World Religions - An overview of three major beliefs
There are many, many world religions in existence today. Some world religions have been in place for centuries, others rather new. Some world religions are deeply rooted in cultures and history, other world religions are more like philosophy than religion.
Three of the largest world religions are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. While these world religions are all different, they do have some things in common. These world religions are practiced in all areas of the globe.
Judaism - The Old Testament books of the Bible describe the numerous struggles of the Jewish people. After their triumphant Exodus from Egyptian captivity following Moses, they wandered around in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. Judaism is a religion which believes that the universe was created by a single, all-knowing divinity, and that all things within that universe were designed to have meaning and purpose as part of a divine order. According to the teachings of Judaism, God’s will for human behavior was revealed to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Saini. The Torah, or commandments, which regulate how humans are to live their lives, were a gift from God so that they might live in according to His will. Most Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God and are expecting the one who was prophesied about in the Old Testament to come earth.
Islam - The history of Islam centers around Muhammad, who was born around 570 A.D. and was raised by his extended family after the death of his parents. As he grew, he became dissatisfied with polytheism and came to believe in one God, Allah. He began to have religious visions around age forty. During these visions, Muhammad would receive “messages” or “revelations” from Allah. These visions are now recorded in the Qur’an (or Koran), the basis for Islamic doctrine. It is the scripture of Islam, written by Muhammad and his disciples as dictated by the Angel Gabriel. For Muslims, the Qur’an is the word of God.
Christianity – The Christian faith consists of the belief in the Holy Trinity—God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was unique as he was the Son of God, God in the flesh, but was still fully and completely human. He lived his life without sin, he performed many miracles and spoke to many about his Father God. When Jesus was thirty-three years old, he died on a cross to pay for the sins of all mankind. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. Because of Jesus dying on the cross, salvation, or eternal life, can be obtained by believing in Jesus, confessing your sins, and asking Jesus to come into your heart. In the Christian faith, Christmas is celebrated to remember Christ’s birth; Easter is celebrated to remember that Jesus suffered and died for us, but rose again and still lives today. The Christian faith uses the Holy Bible—the Word of God–as a basis and guideline for daily life.
These are just three world religions that you can investigate. Other world religions and philosophies such as Buddhism and Hinduism can be researched online or through your local library.