3.3 World Religions Research by

Research on Islam (Zoey Fallis)

2023-09-14 08:44:17 UTC

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, next to Christianity. Muslims worship only one, all-knowing God whom they call "Allah." The word Islam means "submission," which I find very interesting. Islam started in modern-day Saudi Arabia, because of the presumed "prophet" Muhammad. Islam is widely practiced in the Middle East and North Africa, but it also has several followers in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. There are obligations (or core beliefs) to the religion of Islam that can be summed up into the "Five Pillars of Islam." Belief in God and his Prophet (Muhammad), obligations of prayer, charity, pilgrimage, and fasting. It doesn't seem too far from Christianity in the context that they believe in one all-knowing God, however, it differs pretty drastically because they don't believe Jesus was God. They also rely heavily on and emphasize the importance of prophets.

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam#:~:text=The%20word%20“Islam”%20means%20“,of%20complete%20submission%20to%20Allah.

Research on Sikhism (Hannah DePaula)

2024-01-16 21:06:48 UTC

Sikhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world. They believe in equality, social justice, service to humanity, and tolerance for other religions. The concepts of Sikhism are: Universal acceptance of all humanity, belief in one god (monotheism), the name of God is Truth, Equality of all personas irrespective of their cast, color, gender, nationality, and religion, and equality of the sexes is emphasized. They believe in reincarnation, but only for those who don’t “attain attachment to god during the human life cycle.” -Hannah DePaula-

https://tfhc.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/252224/nt-sikhism-fact-sheet.pdf

Islam - Ada Campbell

2024-01-17 10:20:00 UTC

Islam was founded by Muhammad, who was "the last and perfect prophet." The people who follow Islam are called Muslims. Islam centers around the five pillars of Islam; belief in God and his Prophet, pray 5 times a day, give to the poor, complete the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), and a period of fasting. The scripture for Muslims is the Qur'an. Alcohol, pork, gambling, fraud, slander, and making idols is prohibited. Muslims believe that the only way to get to heaven is pleasing Allah (God) with good deeds.

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Islam#:~:text=Islam%20is%20a%20strictly%20monotheistic,contains%20God's%20revelations%20to%20Muhammad.

Research on Baha'i Faith- Samara Welsh

2024-02-01 17:12:59 UTC

The Bahá’í Faith is a monotheistic religion that was founded in the 19th century by Bahá’u’lláh in Iran and parts of the Middle East. The religion teaches that all religions are essential and that all people are united. The Bahá’í Faith has three central figures: the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and his son, ʻAbdu’l-Bahá. The religion is estimated to have five to eight million adherents, known as Baháʼís, spread throughout most of the world’s countries and territories.

The Bahá’í Faith teaches that religion is revealed in an orderly and progressive way by a single God through Manifestations of God, who are the founders of major world religions throughout human history. Baháʼís regard the world’s major religions as fundamentally unified in purpose but diverging in terms of social practices and interpretations. The religion’s teachings address themes such as the oneness of God and religion, the oneness of humanity and freedom from prejudice, the inherent nobility of the human being, the progressive revelation of religious truth, the development of spiritual qualities, the integration of worship and service, the fundamental equality of the sexes, the harmony between religion and science, the centrality of justice to all human endeavors, the importance of education, and the dynamics of the relationships that are to bind together individuals, communities, and institutions as humanity advances towards its collective maturity.

What bahá’ís believe. The Bahá’í Faith. (n.d.). https://www.bahai.org/beliefs

Taoism - Benjamin Sheddan

2024-02-13 15:26:59 UTC

It is also known as Daoism and is a Chinese philosophy. It became the official religion of China under the Tang dynasty. The religion is all about going with the flow. They believe that a force flows through all things and they worship it. The philosopher that wrote the book "The book of the Way" wrote it because he was frustrated with how inconsiderate people were to others and how they only thought of themselves. He was also frustrated with how carrupt the government was. He wrote the book as he was escaping china and left it so that people could follow his writings, it was not scripture but poetry. I noticed that he was just trying to convince people to behave better and not be so negative to others and he was not trying to start a religion.

Islam- Kaitlin Neufeld

2024-03-08 14:08:59 UTC

Islam is a monotheistic religion. People who follow Islam are called Muslims. They believe in the prophets and think Jesus was a prophet rather than the son of God. They think that a prophet, Muhammad, was the most perfect, as well as the last, of God's messengers. Their sacred scripture is the Quran which has Muhammad's revelations from God. They also take his actions and use them as a guide. There are five main pillars in their beliefs; belief in God and his prophet and obligations of prayer, charity, pilgrimage, and fasting. Some of their special holidays include Muhammad's birthday and Ramadan. Ramadan is a month-long time of fasting where they fast every day from sun up to sun down. This starts very soon.

