World Religions Chart(Student’s Name)(Professo.docx

World Religions Chart
(Student’s Name)
(Professor’s Name)
(Course Title)
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WORLD RELIGIONS – REL 212 World Religions

HINDUISM &JAINISM
WEEK 2
Cosmogony - Origin of the Universe
This religion believes in reincarnation and as a result of the
cycles the origin of the universe cannot be clearly stated. Still,
this chaos of births and deaths is controlled by three Gods,
brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Nature of God/Creator
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are responsible for holding the
world together. Brahma creates a world which is preserved by
Vishnu and Shiva destroys the world so it can be rebuilt again,
View of Human Nature
Humans have a ritualistic life, giving proper sacrifices to
thegods, get married and have children. Humans then live their
lives according to the teachings of the religious texts.
View of Good & Evil
Good and evil are viewed on a lens of relativity. As such,
depending on the point of view, what is good or evil changes.
What brings happiness is termed good and that which brings
pain is evil. This then states that what is good or evil is simply
a matter of the mind.
View of Salvation
Called moksha, it involves attainment of enlightenment and
being liberated from the cycle of life and death.
View of After Life
The belief in reincarnation means that life after death is
believed to be the rebirth into a new body.
Practices and Rituals
Yoga an enabler of meditation, puja which is relating to a
divine object in the morning.
Celebrations & Festivals
Holi is a time for merrymaking, Shiva ratri to celebrate the
goddess and Diwali which can also be new year’s eve.
Week 2 - Sources

Robinson, J. B. (2004). Hinduism. Philadelphia: Chelsea House
Publishers.
Jacobs, S. (2010). Hinduism today.
BUDDHISM
WEEK 3
With his belief in cycles and birth, Buddha stated that
determining the origin of the universe is inconceivable and
cannot be explained. Buddha said of humans hunger to find the
origin of everything as a poverty of thoughts.
Buddhism does not recognize the existence of a creator and
present mankind as the vessels to their own destiny.
Buddhism teachings elaborate on self-originating change to
oneself through meditation and following the teachings of
Buddha. Meditation helps in training the mind which can then
gain control of the body as a result. This enables the mind to be
fully aware of thoughts and actions and promotes compassion
towards others. The aim of humans is to attain a state of total
enlightenment.
View of Good & Evil
Buddhism originates good and evil from human preference. As a
result, overcoming evil is simply done by changing preference.
Evil stems from a bout of desire. A tenet of Buddhism is the
eight-fold path. Adhering to this will take away the desire that
would have caused evil.
View of Salvation

Buddhism is about attaining a state of enlightenment, an
understanding of oneself and the readiness and willingness to be
of assistance to those around you.
View of After Life
Buddhists believe in reincarnation, believing that when one
dies, their soul moves to a different body from where life
continues henceforth. Recognizing that life is full of suffering,
one can also transcend death and birth by achieving nirvana. Its
expressed as the extinguishing of a flame. It is a liberation from
all physical realms and their desires.
To achieve enlightenment, meditation plays a key part. This is
in itself a complete work out of the mind.
Include Vesak which is Buddha’s birthday, Buddhist new year,
magha puja day, asalha puja day and many more.
Week 3 - Sources
DAOISM& CONFUCIANISM
WEEK 4
Confucianism recognizes no existence of a creator. It has the
belief that earth is self-generating and self-sustaining. Nature is
viewed as one big unified integral unit and is always in a state
of change.
This religion recognizes no God or creator.

The teachings of Confucius were heavily centered on humanism
and its values of knowledge, humanness, etiquette, justice and
integrity. The religion also has a huge belief in the strength of
humans to be taught new things and become amazing.
View of Good & Evil
Confucianism encourages the practice of leading a honest life
with compassion to others. Confucius still acknowledgedthat
suffering and evil will always exist on earth.
View of Salvation
Confucianism rolls along with the Chinese practice of ancestor
worship which could be a form of salvation, albeit for the dead.
View of After Life
Confucius encourages living a life that is bent towards good
morals and behavior. This encourages with asking humans not
to do with the expectation of receiving rewards after death. The
concept of an afterlife is therefore not one perpetuated under
Confucianism.
The single ritual in Confucianism that’s popular is ancestor
worship. It involves communicating with them and offering
sacrifices. Most everyday tasks in a Confucius household are
considered rituals.
Confucius’ birthday is celebrated on September 28.
Week 4 - Sources
Yao, X. (2000). An introduction to Confucianism. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Wong, S. K. (2012). Confucianism, Chinese history and society.
Hackensack, N.J: World Scientific.
WEEK 5

