BRIDGES OF FAITH

Christianity is a monotheistic religion, and it is the world's largest religion with approximately 2.5 billion followers worldwide. Christianity is the religion based on the belief and following of Jesus Christ. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity which includes the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. They believe all three persons make up one holy and almighty God. This belief is called "trinitarianism." They take Jesus Christ to be the word and human-form of God, and they regard Him as their Messiah.

Christians follow the Bible, which includes the Torah (Old Testament) and the New Testament. They believe the Bible has revelations and the key to the truth about God and the world. Christians believe the Lord will come again soon to judge all persons, both the living and the dead, to determine their eternal life. 

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvL3YXa0n2M

Islam is a monotheistic religion regarded as being revealed through many Prophets throughout the course of history. Islam is the second largest religion and fastest-growing religion in the world. Linguistically, Islam means "submission" -- as in submission to God and to His message. Muslims believe in one god whom they call Allah (which is the Arabic word for God). Aside from Muhammad, the other Prophets of Islam include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. 

Islam holds that Muhammad was sent as the seal of all Prophets -- hence they refer to him as the Prophet of Islam and the primary source of truth. Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to Muhammad as the source of perfect guidance and the true word of Allah.

Learn more: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PDxKxnVZtgo&t

Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. Followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets. The history of Judaism is essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which has a rich heritage of law, culture, and tradition. Jewish people believe God communicates to believers through prophets, and that He rewards good deeds while also punishing evil. They believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet come -- but will one day. 

The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the “Hebrew Bible.” It includes the same books as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible, but they’re placed in a slightly different order. Jewish people worship in holy places known as synagogues, and their spiritual leaders are called rabbis. The six-pointed Star of David is the symbol of Judaism. Today, there are about 14 million Jews worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VAylWxDQfk

Buddhism is the Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on a series of original teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha. Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana. 

The Tripitaka is the main book of Buddhism. Founded 2,500 years ago, Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world with almost 300 million followers.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdgT6VCuu0

Hinduism is the OLDEST religion in the world. It is an Indian religion that includes a set of religious beliefs/practices, traditions, a way of life, and dharma -- a religious and universal order by which followers abide. They believe in many gods, including Brahma as the creator of all things. 

The Veda is the central book for Hinduism. Hinduism is made up of 1.2 billion followers worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBEEuYIWwY

Shinto (or Shintoism) is a religion that originated in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by religious scholars, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Shinto is an optimistic faith. Humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers, and offerings to the Kami (the spirits/gods in Shintoism). 

The Kojiki is the inspirational book for Shintoism. Shintoism permits its followers to follow any other religion. It has over 100 million affiliated people worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX8cz1LEeXw

Sikhism is a monotheistic Indian religion and philosophy founded in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century. Its members are known as Sikhs. Sikhs call their faith Gurmat (Punjabi: “the Way of the Guru”). According to Sikh tradition, Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) and subsequently led by a succession of nine other Gurus. All 10 human Gurus, Sikhs believe, were inhabited by a single spirit. Upon the death of the 10th, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the spirit of the eternal Guru transferred itself to the sacred scripture of Sikhism.

Such sacred scripture of Sikhism is called the Guru Granth Sahib (“The Granth as the Guru”), also known as the Adi Granth (“First Volume”). It was regarded as the sole Guru. There are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide; the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1UAORcX4c

Zoroastrianism is the monotheistic faith established by the Persian prophet Zoroaster (also given as Zarathustra, Zartosht) between c. 1500-1000 BCE. It holds that there is one supreme deity, Ahura Mazda (Lord of Wisdom), creator and sustainer of all things, and encourages adherents to express their faith through the principle of Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.

The religion is also known as Mazdayasna ("devotion to Mazda") and Mazdaism. This belief system developed from the polytheistic ancient Persian religion, which regarded Ahura Mazda as the greatest of a large pantheon of gods and, like the later Zoroastrianism, saw life as a struggle between the forces of light and goodness and those of darkness and evil.

The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism. There are an upwards of 200,000 followers of Zoroastrianism worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl9QgeHdKYk

Jainism an ancient non-theistic Indian religion that teaches that the path to enlightenment is through nonviolence and reducing harm to living things (including plants and animals) as much as possible. Jainism is often regarded as one of the most peaceful religions in the world.

Similar to Hindus and Buddhists, Jains believe in reincarnation. This cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is said to be determined by one's karma. The holy book of Jainism is a collection of texts known as Agam Literature or the Agam Sutras. There are upwards of 5 million Jains worldwide; most Jains live in India.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkwmYlgkOhU

Taoism (or Daoism) refers to either a religion or school of philosophical thought, both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin. They both emphasize living in harmony with the Tao ("Way"). The Tao is generally defined as the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality.

The most important text of Taoism is the Tao Te Ching. There are an estimated 8.7 million Taoists worldwide.

Learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6hslRjGaww

Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, and antitheism.

16% of the world's population, or 1.2 billion, are atheist, agnostic, secular, or religiously unaffiliated.