Religion Origin of All Things Nature of God View of Human Nature View of Good and Evil View of “Salvation” View of After Life Practices and Rituals Celebrations and Festivals Week 1 Indigenous Peoples Spiritual beings formed the land and gave it to people as a gift to take care of Believe that everything has a spirit. Live in harmony with everything around you Everything is related and must be treated with respect. Life is like a circle. Never ending. View themselves as equal halves of good and evil. Nothing is purely good except the spiritual beings Vision quest help to bring the individual closer to the spirt world. The vision is not for the individual but for the group. No one truly dies. They are reborn into another aspect of life. Reincarnation Ritual dramas are used in order to tell the history. Honor stages of life (birth, Puberty, marriage, and death. Festivals are used to contribute to the wellbeing of the community. Week 2 Hinduism and Jainism Janism – The universe is without beginning. Our lives are the cause of our own choices. Hinduism – Believe in a cyclical notion of time. The universe is created over and over again. Many different beginning to the universe. Janism – Becoming a god or a demon (liberation) is the end result of clearing away karmic accumulations from the soul. Hinduism – There are currently 330 million gods called shaktas that are worshiped. Many of them ah different forms so they can be counted different times. There are 2 levels of the gods. The local goddesses tend to the everyday life of the people and the great goddess that have huge temples that are barred from the average local. Janism – Being born as a human is the 2nd highest achievement besides liberation. During life one must do their best to clear away any impurities from this life and the life before. Human life is not more important than any other form of life. Hinduism – Each person has a soul when we die if we did not reach Moksha then we are born again. The Karma we gained in our past life is carried over to the new life. Janism – The better you live your life the better chance you will reach liberation upon death. Hinduism - Good and evil are relative terms, you cannot have one without the other. Janism – The highest form of salvation is liberation. Before that would be being born as a human. This will allow the person to perform good deeds to hopefully reach liberation Hinduism - salvation is called Moksha. This is when an enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of life and death. There are 4 ways this is done. 1. Way of action. The individual must perform certain religious ceremonies without any type of personal gain 2. Way of Knowledge. The individual must have a complete understanding of the universe. 3. Way of devotion. Reached through acts of worship, based upon the love for a god. 4. The royal road. meditation and yoga techniques Janism – The soul wonders endless transporting to another form upon death. Hinduism – Attaini ...

1. Religion
Origin of All Things
Nature of God
View of Human Nature
View of Good and Evil
View of “Salvation”
View of After Life
Practices and Rituals
Celebrations and Festivals
Week 1
Indigenous Peoples
Spiritual beings formed the land and gave it to people as a gift
to take care of
Believe that everything has a spirit. Live in harmony with
everything around you
Everything is related and must be treated with respect. Life is
like a circle. Never ending.
View themselves as equal halves of good and evil. Nothing is
purely good except the spiritual beings
Vision quest help to bring the individual closer to the spirt
world. The vision is not for the individual but for the group.
No one truly dies. They are reborn into another aspect of life.
Reincarnation
Ritual dramas are used in order to tell the history. Honor stages
of life (birth, Puberty, marriage, and death.
Festivals are used to contribute to the wellbeing of the
community.
Week 2
Hinduism and Jainism
Janism – The universe is without beginning. Our lives are the
cause of our own choices.
Hinduism – Believe in a cyclical notion of time. The universe is
created over and over again. Many different beginning to the

2. universe.
Janism – Becoming a god or a demon (liberation) is the end
result of clearing away karmic accumulations from the soul.
Hinduism – There are currently 330 million gods called shaktas
that are worshiped. Many of them ah different forms so they can
be counted different times. There are 2 levels of the gods. The
local goddesses tend to the everyday life of the people and the
great goddess that have huge temples that are barred from the
average local.
Janism – Being born as a human is the 2nd highest achievement
besides liberation. During life one must do their best to clear
away any impurities from this life and the life before. Human
life is not more important than any other form of life.
Hinduism – Each person has a soul when we die if we did not
reach Moksha then we are born again. The Karma we gained in
our past life is carried over to the new life.
Janism – The better you live your life the better chance you will
reach liberation upon death.
Hinduism - Good and evil are relative terms, you cannot have
one without the other.
Janism – The highest form of salvation is liberation. Before that
would be being born as a human. This will allow the person to
perform good deeds to hopefully reach liberation
Hinduism - salvation is called Moksha. This is when an
enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of life and
death. There are 4 ways this is done. 1. Way of action. The
individual must perform certain religious ceremonies without
any type of personal gain
2. Way of Knowledge. The individual must have a complete
understanding of the universe.
3. Way of devotion. Reached through acts of worship, based
upon the love for a god.

