The document is a comprehensive overview of various world religions, including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism, highlighting their beliefs about creation, the nature of God, human existence, good and evil, salvation, and afterlife concepts. It discusses the rituals and practices associated with each faith, as well as notable celebrations and festivals. Additionally, it touches on new religious movements that arise during times of social change, emphasizing the search for spiritual security amidst chaos.

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Halil Ibrahim Gozum
Religion 212
Week 10
Religion
Cosmogony - Origin of the Universe
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 2
Hinduism and Jainism
Hinduism does not have a single founder.
Fisher, 2014, p 95
In Jainism, Rishabba, who is the first of the tirthankara is the
founder.
Fisher, 2014 pp. 121, 124
In Hinduism, their Gods include Vishnu, the supreme God in
Hindu;s Vaishnavite tradition. Krishna, either one of the
Supreme Being and/or and avatar of Vishnu. Brahma is the
Hindu creation God.
Shiva is one of the live primary form of God in Smarta
tradition. Shakti is the form of divine feminine creative power

2. is worshiped as the Supreme being.
Fisher, 2014 pp 84-90
In Jainism, Jains believe that they are the ones who are in
control of their destiny. They believe in the power of life. They
view demons as being subject to the same passions of humans.
One may achieve complete liberation only in a human form.
Fisher, 2014 p.124
In Hinduism all the human beings are considered as the
extension of the Brahma, the supreme being
In Jainism, the soul is not created and it has an infinite
knowledge and power.
In Hinduism, the sanskirt word karma means “ actions” and
refers to the fundamental Hindu principal that one’s morel
actions have unavoidable and automatic effects on one’s
fortunes in this lie and condition of rebirth. Fisher, 2014 p.77
Jainism teaches the two kind of karma; Ghati (Destructive)
And Aghati (Non-destructive). The soul is affected by the
former and the body is affected by the latter.
In Hinduism, Salvation is the freedom from this cycle of birth
and death.
Fisher, 2014 p.77
In Jainism, the main prayer, salutes the five special categories
of souls that have consciousness or are on their way to
achieving it to match.
In Hinduism, they believe in the rebirth and reincarnation of
souls and souls are immortal.
Fisher, 2014 p.77
In Jainism, Death may be same as reborn in another physical
appearance in the “earthly realm”, suffering the punishment in

3. one of the eight hells or joining the other liberated souls in the
heaven.
Fisher, 2014, p.125
In Hinduism, the central Hindu worship is Puja. Puja is a ritual
to engage the senses of both devotee and the Gods. Darsham is
the act of seeing and being seen by the deity to attain grace.
Fisher, 2014 p.95
In Jainism, rituals are important to the Jain faith because beliefs
and values are expressed through them.
In Hinduism,
Holi happens at the end of Winter and beginning fo spring.
Janmashrami is Krishna;s birthday. Ganesh is the removal of
obstacles celebration
In Jainism, Divali Paryushan Mahaparva is the celebration with
meditation, fasting and spiritual study.
Fisher, 2014 pp 108-111, 131-133.
Week 3
Buddhism
Alternative to the ritual oriented Brahmanism if India
There is no personal god.
Buddha was not pessimist or optimistic about human. For
Buddha there is Four Noble Truths
“1) Life inevitably involves suffering dissatisfaction, and
distress.
2)Suffering is caused by craving, rooted in ignorance.
3)Suffering will cease when craving ceases.
4)There is a way to realize this state: the Noble Eightfold path”
In Buddhism events creates causes into another motions. This
sequence is called Karma, which is the action of speech, body,
and mind.

4. Fisher, 2014
In Buddhism, they view good and evil by Karma.
Good karma and bad karma always be the law of cause and
effects.
If you follow Buddha’s teaching, you will be able to be free
from suffering
In Buddhism, There are two ways you go after life, you either
reborn into another body which means reincarnation, or you
enter Nirvana which is the state of enlightenment.
Buddhist practices and laws:
1) Mediation
2) Mudras
3) Mantas
4) Prayer Wheels
Fisher, 2014
Celebrations and festivals differs depending on the culture in
Buddhism.
Most common celebration is Vessak which the birth of Buddha
for some culture. This days is special because it is believed that
enlightenment and death occurred on the same day.
Fisher, 2014
Week 4
Daoism and
Confucianism
Daoism is an interest in the meaning of nature of Dao. There are
two attitudes that we have to recognize, First is the vague
reaction against demanding scheme of traditional Confician
rules. The second is cultivation.
Confucianism is the philosophy to imagine the new, to embrace
changes and innovations.
Imagination is really important.
Dao is “the way. Dao is the way to the universe functions, the
path taken by all natural events. Dao is also the nature’s way in

