla $the synagogue is to this day )nown is ?ebrew
as a )ehilla )edosha or sacred society' and encompasses a wide array of
charitable, religious, and social-welfare societies, )nown as che.rot $plural of
che.ra, which literally means brotherhood'. ;he most important of these are the
che.ra )adisha, which is responsible for all the rites concerning the burial of the
dead. #1amples of other che.rot are che.ra gemilat-hesed, which pro.ides
interest-free loansF che.ra ha)hnasat orchim, which pro.ides home hospitality
and food for wayfarers and the poor $especially on *habbat and Jewish
holidays'F che.ra tehilim, for regular recitation of &salms and prayers for
healingF and che.ra *has, which organi,es regular classes in ;almud study.
&ersonal !pinion
;his is the religion % disli)e the most. % really donLt li)e the fact that they donLt
belie.e in god, that they go against him. +nother thing % donLt li)e about this
religion its its obsession with money, this religion is capable of e.en marriage
between same family in order to )eep their money in the family and in some
way they agree with this. % also donBt li)e they way they acted when god came
to earth.
+braham was the @rst Jew, the >ather of the Jewish &eople.
"ourning: "ourning in Judaism is e1tensi.e, and has se.eral purposes: it shows
respect for the dead, comforts those left behind, discourages e1cessi.e
mourning, and helps the berea.ed to return to normal life.

Jewish "arriage ;raditions
"arriage is highly re.ered and strongly encouraged in Judaism.
Death /ituals
Death is not abhorred or de.alued. %nstead, death is seen as a part of life.
*ymbols :
a'Da.id *tar b'"enorah c' )ippah
&lace of Aorship: ;emple
*i)hism
%s a monotheistic religion founded during the 5th century in the &unPab region,
by <uru :ana) De. and continued to progress with ten successi.e *i)h gurus
$the last teaching being the holy scripture <urQ <ranth *Jhib Ji'.
%t is the @fth-largest organi,ed religion in the world, with o.er 37 million *i)hs
and one of the most steadily growing. *i)hism began around 577 +.D, in the
northern part of ancient &anPab, which is now part of &a)istan. %t originated with
the teachings of <uru :ana) who rePected the philosophies of the ?indu society
that he grew up in.
*i)hs belie.e in one creator inseparable from creation. &art and participle of one
another, the creator e1ists within creation per.ading and permeating e.ery
aspect of all that is. ;he creator watches o.er and cares for creation. ;he way to
e1perience <od is through creation and by meditating inwardly on the di.ine
characteristic of the manifest self which is in tune with the unmanifest and
illimitable, creati.e in@nity )nown to *i)hs as %) !n)ar.
%n the face of the rigid %ndian system of caste and class, *i)hs oEer adherents a
casteless and egalitarian social structure. *i)hs belie.e that any two *i)hs ma)e
up a congregation, and where as many as @.e gather, the di.ine is present. ;he
immersion of the congregation in the <uru2s teachings chec)s indi.idual self-
centeredness;he *i)h community is an egalitarian community where inherent
human e(uality is shared amongst both genders and all social strata.
;here are three main branches of *i)hism:
R Mdasis S +n order of ascetics and holy men, they are often acti.e as
missionaries.
R *ahaPdharis S Aho are clean sha.en and do not follow the Nhalsa tradition.
R ;he Nhalsa
&ersonal !pinion
% li)e this religionBs philosophy. ;hey only belie.e in one god, for me the most
important and wonderful aspect of *i)hism is the emphasis on the brotherhood
and oneness of humanity. Ae2re all people after all regardless of our inherent
diEerences of race, nationality etc. *o, it is the single most important thing for
me to respect others no matter their beliefs, nationality, customs, etc.. % li)e the
unity of this religion.
;hey all respect and follow the teachings of the 7 guru2s
from <uru :ana) De. Ji to <uru <obind *ingh Ji. ;he leader of worship is the
<uru <ranth *ahib.
*i)hism /ituals:
Communal worship: they prey together.
*inging: they pro.e their de.otion. sharing of meals $langar':
*ymbols:
a'Nirpan b' Nara c' Nangha
&lace of Aorship: Dharamsalas
Toroastrianism
Toroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet
Toroaster $also )nown as Tarathustra, in +.estan' and was formerly among the
world2s largest religions. %t was probably founded some time before the 6th
century BC# in <reater %ran.