SHINTO
As a predominantly Japanese religion, the Shintoism creation
story centers on the creation of what is now modern day japan.
As a polytheistic religion, gods called on two among them,
Izanagi-no-Mikoto (male) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (female).
With a spear, these two stirred the water and created the japan
archipelago from the nothingness.
Shinto is a polytheisticreligion with a myriad of gods. The name
loosely translates to the way of the gods. The gods/spirits in
Shinto are referred to as kami. Their essence is personified in
objects all around from trees, rocks, animals and even humans.
The kami are divided into three, the nature powers personified
in objects of nature, family ancestors and the souls of important
dead persons.
With importance attached to the environment, Shintoism fosters
peace among those practicing it, a trait that is transferred to
those around them.
View of Good & Evil
With human beings simply being the physical vessels of spirits,
the decisions of good and evil can be boiled down to positive or
negative life experiences which are responsible for influencing
behavior.
View of Salvation
Salvation can be attained after death by the worship accorded to
one by their descendants.
View of After Life
Life after death is not given much prominence. This is because
of the belief of rebirth. Death means the kami ceases being
visible and retreats to the netherworld to be reborn later. For
purposes of being reborn well, people will do good in their lives
as a way of shoring up their karma and better prospects of being
reborn favorably. People also pay respects to their ancestors so

they too can have an easier time in the ancestors’ world after
dying.
Omairi is the visiting of a Shinto temple to pay respect to the
kami. Kagura is a dance to entertain and appease the kami.
Harai is offering foodstuffs to kami.
Dosojin Matsuri involves gathering shrine talismans,
decorations and ornaments and burning them in a bonfire.
Hatsumode is the first visit to the shrine at the beginning of the
year. Jinchisai is done to purify the construction of a new
building.
Week 5 - Sources
Katō, G. (2011). A study of Shinto: The religion of the Japanese
nation. London: Routledge.
Markham, I. S., & Ruparell, T. (2001). Encountering religion:
An introduction to the religions of the world. Oxford, UK:
Blackwell Publishers.
WEEK 6
JUDAISM
According the Jewish holy book, the Torah, God created the
entire universe is six days and then rested on the seventh. He
created all things from the word of his mouth and made man
from soil and breathed life into him.
Jews believe in the unquestionable existence of one God. God
possesses no gender or corporeal form. God is omnipresent,
omniscient, omnipotent and infallible. God is eternal and has

always and will always exist.
God granted mankind the ability to comprehend and discern.
Man is therefore free to choose his path. A commonly held
belief is that after their thirteenth birthday, one is now solely
responsible for their actions and can make decisions on their
life upon which they will be held accountable by God. The
things required of a Jew to do are called the mitzvoth.
View of Good & Evil
A Jew is required to do good by following the laws of the
Talmud. The Talmud is a collection of all Jewishlaws known as
halakah that a Jew must abide with. The deeds required are
identified as the mitzvoth and every needs to follow them.
Going against these teachings id regarded as being evil since it
will be a violation of the sacred text.
View of Salvation
Jews don’t believe in original sin at the time of birth. All
mankind is the ability to choose their path. Righteous is
achieved by following the teachings of the holy book. They also
believe in the eventual coming of a messiah who will deliver the
people of Israel.
View of After Life
While not expressly described in the Torah, Jews believe in the
spiritual afterlife known as Olam Ha-Ba, translated as the world
to come. Humans ascend here by doing good deeds which then
assures the allocation of greater rewards, the world to come.
Those who don’t live a righteous life are condemned to
Gehinnom, which is hell, a place of great suffering where the
souls of the unrighteous are taken through purification so they
can ascend into heaven.
A Jewish male is circumcised eight days after their birth. This
is a result of the covenant made between God and Abraham. A
girl undergoes a bat mitzvah upon attaining the age of twelve
years and a boy a bra mitzvah at thirteen years. They have now
come of age and can be held responsible for their actions.

