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Agnosticism An agnostic is a person who believes that the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved. The word "agnostic" was coined in 1889 by the English biologist and educator Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895). However, the basic ideas are old: they were discussed in various forms by the early Greek philosophers. In its most pure form, agnosticism considers fundamental philosophical problems such as what can we know, and what can we understand about that which we can't know? In its more common pop-culture usage, the term "agnostic" refers to someone who is proud to announce that he or she is not sure if there is really a God. Web:
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Anglicanism The roots of Anglicanism go back to the days of the British King Henry VIII (1491-1547). Henry was disappointed in his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who did not produce a male heir. Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn and wanted to marry her. He petitioned the Pope to annul the marriage to Catherine, but the Pope refused. After a protracted disagreement, Henry issued the Act of Supremacy in 1534, breaking from Rome and making himself the supreme head of the Church of England. To this day, the supreme head of the church is still the reigning British monarch, although the spiritual head is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Over the years, the Church of England has grown into a group of many independent churches, collectively called the Anglican Communion, representing about 70 million people in more than 160 countries. Although these churches have separate organizations, they have a lot in common. For example, they all use the Book of Common Prayer, they all view the Old and New Testaments as containing everything that is necessary for salvation, and they all recognize the Thirty-Nine Articles (a series of short statements of doctrine) as being the foundation of their beliefs. In the United States, the dominant branch of the Anglican Communion is the Episcopalian Church, which developed from the Church of England at the time of the American Revolution. Web:
Atheism Atheism is the belief that a sound philosophy of life should recognize that there are no gods (or God). Although it is fashionable to pretend that the Western monotheistic religions all believe in the same god, this is just not so. When you look at the details, it is plain that the Muslim god (Allah) is not the same god as the Catholic god, who is not the same god as the Mormon god, and so on. Moreover, the Hindus believe in many gods, and the Buddhists do not believe in the idea of a god at all. Of course, the one thing these religions all have in common is that they believe they are right and the others are wrong. Well, maybe they are all wrong. Maybe what people believe has nothing to do with universal truths. Maybe what people believe depends on their personal spiritual needs and how they were indoctrinated as children. If you are one of those people who insist on thinking for yourself, see what the atheists have to say. Web:
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Bible The Bible, the holy book of Judaism and Christianity, is the most published and widely read book in the history of the world. As such, the Bible has had a profound effect on the culture, society and legal systems of Western civilization. The Jewish Bible consists of 24 books organized into three sections: the Law (Torah), the Prophets, and the Writings. The Christian Bible has two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is mostly the same as the Jewish Bible. (However, Protestant versions divide the work into 39 books, and the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions add 7 more books.) The New Testament relates the life of Jesus and his teachings. It consists of 27 books beginning with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, four different biographies of Jesus. All branches of Judaism and Christianity treat the Bible as a holy text. However, interpretations vary widely. Some religions consider the Bible to be the exact word of God to be followed literally. Other religions consider the Bible to be the work of man, perhaps divinely inspired. The Bible was written by multiple authors and editors over many years, although the actual details have been lost to antiquity. Modern scholars postulate that the Torah or Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) derives from four different literary sources designated as the E text (Elohim), written between 922 and 722 B.C.; the J text (Jehovah), written between 848 and 722 B.C.; the D text (Deuteronomy), written around 622 B.C.; and the P text (Priestly), written some time before 587 B.C. Web:
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Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded in India by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. Buddhism teaches that discipline, both spiritual and physical, is necessary to liberate oneself from the physical world. Toward this end, Buddhists observe the practices of meditation and uphold various moral tenets. The goal of a Buddhist is to follow the "Eightfold Path" and reach the state of nirvana (complete peace), in which one is free from the influences of desire and self-consciousness. Historically, Buddhism is the ancestor of both Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Today, Buddhism is practiced most widely in eastern Asia. Web:
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Christianity Christianity refers to any religion based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.-30 A.D.). Christians believe that the first man, Adam, disobeyed God, which led to the fall of man. About 2,000 years ago, God sent his son Jesus to live and teach on Earth. By dying and rising from the dead, Jesus made up for the sin of Adam and thus redeemed mankind. Because of this, he who believes in Jesus will be allowed to enter heaven. Christians revere the Bible as their holy book and hold it to be of divine inspiration. At first, Christianity was a small sect limited to Jews living in Palestine under Roman rule. As the new religion spread, Christians were persecuted for nearly 300 years, because they refused to worship the Roman emperor as a god. In 312, the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which granted the sect recognition and freedom, allowing it to grow. In 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church was created when the Pope excommunicated the patriarch of Constantinople after prolonged disagreements. In the 16th century, an attempt to reform the Roman Church (the Reformation) led to a further division and the creation of Protestantism. Today, Christianity has three great divisions: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. In the United States, the dominant Protestant sects are Anglican (Episcopalian), Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian (Calvinism). Web:
