Religions of India

by Gabbie

Following up our articles on Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, this chart provides another look at these religions. It’s interesting to compare these statistics to those of our own country. In India, Hinduism is the predominant faith and accounts for 83% of the population, while only 2% considers itself Christian; in the United States, Christianity is the most common religion, counting about 76% of the population as its own.

Works Cited
Varshney, Ashutosh. Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2002. Print.

Kelly, D. A., Ramkishen S. Rajan, and Gillian H. L. Goh. Managing Globalization: Lessons from China and India : Inaugural Conference of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific Pub., 2006. Print.

"Sociologist Debunks Myths on U.S. Christianity." ChristianPost.com - Today's Christian News Online. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100726/christianity/page2.html

Sikhism

by Stella

India is home to many different religions. There are a great number of Sikhs in India, as well as the world, and although Sikhism may appear similar to Hinduism, these two religions are actually very different.

One major difference is the origin of the religion. Sikhism came about in the 1400s, when the first of the Ten Gurus, Guru Nanak, started to gain followers. The last living guru, Guru Gobind Singh, died in 1708 after founding the Khalsa and the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy scripture of Sikhism. The Khalsa is a group of Sikhs who are willing to die for their religion, and live by the five K's.

The five K's are kara, kangha, kesh, kachera, and kirpan. Kara is an iron or steel bracelet, worn to symbolize strength and eternity. Sikhs wear turbans because they do not cut their hair, to show their acceptance of God's creation. This practice is known as kesh. The Kangha is a comb that Sikhs use to keep their long hair clean and secure the knot that it is kept in. Kachera are shorts that Sikhs wear under their clothes, and Kirpan is a knife that reminds members of the Khalsa that they are willing to die for their faith.

Sikhism involves many other traditions, such as praying in the gurdwara, where a granthi, similar to a priest, reads from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Several festivals are held, including Baisakhi, Divali Mela, and Hola Mohalla Mela. They also observe all of the Gurus' births and deaths, called gurpurbs.

Despite its over 22 million adherents, Sikhism is often overlooked and thought of as no more than a relative of Hinduism, but it is really a separate religion with its own beliefs and practices.

Works Cited
Barnes, Trevor. Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions. Boston: Kingfisher, 2005. Print.

Dalton, David. Sikhism. Great Britain: Barrons, 2006. Print. This Is My Faith.

Mayled, Jon. Sikhism. Chicago: Raintree, 2003. Print. Living Religions.

Ross, Stephen. "Statistics Population, World, Countries, Cities, Religions, Roman Catholic, Muslims - Worldwide Missions - Wholesome Words." Wholesome Words Christian Website. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

Hinduism

by Stella

Although most Hindus believe that their religion had no "beginning", many other people believe that it was formed by people living in what is now Pakistan, more than five thousand years ago. It is based heavily on meditation and contact with the spiritual world. The main god of Hinduism, who is said to be ubiquitous and responsible for all creation, is called Brahman. He is worshiped through various gods and goddesses, the most well-known of which are Brahma the creator, Shiva the destroyer and Vishnu the preserver. These three deities form the cycle of life at the center of Hinduism.

Many Hindus have a shrine in their home, where they worship daily. They also worship in temples, under supervision of a Brahmin, or priest. These temples are believed to be Brahman's home. Some of the important scriptures in Hinduism are the Vedas and the Bhagavad-gita, which include important teachings and hymns.

We've all heard the phrase "that's karma for you," but where does it come from? Karma is an idea involved in several religions, including Sikhism and Buddhism, as well as Hinduism. Hindu's karma is the belief that your actions in this life shape your next life. For example, if you are mean in this life, you will be reborn as a poor person or a lower species.

An important Hindu holiday is Divali. This involves putting up lamps and setting off fireworks for five days in November or October, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Other important ceremonies are the coming-of-age rituals, called Ritu Kala for girls and Upanayana for boys. Hindus also believe that astrology is very important, and soon after the birth of a baby, the parents are given a horoscope by a priest. Then, twelve days after the birth, a naming ceremony is held.

