This document provides an introduction to world religions and belief systems. It discusses the nature of religion and how most world religions involve sets of prayers like chants, mantras, and creeds. It also explores how social environment and upbringing influence religious development and how religions generally involve belief systems, communities, rituals, ethics, emotional experiences, and material expressions. Finally, it outlines some common types of belief systems such as monism, polytheism, monotheism, atheism, and agnosticism.