Religious feelings are inherent in all of us. Faith is necessary for people for the integrity of the world outlook. Even scientific thinking without religion it will not be able to exist: there will be no adequate picture of the world. There are billions of people on our planet. They all have different beliefs. This fact indicates that for many millennia mankind has not come to a single God. There are also relatively new ones. Islam is the youngest religion.
Major Religions of the World
Among the many religious movements, the most common can be distinguished:
- Islam;
- Judaism;
- Buddhism;
- Christianity;
- Shintoism.
Different parts of the world have their own religions. In European countries, Christianity is mainly practiced - far from being the youngest religion. It arose in Palestine at the beginning of the first century AD. Christian believers pray with a rosary in their hands or with a crucifix. Parishioners listen to sermons and sing hymns as they visit prayer houses. The idea of Christianity is to establish the kingdom of God on the whole Earth after the second coming of the Messiah.
Buddhism is the most ancient world, which originated in the sixth century and was most widespread in India. Now Buddhism is practiced in the countries of Asia and the Far East. It has about 850 million believers.
Unlike Christian priests, they wear red or yellow robes.
Shintoism is common in Japan. Family altars are practiced here. Believers ask for help from their gods for the implementation of insignificant, quite earthly affairs: successful work, passing exams, successful marriage.
Atheism involves the absence of any form of belief. Atheists are people who do not belong to any religion in the world. This belief was mainly spread in the so-called countries of victorious socialism.
Along with atheists, there are agnostics who believe that God is unknowable and can never be known.
Islam is most widely practiced in Asian countries, although recently this religion has become popular in some Western countries, as well as in Africa. make up one fifth of the world's population, which is more than a billion people. Believers visit the minaret, where the voice of a Muslim herald is heard calling for five daily prayers. The place of worship for believers is the mosque. Islam is the youngest world religion.
Rise of Islam
So Islam is the youngest religion. It originated in the seventh century AD on the Arabian Peninsula, which was inhabited by Arab tribes. The historical figure who founded Islam was Muhammad, who was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca. The Prophet was educated in the family of his own grandfather, since his father died before the birth of his heir.
Muhammad's mother died a little later, when the boy was six years old. When the prophet was 25, he married a rich widow, and at 40 he was already acting as a religious preacher. Once, secluded in a cave for reflection, he was called by the angel Gabriel to read sermons in the name of Allah. These were the first revelations that made up the Koran. And from the moment when Muhammad moved to the city of Medina in 622, the Muslim chronology began. At the same time, Mecca itself is considered the center of the Muslim religion.
The path to God through humility
What is the youngest world religion? This is Islam. The word itself has a special meaning for all Muslims. It can mean both humility and surrender to the will of Allah. For any Muslim, his religion is the pinnacle of revelation that was once sent down to believing Christians and Jews, although there are differences in matters of biblical and Islamic teachings. Islam is a reflection of all the feelings and moods of those who listen to the sermons of Muhammad.
Koran
The Quran is the holy book of Muslims. He is God's revelation. The Quran is the recorded speeches and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad decades after his death. This is a record of the so-called speeches of Allah put into the mouth of the prophet. And although Islam is the youngest religion, the Arabs at that time did not yet know paper, and all the words and sermons of the prophet were recorded on primitive media: palm leaves, parchment, camel shoulder blades. Sometimes the text of the Qur'an was memorized and transmitted orally. Muslims do not like the idea of translating the Qur'an into other languages, believing that in this case the divine texts will lose their harmony.
The historical narrative of the Qur'an coincides with the course of events described in the Bible. In parallel, prominent personalities also act:
- Abraham;
- Adam;
- Moses;
- Joseph;
- David;
- Solomon;
- Or me;
- John the Baptist;
- Maria;
- Jesus.
It also mentions events such as:
- the fall of the first man;
- flood;
- the death of Sodom.
