Major World Religions: Beliefs and Practices

Hinduism

In Hinduism, the concept of God is very important, not as dogma. It has no specific founder and sees no compulsory religious practices. Hindus consider that one should just live in harmony with the dharma of all things. Its origin goes back over 3,000 years. Hindus are not made, but born. Key characteristics include freedom and tolerance. A teacher, or guru, is needed. Hindus believe in reincarnation for release. There are three paths to release:

• Acts: Perfectly fulfilling the duties associated with one's caste.
• Knowledge: Discovering knowledge to achieve the absolute.
• Devotion: The path of goodness and kindness towards a personal God, one of the yogas, which stops all mental activity to calm the spirit itself.

Hindus are organized into specialized castes in a trade or profession. They are governed by and live within the same group.

Buddhism

Siddhartha's path to enlightenment went through three main stages. On the first night of meditation, he became aware of his previous lives. On the second, he recognized the law governing birth, death, and rebirth. On the third night, he received the revelation of the Four Noble Truths: the knowledge of suffering, the origin of suffering, the suppression of suffering, and how to eliminate it. The Buddhist doctrine is to show people the way out of our desires. It is split into the Four Noble Truths: the universality of pain, the source of pain, pain suppression, and how to remove it.

Judaism

Judaism belongs to the so-called prophetic religions. It is a revealed, monotheistic religion, with God acting in and discovering its history. Its basic reference is the Bible. The Bible is divided into three groups: Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). Key characteristics include monotheism, the prohibition of the use of images for worship, God having a name (Yahweh), God as creator, God as personal, and a focus on ethics and universalism.

Islam

The basic pillars of Islam are a profession of faith, ritual prayer (Salat), almsgiving (Zakat), fasting during Ramadan, and pilgrimage. Their holy book is the Quran. The Muslim community of believers is called the Ummah. Today, Islam is divided into two main groups: Sunni and Shia.

Christianity

Christianity refers to the followers of God. Christianity claims to be the final unveiling of God's revelation. Its main feature, like Judaism, is a single, all-powerful God. Its founder is Jesus Christ. Any person is your brother and should be treated with respect. The word "Christianity" means "the Messiah." The holy book is the Bible. Sin is all that is negative for others. All Christians are to engage in apostolate. The community of believers is known as the Church and has many sacramental practices, such as baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, holy orders, marriage, and the anointing of the sick.