They have buildings similar to churches that are called mosques. These buildings are used for prayer. They have a couple of strict rules such as no gambling, fraud, alcohol, pork, or slander. They believe that they have to balance their good and bad deeds to be able to go to heaven. You need to do good things to outweigh your bad actions

Source: https://www.britannica.com/summary/Islam#:~:text=Islam%20is%20a%20strictly%20monotheistic,contains%20God's%20revelations%20to%20Muhammad.

Judaism - Maria Sannazzaro

2024-04-01 15:36:47 UTC

The Judaism religion has the belief of one God. This can also be referred to as monotheism. They believe that God is the creator of the world, and he takes no physical form. They also believe that God is eternal and will always be involved in what is going on in the world. The most sacred text to this religion is the Torah. To differ from Christianity, Judaism heavily emphasizes the fact that God is one, and that he never had a physical form on Earth. I find it interesting that Judaism and Christianity are so similar, but fundamentally have different basic knowledge. I say this because as Christians, the existence of Jesus is so important, but those who believe in Judaism don’t even acknowledge that since they believe in one god, not the Holy Trinity.

Sikhism (Mumo)

2024-05-10 09:37:22 UTC

Sikhism was founded in the 16th century in the Punjab district, which comprises parts of modern-day India and Pakistan. It has over twenty-five million adherents, ranking it as the sixth most current populous religion worldwide. The term 'Sikh' is derived from the Sanskrit word shishysa, meaning learner and seeker of truth. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak, and Sikh doctirine is based on his and nine other Sikh guru's teachings, as well as the primary Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs consider to be a guru in itself.

Sikhism is monotheistic it prescribes that God is without form or Gender, residing within everyone, making themself known through nature, and that everyone is equal before, has direct access to, and can be redeemed through God. Sikhism emphasizes the importance of virtuous actions over empty religious rituals. Like neighbouring religions, Sikhism believes in the perpetual cycle of reincarnation, where one's current life is predicated on karma or lack of accumulated in past lives through actions and behaviours. To complete the cycle of reincarnation, Sikhs believe that one must achieve total knowledge and complete union with God.

A virtuous, karma-positive life, according to Sikhism, involves centralizing God, living honestly, working diligently, treating everyone equally, being charitable, and serving others. The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara, and the community of individuals who have been initiated into the Sikh faith is referred to as the Khalsa, which celebrated its 300th anniversary in 1999.

Bibliography:

“Religion: Sikhism.” BBC, BBC, 24 Sept. 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/.

Buddhism - Ariel Seethaler

aseethaler — 2024-09-18 10:03:04 UTC

Buddhism is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, over 2,500 years ago in India. It focuses on the Four Noble Truths, which describe the nature of suffering, its causes, and how to overcome it through the Eightfold Path. This path emphasizes ethical conduct, wisdom, and mental discipline, helping practitioners achieve enlightenment, or Nirvana, which is freedom from the cycle of suffering and rebirth. One aspect I found particularly interesting is Buddhism’s focus on mindfulness and meditation as essential tools for self-awareness and mental clarity. These practices seem ahead of their time and have even influenced modern approaches to mental health and stress management. Reflecting on this, I wonder how different schools of Buddhism have maintained their practices while spreading to various cultures and adapting to new traditions. Additionally, I’m curious about how Buddhism’s non-theistic approach has shaped its global appeal, making it both a philosophy and a spiritual practice.

Bahá’í - Sibley Charles

2024-09-22 03:55:51 UTC

Bahá’í is the youngest religion of the 19th century Well known as Bahaullah of Persia or Iran. It focuses on the oneness of all religions and people and above all, it regard all the major world’s religions as different stages of Divine revelation at different stages in history. At the heart of its tenets is the premise that mankind has to pull together in order to fashion a tolerant and equitable world by believing in values such as education for all, eradicating discrimination, and equality for women. Also, Bahá’ís refer to unity of religion and science; religious and secular; spiritual and material development. The essay also focuses on the belief system concerning a global order in which an international auxiliary language is used, economic principles that are equitable, and spiritual. The main message of the faith is unity and peace while the current world situation hereby creates an astounding sense of imaginary along with raising certain questions pertaining to the real world like whether the unification of world can really be a conceivable thought.