There are many celebrations and festivals on the Jewish
calendar. Every week, all Jews must observe Shabbat, the
seventh day. This is a day of worship to God and one must not
work. Jews also celebrate Yom Kippur (day of atonement that
involves fasting), Rosh Hashanah (the new year), Purim
(celebrating Esther’s bravery), Passover (celebrating the
liberation of Israelites from Egypt), Hanukah (celebrated for
eight in remembrance of the recapture of Jerusalem and others
like Shavuot and sukkot.
Week 6 - Sources
Abrahams, I. (2008). Judaism. Waiheke Island: Floating Press.
Solomon, N. (2009). Judaism. New York: Sterling Pub. Co.
WEEK 7
CHRISTIANITY
Christians believe God created the universe in six days and
rested on the seventh. According to the Bible, God did this via
word of mouth, with the universe coming into being after his
command. He created man from the soil and breathed life into
him. To give man a female companion, he took one of man’s
ribs and created a woman.
God is all powerful and all knowing. As creator of the universe,
he possesses infinite power and knowledge beyond human
comprehension. God exists as a trinity, with God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is helped by spiritual
beings known as angels who perform his will and act as his
messengers to humankind.

Human beings are born with free will, able to make choices
affecting their lives. As the only manual creation of God, man is
regarded as the superior of all of God’s creation and has been
granted dominion over earth.
View of Good & Evil
After the sin of the first humans created by God, all of mankind
is born with original sin. Given that they possess free will, man
is then expected to make the conscious decision to do good so
as to gain favor before God. The Bible contains what a
Christian is required to do. The Devil, a fallen angel, is
regarded as the epitome of evil. His purpose is drive humankind
into sin and against the will of God.
View of Salvation
With the crucifixion of Christ on the cross and his subsequent
death and resurrection, Christians achieve salvation when they
are born again, which is when someone decides to accept the
Son of God as their savior and vow to do what is required of
them as per the Bible. A saved Christian is assured of eternal
life in heaven.
View of After Life
Christians believe in life after death. After death, a saved
Christian, one who did good deeds in their lifetime and abided
by God will get into paradise with God where they will
eternally live a life of happiness. People who die without
accepting God as their savior I condemned to hell, where they
will suffer for eternity by being burnt.
One becomes a Christians after being saved. To signify their
state of salvation, they are baptized, a ritual that involves
immersion in water and emergence as a new being in God.
Christians reach out to God via prayer where they talk directly
to him.
Every Sunday, Christians go to a place of worship. Here they
praise and worship God and listen to teaching from the Bible.

They also celebrate Easter to remember the death and
resurrection Christ and Christmas to celebrate his birth.
Week 7 - Sources
Grotius, H., Clarke, J., & Antognazza, M. R. (2012). The truth
of the Christian religion. Indianapolis, [Ind.: Liberty Fund.
Chryssides, G. D. (2010). Christianity today. London:
Continuum.
WEEK 8
ISLAM
Just like the Jews and Christians, Islam also recognizes that
God (Allah) created the universe in six days. However, instead
of regarding these as days, the Muslimsbelieve them as periods
each of them lasting as much as thousands of years. Discarding
the Christian and Jewish beliefs of God resting, Muslims
believe that Allah simply sat back and admired his creation.
Recognizing Allah as great, Islambelieves in the indivisible
nature of Allah. As a result, this singular existence of Allah
means there should be no man-made representation of Allah.
Islam regards Allah as all-knowing and all-powerful. Islam
believe Allah exercise his will through the prophets, chief
among them Mohammed.
According to the Koran, man is created with free will and has
the purpose of obeying and servingAllah. Unlike Christianity,
there is no notion of original sin in Islam. Instead, they believe