3. 4. The royal road. meditation and yoga techniques
Janism – The soul wonders endless transporting to another form
upon death.
Hinduism – Attaining spiritual realization or liberation take
many life times. Until then reincarnation as a human is the best
chance to reach that point.
Janism – The monks and nun live a life of absolute purity. Since
every aspect of life is living the activities they can perform are
very limited. Meaning no digging in the ground, bathing,
swimming, lighting or putting put out fires. During the
initiation the hair is pulled from their heads. Pilgrimages to
sacred sits is often done by families or individuals in order to
worship.
Hinduism – Dangerous pilgrimages are taken every year. This
allows the individual to reach personal purification and spiritual
elevation.
Janism – Since their live are built on self-discipline and self-
perfection during their holy days they fast and read hymns all
night. Divali is a day of worship and cleaning of the religious
books. During the festival of Paryushan Mahaparva the Jains
begin an 8 day fast in which the listen to lectures centered on
forgiveness.
Hinduism – Since there are so many different gods almost every
day is a religious holiday. There are 16 holidays that are
regulated by the government so everyone can have the day off
of work. One of those holidays being Holi. Holi is the one day
of the year that social standards are put to the side and everyone
is equal.
Week 3
Buddhism
Origin of life is unknowable. The earth is on the same cycle we
are. The earth came to be following the destruction of another.

4. There is no personal God that people can direct their prayers to.
Human nature is due to causes and conditions. The karma from
the person’s first life coms over to the next.
Good and evil go together. They are inside everyone. Evil is
based on our own selfishness. This disconnects us from others.
Good in a part of enlightenment and connects us with others.
One must attain Enlightenment through meditation and the
removal of defilements and delusion.
Upon death we are either reincarnated into another body (cycle
of suffering) or they enter Nirvana.
Mediation aids the person if finding enlightenment. Prayer
wheels help the person in reciting mantras.
Since there are so many different types Buddhism they all have
their different festivals. The main festival is called the Vesak;
The Vesak marks the life of Buddha
Week 4
Daoism and
Confucianism
Daoism - Dao represents Heaven, Earth and Humanity. Dao is
the origin of life
Confucianism – Created by Dao (the force). However since Dao
could never be fully understood we are better off not thinking
about it.
Daoism – Their Gods exist higher than other religions.
Confucianism – There is no god, however there is a force that
the people believe in called Tao (Great Ultimate). This force
flows through all of life. Heaven is a guiding force for right and
wrong.
Daoism- People live a care free life. Living with nature. People
should live in a way to disregard selfishness and become a
model of virtue.
Confucianism –The reason we exist is reach one's highest
potential. Live by a moral code based on ethics, humanity and

5. love. The Golden Rule: “Do onto others as you would have them
do unto you.”
Daoism – The world is neither good nor evil. It is humans that
place that label on things. Events in life are neutral.
Confucianism – There is a unity of good and evil. A persons
mind is originally good. It is when the mind deviates that it
becomes evil.
Daoism – One must experience unity in all thing. To get to this
point one must cease to feel any personal preferences.
Confucianism – People should live in a way that generates
proper social reactions
Daoism – Tend to focus on life rather than death
Confucianism – What happens after a person dies is not
important their life is.
Daoism – Celestial Master practiced healing by faith. Highest
Purity Daoism focused on meditations for purifying the body.
Complete Perfection unites alchemy, Chan Buddhist meditation
and Confucian social morality.
Confucianism – United people. Ancestor Worship is a part of
Chinese life. Communication and sacrifice to ones deceased
family.
Daoism – Seven-Day-and-Night Rituals celebrated for
prosperity and peace for the world. Since the 20th century the
West has boomed with Daoism. Taiji quan practice to control
blood pressure, muscular coordination and balance.
Confucianism – The Confucius Festival is a celebration of
Confucius’s birthday occurs from Sep 26th – Oct 10th. During
this time festivals are held throughout China.
Week 5
Shinto

