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Religion can be traced back to the dawn of human existence.
- For example, the ancient Egyptians’ religion was polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods.
- Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions. They believe in reincarnation, an endless cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth.
- “Buddhism is a religion for about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from ‘budhi’, ‘to awaken’. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35,” Buddhanet. Its core are the Four Noble Truths that Buddha explained to his five former companions after reaching enlightenment, namely:
- The noble truth of suffering. “Brothers, […the first truth] is the existence of suffering. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are suffering. Sadness, anger, jealousy, worry, anxiety, fear, and despair are suffering. Separation from loved ones is suffering. Association with those you hate is suffering. Desire, attachment, and clinging to the five aggregates are suffering.”
- “Brothers, the second truth is the cause of suffering. Because of ignorance, people cannot see the truth about life, and they become caught in the flames of desire, anger, jealousy, grief, worry, fear, and despair. […] It is this craving which leads to re-becoming, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming”. Suffering is caused by craving, by our continual longing for more and more and the desire for pleasure (not just sexual but all we receive through our senses).
- “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of dukkha: the remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, and letting go of that very craving.” The third truth teaches the suppression of suffering through the complete destruction of desire. It teaches us that there is a way to end suffering.
- “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.”
Buddhism is considered by some to be a religion without a God. Buddha is not a god, but an enlightened human being.
- Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation. Its central belief is the absolute unity and singularity of God. It means that there is only one god and there are no others like him. It is a monotheist religion.
- Christianity is the world’s biggest religion. Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah.
- “The word Islam means submission to the will of God. Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers,” BBC
- “Atheism is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. […] Some atheists go beyond a mere absence of belief in gods: they actively believe that particular gods, or all gods, do not exist”, the Secular Web, Library, An Introduction to Atheism (1997).
Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh. You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart. You shall tell them to your children, and keep on telling them, when you are sitting at home, when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are standing up; you must fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a headband; you must write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, Deuteronomy 6:4–9.
A difficult, but fundamental concept within Christianity is the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence, and yet, he is three distinct people: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The world’s largest religion is Christianity, it has approximately 2.2 billion adherents. Islam is the second largest religion with 1.57 billion followers.
“The Quran is the Muslims’ holy scripture,” CBBC, Newsround, Guides: Islam. Muslims believe the Quran to be the direct words of Allah, as revealed to and transmitted by the Prophet Muhammad and should be interpreted literally. What are the Five Pillars of Islam? “They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime for those who are able,” A Brief Illustrated guide.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization, George Carlin.
Only one thing is for certain, religion plays an essential role in the life of billions of people. We need to respect people’s believes, opinions, and sensitivities.
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