Hinduism is a very complex religion with many interesting traditions. Even if you are not Hindu, there are many important lessons to be learned from its writings and teachings.

Works Cited
Barnes, Trevor. Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions. Boston: Kingfisher, 2005. Print.

Dalton, David. Sikhism. Great Britain: Barrons, 2006. Print. This Is My Faith.

Mayled, Jon. Sikhism. Chicago: Raintree, 2003. Print. Living Religions.

Ross, Stephen. "Statistics Population, World, Countries, Cities, Religions, Roman Catholic, Muslims - Worldwide Missions - Wholesome Words." Wholesome Words Christian Website. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html

Christianity: A Brief Summary

by Nate

Christianity is a very well-known religion, but unbiased explanations of it are still difficult to find. I hope this brief overview will clear up some confusion.

Christianity is considered an Abrahamic religion, along with Judaism and Islam. It has its roots in Judaism, and despite the many differences and disagreements between these two faiths, there are also many common themes and beliefs. Many people believe that Jesus was a Jew; however, many followers of Judaism reject Jesus as the messiah, while most Christians view Jesus as God incarnate, the savior of the world – the appointed one, the son of God, the bringer of salvation.

Accordingly, the teachings of Jesus are the foundation of Christianity. Christians believe that he was a real person, brought into the world by an immaculate conception, and executed by crucifixion for the sins of humanity. In the Bible it was prophesied that upon his coming, “The deaf shall hear; the blind shall see (Isaiah 29:18); the eyes of the blind opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame man shall leap like a rabbit, the tongue of a dumb man shall leap for joy (Isaiah 35:5, 8).” In Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-23, Jesus fulfilled these prophesies. During his lifetime, he gathered many disciples, and preached to people, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40) To prove that he was truly the son of God, he performed many miracles, including walking on water and changing water to wine.

After Jesus spent years traveling and preaching, it was decided that he was a threat to the Roman Empire, and when he was about 33 his crucifixion was ordered by Pontius Pilate, then a governor. However, the Bible relates his resurrection and thereafter, the continuing of his teachings by his disciples, whom he instructed, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) These teachings are described in the Bible’s New Testament, which continues and expands on the Old Testament, and relates events after the coming of Jesus.

Christianity plays a role in the lives of an extraordinary number of people all over the world. In fact, about one third of the world's population, or 2.2 billion people, are Christian – making Christianity the most widely adhered-to religion there is, followed by Judaism & Islam. However, it is strictly regulated or even illegal in 51 countries, including those which are Communist (Cuba), fundamental Islamic (Nigeria) or Hindu. It is not a unified religion, having 22 major denominations and 38,000 minor ones, which differ in regard to apostolic succession, papal authority, and the nature of Jesus. Of Christianity, C.S. Lewis once said, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

Works Cited
"Birth of Jesus." Christian Bible Reference Site. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. http://www.christianbiblereference.org/story_BirthOfJesus.htm

"Fast Facts on Christianity." Religion Facts. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/fastfacts.htm

Hedrick, Charles. "What Is Christianity?" Geneva.rutgers.edu. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/christianity/

Oakes, John. "Where Did Christianity Originate?" Evidence for Christianity. EFC. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.evidenceforchristianity.org/index.php?option=com_custom_content&task=view&id=4002

Paradigm, Shattered. "Christianity - The Most Persecuted Religion In The Entire World." The Final Hour. End Times, 06 Feb. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://thefinalhour.blogspot.com/2009/02/christianity-most-persecuted-religion.html

Persecuted Countries." Persecution News of Churches Persecuted & Christian Sufferings. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.persecution.org/

Robinson, B.A. "Religions of the World: Numbers of Adherents; Growth Rates." Religions of the World. 20 Dec. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm

"Teachings of Jesus." Gospel Mysteries. Gospel-mystries.net. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.gospel-mysteries.net/teachings-jesus.html

"When Did Jesus Live?" TheologyWeb News - The Front Page. VBulletin Solutions, 22 Apr. 2003. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/archive/index.php/t-3476.html

Snowy Church

This is a picture of the Lake Washington Christian Church that was taken when it snowed a few days ago. How pretty!