6. Kami was born on his own. The kami began to form the earth.
To rule the Earth the kami created the sun. Once the earth was
finished forming the kami gave birth to the people of the world
Called Kami. They are close to humans and listen and answer
their prayers. They live in beautiful places, can be singular or
plural. There are roughly eight hundred different kami beings
Humans are born innocent, and essentially good. However the
weaker a person in the more likely they will commit a crime.
The world and humans are naturally good. Evil spirits bring evil
in to the world. They effect human like a sickness and cause
them to do evil things.
Comes from living a life of purity, virtue and fulfillment.
Salvation is obtained in the harmonious and progressive
development of this world. One must purify themselves before
entering a Shinto or beginning to worship.
All living things have a kami (soul). Upon death the kami do
not go to a heaven they stay on earth. The ones that lived a life
of purity, virtue and fulfillment will be honored after death and
their kami will be in state of peace.
Before many the Oshogatsu (New Year) celebration a
Kadomatsu) entrance pine) is placed in the home in order to
invite the kami to have them bring in goodwill and blessings.
This lasts until January 15th. Seijin-no-hi (coming of age day)
Occurs on January 15. When all of the teenagers turn 20 years
old they are celebrated as becoming adults. This is also to time
when the Girls will be introduced to their future husbands.
Celebrations and Festivals the shanti will be moved from the
shrine and brought around town to bring blessings to everyone.
The Oshogatsu (New Year) is very important because it
symbolizes the washing away other problem, irritations and
frustrations of the old year and starting fresh the net year.
Week 6
Judaism
God created the Earth and everything living on it in 5 days. On

7. the 6th day he created Man and then Woman
God is everywhere. He watches over his people. The People
develop a personal relationship with Him. He is the beginning
of all things.
Humans are created in the image of God. Because of freewill we
have the option to live a life that is dedicated to God or a life
that is dedicated to the world.
Humans have the choice to pick good or evil. When you disobey
God and follow the life of this world you are living a file of sin
(evil). Sin keeps you away from a life with God
If humans live a good life then they will get in to heaven. One
must honor God by following his commandments
Unlike most religions there is not a heavy focus on the afterlife.
Live a good life and you will be ok.
The term Olam Ha-Ba means world to come. The place we live
in is not our home it is like a hotel.
The Torah has 613 commandments which the Jewish people
must follow. Kosher food laws stating which food it is ok to eat
and the ones that are not good to eat. The 7th day is called the
Shabbat. This is a day of rest. Fasting is a religious practice in
which the person gives up something (normally food) in order to
focus of their spiritual life with god. During this time the
person will spend their time in prayer.
Passover a celebration for the Children of Israel who were led
out of Egypt by Moses. Hanukkah is called the Jewish festival
of lights celebrates the victory over religious persecution in the
Holy Land. Yon Kippur is called the Day of Atonement. The
Jewish people fast for 25 days and spending their time in prayer
Week 7
Christianity
God created the Earth and everything living on it in 5 days. On
the 6th day he created Man and then Woman.
The Holy Trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. Three
different identity’s but still one being. God sent his Son Jesus to
die on the cross for our sins. Three days later he rose from the

8. dead. In the beginning was the Word (Jesus). And Word was
with God. And the Word was God.
Though we are made in the image of God humans are born in to
sin. It is by accepting Jesus in to our hearts that we are free
from Sin
Evil occurs when we live outside the will of God. All that is
good comes from God. The devil takes the things of God and
corrupts them.
One must accept Jesus in to their heart and renounce sin full
ways and live a life that is Christ like. Meaning they repented
from the sins of their past and brought the message of Jesus to
all people.
After life consists of two places Heaven and hell. The ones that
have accepted Jesus in to their hearts and lived Christ like will
enter in to Heaven. The ones that did not accept Jesus in to their
hearts or did not live a Christ like life will be cast in to hell.
Baptism is an outward symbol of the commitment in accepting
Jesus in to one’s heart. Communion is a representation of the
last supper. This is typically done with Bread and wine or juice.
The bread represents the body of Christ and the wine or juice
represent the blood of Christ. Fasting is the time when one will
give up something that means a lot in order to spend more time
in prayer and reading the Bible.
Christmas though debated this is the day that Jesus was born.
Just as the 3 wise men gave gifts to Jesus we to give gifts to our
family and friends. Good Friday this is the day that Jesus was
crucified for our sins. Easter (Resurrection Sunday) this was the
day that Jesus rose from the dead and sat at the right hand of
God.
Week 8
Islam
Allah created all living things from water. Allah created the
sun, the moon, and the planets, each with their own individual
courses or orbits
God is oneness. They believe in one god. Humans are unable to