Sharia
Sharia is a set of rules and principles of conduct that are obligatory for Muslims in Muslim creeds.
by the most grave sins for a Muslim are:
- drunkenness;
- adultery;
- participation in gambling;
- the image in the mosque of any drawings, except for the ornament.
Islam attaches great importance to the performance of the main rites - the pillars of Islam:
- the formula of confession must be pronounced;
- five prayers must be performed;
- fasting in Ramadan must be observed;
- mercy must be shown to the poor;
- a visit to Mecca must be made.
Schism in Islam
There are three main ones in the world. These are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Which religion is the youngest of them? This, of course, is Islam. From the point of view of Muhammad, is this the only religion that has taken the “straight road”?
The prophet believed that Christianity and Judaism had gone astray. The Jews unleashed a great lie on Jesus and Mary, thus violating their Covenant, and the Christians made Jesus equal to God, exalting him too much in view of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Qur'an says about this: "Believe in Allah and do not say - three!".
The moment of crisis in Islam came with the death of Muhammad, who left no successor. And this question became the reason that divided the ranks of Muslims. Thus, in determining the supreme power, the Sunnis rely on the consent of the community, believing that the caliph may not be a direct descendant of the prophet. According to the Shiites, power is inherited only through the bloodline of relatives.
Spread of Islam
Islam, the youngest religion in the world, gradually began to spread both to the east (to India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan) and to the west - to the countries of North Africa. As a result, armed conflicts catholic church that accomplished its famous Islam spread, and the Roman Church was in an internal crisis, maintaining the unity of its ranks. Other times and events awaited everyone.
Faith in God surrounds a person from infancy. In childhood, this still unconscious choice is associated with family traditions that exist in every home. But later a person can consciously change his confession. How are they similar and how do they differ from one another?
The concept of religion and the prerequisites for its appearance
The word "religion" comes from the Latin religio (piety, shrine). This is a worldview, behavior, actions based on faith in something that surpasses human understanding and supernatural, that is, sacred. The beginning and meaning of any religion is faith in God, regardless of whether he is personified or impersonal.
There are several prerequisites for the emergence of religion. First, from time immemorial, man has been trying to go beyond the boundaries of this world. He seeks to find salvation and consolation outside of it, sincerely needs faith.
Secondly, a person wants to give an objective assessment of the world. And then, when he cannot explain the origin of earthly life only by natural laws, he makes the assumption that a supernatural force is applied to all this.
Thirdly, a person believes that various events and occurrences of a religious nature confirm the existence of God. The list of religions for people of faith already serves real proof the existence of God. They explain it very simply. If there were no God, there would be no religion.
The oldest types, forms of religion
The birth of religion took place 40 thousand years ago. It was then that the emergence of the simplest forms of religious beliefs was noted. It was possible to learn about them thanks to the discovered burials, as well as rock and cave art.
In accordance with this, the following types of ancient religions are distinguished:
- Totemism. A totem is a plant, animal or object that was considered sacred by a particular group of people, tribe, clan. At the heart of this ancient religion was belief in the supernatural power of the amulet (totem).
- Magic. This form of religion, based on belief in magical abilities person. The magician with the help of symbolic actions is able to influence the behavior of other people, natural phenomena and objects from a positive and negative side.
- Fetishism. From among any objects (the skull of an animal or a person, a stone or a piece of wood, for example), one was chosen to which supernatural properties were attributed. He was supposed to bring good luck and protect from danger.
- Animism. All natural phenomena, objects and people have a soul. She is immortal and continues to live outside the body even after his death. All modern types of religions are based on the belief in the existence of the soul and spirits.
- Shamanism. It was believed that the head of the tribe or the clergyman has supernatural power. He entered into conversation with the spirits, listened to their advice and fulfilled the requirements. Belief in the power of the shaman is at the heart of this form of religion.