Buddhism

by Gloria

Most people’s impression of Buddhism is a bunch of Asians worshipping a fat god - at least that’s what I thought before I looked a little deeper. Buddhism actually originated in India, but now is widely popular in Asian countries. It is not a religion, but a philosophy and way of life. Even though my mom grew up a in a Buddhist culture in Taiwan, she is Christian now, and I never knew much about her religion. When my family visited my grandparents and extended family in Taiwan, we went to a temple and burned paper and set out food. I did not understand what we were doing, but after doing some research I understand a little more of what Buddhism is really about.

The Buddha is not a god, nor an idol; he is the teacher of a path to enlightenment. His followers do not worship him or ask for favors, but pay respect to him. The Buddha was Siddhartha Gotama, born in 562 BCE, into a royal family in India. An astrologer predicted that he would become a great king or spiritual leader, depending on whether he saw outside the palace walls. His father tried to prevent him from venturing outside, but eventually he did. There he saw an old man, a poor man, a corpse, and a holy man, and he decided to leave the palace and find inner peace. Seeing these people made him realize the suffering that people not in the palace feel, and the holy man seemed at peace with himself and the world. Siddhartha experimented with religions at both ends of extremity and found no peace; he eventually sat in meditation and created the Middle Way, Buddhism. His intent was not to create a religion, but to help people reach Enlightenment.

A few concepts of Buddhism are karma and rebirth. Karma is the belief that every action has an effect that manifests itself in another life. This explains why some people are born disabled, and some more skilled than others. Another concept is the Four Noble Truths; life is suffering, suffering is caused by attachment to desires, suffering will cease once attachment to desire ceases, and freedom from suffering can be attained by following the Eight-fold path. The Eight-fold path has eight areas and involves being moral, being mindful and aware of one’s thoughts and actions, and to develop wisdom and understanding.

Buddhism is very tolerant of other religions; in fact, it encourages others to practice their own religions as long as they promote the well-being of all living things. Buddhists do not try to convert people because they do not believe that other religions hold back world progress or peace; that is why no wars have ever been fought over Buddhism.

Buddhism is much more than just a religion; it is a path to Enlightenment and a way of life. It is different from other religions because it does not worship an unattainable god; it has moral philosophies and allows science to exist with it. It does not treat other religions as obstacles to world peace, but encourages them.

Works Cited
White, Brian. "A Basic Buddhism Guide: 5 Minute Introduction." BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network. 1993. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm

Dhammananda, Sri. "Buddhist Attitude Towards Other Religions." Know Buddhism. 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. http://www.knowbuddhism.info/2009/03/buddhist-attitude-towards-religions.html

Essentialsof Buddhism - Core Concepts. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. http://buddhaweb.org/

Henry VIII & the Church of England

by Gabbie

Securing the executions of two of his seven wives was not the only thing that King Henry VIII accomplished during his 38 years as the monarch of England. He also brought about momentous religious reform, though this was not at all unrelated to his desire to replace his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

During their marriage, Catherine had borne several children but only one, Mary, had survived. Since Catherine had not given Henry a male child to carry on his line, she had failed him as a wife; also, he had once seemed to love and respect her, but sadly he had now grown tired of her and wanted to be rid of her so that he would be free to marry Anne Boleyn. King Henry cited the Bible as his grounds for a divorce; a passage of Leviticus states ominously, “If a man shall take his brother’s wife…they shall be childless.” Catherine was the widow of Henry’s older brother Arthur, though she maintained that their marriage was never consummated, because of Arthur’s declining health. It’s difficult to say whether King Henry, who seemed to be a devout Catholic, was truly haunted by Leviticus as he claimed to be or whether he found in it a convenient excuse.