/esearchers conclude that Toroastrianism began in southern /ussia, the area
from the %ranian people of today emigrated. !thers say that Toroastrianism may
ha.e originated in central +sia, perhaps in +fghanistan.
;here are around 57,777 followers of Toroastrianism today, mainly li.ing in
%ndia and %ran. =i)e other monotheistic religions, Toroastrianism asserts that
there is one creator, <od.
;hey biele.e in one god, +hura "a,da, a 2de.il2 called +ngra "ainyu, who rules
o.er hell, while the righteous go to hea.en. ;he *aoshyant will be born of a
.irgin and will con(uer e.il and rule o.er the last Pudgment. ;here is a ?oly
*pirit that sometimes seems to be +hura "a,da and at other times seems to be
independent, called *penta "ainyu. ;he se.en +mesha *penta ha.e close
parallels in the se.en archangels of Judaism and Christianity.
;he community is di.ided into two groups, the hereditary priests and the laity.
+s among the "uslims, the in-uential families are those that ha.e members
strategically distributed throughout the most important sectors of society, each
prepared to support the other in order to ensure family prestige and status.
&olitical !rgani,ation. ;here is no supreme head of the Toroastrians in %ran. %n
each city, there is a Toroastrian association )nown as the H+nPoman
Tardoshtian.H %ts go.erning members are elected by the community. ;oday the
anPoman in ;ehran, owing to its location, has de.eloped a position of leadershipF
"y &ersonal !pinion

;his is a .ery positi.e religion. ;he religion states that acti.e participation in life
through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure
happiness and to )eep chaos away.%t also follows a concept of free will. ;hey
belie.e in a god and also in the reno.ation of the world which means the end of
it in which <od will come and sa.e the ones that belie.e and ha.e de.otion
towards him.
Toroaster: founder of Toroastrianism
/ituals : :a.Pote, >uneral, "arriage.
:a.Pote: ;he initiation of a &arsi child into the fold of the
Toroastrian religion is )nown as :a.Pote. ;he ceremony of the initiation consists
of the in.estiture of the child with a sacred shirt called sudre and a sacred
thread called )usti.
>uneral: s a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or
remembering the life of a person who has died.
"arriage: ;he social institution under which a man and woman
establish their decision to li.e as husband and wife by legal commitments.
*ymbols: >ire
a'>ire b' >ara.ahar c' Nusti
&lace of Aorship: + @re temple in Toroastrianism is the place of worship for
Toroastrians.
Bahai
;he BahU2V >aith is a monotheistic religion founded by BahU2u2llUh in 8th-
century &ersia, emphasi,ing the spiritual unity of all human)ind.;he Baha2i >aith
was founded in &ersia $%ran' . Baha2u2llah $ie., H<lory of <odH' publicly
proclaimed ?is station as the latest anointed "essenger of <od from Baghdad in
%ra(. ;here are an estimated @.e to si1 million BahU2V is around the world in
more than 077 countries and territories
BahULVs belie.e that there is one <od, that all humanity is one family, and that
there is a fundamental unity underlying religion. ;hey recogni,e that the
coming of BahU2u2llUh has opened the age for the establishment of world peace,
when, as anticipated in the sacred scriptures of the past, all humanity will
achie.e its spiritual and social maturity, and li.e as one united family in a Pust,
global society.;he >aith of BahU2u2llUh calls for the transforming of human life
and society. %t addresses both the indi.idual in search of spiritual understanding
and a human race in need of unity, direction and hope.
;he Baha2i community is led by elected councils at the local, national, and
international le.el. %n addition there are a number of appointed indi.iduals
whose function is to encourage the Baha2is, to help them to spread the Baha2i
>aith, and to maintain the unity of the Baha2i community.
Ahene.er a community of Baha2is de.elops in a locality, Baha2u2llah2s teachings
instruct them to establish certain institutions. &ro.ided that there are at least
nine adult Baha2is resident, they elect a local spiritual assembly. ;his body has
the responsibility to spread the Baha2i >aith in its area of PurisdictionF to
establish children2s classes and study classesF to o.ersee Baha2i marriages and
funeralsF to organi,e holy day obser.ances and the :ineteen-Day >eastF to
arbitrate in disputes between Baha2is if called upon to do soF to represent the
Baha2is in relations with the go.ernmentF to protect the Baha2i >aith from
attac)s upon itF and to pro.ide direction to the community. %ts wider duties
in.ol.e pro.iding humanitarian assistance to the poor, sic), disabled, orphaned,
and destitute.