List of religions
There are more than a hundred different religious directions, including ancient forms and modern trends. They have their own time of occurrence and differ in the number of followers. But at the heart of this long list are the three most numerous world religions: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them has different directions.
World religions in the form of a list can be represented as follows:
1. Christianity (almost 1.5 billion people):
- Orthodoxy (Russia, Greece, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia);
- Catholicism (the states of Western Europe, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and others);
- Protestantism (USA, Great Britain, Canada, South Africa, Australia).
2. Islam (about 1.3 billion people):
- Sunnism (Africa, Central and South Asia);
- Shiism (Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan).
3. Buddhism (300 million people):
- Hinayana (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand);
- Mahayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam).
National religions
In addition, in every corner of the world there are national and traditional religions, also with their directions. They originated or gained special distribution in certain countries. On this basis, the following types of religions are distinguished:
- Hinduism (India);
- Confucianism (China);
- Taoism (China);
- Judaism (Israel);
- Sikhism (Punjab state in India);
- Shinto (Japan);
- paganism (Indian tribes, peoples of the North and Oceania).
Christianity
This religion originated in Palestine in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. Its appearance is associated with faith in the birth of Jesus Christ. At 33, he took martyrdom on the cross to atone for human sins, after which he resurrected and ascended to heaven. Thus, the son of God, who embodied the supernatural and human nature became the founder of Christianity.
The documentary basis of doctrine is the Bible (or Holy Bible), consisting of two independent collections of the Old and New Testaments. The writing of the first of them is closely connected with Judaism, from which Christianity originates. New Testament was written after the birth of religion.
Symbols of Christianity - Orthodox and catholic cross. The main provisions of faith are defined in dogmas, which are based on faith in God, who created the world and man himself. The objects of worship are God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.
Islam
Islam, or Islam, originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia in early VII century in Mecca. The founder of the religion was the prophet Muhammad. This man from childhood was prone to loneliness and often indulged in pious reflections. According to the teachings of Islam, at the age of 40, on Mount Hira, the heavenly messenger Jabrail (Archangel Gabriel) appeared to him, who left an inscription in his heart. Like many other world religions, Islam is based on the belief in one God, but in Islam it is called Allah.
Holy Scripture - Koran. The symbols of Islam are the star and the crescent. The main provisions of the Muslim faith are contained in dogmas. They must be recognized and unquestioningly fulfilled by all believers.
The main types of religion are Sunnism and Shiism. Their appearance is connected with political disagreements between believers. Thus, the Shiites to this day believe that only the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad carry the truth, while the Sunnis think that it should be an elected member of the Muslim community.
Buddhism
Buddhism originated in the 6th century BC. Homeland - India, after which the teaching spread to the countries of the South-East, South, Central Asia and to the Far East. Considering how many other most numerous types of religions exist, we can safely say that Buddhism is the most ancient of them.
The founder of the spiritual tradition is Buddha Gautama. He was an ordinary man, whose parents were granted a vision that their son would grow up to be a Great Teacher. The Buddha was also lonely and contemplative, and turned to religion very quickly.
There is no object of worship in this religion. The goal of all believers is to reach nirvana, the blissful state of insight, to be freed from their own fetters. Buddha for them is a kind of ideal, which should be equal.
Buddhism is based on the doctrine of the four Noble Truths: on suffering, on the origin and causes of suffering, on the true cessation of suffering and the elimination of its sources, on the true path to the cessation of suffering. This path consists of several stages and is divided into three stages: wisdom, morality and concentration.
New religious currents
In addition to those religions that originated a very long time ago, in modern world still new creeds continue to appear. They are still based on faith in God.
The following types of modern religions can be noted:
- scientology;
- neo-shamanism;
- neopaganism;
- Burkhanism;
- neo-Hinduism;
- raelites;
- oomoto;
- and other currents.
This list is constantly being modified and supplemented. Some types of religions are especially popular among show business stars. For example, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, John Travolta are seriously passionate about Scientology.