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Eastern Orthodoxy The Eastern Orthodox Church (often referred to as the Orthodox Church) is the body of churches that derived from the church of the Byzantine Empire. This body includes the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches. Eastern Orthodoxy is one of the three great divisions of Christianity (the others being Protestantism and Roman Catholicism). Eastern Orthodoxy originated in Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia in the 11th century when it split from the Roman Catholic Church over differences in doctrine. In particular, Orthodox Christians do not accept the supreme authority of the Pope. In many respects, Orthodoxy is similar to Roman Catholicism, in that they both accept the Trinity, the Bible and various traditions and sacraments. However, there are some interesting differences. For example, Orthodox believers pay special attention to icons (images of Jesus, Mary and the saints); they celebrate Christmas and Easter at different times than other Christians; and they wear wedding rings on their right hands. Web:
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Hinduism Hinduism is one of the world's major religions, having nearly one billion followers. The majority of Hindus live in India, where the religion forms a spiritual and cultural base for most of the country. However, there are also large numbers of Hindus in many other countries around the world. Hinduism is actually a family of faiths whose beliefs range from many gods (pluralistic theism) to a single all-pervasive deity (absolute monism). There are four principal denominations of Hinduism -- Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism -- each of which is different enough and complete enough to be considered a self-contained religion in its own right. All Hindus share a number of important spiritual and philosophical traditions in common, among which are karma, dharma, reincarnation, temple worship, and recognition of the Vedas as holy writings. Web:
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Islam In Arabic, the word "Islam" means total submission to the will of Allah (the Arabic name of God). A person who follows the ways of Islam is called a Muslim. Islam was founded by Muhammad (c. 570-632 A.D.), who was born in Mecca. The fundamental belief of Islam is that there is one god and that Muhammad is his prophet. Allah is the creator and sustainer of the universe, and people, though superior to nature, are but servants of Allah. The most important sin is pride, but Allah is ready to pardon any man or woman who demonstrates the proper repentance. Islam is considered to be an all-encompassing way of life that must be practiced continually, and a devout Muslim follows the Koran (Islam's holy book) strictly. For example, a Muslim is obliged to pray five times a day, to give to the poor, to refrain from eating pork or drinking alcohol, and to fast in the daytime during the holy month of Ramadan. Islam is centered in the Middle East, where the religion developed, and where the holiest sites are located, including the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina. Islam is practiced around the world and there are large numbers of Muslims in central Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Each Muslim is expected to undertake a holy pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his lifetime. Web:
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Judaism Judaism evolved from the religion of the Israelites of the Bible, and is based upon the teachings of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), a belief in the holiness of the Old Testament, and the acceptance of one, omnipotent god. Traditionally, Judaism honors Abraham as the founder of the religion, and Moses as the person who gave the laws of God to the Israelites. Modern Judaism encompasses a wide range of practices. Orthodox Judaism, the smallest movement, considers the Torah to be divine law (orthodox means "correct in teaching"), and as such, must be obeyed exactly. Conservative Judaism allows Jews to adapt various requirements to the demands of modern life. Reform Judaism, the most liberal movement (and, in the United States, the largest movement), asserts that all of Jewish law may be adapted in this manner. Although we describe followers of Judaism as Jews, the name is also used to describe members of the Jewish ethnic group. There are many ethnic Jews, for example, who are not at all religious. The historical homeland of the Jewish people is Israel, and people who support Israel as a Jewish homeland are called Zionists. Judaism is a very old religion, predating Christianity (Jesus, in fact, was Jewish), and has a rich array of traditions and theological writings that have been passed down and refined over thousands of years. Each Jewish congregation has its own spiritual leader called a rabbi. There is, however, no overall Jewish authority. Web:
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Koran The Koran (or Qurán) is the sacred book of Islam. According to Islamic belief, the Koran was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in a series of revelations over many years. Within the Koran, the revelations are organized into 144 chapters (called suras) and verses (called ayyas). The language of the Koran is classical Arabic. Devout Muslims consider the Koran to be the definitive word of Allah (God), and as such, it must never be changed or even translated. (However, translations have been made and you can read them on the Net.) Worldwide, the Koran is a highly influential book, second only to the Bible, accounting for much of the unity of the Islamic world. Web:
Religion Talk and General Discussion Sit in on discussions that are religious, ethical and moral in nature. Talk includes reference to scriptures and parables, but much of it concerns heavily debatable topics -- for example, does the Pope use the Internet? -- all of which makes for lively banter. Web: Usenet:
Religious Tolerance Here's a refreshing change of pace from the hurry-scurry of everyone evangelizing on the Net or the eruptions of arguments between believers and non-believers. This Web page promotes religious tolerance and makes an attempt to educate everyone about the various religions around the world. You can also read the United Nations Declarations on Religious Intolerance, articles on religious freedom, a glossary of terms, information on ritual abuse and cults, and find links to religious home pages. Web:
Roman Catholicism Roman Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity, having almost a billion members around the world. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in the Mediterranean part of Europe, much of Eastern Europe, Ireland and Latin America. Like all Christians, Catholics believe in one all-powerful God and Jesus as the son of God. They also accept the Bible as holy scripture. Catholics further believe that God exists as three equal and distinct persons known as the Trinity: the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost). Catholics hold that each person has an immortal soul that, upon death, will go to either heaven or hell. Catholics practice various sacraments, including Communion, a reenactment of the Last Supper, and Confession, in which an individual privately confesses his sins to a priest, receives absolution, and is instructed to carry out an appropriate penance. Catholics venerate the saints, especially Mary, the mother of Jesus, and pray to them to ask them, in turn, to pray to God. The spiritual head of the Catholic church is the Pope (the bishop of Rome) who lives in Vatican City. The Pope leads a hierarchy consisting of cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests. The Catholic Church strongly opposes divorce, abortion, and any form of birth control. Web:
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