This research will give me a grasp on religious youth culture as well as informing me to a well enough degree to converse with anyone from these 6 religions.
The most popular 6 religions are:
- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
- Hinduism
Becoming familiar with the aspects of these religions will help me develop the project further.
Islam:
| adherents | 1.3 billion |
|---|---|
| adherents are called | Muslims |
| size rank | 2nd |
| original language | Arabic |
| religious law | Sharia |
| name means | submission |
| sacred text | Qur'an (Koran) |
| other texts | Hadith |
| texts | Qur'an (Scripture); Hadith (tradition) |
| date founded | 622 CE |
| early expansion | within 12 years, entire Arabian peninsula; within 100 years, Muslim world stretched from the Atlantic to China |
| founder(s) | Muhammad (born c.570), a trade merchant from Arabia |
| origins | Based on teachings of the Prophet Muhammad; founded 622 CE in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. |
| major splits | Shia-Sunni (c. 650 CE) |
| afterlife | Resurrection of body and soul followed by Paradise or Hell |
| bad afterlife | eternal hell |
| good afterlife | eternal paradise |
| authority after Scripture | Hadith |
| god(s) | One God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles |
| human nature | born with equal ability to do good or evil |
| Jesus was | True prophet sent by God, but message corrupted and superseded by Muhammad. |
| birth of Jesus | virgin birth |
| death of Jesus | did not die; ascended into heaven during crucifixion |
| divinity of Jesus | no |
| Jesus' purpose | Bring messages from God. |
| resurrection of Jesus | no |
| future return of Jesus | affirmed |
| human life | Humans must submit (islam) to the will of God to gain Paradise after death. |
| revelation method(s) | earlier prophets (message corrupted); Prophet Muhammad as recorded perfectly in Qur'an |
| revered humans | prophets, imams |
| God's role in salvation | predestination |
| salvation method(s) | correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars of Islam |
| view of sacred text | literal word of God, inerrant in original languages |
| type of theism | strict monotheim |
| view of Christianity | respected as fellow "People of the Book" but have wrong beliefs and only partial, corrupted revelation |
| view of Judaism | respected as fellow "People of the Book" but have wrong beliefs and only partial, corrupted revelation |
| homosexual orientation | Not generally condemned. |
| homosexual activity | Sinful and punishable under Islamic law. |
| practices | Five Pillars: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Pilgrimage, Fasting. Mosque services on Fridays. Ablutions before prayer. No alcohol or pork. Holidays related to the pilgrimage and fast of Ramadan. |
| main day of worship | Friday |
| house of worship | mosque |
Christianity:
| adherents | 2 billion |
|---|---|
| size rank | 1st |
| UK adherents | 1.6 million |
| clergy | priests, ministers, pastors, bishops |
| place founded | ancient Palestine under Roman rule |
| sacred text | Bible (Hebrew Bible + New Testament) |
| texts | Bible (Hebrew Bible + New Testament) |
| date founded | 1st century CE |
| early expansion | within 60 years, churches in major cities in Palestine, Turkey, Greece and Rome; entire Roman Empire by end of 4th cent. |
| founder(s) | Jesus of Nazareth |
| original language | Aramaic and Greek |
| origins | Based on life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, c. 30 CE, Roman province of Palestine. |
| major splits | Catholic-Orthodox (1054); Catholic-Protestant (1500s) |
| afterlife | Eternal heaven or hell (or temporary purgatory). |
| bad afterlife | eternal hell (not in all denominations); temporary purgatory (Catholicism) |
| good afterlife | eternal heaven |
| authority after Scripture | church fathers; church councils; papal decrees in Catholicism |
| other beings | angels and demons |
| god(s) | Holy Trinity = God the Father + God the Son + God the Holy Spirit |
| human nature | human created good but all inherit "original sin" from Adam, causing a tendency to evil |
| Jesus was | Son of God. Savior. Messiah. Second person of the Trinity. Incarnation of God. Word of God. |
| birth of Jesus | virgin birth |
| death of Jesus | normal death plus spiritual suffering |
| divinity of Jesus | yes ("fully God and fully man" in Nicene Creed) |
| Jesus' purpose | To die for the sins of humanity (atonement). |
| resurrection of Jesus | yes |
| human life | All have sinned and are thereby separated from God. Salvation is through faith in Christ and, for some, sacraments and good works. |
| revelation method(s) | prophets; Jesus (as God incarnate); Bible |
| God's role in salvation | predestination; various forms of grace; sometimes special revelation |
| salvation method(s) | depending on denomination, one or more of: belief in Christ, baptism, and good deeds |
| view of sacred text | inspired by God; some believe infallible in original languages |
| type of theism | Trinitarian monotheism |
| view of Islam | false religion |
| view of Judaism | true religion but with incomplete revelation |
| homosexual orientation | Not generally considered sinful in itself, though some see it as a purposeful perversion. Some accept it as a natural alternative, while others regard it as a non-chosen disorder akin to alcoholism. |
| homosexual activity | Traditionally considered sinful. Many Christians and denominations continue to uphold this belief, while others have reconsidered it or in the process of doing so. |
| practices | Prayer, Bible study, baptism, Eucharist (Communion), church on Sundays, numerous holidays. |
| main day of worship | Sunday |
| house of worship | church or chapel |
Judaism:
| adherents | 14 million |
|---|---|
| adherents are called | Jews |
| size rank | 12th |