Bahá'í Teachings Overview(

Upliftingwords

Hinduism: Ria Mohanty

riamohanty2006 — 2024-12-31 05:48:59 UTC

Hinduism is a diverse and ancient religion rooted in Indian culture. The oldest religion in the world is characterised by its belief in a universal spirit called Brahman, which manifests in various forms and deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi. Central to Hinduism are concepts like karma, dharma, and moksha—emphasising the moral law of cause and effect, the duty of individuals based on their role in life, and the ultimate liberation of the soul from the cycle of rebirth (samsara). The rituals, festivals, and scriptures, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, play a significant role in guiding spiritual practice. What I found particularly fascinating is the singular nature of Hinduism, which allows for many paths to the divine and respects diverse beliefs within its framework. It raises questions about how such a vast and inclusive system has influenced global religious practices and how individuals interpret their duties (dharma) in modern contexts. Reflecting on this, I wonder how Hinduism's emphasis on interconnectedness and balance with nature can address contemporary issues like climate change and social inequality.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism

Buddhism - Audrey Kang

audreykang1 — 2025-01-18 17:01:00 UTC

Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) over 2,500 years ago in India, is a non-theistic faith focused on achieving enlightenment, or nirvana, through morality, meditation, and wisdom as a way to escape the suffering that the faith says we all innately have. Its teaching revolved around the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which guide followers in overcoming this said suffering (Editors). Buddhism emphasizes values like compassion and non-attachment, encouraging a life that follows the five moral precepts while embracing its concept of karma and reincarnation. It has diverse interpretations and practices with major branches like Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism (Editors). It includes a text called the Tipitaka and has a festivals called the Vesak (Editors). Something I found interesting was their idea on reincarnation and karma, how they allow that to determine the way they live their life. This makes me question about who or what determines what is good and bad and who or what determines what they become reincarnated as? Also, I wonder whether buddhists have any ideas on how the world started?

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism

Christianty- Faith Saltzman

faithsaltzman — 2025-02-10 18:04:33 UTC

I know that this seems like an obvious choice but it is really deep and cool! Christianity started around 2000 years ago! It started really in the New Testament when people who were not Jews were invited to be able to have the gospel and be saved by Jesus Christ. The united Staes is the country that holds the most christians in the world. There are different types of christians such as prodestans and catholics. And even inside those there are controversial topics. Such as calvinism and when to be able to take communion. But it is still very beautiful. It holds the true peace for our lives and how we live. Every year on a Sunday as christians. They get to celebrate Jesus's resurrection. Because death has no power over him! I love all the worship music that christians sing and perform!

https://www.equality.admin.cam.ac.uk/projects/faith-and-belief-practice/overview-christianity#:~:text=A%20brief%20overview%20of%20Christianity&text=Christians%20believe%20that%20Jesus%20was,the%20consequences%20of%20its%20sins.

Sikhism-Chesed Fitzgerald

2025-02-13 22:12:01 UTC

Sikhism, founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region of India, is a monotheistic religion emphasizing equality, justice, and community service. Sikhs believe in one timeless and formless God, advocating for the oneness of all humanity and rejecting discrimination based on social identities such as gender, caste, or ethnicity. Central practices include daily meditation on God's name (Naam Japo), earning an honest living (Kirat Karo), and sharing with others (Vand Chakko). Initiated Sikhs, known as Khalsa, adhere to the Five Ks: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (wooden comb), Kara (iron bracelet), Kirpan (small dagger), and Kachera (special undergarments), each symbolizing spiritual ideals. Worship involves singing hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the central scripture, and concludes with Ardas, a set prayer. The communal kitchen, or langar, serves free meals to all, embodying the principle of equality. I find the emphasis on universal equality and the practice of langar particularly inspiring, as they promote inclusivity and selfless service. This raises questions about how these principles are applied in diverse cultural contexts and how they influence Sikhs' interactions within broader societies.

britannica.com

sikhcoalition.org

Christianity - Greyson Morgan

Greyson_Morgan — 2025-03-18 17:32:08 UTC

Hi! I decided to choose one of the largest, if not the largest, major world religion, Christianity. :) The three major world religions that I find the most fascinating, and are surprisingly similar, are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Christianity is a monotheistic religion which believes that there is one God that is three in person: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The main point of Christianity is the Son, Jesus Christ, coming down from heaven, living a sinless life, dying on the cross, and rising from the grave on the third day. Christianity teaches that God’s Son is the Messiah who will save the world. Moreover, it teaches that Jesus Christ will come again and will create a new heaven and earth. The Chrisitan book, the Bible, is a collection of 66 books and 40 authors written over a span of 1,500 years. The Bible’s Old Testament is similar to the Torah (Jewish text) in that both contain the first five books written by Moses. Moreover, the Quron and the Bible are not necessarily similar but share similar stories. For example, the Quron teaches that Jesus Christ did in fact walk this earth; however, they argue that Jesus was merely a prophet. As stated above, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Overall, I think Christianity is a very important major world religion to discuss and talk about.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Christianity.” HISTORY, March 18, 2024. Christianity ‑ Dogma, Definition & Beliefs | HISTORY. Accessed March 18, 2025.