This religion originated in 1950 thanks to science fiction writer L. R. Hubbard. Scientologists believe that any person is inherently good, his success and peace of mind depend on himself. According to the fundamental principles of this religion, humans are immortal beings. Their experience is longer than one human life and the possibilities are unlimited.
But everything is not so clear in this religion. In many countries, it is believed that Scientology is a sect, a pseudo-religion with a lot of capital. Despite this trend is very popular, especially in Hollywood.
Answered by Vasily Yunak, 06/11/2007
3.693 Dmitry ( [email protected]???.ru) writes: "Good afternoon, Vasily Dmitrievich! What is the oldest religion in the world and what is it based on? Christianity follows from Judaism. I wonder what is ancient and where Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism comes from. Which religion is primary, maybe from which "If Christianity is not primary, but it turns out like that, then how can one perceive that everything beginning (heaven, earth, life) comes from the Creator, the Christian God?"
Do you want an answer based on the Bible or based on modern history? The Bible tells the history of the world from creation to the very end, until the second coming of Christ, which we all expect. And from this it is clear that God initially gave man commandments that have remained to this day. He made the promise of the Messiah immediately after the sin of man, and this promise was fulfilled in Christ. Of course, throughout history, starting from Adam himself and his son Cain, humanity has retreated from the true God and created idols for itself. However, true god one, just as true religion is also one. Christianity originates not in the first century, when Jesus Christ died on Calvary, but much earlier - when God dressed Adam and Eve in leather clothes made from the skin of an innocent lamb, symbolizing the promised Messiah.
But I know that modern historical science does not want to take on faith the evidence of the Bible or other sacred books. scientific history is based only on those facts that were found during excavations in certain places of the earth, as well as on the information that was obtained from the most ancient manuscripts. And although much more manuscripts of the Bible have been found than manuscripts of other documents, nevertheless, by some irony, science does not take the evidence of the Bible into account. However, the found descriptions of ancient myths and legends of various peoples indicate that the stories of creation, the fall, the flood and the resettlement of people around the world are more or less identical in almost all peoples. Maybe Confucius or Buddha was historically earlier than Christ, and the ancient Egyptian religion was written before the first book of the Bible was written. But this is not at all a fact that those religions are older than the Biblical ones.
The fact that Christianity as a separate religion historically appeared only two thousand years ago does not mean that Christianity practically did not exist before the birth of Christ. The Greek word "Christ" is a translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah" ("Mashiach"), which means "anointed one." The Jews initially believed in the Messiah (in Greek, Christ), but the problem was that they were unwilling to recognize Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. Nevertheless, the religion of Jesus the Messiah is not based on the Gospels, as many people think today, but on the law of Moses, on the writings and prophecies of the Tanakh - holy book Jews, and Christianity is not a new religion, but a continuation of the Jewish religion.
According to the Bible - Christianity is primary. Jesus Christ is called the Creator of everything that exists in the universe. Well, if someone thinks otherwise, everyone has the right to choose their religion. I, in my article "Why Christ?", which is presented on our website http://www.biblestudy.ru, substantiated my belief in why Christianity is the first and last religion.
Read more on the topic "Miscellaneous":
70 thousand years ago
Today it is quite difficult to answer the question, what was the most ancient religion. It is known that before the birth of modern world religions, paganism dominated the world. It used to be considered that the most ancient religious rituals were performed approximately 30-40 thousand years ago in Europe.
However, recent archaeological excavations carried out in the South African country of Botswana give reason to believe that 70 thousand years ago, even before homo sapiens formed, the predecessors of Homo sapiens performed ritual worship.
In the summer of 2006, Sheila Coulson, a professor at the University of Oslo, discovered on the northern side of the Tsodilo Hills (Kalahari Desert) a small cave, inside which was a stone statue of a python two meters high and 6 meters wide. Scientists believe that this statue could serve as an object of worship.
