Religions

By Alesha Dodd

I’ve decided to write about some different religions because I think it’s important to learn about other religions than just your own and to know what other people worship and love.

Christianity

With over 2 billion followers worldwide, Christianity is one of the most recognized religions in the world. Christianity is a faith with One God broken into 3 parts; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Christians believe that God is the creator of the world and everything and everyone on it. Christians also believe that if you repent your sins you will be forgiven and you will be saved. Romans 10:9 says that “If thou shalt confess with mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Buddhism

The name of Buddhism comes from the word “Budhi” which means “to wake up.” Buddhism was founded on the teachings of a man named Siddhata Guatama aka Buddha. Nearly 2500 years ago in Northern India there was a young prince that grew up in Suddhodana and according to custom he was married at age 16 to a girl named Yasodhara. But one day Siddhata ventured out into the world and saw the reality of suffering of life. Six years later a young girl offered him some rice and he realized that physical austerities were not the means to achieve liberation. That night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, and he meditated till dawn and purified his mind. At the age 35 he earned the title of Buddha or Enlightened One. Buddhism teaches morals such as not killing any creature; no stealing, adultery, lying, corrupt, speech, greed, anger, or ignorance. It is rooted in the teaching of a man who never claimed to be God.

Hinduism

“Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture” (Beliefnet). They also believe that our souls reincarnate, they believe that when you die we will come back in forms of animals or people based on the person you were in your other life, and it can happen many times. They also believe in many gods and that goodness comes from themselves and that there is no hope for heaven.

Judaism

Judaism is a monotheistic faith meaning there is only One God. Jewish people celebrate once a week the Sabbath day because on the 7th day the creator rested so they believe they should too. The Jewish Sabbath is observed from sunset on Friday until Saturday night. On the Sabbath day they are forbidden to work because the Sabbath day is a day of rest and celebration. Jewish people believe that God is the creator of the universe and that we should only serve Him.

Shinto

Shinto is a Japanese religion that is “based on spiritual beings called kami” (Typesofreligion.com). Kami are scared spirits that take the form of things like wind, trees, rain, mountains, rivers, and fertility. Humans also become kami when they die and are revered by their family’s ancestral kami. At the Shichi-go-san (Seven-five-three) festival on November 15th they take five boys and three girls that are the age of 7 years old to visit the shrine and give thanks for kamis.

Atheism

Atheism is a belief where God and gods or spiritual beings do not exist. Most Atheists have personal reasons why they do not believe in a religion where God and gods do not exist. They believe that people with a religion are not self-reliant because they turn to a God or gods.

Thank you for reading and I hope it interested you to learn more about other religions.