A research on World Religion

1. Religion - the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a
God or gods.
Some religion in the world:
1. Christianity
2. Islam
3. Hinduism
4. Buddhism
5. Judaism
6. Sikhism
7. Taoism
8. The Baháʼí Faith
9. Jainism
10. Confucianism
11. Shinto
12. Zoroastrianism

2. Crescent and Star: The faith of Islam is symbolized by the Crescent and Star. The
Crescent is the early phase of the moon and represents progress.

3. The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of Islam:
1. Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that "There is no god but God, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. This phrase, written in Arabic, is
often prominently featured in architecture and a range of objects, including the Qur'an,
Islam's holy book of divine revelations. One becomes a Muslim by reciting this phrase with
conviction.
2. Prayer (salat). Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-
afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter
(sura) of the Qur'an, and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used expressly for
this purpose. Muslims can pray individually at any location or together in a mosque, where
a leader in prayer (imam) guides the congregation. Men gather in the mosque for the
noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but not obliged to participate and silent.
After the prayer, a sermon focuses on a passage from the Qur'an, followed by prayers by
the imam and a discussion of a particular religious topic.
3. Alms (zakat). In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their
income to community members in need. Many rulers and wealthy Muslims build mosques,
drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a religious duty and to
secure the blessings associated with charity.

4. 4. Fasting (sawm). During the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar, all healthy adult Muslims are required to abstain from food and
drink. Through this temporary deprivation, they renew their awareness of and
gratitude for everything God has provided in their lives—including the Qur'an,
which was first revealed during this month. During Ramadan they share the
hunger and thirst of the needy as a reminder of the religious duty to help those
less fortunate.
5. Pilgrimage (hajj). Every Muslim whose health and finances permit it must
make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia. The
Ka'ba, a cubical structure covered in black embroidered hangings, is at the center
of the Haram Mosque in Mecca (fig. 2). Muslims believe that it is the house
Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) built for God, and face in its direction (qibla) when
they pray. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, believers from all over the
world have gathered around the Ka'ba in Mecca on the eighth and twelfth days of
the final month of the Islamic calendar.

5. The “AUM” symbol (or OM – the symbol in the center) symbolizes the Universe and the
ultimate reality.
India requires you to have an open mind, a willingness to experience the unfamiliar,
and the courage to do and see things that can be challenging, provoking, and at times
uncomfortable for anyone coming for the first time.

6. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the Indian subcontinent and comprising several and
varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual.
Hinduism is not an organized religion and has no single, systematic approach to teaching its value
system. Nor do Hindus have a simple set of rules to follow like the Ten Commandments. Local, regional,
caste, and community-driven practices influence the interpretation and practice of beliefs throughout
the Hindu world.
Yet a common thread among all these variations is belief in a Supreme Being and adherence to certain
concepts such as Truth, dharma, and karma. And belief in the authority of the Vedas (sacred scriptures)
serves, to a large extent, as the very definition of a Hindu, even though how the Vedas are interpreted
may vary greatly.
Here are some of the key beliefs shared among Hindus:
1. Truth is eternal.
Hindus pursue knowledge and understanding of the Truth: the very essence of the universe and the
only Reality. According to the Vedas, Truth is One, but the wise express it in a variety of ways.
2. Brahman is Truth and Reality.
Hindus believe in Brahman as the one true God who is formless, limitless, all-inclusive, and eternal.
Brahman is not an abstract concept; it is a real entity that encompasses everything (seen and unseen) in
the universe.
3. Vedas are the ultimate authority.
The Vedas are Hindu scriptures that contain revelations received by ancient saints and sages. Hindus
believe that the Vedas are without beginning and without end; when everything else in the universe is
destroyed (at the end of a cycle of time), the Vedas remain.

7. 4. Everyone should strive to achieve dharma.
Understanding the concept of dharma helps you understand the Hindu faith. Unfortunately, no
single English word adequately covers its meaning. Dharma can be described as right conduct,
righteousness, moral law, and duty. Anyone who makes dharma central to one’s life strives to
do the right thing, according to one’s duty and abilities, at all times.
5. souls are immortal.
A Hindu believes that the individual soul (atman) is neither created nor destroyed; it has been,
it is, and it will be. Actions of the soul while residing in a body require that it reap the
consequences of those actions in the next life — the same soul in a different body.
The process of movement of the atman from one body to another is known as transmigration.
The kind of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions accumulated in
previous lives). Learn more about Hindu funeral customs.
6. The goal of the individual soul is moksha.
Moksha is liberation: the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when the
soul unites with Brahman by realizing its true nature. Several paths can lead to this realization
and unity: the path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional
surrender to God).

8. The Symbol of Buddhism: The Dharma Wheel, or Dharmachakra The
wheel represents the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha. In the
center of the wheel are three swirls that represent the three jewels of
Buddhism, which are the Buddha (or the teacher), the Dharma
(teachings of Buddha), and the sangha (the community).