Brayden Wilhelm

bwilhelm20 — 2025-07-22 20:50:59 UTC

I researched about Hinduism. Hinduism is the oldest religion that goes back 4,000 years. It is the third largest religion in the world with 1 billion followers. They worship many deities including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga. Worship can happen in shrines at a person's home or in temples. The cow is considered to be sacred and seen as life and abundance. Hindus are vegetarian because of the principle of ahimsa which is nonviolence. Some of their festivals include Diwali and Holi. Some of their oldest scriptures that contain hymns and rituals is the Vedas. Some of their core beliefs are Brahman which is one supreme reality that is expressed through many gods, Karma which is that every action has a consequence, Reincarnation which the soul is reborn until it achieves liberation, and Dharma which is one's duty and ethical path in life. It was interesting to learn more about Hinduism. It was interesting that a lot of art and architecture is influenced by Hinduism. Plus the word Karma is used a lot in daily expressions when things happen.

Source:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism/General-nature-of-Hinduism

Shaune Jacobs - What is Truth?

sjacobs128 — 2025-08-29 11:08:10 UTC

So, I have looked into various of these religions in my lifetime, and the bigger questions always comes not to, "what is religion," but, "what is Truth?" So, to take a deeper look into Christianity here - we can conclude that all religions can be false, but not all true. So, having proven there is objective Truth, and truth is not relative - and having proven that Christianity is true based off of the evidence - Jesus is the most proven historical figure, the reliable manuscripts, signs miracles and wonders etc. - let's talk about what Christianity is! Because it is true, you would want to know it too! So, Jesus came into the world, as Man, though He is the Son of God, and came to die for us, so that we wouldn't have to die! He came to restore our relationship with the Father, which was broken because of the Fall of man, which is where sin came from, and we can now know Him because of what He has accomplished! Christianity isn't about certain festivals or rituals - its about Jesus, us knowing Jesus, and because we love Him, we follow His commandments which = obedience, going to church, praying, and reading your Bible. Christianity is True, not because it is called a religion - but because it is not manmade and has been proven to be true; the Word was given by God Himself! His Word is Truth! All other mankind religions are false because it is untrue and fantasy. Thank you!

Cites:

Bible

“How Do We Know What Truth Is?” Christianity.com, www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-do-we-know-what-truth-is.html.

‌

MyBib Contributors. “MLA Citation Generator – Easy & Free – (8th Edition, 2019).” MyBib, 26 May 2019, www.mybib.com/tools/mla-citation-generator.

Other great cite:

https://youtu.be/Dk6jc4NcmjQ?si=1NW58eZDTj3zGH40

‌

Buddhism- Sophie Garcia

sgarciafuemmeler — 2025-09-10 18:46:45 UTC

Buddhism, unofficially founded by Gautama, is all about achieving ultimate enlightenment and began in Northern India spreading to Asia, Africa, Europe, and then to the rest of the world. . Buddha's aim was to escape suffering and released through the cycle of rebirth. Buddhist's today have a similar aim to reach a certain level of enlightenment through meditation and is complete when they have reached nirvana which is an eternal state of happiness and peace. Following the belief of rebirth, Buddhists believe that based on how well one has behaved, otherwise known as karma and the merits one achieves through actions such as visiting the temple, making donations to a monk, or repeating chants to cleanse the mind from worldly desires. At the heart of Buddhas dharma which are Buddha's original teachings, are The Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are that 1: suffering exists, 2: desire is the cause of suffering. 3: there is freedom from suffering, and 4: The Eightfold Path is the way to freedom from suffering. The Eightfold Path comprises eight ways of living that will help a Buddhist reach nirvana: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Basically, the more you can make yourself “right,” the better chance you have of escaping rebirth. There are three main sects that are typically practiced in the west. First there is the oldest kind of Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism which is the most conservative and strictly follow the Pali Cannon- Buddhas oldest teachings- they emphasize the Buddha’s claim that he was an ordinary man, not a god. Like Buddha, they believe divine beings may exist but cannot help us, so they work rigorously to attain nirvana. The second branch is the Mahayana Buddhism and is the largest and a more liberal. They follow the Sanskrit version of the Buddha’s teachings, Sutras maintain there are multiple universes and multiple Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas are figures that have already attained nirvana, but instead of going there immediately, they have compassionately chosen to wait and assist individuals who cannot get there on their own for various reasons, such as lack of discipline or insufficient merit making. The last main branch is the Vajrayana Buddhism is an offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism with a special emphasis on the magical and the occult. They branch off of the Mahayana Buddhists adding to the scripture of sacred texts called Tantras. These texts have roots in Hinduism and describe secret methodologies and practices to hasten the path to nirvana. There is also an important circular diagram known as the mandala that represents cosmic spaces and spiritual relationships. Deep meditation on the mandala leads to out-of-body experiences.