9. grasp the full divine essence of god. They can only know parts
of him. Allah watches over the people and answers their
prayers.
All humans were created with three gifts speech, free will, and
intelligence. Humans are not sinful by nature. Yet we are
vulnerable to temptation because of our rebellious life and
pride.
The goal of human life is to get closer to Allah. If something
bring that individual closer to God then it is good. Anything
that takes a person away from God is considered evil.
Gained by worship of God. Since Humans are born without sin
we are more inclined to worship God. Only occurs when the
person is a member of the Islamic faith and achieved only
through submission to the teachings of Islam
Believe in a heaven and a hell. The people that have submitted
to Allah will make it in to heaven the rest will sent to hell.
A minimum of 5 prayers a day. They are at dawn, noon,
midafternoon, sunset and at night. Fasting from any type of
food drink and sexual activity. The month of Ramadan all
Muslims are required to fast. This reminds them of life as
someone that is poop living with our food. The Hajj, which is a
pilgrimage that is required at least once in a lifetime. Traveling
to the Holy City of Makkah, Muslims spend all day in complete
devotion to worship and to asking God for forgiveness
Eid al-Fitr is the “Feast of Breaking of the Fast” which marks
the end of Ramadan. Kheer Puri Niyaaz is only a Shia tradition,
that Sunnis are not able to celebrate. It is a fake story of a wood
cutters wife that prayed on the 22nd of Rajab because of
economical hardship and her husband being away. Laylat al
Raghaib is celebrated as the day that the Prophet Muhammad’s
mother realized she was pregnant
Week 9
Sikhism
Believe that the Earth was created Billions of years ago. God
created the universe and it has been evolving ever since.

10. Creation and/or Evolution dose not matter.
There is only one god and he is the same for all of the people.
His and is Waheguru God is endless. All goodness, mercy and
love are found within him. Exists without creation
Human life is a chance to become one with Waheguru. Human
nature is plagued by a false sense of self. When this happens the
individual is easily enticed with lust, anger, greed, clinging, and
pride.
With free will people have a choice to either do good or evil.
Evil occurs when one breaks from oneness with
Waheguru.
Living a life that is free of temptations and sins. Living a
honest life. Then you will be able to merge with god
The soul is reincarnated at death. The good and bad actions one
did upon the previous life determine the next life. If the soul
has lived enough good lives it will attain freedom from the
cycle of reincarnation and become one with Waheguru.
Worn by the stricter Sikhs is the Five K’s. Amrit Sanskar is a
ceremony to initiate someone in to the Khalsa brotherhood. In
order to be initiated one must have their head covered, wear
clean clothes, hair must be washed, and the Five Ks must be
completed. Still today many of the marriages are arranged
The birth and death of one of the ten gurus. During this time a
full reading of the Guru Granth Sahib with in a 48 hour time
frame. The 13th of April is a celebration of the Khalsa Order
and Sikh nation. Maghi is when the 40 Sikhs that sacrificed
their lives in the fight for Guru Gobind Singh are honoured.
Week 10
Modern
Religions

11. Title Page

12. Introduction
The purpose of this research is first to select one (1) category
from the completed World View Chart and provide a rationale
for choosing this category. Secondly describe the selected
content and explain the significance of the selected category
across the religions studied. Third, provide one (1) specific
example of how the selected category is manifested in your
social environment. Finally, discuss three things learned while
researching this paper.
Category and Rationale
Description and Significance

13. Example: Describe View of Human Nature for each religion.
Indigenous…..
Hinduism
Jainism
Buddhism
Daoism
Confucianism
Shintoism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Sikhism
Modern Religion (choose one)
Manifested in your Social or Work Environment
(3 to 4 sentence paragraph)
Three Things Learned
(Three sentences)
Conclusion
The purpose of this research was first to select one (1) category
from the completed World View Chart and provide a rationale
for choosing this category. Secondly describe the selected
content and explain the significance of the selected category
across the religions studied. Third, provide one (1) specific
example of how the selected category is manifested in your
social environment. Finally, discuss three things learned while

14. researching this paper.
References