| clergy | rabbis |
| original language | Hebrew |
| sacred text | Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) |
| texts | Hebrew Bible (Tanakh); Talmud |
| date founded | c. 7th century BCE |
| early expansion | little expansion; mostly confined to Palestine area throughout history |
| founder(s) | no one founder |
| origins | The religion of the Hebrews (c. 1300 BC), especially after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. |
| place founded | ancient Palestine |
| major splits | Reform-Orthodox (1800s CE) |
| afterlife | Not historically emphasized. Beliefs vary from no afterlife to shadowy existence to the World to Come (similar to heaven). |
| bad afterlife | eternal Gehenna or none |
| good afterlife | generally no afterlife; some believe in heaven |
| authority after Scripture | Talmud, Midrash, Responsa |
| god(s) | One God: Yahweh (YHVH) |
| human nature | two equal impulses, one good and one bad |
| Jesus was | false prophet |
| birth of Jesus | normal birth |
| death of Jesus | normal death |
| divinity of Jesus | no |
| Jesus' purpose | none |
| resurrection of Jesus | no |
| future return of Jesus | denied |
| human life | Obey God's commandments, live ethically. Focus is more on this life than the next. |
| revelation method(s) | prophets, recorded in Hebrew Bible |
| revered humans | prophets |
| God's role in salvation | divine revelation and forgiveness |
| view of sacred text | views vary |
| type of theism | strict monotheism |
| homosexual orientation | Orthodox: Condemned as rebellion against God. Conservative: Neither condemned nor affirmed. Reform: Generally accepted as an alternative. |
| homosexual activity | Orthodox: Strongly condemned. Conservative: Violation of Jewish law, disqualifies from Jewish marriage and religious leadership. Reform: Approved in context of committed relationship; civil marriage supported, but generally not religious marriage. |
| practices | Circumcision at birth, bar/bat mitzvah at adulthood. Synagogue services on Saturdays. No pork or other non-kosher foods. Holidays related to historical events. |
| main day of worship | Saturday |
| house of worship | synagogue or temple |
Hinduism:
| afterlife | Reincarnation until gain enlightenment. |
|---|---|
| human life | Humans are in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but are able to escape. Purpose is to gain release from rebirth, or at least a better rebirth. |
| origins | Indigenous religion of India as developed to present day. |
| practices | Yoga, meditation, worship (puja), devotion to a god or goddess, pilgrimage to holy cities, live according to one's dharma (purpose/ role). |
| texts | The Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, etc. |
| adherents | 900 million |
| god(s) | One Supreme Reality (Brahman) manifested in many gods and goddesses |
| Jesus was | Incarnation of God akin to Krishna, or wise man. |
| divinity of Jesus | views vary |
| Jesus' purpose | not addressed |
| resurrection of Jesus | not addressed |
| homosexual orientation | Not generally condemned in itself. Some ancient texts and temples depict it as one of many sexual inclinations, while Vedanta discourages homosexual desires as lustful and/or distracting. |
| homosexual activity | Condemned by most Hindu cultures, though not often for religious reasons. The teachings of Vedanta, which emphasize liberation from the material world to the spiritual, allow only heterosexual sex, within marriage and for purposes of procreation. |
Buddhism:
| afterlife | Reincarnation (understood differently than in Hinduism, with no surviving soul) until gain enlightenment |
|---|---|
| human life | Purpose is to avoid suffering and gain enlightenment and release from cycle of rebirth, or at least attain a better rebirth by gaining merit. |
| origins | Based on teachings of Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha) in c. 520 BC, NE India. |
| practices | Meditation, mantras, devotion to deities (in some sects), mandalas (Tibetan) |
| texts | Tripitaka (Pali Canon); Mahayana sutras like the Lotus Sutra; others. |
| adherents | 360 million |
| god(s) | Varies: Theravada atheistic; Mahayana more polytheistic. Buddha taught nothing is permanent. |
| Jesus was | Wise and enlightened man who taught similar things to the Buddha. |
| divinity of Jesus | no |
| Jesus' purpose | To teach humanity wisdom and the way to enlightenment. |
| resurrection of Jesus | not addressed |
| homosexual orientation | Varies: Unnatural (Dalai Lama), a karmic punishment (SE Asian countries), an alternative. Not generally condemned in itself. |
| homosexual activity | Unlawful for monks, who must be celibate regardless of orientation. For other Buddhists, "sexual misconduct" is prohibited under the Third Precept, which depends on the circumstances and the results. |
Sikhism:
| afterlife | Reincarnation until resolve karma and merge with God. |
|---|---|
| human life | Overcome the self, align life with will of God, and become a "saint soldier," fighting for good. |
| origins | Founded by Guru Nanak, c. 1500, Punjab, India. |
| practices | Prayer and meditation on God's name, services at temple (gurdwara), turban and five Ks. Balance work, worship, and charity. No monasticism or asceticism. |
| texts | Adi Granth (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) |
| type of theism | monotheism |
| adherents | 23 million |
| god(s) | one God: Ik Onkar |
| homosexual orientation | Generally considered a manifestation of Lust, one of the "Five Thieves" or vices. A minority consider it an acceptable alternative. |
| homosexual activity | Generally condemned in light of its association with Lust and the value of family life. But a minority believe the Sikh value of universal equality supports acceptance of homosexual relations. |
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