Source: https://www.imb.org/2018/04/27/know-basics-buddhism/

nrexroth — 2025-10-02 09:35:33 UTC

I'm a Christian, but I decided to research Christianity. I know, I know, seems like Im taking the easy route, but hear me out. I wanted to talk about what Christianity is, what being a Christian means, because it's a hard topic to talk about and understand, it's so incredibly backwards that no one can understand it! Only those who God grants understanding to can comprehend the things we believe. I used two sources, Got Questions and Desiring God (note, desiring God talked about what being a Christian looks like, not what is christianity). So what is Christianity? it is the faith in a triune God who created all and sent his only son to die on a cross to save our souls from sinful human nature. And as John Piper put it; “Christianity is not merely believing a set of ideas about Christ’s love. It is an experience of being constrained by that love.” We can logically agree and believe God is real and trust in him logically, but it is something entirely different to believe in him with genuine faith, granted only by Gods saving grace, which in turn changes us from our sinful nature into a slave of Christ, in love. Slave is a strong word, no? Why do we use it? Because we have been bought with the blood of Christ, from sin, to be servants and children of God for forever. We do not just decide to walk away from the faith, as Jesus says, we can't serve two masters.

Kabugubugu Samuel- Sikhism

2026-01-28 06:37:44 UTC

I chose to learn about Sikhism because I know very little about this religion, honestly, I don't know anything about it. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia by Guru Nanak and is based on the belief in one God, equality of all people and living an honest and selfless life. They have a holy book called the Guru Granth Sahib and follow the teachings of the ten Gurus. They have important practices like community service, and rejecting gender discrimination. I found it interesting how strongly Sikhism emphasizes on the importance of helping others. This made me realize and think about how religion can promote social justice and not only personal belief. One question I still have is how Sikhs balance religious traditions with modern life in different countries.

Source:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism

Sikhism (Selah Moore)

smoore4_1 — 2026-02-05 17:00:23 UTC

Sikhism is a religion that is fairly new in terms of a world religion. they have many beliefs such as one creator, they only serve one God. They also treat everyone as an equal, they believe that it is immoral to show distinction or rank. Some other thing that they value is Baptism, avoiding the 5 sins of ego, keeping the color code, following the 4 commandments, reciting daily prayers, and taking part in fellowship. They live by 3 primary principles, always be absorbed in meditation and prayer, make an honest income by honorable methods, and share earnings and selflessly serve others. As mentioned before they believe in the 5 sins of ego. Some of these are lust, anger, and attachment. Lastly, they really cherish there fellowship time with others and with there God.

Khalsa, Sukhmandir. “What Are the Principle Sikh Beliefs?” Learn Religions, 2018, www.learnreligions.com/primary-sikh-beliefs-2993513.

Brooklyn Crosby - Islam

2026-02-09 05:58:45 UTC

Islam is a religion found mostly in Asia and the Middle East. Surprisingly, most Muslims live in the Pakistan-India-Bangladesh region. It began around 600 A.D. with the rise of Muhammad, Islam's greatest prophet. They had about 25 prophets, including Jesus, but Muhammad was the most important and final one. Muslims follow the Qur'an as their holy book, along with the Hadith and Sunnah. According to Islam, Muhammad received visions and revelations from Allah which he recorded in the Qur'an. The other two books detail the sayings and life example of Muhammad. There are five pillars of Islam, the first being the confession of faith called the Shahada. It says, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." There other pillars are Salah, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. People tend to put Islam in a similar category as Christianity since they are both monistic religions that emerged around the same time, but their cores are fundamentally different. Christians claim that Jesus was the Son of God who died on the Cross for humanity, but Islam both rejects that Jesus was God and that he died on the cross.

Rahman, Fazlur. “Islam - Eschatology (Doctrine of Last Things) | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Islam/Eschatology-doctrine-of-last-things.

Islam-Kerubo Nyabero

knyabero1 — 2026-02-15 18:39:10 UTC

Islam is a monotheistic, abrahamic religion whose followers are called muslims. It was founded in the 7th century by the prophet Muhammad who followers of islam belive to be the final revelation of Allah. Their holy book is the Quran and their faith is based off of 5 pillars. These pillars are Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj. They have a pilgrimage in which they travel to mecca. Something i found extremly interesting is that the arabic word "Islam" directly translates to a submission or surrender to the will of God. Something interesting is also how their lives follow more of a disicpline and life long goal instead of more ritualistic. Reflecting on this i wonder how it is to pray 5 times and how exactly it can impact someone's work-life balance in society. Its also fascinating to me how muslims do make this work within teh demanding social and work heavy society. I was also interested in teh manner in which jesus is mentioned in their holy works but he plays a different part than within teh christian faith

Judaism- Ninsiima Karungi

nkarungi — 2026-02-17 07:29:51 UTC

This is one the the oldest monotheistic religions which is centered around the belief in one universal God and a sacred Covenant between God and the Jewish people. The Holy books are the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and the Talmud, which explains how they should live a pure and ethical life. The key tenets include the sanctity of the Sabbath, the importance of community and Tikkum Olam, which is reparing the world through acts of kindness and social justice. The Talmud is a massive, centuries long transcript of rabbis arguing with one another.