all mankind is born into submission to Allah (al-fitra).
View of Good & Evil
The Koran states that Allah created both good and evil. Allah
then revealed this to man, who created with free will, chooses
what he will follow. These rules on good and evil in Islam are
governed under a legal system called sharia.
View of Salvation
Salvation in Islam is attained on the day of judgment when a
person’s actions from their age of puberty will be taken into
account. The good will be considered saved and taken to
heaven.
View of After Life
Muslims believe that people are taken into judgment by Allah
after they die. Allah rewards the doers of good deeds with a
place in heaven (jannah), where there is happiness and
satisfactions. Wrong doers are condemned to hell (jahannam) to
suffer for their sins forever in blazing fire.
Islamic rituals are based on the five pillars, religious duties
expected of every Muslim. These are daily prayers done five
times a day (salat), confession of faith, giving of alms, fasting
during Ramadan and pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslim celebrations include al-hijra which remembers the
emigration of the prophet from mecca to medina, Ramadan
which is a holy month in remembrance of when the Koran was
sent down, id il-fitr which marks the end of Ramadan, id al-
adha that marks the end of pilgrimage among others.
Week 8 - Sources
Armstrong, K., & Rogers D. Spotswood Collection.
(2000). Islam: A short history. New York: Modern Library.
Berkey, J. P. (2003). The formation of Islam: Religion and
society in the Near East, 600-1800. New York: Cambridge
University Press.

WEEK 9
SIKHISM
A monotheistic religion, Sikhs believe that God created the
universe. Before the creation of the universe, there was
nothingness, an empty void where the glory of the creator
reigned. From this nothingness the creator created all the earth
and the heavenly bodies. Unlike the one time creation believed
in other religions, Sikh believe God created the universe
fromhimself and it quietly unfolded from within him.
The Sikh believe there is one God for all religions. While the
universe is in a state of decay, God is transcended all this and
cannot be influenced by space and/or time.
The Sikh treat both men and women as equal, sharing equal
rights. Aiming to be one with God, a Sikh will attempt to live a
life that is righteous and devoid of worldlytemptations. Among
this temptations are lust, anger, pride, clinginess and greed.
View of Good & Evil
The Sikh believe all are born good. With the world full of evil,
one is expected to be of strong will and overcome any
temptation to commit the sins of the world. With everyone
aiming for a chance to finally be with God, mistakes will only
make the journey even longer. They also believe in karma,
which is the summation of one’s good and bad deeds.
View of Salvation
Salvation in Sikhism entails merging with God. To do this, one

must have a lived a honest life and avoided all worldly
temptations and sins.
View of After Life
Sikhs believe in incarnation. This rebirth is a chance to live and
correct the mistakes of a previous life. One eventually becomes
one with God once they have lived a full and honest life.
The Sikhs pray multiple times a day. However, rituals like
fasting and vesting pilgrimage sets and idolatry are strictly
discouraged. A ceremony to mark entry into Sikhism is called
Amrit
These include Guru Gobind Singh’s and Guru Nanak’s birthday,
maghi for the remembrance of martyrs, vaisakhi marking the
founding of khalsa and Diwali a festival of lights to remember
the release of Guru Hargobind from jail.
Week 9 - Sources
Mandair, A. S. (2013). Sikhism. London: Bloomsbury
Academic.
Markham, I. S., & Ruparell, T. (2001). Encountering religion:
An introduction to the religions of the world. Oxford, UK:
Blackwell Publishers.
Jakobsh, D. R. (2012). Sikhism.
WEEK 10
NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
New Age rejects the notion of a dominant divine being. Instead,
beliefs are that all things in nature are god.
The dominant position is therefore pantheism and this means

those who practice new age religion believe themselves and
everything else in nature as the god, the controller of all things.
With self-belief prevalent in these organizations, attention is
placed on efforts of self-actualization and the pursuit of one’s
own destiny.
View of Good & Evil
Good and evil in these religions are largely based on abstract
ideas with no concrete footing. This means it is constantly
changing.
View of Salvation
Salvation is attained by fulfilling a purpose in nature and
society before death.
View of After Life
They accept reincarnation as a way of continuing life, and might
have easier time addressing issues of death. There are others too
who believe in reincarnating into other worlds.
A common practice is the application of alternative medicine
options in healing ailments.
Celebrations are usually tailor-made to the specific
organization.
Week 10 - Sources
In Sutcliffe, S., & In Gilhus, I. S. (2013). New Age spirituality:
Rethinking religion.

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