Sumerian religions
Also in this place, as a result of excavations, about 13 thousand tools for working on stone were found. It should be noted that until the 90s, access to the cave was difficult, and therefore it could not be found earlier. If scientists were not mistaken with dating, then this find will force us to reconsider modern ideas about human evolution and migration.
Of course, the religion of one of the most ancient civilizations is very interesting - the Sumerian civilization. The pantheon of the gods of the Sumerians was very complex: there were seven main gods and gods called the Anunnaki, who were considered intermediaries between people and the main gods. Oaths were sealed with the names of the Anunnaki.
According to the myth of the creation of people "Enki and Ninmah", the gods fashioned a man from clay, the fate of man was to serve the gods. Each had a personal deity that guarded the person (the prototype of the guardian angel in Christianity).
Afterlife and Inca Religion
The Sumerians' ideas about the afterlife were quite specific. It was believed that the dead, having passed through the seven gates of the underworld, crossed the river, which served as the border between the world of the living and world of the dead. The Sumerians have no representations at the court of the dead. It was believed that the fate of each deceased in the afterlife is not easy, only those who fell in battle, those with many children and those for whom funeral rite, were honored with a tolerable life.
The Inca religion is one of the most unusual. The pantheon of gods is very diverse, which is explained by their tolerant policy towards the conquered peoples: they generously included foreign gods in their pantheon, and did not try to ban other beliefs, therefore the duties of many gods are repeated.
The holy places of the Incas were called "huaca", they could be rocks, hills, cliffs, streams, mountains, caves, houses and even mummies. Many of them are still revered by the peoples of Peru. From the Report to the King of Spain it is known that the Indians of Peru had 10422 idols, of which 1365 were mummies. It is noteworthy that some of the mummies of the Huacs were the founders of the Inca clans, tribes and villages.
ancient buddhism
To date, it is reliably known that Buddhism is the oldest of the three modern world religions. Buddhism originated about 2500 years ago on the basis of the ancient teachings of India. The founder of Buddhism was Buddha Shakyamuni (623-544 BC).
In Buddhist teaching earthly life, as well as heaven and hell, seems to be just one of the steps that a person must overcome on the path to the divine, through liberation from the chain of rebirth. Liberation from the chain of rebirth is achieved by strict observance of all the rules such as: do not cause suffering to either a person or an animal, do not eat animal food, meditation, etc.
The basis of the Buddhist doctrine is the desire of a person for the divine principle, enlightenment and nirvana, which can be achieved by rising above earthly attachments, spiritual self-improvement and meditation.
Whether you go to the mosque on Fridays, attend synagogue on Saturdays, or pray at church on Sundays, religion has touched your life in one way or another. Even if the only thing you've ever worshiped is your favorite couch and TV best friend, your world has still been shaped by other people's religious beliefs and practices.
People's beliefs influence everything from political views and works of art to the clothes they wear and the food they eat. Religious beliefs more than once peoples quarreled and inspired people to violence, they also played not last role in some scientific discoveries.
It is no news to anyone that religion has a very strong influence on society. Every civilization, from the ancient Maya to the Celts, had some sort of religious practice. In its earliest forms, religion provided society with a system of beliefs and values according to which it could reproduce and educate the youth. In addition, it also helped to explain the processes and phenomena of such a beautiful and so complex and sometimes frightening world around.
Evidence of some rudimentary religion has been found as far back as Neolithic artefacts, and although religion has evolved greatly from the primitive rites of the time, no faith really dies. Some, such as the Druid worldview, continue to live to the present day, while others, such as the ancient Greek and Roman religions, live on as part and parcel of later Christianity and Islam.
Below we have made a small overview of 10 religions. Despite their ancient origins, many of them have strong parallels with the major modern religions.
10: Sumerian Religion
Although there is anecdotal evidence indicating that humans may have been practicing religion as early as 70,000 years ago, the earliest reliable evidence for a religion that had taken shape dates back to around 3500 BC. That is, by the time the Sumerians built the world's first cities, states and empires in Mesopotamia.