Either way, King Henry decided to ask Pope Clement VII for an annulment, as per the suggestion of Cardinal Wolsey. Influenced by Charles V, the nephew of Catherine and the king of Spain, the pope denied King Henry’s request. King Henry soon realized that he need not subordinate himself to the decisions of the pope, and took advantage of the general anti-papacy sentiment to pass the Act of Supremacy, which named him as the head of the Church of England instead of the pope. His new power made him free to send Catherine away and make Anne his queen.

With King Henry as its head, the Church of England began to drift slightly. Probably in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, he incorporated several Protestant ideas and practices. But it soon became evident that he was uncomfortable with these changes, and he eventually reverted to the old, more conservatively Catholic doctrines, which fit better with the teachings of his childhood.

Under the control of King Henry VIII, the Church of England had become different, but was still very much the same.

Works Cited
Hobbs, Jeff. "The Religious Policy of King Henry VIII." Britannia History. Britannia.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. http://www.britannia.com/history/articles/relpolh8.html

"Leviticus and the "Great Matter" of Henry VIII." UMKC School of Law. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/more/leviticus.html

Pollard, A.F. "The Life of King Henry VIII." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tudorbio.htm

"Tudor Monarchs: King Henry VIII." English History. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/henry8-main.html

Wilde, Robert. "Henry VIII of England." European History. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/ukandireland/p/henryviii.htm

Outside of the Normal

by Stella

Most of us have heard about Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, but many modern religions are less well-known. Parody religions have become popular during the last fifty years. These are religions or groups of people that mock or parody an established belief system. They might make fun of one specific religion, or the entire concept of religious belief. Some of the more popular ones are The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Discordianism.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Pastafarianism, was formed when a “concerned citizen” named Bobby Henderson sent a letter to the Kansas school board in protest of the teaching of Intelligent Design Creationism in schools. He argued that in order for this to be fair, the schools would also have to teach the theory that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. He went on to say that if creationism cannot be disproved, then neither can Pastafarianism. According to the principles of Pastafarianism, its teachers must dress in full pirate regalia. A graph attributes the rise in global temperature to the decline of pirate populations.

Discordianism is based on chaos in the world, and is closely related to the second law of thermodynamics. It’s difficult to say whether Discordianism is a parody religion or whether its adherents are true believers. Either way, there is definitely a feeling of confusion and nonsense in the Principia Discordia, the official doctrine written by Malaclypse the Younger. The beliefs of Discordianism are based on the Greek story of The Original Snub, in which the goddess Eris, is not invited to a wedding and angrily throws an apple inscribed with “to the prettiest one” into the wedding. Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera fight over which of them is the rightful owner, and it is left up to Paris of Troy to decide. This eventually leads to the Trojan War. Afterwards, Eris enjoys a hot dog. Discordians also ascribe to law of fives, which states that everything is directly or indirectly related to the number five, and the Pentabarf, which is a list of “commandments” that Discordians must follow – some of which prohibit them from eating hot dogs and from believing what they read.

Some other established parody religions include The Invisible Pink Unicorn, which, as a paradox, has become a symbol for atheism, and The Church of the SubGenius, in which believers worship Bob. There are many parody religions too esoteric to understand but anyone can see that they excite many people and have numerous dedicated followers.

Works Cited
Cedestra. "10 Post-Modern Religions." Top 10 Lists - Listverse. 12 Apr. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://listverse.com/2008/04/12/10-post-modern-religions/

Henderson, Bobby. Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.venganza.org/

Malaclypse the Younger. "The Principia Discordia." Principia Discordia the Book of Chaos, Discord and Confusion Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://principiadiscordia.com/book/