9. Buddhism, religion and philosophy that developed from the teachings of the Buddha (Sanskrit:
“Awakened One”), a teacher who lived in northern India between the mid-6th and mid-4th
centuries bce (before the Common Era). Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia,
China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played a central role in the spiritual, cultural, and social
life of Asia, and, beginning in the 20th century, it spread to the West.
Buddhism is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama—also known as “the Buddha”
The teacher known as the Buddha lived in northern India sometime between the mid-6th and
the mid-4th centuries before the Common Era. In ancient India the title buddha referred to an
enlightened being who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and achieved freedom from
suffering. According to the various traditions of Buddhism, buddhas have existed in the past
and will exist in the future. Some Buddhists believe that there is only one buddha for each
historical age, others that all beings will become buddhas because they possess the buddha
nature (tathagatagarbha).
The teaching attributed to the Buddha was transmitted orally by his disciples, prefaced by the
phrase “evam me sutam” (“thus have I heard”)

10. The Buddha taught about Four Noble Truths. The first truth is called “Suffering (dukkha),”
which teaches that everyone in life is suffering in some way. The second truth is “Origin of
suffering (samudāya).” This states that all suffering comes from desire (tanhā). The third truth
is “Cessation of suffering (nirodha),” and it says that it is possible to stop suffering and achieve
enlightenment. The fourth truth, “Path to the cessation of suffering (magga)” is about the
Middle Way, which is the steps to achieve enlightenment.
Buddhists believe in a wheel of rebirth into different bodies. This is connected to “karma,”
which refers to how a person’s good or bad actions in the past or in their past lives can impact
them in the future.
The Buddha had a lot to say about how to understand life. After his enlightenment under the
Bodhi tree, he gave his first sermons to his disciples, teaching about the nature of suffering and
the path to ending suffering.
Over this lifetime, the Buddha offered a detailed and wide-ranging set of teachings that would
ultimately be codified in what we now call Buddhism. Collectively, these teachings are known
as the dharma or buddhadharma. As his teachings spread, they picked up parts of local
religious traditions and cultures, and naturally adapted to reflect that.
The Buddha’s teachings span the nature of mind and emotions, the nature of suffering and the
path to ending suffering, guidelines for living ethically, cosmology and the nature of reality, the
possibility of achieving nirvana, and instructions for mind-training practices like meditation.

11. The Star of David It is recognized as the symbol of Jewish Community
and is named after King David of ancient Israel.

12. Judaism Beliefs
Jewish people believe there’s only one God who has established a covenant—or special
agreement—with them. Their God communicates to believers through prophets and rewards
good deeds while also punishing evil.
Most Jews (with the exception of a few groups) believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet come—
but will one day.
Jewish people worship in holy places known as synagogues, and their spiritual leaders are
called rabbis. The six-pointed Star of David is the symbol of Judaism.
Torah
The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the “Hebrew Bible.” It includes the same books
as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible, but they’re placed in a slightly different order.
The Torah—the first five books of the Tanakh—outlines laws for Jews to follow. It’s
sometimes also referred to as the Pentateuch.

13. Founder of Judaism
The origins of Jewish faith are explained throughout the Torah. According to the text, God
first revealed himself to a Hebrew man named Abraham, who became known as the
founder of Judaism.
Jews believe that God made a special covenant with Abraham and that he and his
descendants were chosen people who would create a great nation.
Abraham’s son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob, also became central figures in ancient Jewish
history. Jacob took the name Israel, and his children and future generations became known
as Israelites.
Jewish Holy Books
While the Tanakh (which includes the Torah) is considered the sacred text of Judaism, many
other important manuscripts were composed in later years. These offered insights into how
the Tanakh should be interpreted and documented oral laws that were previously not
written down.

14. Jewish people observe several important days and events in history, such as:
Passover: This holiday, which typically occurs in March or April, lasts seven or eight days and
celebrates Jewish freedom from slavery in Egypt. Specifically, Passover refers to the biblical
story of when the Hebrew God “passed over” houses of Jewish families and saved their
children during a plague that was said to have killed all other first-born babies in Egypt.
Rosh Hashanah: Jews celebrate the birth of the universe and humanity during this holiday,
which is also known as the Jewish New Year. It generally falls during the months of September
or early October.
Yom Kippur: This “Day of Atonement” is considered the holiest day of the year for Jews who
typically spend it fasting and praying. It also falls during the months of September or October.
High Holy Days: The 10 days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are
also known as the High Holidays, the Days of Awe or Yamim Noraim. The High Holy Days are
considered a time of repentance for Jewish people.
Hanukkah: This Jewish celebration, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” lasts eight days
during late November or December. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Jewish
Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the Syrian-Greeks over 2,000 years ago.
Purim: This is a joyous holiday, occurring in the month of March, that celebrates a time when
the Jewish people in Persia were saved from extermination.