Islam--Andre Jansen

ajansen2_1 — 2026-02-24 15:17:53 UTC

Islam is the second largest religion, second only to Christianity, with more than two billion believers. The population of its believers is predicted to pass that of Christianity's in about 50 years. There are 2 major subdivisions of Islam(Sunnis and Shi'ites) just as there are 2 major subdivisions of the Christian religion, Catholic and Protestant. Each sect holds slightly different interpretations of the Quran, but both believe that the Quran is the only uncorrupt holy book and that it is only to be read in the language of Arabic. One of the most important concepts that make Islam different from Christianity is that they believe that humans are saved by works, not faith. Muslims practice the 5 pillars of Islam, though if you are a Shi'a Muslim, you have 10 obligatory acts you must follow. These acts include declaring that the Quran is the only holy text and that God is Allah and Mohammed is His prophet, prayer five times a day, fasting in daylight hours during Ramadan(a month's time), tithing 2.5 percent, and finally making a pilgrimage to the holy lands in Saudi Arabia. There are many other amazing cultural and religious details about Muslims and Islam and I recommend learning about this religion as statistically one out of every five humans on earth are Muslim, that's a lot.

Sources:

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 | Pew Research Center

The Five Pillars of Islam (Sunni and Shi’a Islam) - Ways of Muslim living - Edexcel - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - Edexcel - BBC Bitesize

Buddhism - Ephraim Thiongo

ephraimthiongo1 — 2026-03-02 07:01:27 UTC

Buddhism originated from the teachings of the buddha also known as Siddhartha Gautama, a teacher who lived in northern India between mid 6th and mid 4th BCE. There are disagreements between scholars on the birth and death dates of buddha. In the centuries following the founder's death Buddhism developed in two directions by two different groups, one was called hinayana a term given to it by its Buddhists opponents, and the other was mahayana. Buddha based his teaching on the fact of human suffering and the ultimately dissatisfactions of human life. Some of the members of that community were, like the Buddha himself, wanderers who abstained from worldly pleasures(ascetics). Others were laypersons who regarded the Buddha with great respect, followed certain aspects of his teachings, and provided the wandering ascetics with the material support that they required.

Christianity - Trinity Thiongo

tthiongo — 2026-03-02 12:41:10 UTC

Christianity began as a movement within Judaism during a period of the Roman occupation in the region of Judea in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is a major world religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, emphasizing faith in him as the son of God and as the path to salvation. It is the largest religion in the world with over 2.4 billion people making up 28.8% of global population

Jesus Christ is believed to be the son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. His life and teachings are documented in the New Testament, mostly in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The central to Christianity is the belief in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus died for humanity's sins and rose from the dead offering eternal life to those who believe in Him. Salvation is viewed as a gift from God, not something earned through human efforts.

Christianity also has the concept of the Holy Trinity which is God the father, God the son and God the Holy spirit. This concept is used to explain the forms in which God is in, and how he is 3-in-1 as a being. This doctrine is fundamental to understanding the nature of God in Christian theology.

The Christians holy book is called the bible. The bible is considered the sacred scripture, consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is viewed as the authoritative word of God and serves as a guide for faith and practice.

There's so much more to the Christian faith left to explore apart from this and it is a really interesting religion and so are other religions.

sources:

“What Is Christianity? - a Comprehensive Guide - Religion24.” Religion24, 7 Dec. 2024, religion24.net/what-is-christian-religion/. Accessed 2 March 2026.

Bricker, V. (2023, June 13). What Is the Definition of Christianity? Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-the-definition-of-christianity.html

Stefon, M. (2019). Christianity - The history of Christianity. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/The-history-of-Christianity