5. expressing effortless actions.
In Confucianism, it is believed that God is loving and benign.
In Daoism, the two powerful elements are the Yin and Yang
They show that God loving the Daoism stresses the union of
man and nature, fighting back but also cooperating each other.
In Confucianism, the purpose of being existed is to reach the
highest potential as a human being, Through a rigorous process
of self cultivation that lasts a lifetime, one may eventually
become a perfect person.
With Daoism, the universe is neither good or evil. It is actually
beyond good and evil. The secret to live good life is inactivity.
One of the major concepts of Daoism is Wu Wei, which means
accomplishing of tasks without aggression.
In Confucianism, a mistake is not considered as sin, but an
opportunity to learn and be and do better the next time.
That’s why suffering and evil are inevitable in human life and
promote growth.
In Daoism death is neither feared nor desired instead a person
enjoys living.
In Confucianism, there is no belief about the individual
salvation and beyond this life.
Daoism life and death are merely two aspects of reality. Death
is simply a transformation from being to non-being, from yang
to yin.
In Confucianism, they believe that both life and death are
considered as responsibility to society
Confucianism does not prescribe any specific rituals or
practices; These are usually replaced with Chinese religion,
Daoism, Buddhism, or other religion, which Confucians follow.
In Daoism,

6. one of the festivals is The Lantern festival is the celebration of
the full moon of the year and also the birthday of Tianguan, the
God responsible or fortune.
In Confucianism, the 28th of September is the birthday of
Confucius.
Week 5
Shinto
According to Shanti, wolrd was created by heavenly Kami.
Kami is the God of spirit. The Amatsu Kami was asked to create
the material world. While standing on the bridge of heaven,
they jeweled spear into the water. After pulling the spear from
the water it dripped brine back into the ocean and the brine
created the eight islands, Once the world is created, Kami
created the goodness of the sun named Amaterasu, Also, Kami
created the ancestors and the entire natural world.
There is no founder, official sacred texts, and no formalized
system of doctrine in Shinto. But Amaterasu is believed to be
both a nature Kami and ancestor Kami.
The followers of Shinto are supposed to live in harmony and
peaceful coexistence with humans and nature.
Shinto starts with basic idea that all human beings are good and
Evil enters the world from outside, and it is brought by evil
spirits.
In Shinto, they work on oneness and worship Kami.
According to Shinto if one born, his name is added to Shinto’s
list as family child. When that person dies, the person becomes
the family spirit.
In Shinto, purification practices are done by washing with water
and this removes the dusts and impurities that cover one’s inner
mind.
They don’t have weekly religious service. They visit shrines
and some visit daily and some 1st or 15h of each month.
Each Shinto has several major festivals each year including
Spring and Harvest festivals. At the festivals, some special rites

7. may held like water purification.
Week 6
Judaism
In Judaism, A single God created everything. Even devil comes
from God. God has no body, no genitalie therefore God does not
have and gender. God is just merciful, omnipresent, eternal,
omniscient, holy and all perfect.
In Judaism, God is single. He cannot be divided into parts or
described by attributes.
In Judaism, humans are created in the imagine of God, meaning
that his nature and essence.
Humanity ahs two impulse, good and evil. And they follow
whichever path they want.
Good and evil are spoken of as light and darkness in Judaism,
Both were created by God. Humans have capacity to make the
choice of good or evil.
In Judaism, salvation comes from the God and is favor bestowed
upon the nation as a whole.
There is not much mentioned of after life in Torah, But there is
a belief that Jew soul moves on after death of the body.
In Judaism, the practices and rituals are grounded in Jewish
law.
There is Kosher diet.
In Judaism, there are some festivals
-Passover, which is celebrated to commemorate the liberation of
the Children of Israel who were led out to Egypt by Moses.
Rosh -Hashanah, which is the Jewish new year.
-Sukkoth, which commemorates the years that the Jews spent in
the desert o n their way to the promised land.
-Hanukkah is the Festival of lights. It dates back to two to
centuries before the beginning of Christianity.
Week 7
Christianity

8. In Christianity, God created everything in his infinite wisdom.
Creation was purposeful, nor arbitrary, and therefore the
universe is not morally neutral, but fundamentally good. In this
creation, everything and everyone is valuable.
Very similar to the beliefs of Judaism and God is the Supreme
Being
Fundamental to the Christian understanding of human nature is
the belief that the first humans wee created in the image of god,
The nature people were created with was good. But according to
the Bible people were given free will with which to choose for
God or against him
Christians seek to turn from darkness to light and from power of
Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a
place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ,
Christians believe that by their trust and belief in the Holy
Bible and Jesus Christ , the son of the Supreme being the will
reach salvation. According to Christian belief, salvation is
referred to as the “ atonement”
Christians beliefs about the afterlife vary slightly between
denominations and individual Christians, but the vast majority
of Christians believe heaven is a place where believers go upon
dying in order to enjoy the presence of god as well as other
believers. In heaven people are also freed from sin and all its
manifestation, like suffering and pain.
Imitation of the model set by Jesus in his own life is primary
practice of Christians. The ritual of public if worship and the
Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, mass, or the Lord’s
supper) There is also confirmation and confession.
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth on earth as the
incarnation of god. Epiphany means manifestation or showing
forth. The festival celebrates the recognition of Jesus spiritual
kingship by the three Mag.
Week 8
Islam