"y &ersonal !pinion
% li)e the teachings and doctrine from this religion which are the unity of <od,
the unity of religion, and the unity of human)ind. % li)e their perspecti.e of <od
they thin) he will re.eal through di.ine messengers, whose purpose is to
transform the character of human)ind and de.elop, within those who respond,
moral and spiritual (ualities. % li)e how people is committed to the religion and
follow all rituals and norms.
founded by BahU2u2llUh.
/ituals: &rayer, >asting, /eading the scriptures.
&rayer: Baha2u2llah has said that all Baha2is must pray e.ery day. ?e
has gi.en three prayers to the Baha2is.
>asting: >asting for Baha2is means that no food and drin) should
be ta)en between sunrise and sunset.
/eading the scriptures: Baha2u2llah has commanded the Baha2is to
read a part of the holy writings e.ery morning and e.ening.
*ymbols: :ine &ointed *tar, /ingstone *ymbol, <reatest :ame
&lace of worship:%n a Bahai ?ouse of Aorship, all persons are welcome to come
and worship god.
Mnitarianism
Mnitarianism is a personal approach to religion that promotes religious freedom
and is open to .arious beliefs.
;he @rst modern, organi,ed Mnitarians, although not called Mnitarians initially,
were found in &oland and ;ransyl.ania from the 547s onwards, though many of
them were %talians. %n #ngland the @rst Mnitarian Church was established in
444 on #sse1 *treet, =ondon, where today2s British Mnitarian head(uarters are
still locatedAith around G77,777 followers worldwide, Mnitarianism stresses the
oneness of <od and the unity of all humans.
Mnitarianism Beliefs
Ahile Mnitarianism does not follow a speci@c set of beliefs and is tolerant, it
does ha.e general guidelines. Mnitarians support personal and rational thin)ing
to reach oneLs own conclusions. ;hey welcome all (uestions and doubts, and
are critical of systems with strict religious rules, scriptures, and conclusions.
Mnitarians belie.e that humans ha.e the potential be good and that they are
responsible for the e.il in the worldF therefore, humans are responsible for
correcting their wrongdoing. ;hey belie.e that religion should play a proacti.e
role in the world.
+ccording to Mnitarianism, <od is one $the "other or the >ather' and is present
in all thingsF Jesus is a simple man. <od is not the union of three beings $<od
the >ather, *on, and the ?oly *pirit' that Christianity promotes. <od is lo.ing
and compassionate, and not harsh as in other religions.
*ince Mnitarianism includes people who belie.e in diEerent religions li)e
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, &aganism and +theism can follow Mnitarianism
it doesnBt follow an speci@c type of organi,ational structure.
&ersonal !pinion
% donLt li)e this religion at all because it is a mi1 of most of the religions that
already e1ist. % belie.e you must follow only one religion. +lso there is a lot of
free will in this religion, % li)e that in a way because if you ha.e doubts you can
as) for answers or say what you belie.e in but there is no respect towards other
religions or the norms you must follow in this religion. &eople mostly do
whate.er they feel li)e.
"artin Cellarius founder of Mnitarianism.
/ituals: *ermon, "editation,
*ermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy.
*ermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic.
+ moment of silence is the e1pression for a period of silent
contemplation, prayer, re-ection, or meditation
&rayer is an in.ocation or act that see)s to acti.ate a rapport
with a deity or obPect of worship through deliberate communication.
*ymbols: -aming chalice. ;his is the only one. Before it was @re and a chalice
until they were both Poined.
a'>laming chalice
&lace of Aorship: Mnitarian ?ouse or temple.
%:D#C
>ront&age
%nde1 0
Christianity 3
%slam 5
BMDD?%*" 4
JMD+%*" 8
*i)hism
Toroastrianism 3
Bahai 5
Mnitarianism 4
Bibliography 8

*ubPect: *ociology
*tudent: >redy &a.Wn
<rade: 7th *ection: XBY
;eacher: #duardo =ope,
Due Date: +pril 7
th

Bibliography
http:KKwww.typesofreligion.comK
http:KKen.wi)ipedia.orgKwi)iK
http:KKwww.religionfacts.comK
http:KKwi)i.answers.comK