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Asatru

cdara0 — 2026-03-02 14:55:43 UTC

this religion is a more modern version of an ancient Norse paganism (which is a term that describes various spiritual paths, often characterized by polytheism, nature worship, and connection to ancient traditions.) Asatru is centred on the worship of Norse gods, honouring their ancestors, and living by principles of honour, courage and family. The meaning of the word Asatru is "faith in the Æsir". this religion is polytheistic and is rooted in pre-Christain Germanic and Scandinavian people's beliefs. Its earliest traceable roots were during the Nordic Bronze Age (1700-500 BC), along with some influences from the Germanic age (500 BC-400 AD), and Viking Age mythology. this religion was largely recognised in Ireland 1970's. some of the gods they worship are Odin (wisdom, poetry, war), Thor (thunder, protector), Freyja (love, fertility, battle), and a few more like Frigg, Freyer, Tyr, Loki, Heimdall. Asatru emphasises a deep connection with nature, cycles of life and revenge for their ancestors. They have rituals, (known as blóts) where they make offerings and pray, and have communal gatherings. Sumbel is another ritual with the purpose of celebrating community, and festivals mark many natural cycles like equinoxes. this religion is extremely supportive of personal dignity, family honour, and community integrity, and there are consequences for failure to uphold these values. Modern day this religion can be found all over the world, particularly in Iceland, and America. many of them preserve ancient tradition and skills of the religion.

Jainism - Ivan Croutch

civan0 — 2026-03-09 09:38:22 UTC

Not a lot of people have heard of the religion called Jainism, because of its scarcity in population, having only around 5 million people in India, who classify it as their religion. Jainism is basically the anti-violence religion. It heavily focuses on topics like: no one holds the full truth, tolerance, and peace. The teachings come in the form of 24 historical characters, which are collectively called the Tirthankaras. The tirthankaras are where the Janisms learn, similar to the bible. Their main goal in life is to get moksha, which is basically not being reborn into another life after you die and being released into a heaven-like place, except different. I find it interesting that people can live believing they will keep being reborn after this life unless they live their current life to the exact specifications their religion calls them to. I wonder how difficult their lives are, having to tolerate and avoid violence in general.

Ancient Greek Mythology - Jeanne Valiton

jvaliton — 2026-03-10 12:52:05 UTC

Ancient Greeks did not name their religion, although it is closely linked to Hellenism. Many people choose to do recent major religions, but nothing said I can't write about ancient major religion. I consider Greek Mythology a religion because it includes gods and goddesses, the divine, the afterlife and all kinds of spiritual beliefs. The Greeks believed that there were 12 major gods (The Twelve Olympians) and goddesses: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Ares, Artemis, Demeter, Aphrodite, Dionysos, Hermes, Hephaistos. These God were believe to live on Mount Olympe. The Greek worshiped these gods an offered sacrifices. Greek Mythology includes lots of less important gods, myths, legends and imaginary creatures. A big part of Greek mythology are demigods, the sons of the gods and humans. I am often amazed by the sense of imagination God has given us, using this sense of imagination, people have made up whole lives. Even if people have misused this sense of imagination to create idols, the stories humans have thought of still amaze me.

Here is my source:

Cartwright, Mark. “The 12 Olympian Gods.” World History Encyclopedia, 10 Sept. 2019, www.worldhistory.org/collection/58/the-12-olympian-gods/.

I also used knowledge from my classes at school a few years ago.

Islam by Abigail Thiongo

athiongo — 2026-03-16 08:10:34 UTC

(Chapter 1- What is Islam, Muhammed and The Holy Quran)

Islamic (Islam) is one of the most fast-growing religions in the world. It entails 1.6 billion people coming as the second largest religion after Christianity today.

Muslims submit themselves to one God and one God only. They believe that in order to become one of them in the Muslim community, one should say and believe in the following phrase: لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُوُل اللّهِ
La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad rasool Allah.

This sentence literally means “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.” The sentence also means “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.” The moment a person says this phrase and begins to act upon it they become a Muslim.

Muslims believe that "ALLAH" is the name God gave himself and Muhammed is the last messenger/prophet of Allah.

The Holy Quran is a core belief taught in Islam is that human beings are unique from among God’s creation. It is believed in the Islamic religion that The Holy Qur’an is the last revelation from Allah sent to all of mankind and it was revealed to his final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims claim/believe that it hasn't been changed or translated and edited from when it was passed on from Muhammed remaining in its original language and form in Arabic.

The Islamic religion is not that different to Christianity which is also an interesting thing to research about: What are some of the Differences and Similarities between The Islamic and Christianity religion.

The Holy Quran states the following: Say (O Muhammad): “We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishaq (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob) and Al-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya’qub (Jacob)] and what was given to Musa (Moses), ‘Isa (Jesus) and the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between one another among them and to Him (Allah) we have submitted (in Islam).

Quran, Chapter 3, Verse 84.

So, who is Muhammed and how did he come along in the Islamic religion?

It is believed in the Islamic religion: from the beginning of mankind until the present-day Allah has sent a Prophet to every nation to guide them to the truth. They were sent to teach their people to worship God alone and not to ascribe any divine partners to Him. They include Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Jesus, Muhammad, and many others (peace be upon them all). Which you may find familiar to the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament in The Bible in Christianity. But one of the biggest and most striking difference Islam has to Christianity is it claims: Muslims believe Jesus to be a Prophet of God rather than a divine being or son.