9. Allah the supreme being created everything and everyone.
Islam teaches that Allah , the one God has 99 attributes.
Although we can understand some of his attributes, His essence
cannot be comprehended by a human’s limited mental capacity.
He is transcendent and not a part of his creation, and is most
often referred to in terms and with names that emphasize his
majesty and superiority.
Humans are the greatest of all creatures, created with free for
the purpose of obeying and serving God.
Islam offers a complete picture in explaining good and evil. To
understand the Islamic teachings on good and evil, however,
one first needs to understand that Islam views life as a test of
deciding between good and evil. The Qur’an clearly states that
God is the only authority I defining good and evil. The Islamic
definition of good and evil are based on the purpose of creation
and the meaning of human life. In Islam God created good
things and bad things and made them knows to man through
successive revelations, but He left it for human free will to use
its power of choice to make its way between the two paths, and
be responsible for the choice. For a
For a Muslim, the purpose of life is to live in a way that is
pleasing to Allah so that one may gain Paradise. It is believed
that at puberty, an account of each person’s deeds is opened,
and this will be used at the Day of judgments to determine his
eternal fate.
Muslims believe in heaven and hell. After death and being in
the grave for a short period of time, the body is than resurrected
and will then be finally judged by their deeds. It is at this time
some will either be sent to hell or heaven. The afterlife is
considered as the reflection of life.
Some of the most important practices in Islam are the Five
Pillars of Islam. These Five Pillars include, belief and witness,
daily prayers, zakat, fating, and hajj. Muslims prohibit pork and
wine. The Qur’an was very important in the practices of Islam
as it constrain the messages of God.
Traditionally, Muslims celebrate two major festival- Id Al-Fitr

10. and Id Al- Adha. They celebrate one month of daytime fasting –
Ramadan . And they also observe a day of voluntary fasting
Id Al- Adha: Festival of the Sacrifice.
Al-Hijra : Islamic New Year
Ramadan “ Month of Fasting
Week 9
Sikhism
Sikhism is a syncretistic religion, originally related to the
Bhakti movement within Hinduism and and the Sufi branch of
Islam, to which many independent beliefs and practices were
added. Some Shiks believe that their religion is a re-purification
of Hinduism; they view Sikhism as part of the Hindu religious
radition.
In Sikhism God is conceived in two forms; Nirguna form an in
sarguna form. “ik. Meaning one, in Ikoankar defines Nirguna
state of God. It is that state of God when he had not created the
universe yet so he wa in himself. He was one and only on.
Sikhs perceive human life as an opportunity to merge with the
divine will. However, the core problem is that human judgement
is occluded by a false sense of self. Guru Nanak called this false
sense of self haumai. Those who follow this sense of self, and
thus the workings of their own deluded mind, arey gythe
manmukhs ( self facing ) the pious Sikhs who follow the Guru’s
ways are called gurmukhs (Guru facing)
Everything happens is the will of god. Sikh’s believe that God
gave man free will. People are responsible for their own
sufferings because of Karma.
Spiritual goal is a deep inner mystical union with the Divine
reflected in ones way of living. In order to attain salvation one

11. must live a honest life and mediate on God.
The Sikh tradition emphasized a life free of worry about
afterlife, but focused on one’s ethical actions and piety in this
life. “ Liberation” (mukti) is the metaphor for the best result
possible in the after life, and Sihks envision that as finding
unification with the creator at his court.
In order to worship, there are other important rites and rituals
within Sikhism. The Sikh Refay Maryada is the Sikh code of
Conduct, giving instructions for all ceremonies.
Some of them are,
Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday – Jan 5
Guru Gobind Sing, the tenth Guru, founded the Khalsa and
nominated the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book as his
successor Guru.
Hola Mahlla is a amle celebrated in Anandpur on the Indian
festival of Holi in memory of Guru gobind Singh.
Week 10
New Religious Movements
Times of rapid social changes are particularly likely to spawn
new religious movements, for people seek the security of the
spiritual amidst worldly chaos.
This depends on the sect of religion. Some can be based on the
other religions like Christianity with one God where others can
be based on religions that have hundreds of deities.
Many religions, including the largest world religions, reach
self-denial and surrender as cardinal virtues that help to
vanquish the ego and allow one to approach ultimate reality.
The question for a spiritual person is where to.
Some of the modern religion the majority of human is destroyed
for not obeying the Bible. No one known the root of sin, which
lies deep within and ceaselessly drives people toward the way
of evil.
Indemnity the process that restores human beings and the world
to God’s ideal. Universal salvation is salvation may come to all

12. people through one central point. For those who believe in one
religion as the only way, the divine mandates to save all
humankind is a powerful impetus to missionary activity.
We are essentially spiritual beings who possess physical bodies.
When we die, the physical person dies. The essential person
remains. There is an invisible spiritual world surrounding this
physical one, inhabited by those who have passed on.
Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony – large scale wedding or
marriage rededication ceremony removing humans from lineage
of sinful humanity and moving them into God’s sinless lineage.
Holy Wine Ceremony – conducted before the marriage this
purifies the couple so their children are born free from original
sin
True God’s Day, True Parent’s day. True day of all things,,
Chil II Jeol- Declaration Day of God’s Eternal Blessing