Of the thousands of clay tablets that are found in the areas where the Sumerian civilization was located, we know that they had a whole pantheon of gods, each of which “managed” its own sector of phenomena and processes, that is, people explained to themselves by the grace or wrath of a particular god that could not be otherwise explained.
All the gods of the Sumerians had a "binding" to specific astronomical bodies, they also controlled natural forces: for example, sunrise and sunset were attributed to the sparkling chariot of the sun god Utu. The stars were thought to be the cows of Nannar, the deity of the Moon, who traveled the sky, and the crescent moon was his boat. Other gods represented such things and concepts as the ocean, war, fertility.
Religion was a central part of the life of Sumerian society: the kings claimed to act at the will of the gods and thus performed both religious and political duties, and sacred temples and giant terraced platforms known as ziggurats were considered the dwellings of the gods.
The influence of the Sumerian religion can be traced in most existing religions. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest surviving piece of ancient Sumerian literature, contains the first mention of a great flood, which is also found in the Bible. And the seven-tiered Babylonian ziggurat is probably the same Babel Tower that quarreled the descendants of Noah.
9: Ancient Egyptian Religion
In order to be convinced of the influence of religion on the life of Ancient Egypt, just look at the thousands of pyramids located in the region. Each building symbolizes the belief of the Egyptians that a person's life continues even after death.
The reign of the Egyptian pharaohs lasted approximately from 3100 to 323 BC. and consisted of 31 separate dynasties. The pharaohs, who had a divine status, used religion to maintain their power and subjugate absolutely all citizens to themselves. For example, if a pharaoh wanted to gain favor with more tribes, all he had to do was adopt their local god as his own.
While the sun god Ra was the main god and creator, the Egyptians recognized hundreds of other gods, about 450. Moreover, at least 30 of them received the status of the main deities of the pantheon. With so many gods, the Egyptians were uncomfortable with true coherent theology, yet they were bound by a common belief in afterlife especially after the invention of mummification.
The manuals, called "coffin texts", gave those who could afford this manual in funeral arrangements the assurance of immortality. The tombs of wealthy people often contained jewelry, furniture, weapons, and even servants for a fulfilling life after death.
Flirt with Monotheism
One of the first attempts to establish monotheism occurred in Ancient Egypt when Pharaoh Akhenaten came to power in 1379 B.C. and declared the sun god Aten the only god. The pharaoh tried to erase all mention of other gods and destroy their images. During the reign of Akhenaten, the people put up with this so-called "Atenism", however, after his death he was declared a criminal, his temples were destroyed, and his very existence was deleted from the records.
8: Greek and Roman Religion
Gods of Ancient Greece
Like the Egyptian religion, the Greek religion was polytheistic. Although the 12 Olympian deities are most widely recognized, the Greeks also had several thousand other local gods. During the Roman period of Greece, these gods were simply adapted to Roman needs: Zeus became Jupiter, Venus became Aphrodite, and so on. In fact, much of Roman religion was borrowed from the Greeks. So much so that the two religions are often referred to collectively as the Greco-Roman religion.
The Greek and Roman gods had rather nasty personalities. They were not alien to jealousy, anger. This explains why people had to make so many sacrifices in the hope of appeasing the gods, making them refrain from doing harm, instead helping people, doing good deeds.
Along with sacrificial rites, which were the primary form of Greek and Roman worship, festivities and rituals occupied an important place in both religions. In Athens, at least 120 days of the year were holidays, and in Rome, not much was done without first performing religious rituals that guaranteed the approval of the gods. Special people they followed the signs sent by the gods by watching the chirping of birds, weather events, or the entrails of animals. Ordinary citizens could also question the gods in sacred places called oracles.