(Chapter 2- The 5 Pillars of Islam)

Another important thing to note when it comes to the Islamic religion is: The 5 Pillars of Islam. They are as follows:

Belief.
Prayer
Zakat
Fasting
Hajj

To elaborate more, it is explained like this: “Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the salah (prayer), paying the zakat (obligatory charity), making the hajj (pilgrimage) to the House, and fasting in Ramadan.”

Withing the 5 Pillars they are requirements to be met. This could also be another question you could look into: What are the requirements to be met in each of these pillars? And maybe: why are the requirements carried out according to the Holy Quran?

That is basically the bases and small parts yet essential to the Islamic religion/community.

Work Cited.

Chapter 1 – What is Islam, Muhammed and The Holy Quran” Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Islam, Masjid ar‑Rahmah | Mosque of Mercy,

https://www.mymasjid.ca/beginners-guide-understanding-islam/chapter-1
Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.

Chapter 2 – The 5 Pillars of Islam.” Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Islam, Masjid ar‑Rahmah | Mosque of Mercy,
https://www.mymasjid.ca/beginners-guide-understanding-islam/chapter-2.
Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.

Pastafarianism by Catie Montanher

2026-04-15 09:52:11 UTC

Though it seems very absurd that there exists such a church as that of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, this is a religion legally recognized in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, and Taiwan. Pastafarianism was created in 2006 by a man named Bobby Henderson who fought the board of education to not put intelligent design as a topic taught in classes. He then went to mock them and henceforth created this idea of a flying spaghetti monster and the religion itself that means to mock religion, rules, and the idea of God himself. Instead of having rules to follow, they have a list of "I rather you didn'ts" since the religion is very based on doing whatever you want. A few other things about this religion is that they believe pirates to be some of the original believers of their cause (as rebels of society) and often dress up like them in parades. Their church also profits much off of the fact that they are easily ordained and many people hire them who dress up as pirates to officiate their weddings. Aside from pirate costumes, you can also identify a member when they wear colanders on their hats. And wearing colanders on your head was also something many pastafarians fought to be able to wear in their drivers license pictures. They are also known to say "ramen" insted of amen at the end of prayers. Overall though I thought this was going to be a comical and interesting religion to cover, as a Christian I will say- its incredible the way that sin and greed blinds people and take them to mock God in such a way.

Chan, Eckhart "Pastafarianism: a religion?'' Calvin Chimes, April 24, 2016 Pastafarianism: a religion? – Calvin

University Chimes

Home - Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Scientology by Brylee Dahl

bryleedahl — 2026-04-24 18:50:23 UTC

I chose to research and share about scientology. I know we didn't learn about this in class, but I think it's something that isn't commonly spoke about; therefore it isn't understood by very many people.

Scientology was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1953. This religion teaches that human beings are immortal and are called Thetan. They believe that there are multiple gods. They also believe that man is good and it is a sin to say otherwise. People in this religion also believe in reincarnation. They believe that after death you get a new body and live again. That is mostly what I learned about Scientology. I used the source https://www.gotquestions.org/scientology-Christian-cult.html to help me with this!

Buddhism - Lauren Naples

lnaples1 — 2026-04-27 15:03:36 UTC

I chose to research Buddhism. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama and focuses on ending suffering through understanding and self-discipline. One of its main teachings is the Four Noble Truths, which explain that suffering exists, is caused by desire, can end, and can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path. Buddhists also believe in karma and rebirth, working toward reaching nirvana, a state free from suffering.

What I found interesting is that Buddhism doesn’t center on a god but on personal growth and mindset. It made me wonder whether nirvana is seen as a real place or more of a mental state.

“Introduction to Buddhism.” SPICE Stanford, Stanford University

- Lauren Naples

Buddhism: Jenna Guyant

2026-07-01 22:26:56 UTC

Buddhists believe that you are in a reincarnation cycle until you reach enlightenment. How you get out of the cycle is by paying for all of your karma. Karma is basically another way of saying you reap what you sow. If you do something wrong in one life you must pay for it in the next. This is a continuous process until you reach enlightenment or nirvana which is being one with the universe and being free from pain, suffering, desire, and ignorance. They also follow the four noble truths and the eightfold path. The four truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffer, the truth of the cessation of suffer, and the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The eight-fold path is right view, right intention. right speech. right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

Denise. “What Is Cycle of Rebirth: A Comprehensive Overview.” Ourbuddhismworld, ourbuddhismworld.com, 4 May 2025, www.ourbuddhismworld.com/archives/2525.

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