Rite Religion
Perhaps the most impressive feature of Roman religion was the important role played by rituals in virtually every aspect. Everyday life. Not only were the rituals performed before every senate meeting, festival, or other social event, they also had to be performed flawlessly. If, for example, a prayer was found to be misread before a government meeting, then any decision made during that meeting could be invalidated.
A religion based solely on nature, Druidism emerged from shamanic practices and witchcraft in prehistoric times. Initially, it was distributed throughout Europe, but then concentrated in the Celtic tribes with their advance towards the British coast. It continues to be practiced today among small groups.
The main idea of Druidism is that a person must perform all actions without harming anyone, even himself. There is no other sin than harming the Earth or others, the Druids believe. In the same way, there is no blasphemy or heresy, since man is incapable of harming the gods, and they are able to protect themselves. According to Druid beliefs, people are only a small part of the Earth, which in turn is a single living being, inhabited by gods and spirits of all kinds.
Although Christians tried to suppress Druidism for its polytheistic pagan beliefs and accused its followers of performing cruel sacrifices, the Druids were actually a peaceful people who practiced meditation, reflection, and awareness rather than sacrificial acts. Only animals were sacrificed, which were then eaten.
Since the entire religion of Druidry was built around nature, its ceremonies were associated with the solstices, equinoxes and 13 lunar cycles.
Somewhat similar to the pagan faith of Wicca, Asatru is a belief in the pre-Christian gods of Northern Europe. Dating back to the beginning of the Scandinavian Bronze Age around 1000 BC. Asatru took many of the ancient Scandinavian Viking beliefs, and many of Asatru's followers continue to reproduce Viking customs and traditions, such as sword fighting.
The main values of religion are wisdom, strength, courage, joy, honor, freedom, energy and importance. family ties with ancestors. Like druidism, Asatru is based on nature, and all worship is tied to the change of seasons.
Asatru states that the universe is divided into nine worlds. Among them are Asgard - the kingdom of the gods and Midgard (Earth) - the home of all mankind. The connection of these nine worlds is the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Chief god and the creator of the universe - Odin, but Thor, the god of war, the protector of Midgard, also enjoyed great respect: it was his hammer that the Vikings depicted on their doors to drive away evil. The hammer, or Mjollnir, is worn by many Asatru followers in the same way that Christians wear a cross.
Tax exemption
Although some aspects of Asatru may seem implausible to the uninitiated, it is becoming more and more widespread throughout the world. In addition to being a registered religion in Iceland and Norway, it is tax-exempt in the United States.
To be fair, it needs to be clarified that, technically, Hinduism is not just one religion. Under this concept, in fact, many beliefs and practices come from India.
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in existence, with roots dating back to around 3000 BC. Although some of its supporters argue that the doctrine has always existed. The scriptures of the religion are collected in the Vedas, the oldest known religious works in the Indo-European languages. They were collected approximately between 1000 and 500 BC. and are revered by the Hindus as eternal truth.
The overarching idea of Hinduism is the search for "moksha", belief in fate and reincarnation. According to Hindu ideas, people have an eternal soul, which is continuously reborn in different incarnations, according to its lifestyle and actions in previous lives. Karma describes the consequences that result from these actions, and Hinduism teaches that people can improve their destiny (karma) through prayer, sacrifice, and various other forms of spiritual, psychological, and physical disciplines. Ultimately, by following righteous paths, the Hindu can be freed from rebirth and attain "moksha".
Unlike other major religions, Hinduism does not claim any founder. It is not traced its connection with any particular historical event. Today, almost 900 million people around the world consider themselves Hindus, with the majority of them living in India.
4: Buddhism
Buddhism, which originated in India around the 6th century BC, is similar to Hinduism in many ways. It is based on the teachings of a man known as the Buddha, who was born as Siddhartha Gautama and grew up as a Hindu. Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation, karma, and the idea of attaining total liberation—Nirvana.
According to Buddhist legend, Siddhartha had a rather closed youth and was amazed when he discovered that the people around him seemed to experience such things as grief, poverty and disease. After meeting a group of people seeking enlightenment, Siddhartha began looking for a way to end human suffering. He fasted and meditated for a long time, and finally achieved the ability to break out of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. It was this achievement of 'bodhi' or 'enlightenment' that led to him being now known as the Buddha or 'Enlightened One'.
Four Noble Truths: (chatvari aryasatyani), the four truths of the Holy One is one of the basic teachings of Buddhism, which is followed by all its schools.
1. All existence is suffering.
2. All suffering is caused by human desires.
3. Renunciation of desires will end suffering.
4. There is a way to end suffering - the Eightfold Path.
Buddhism doesn't render too great attention deity, self-discipline, meditation and compassion are much more important. As a result, Buddhism is sometimes regarded more as a philosophy than a religion.
Path
Like Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are more philosophy than religion. Both originated in China in the 5th - 6th centuries BC. both are actively practiced in China today. Taoism, which is based on the concept of "Tao" or "The Way", greatly values life and promotes simplicity and a relaxed approach to life. Confucianism is based on love, kindness and humanity.
Another religion originating from India. Jainism proclaims the achievement of spiritual freedom as the main goal. It originates from the lives and teachings of the Jains, spiritual teachers who have reached the highest level of knowledge and understanding. According to the Jain teachings, the followers of religion can achieve freedom from material existence or karma. As in Hinduism, this liberation from reincarnation is called "moksha".
Jains also teach that time is eternal and consists of a series of upward or downward movements that last for millions of years. During each of these periods, there are 24 Jainas. Only two of these teachers are known in the current movement: Parsva and Mahavira, who lived in the 9th and 6th centuries BC, respectively. In the absence of any higher gods or creator god, followers of Jainism revere Jain.
Unlike Buddhism, which condemns suffering, the idea of Jainism is asceticism, self-denial. The Jain lifestyle is governed by the "Great Vows" which proclaim non-violence, honesty, sexual abstinence, renunciation. Although these vows are strictly observed by hermits, Jains also follow them according to their abilities and circumstances, with the aim of self-development along the 14-stage path of spiritual growth.
While other religions have had short periods of monotheism, Judaism is considered the world's oldest monotheistic faith. The religion is based on what the Bible describes as agreements between God and some of the founding fathers. Judaism is one of three religions that trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham, who lived in the 21st century BC. (The other two are Islam and Christianity.)
The Five Books of Moses enter the beginning of the Hebrew Bible, forming the Torah (Pentateuch), the Jewish people are the descendants of Abraham and will one day return to their country of Israel. Therefore, the Jews are sometimes called the "chosen people."
The religion is based on the ten commandments, which are a sacred agreement between God and people. Along with 613 other guidelines contained in the Torah, these ten commandments define the believer's way of life and thought. By following the laws, the Jews show their commitment to the will of God and strengthen their position in the religious community.
In rare unanimity, all three major world religions recognize the Ten Commandments as fundamental.
Zoroastrianism is based on the teachings of the Persian prophet Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, who lived between 1700 and 1500 BC. His teachings are revealed to the world in the form of 17 psalms called Gathas, which make up the Holy Scripture of Zoroastrianism, known as the Zend Avesta.
A key aspect of the Zoroastrian faith is ethical dualism, the constant struggle between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Personal responsibility is of great importance to Zoroastrians, as their fate depends on the choice they make between these two powers. Followers believe that after death, the soul comes to the Bridge of Judgment, from where it goes either to heaven or to a place of torment, depending on which deeds prevailed during life: good or bad.
Since positive choices are not so difficult to make, Zoroastrianism is generally seen as an optimistic belief: Zarathustra is allegedly the only child who laughed at birth instead of crying. Zoroastrianism is currently one of the smallest of the world's major religions, but its influence is widely felt. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have all been shaped by his postulates.
