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Judaism is the religion of the Jews, originally a Semitic tribe that lived in an area of the Middle East roughly centered on the ancient city of Jerusalem. Over time their central beliefs were written down in the Bible (Old Testament), which contains the history of the Jews, as well as the words of prophets and kings. Most importantly, the Bible teaches the children of Israel how to live according to God's wishes.
These are the central beliefs of Judaism. There is only one God and you must not worship any other gods before Him. God is all powerful, all knowing, and eternal. Each man prays to God directly, without the need for an intermediary. People can atone for sins through words and deeds. God has chosen the Jewish people to be in a covenant with Him, and some day God will send a Messiah to bring all of the chosen people back to Israel and usher in an era of peace and prosperity to the Earth.
Judaism is a remarkably strong and resilient faith. Throughout history the Jews have been oppressed and enslaved by a series of conquerors. They have been taken from their homeland and scattered across Europe, Africa and Asia. They have been the targets of a program of unbelievably brutal genocide. But throughout it all, the Jews have remained faithful to their religion and their God.
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Jesus' life and teachings are recorded in the New Testament. Born of the Virgin Mary, a Jew, the Christ lived and taught in and around present-day Palestine and Israel. According to the New Testament, he performed many miracles during his lifetime, and he taught men how to cleanse themselves from sin and thus achieve eternal happiness after death. Jesus was betrayed and crucified, but he rose from death after three days and ascended into heaven.
After Christ's death, Christianity spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean. The Romans tried unsuccessfully to suppress it, but eventually they adopted Christianity as the state religion. With the might of Rome behind it, Christianity spread rapidly through the known world. When the Roman Empire fell, Christianity broke into two branches. Since then it has continued to fragment, with a number of the branches quite hostile to others. Today, the major Christian branches include Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity, and Mormonism.
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Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca (which is now part of Saudi Arabia). He lived from 570 to 632. He began life as a merchant, but during his 40th year he experienced a series of visions from God, who commanded him to memorize the verses that would later make up the Koran. Muhammad revealed his visions to others and he gained followers. He and his followers were reviled and attacked by those who did not believe, but they were following the path that God had set for them and emerged triumphant, eventually unifying all of Arabia under one rule. After Muhammad's death, his words spread throughout the Middle East and far beyond.
Since Muhammad, Islam has broken into a number of branches, the three most prominent being the Sunni, Shi'ite and Kharijite. These schools disagree on the correct succession of authority after Muhammad's death - a matter of great religious and political importance to Islam.
All Muslims believe in the "Five Pillars of Islam," which state that one must do the following to achieve salvation: acknowledge that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet; pray daily to God at the five established times; give a portion of one's wealth to the poor; fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan; and make a pilgrimage to Mecca during the holy month of Dhul Hijjah.
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Hinduism believes that man needs to strive for self-realization in order to once again become part of the Ultimate Reality, which is God. All things are God - each man suffers only because he has forgotten that. Until he remembers, his soul remains in bondage, and he must suffer the eternal cycle of death and rebirth into this world.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Hindu thought is that there is no one true path to self-realization. Any kind of spiritual practice followed with faith and love will lead one to this enlightenment. Hindus have a rich pantheon of deities, all of whom are but a different aspect of the one God. Many contemporary Hindus believe in a Holy Trinity, consisting of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer - all are equal, all are faces of the One. Other Hindus have different interpretations, some citing one god as God and others as subordinates.
Despite these differences, there is little conflict between the various schools of thought. For, as Krishna, avatar of Vishnu, said, "Whatever deity or form a devotee worships, I make his faith steady."
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Buddhism follows the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Gautama lived from 620 to 540 BC. The Buddha ("enlightened one") sought to teach his followers to search for "Dharma," the truth. By doing so, they too would become enlightened and thus achieve "Nirvana," the perfect peace that would free one's soul from the unending cycle of death and rebirth that all men suffer.
Three major schools of Buddhism survive today. Vajrayana believes that people can "speed up" enlightenment through "tantric" techniques such as yoga, mantras (chants), and various other rituals. Theravada and Mahayana are sutric schools that believe that one achieves enlightenment primarily through study of the Budda's teachings.
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Confucianism grew in influence for the two centuries following Confucius' death, until it was rigidly suppressed during the Qin Dynasty, whose leaders saw it as a threat to their power. The Qin systematically destroyed the Confucian temples and burned all the Confucian books, including most of Confucius' writings. Virtually everything was lost, except for a cache of important books hidden in the walls of a believer's home. When these were discovered, the few remaining believers were able to rebuild and spread their religion. Eventually Confucianism became the state religion of China. It remained so until the Communists came into power in the 20th Century.
Today, Confucianism is enjoying something of a revival, and many Chinese students (and students from around the world) study the great philosopher and his teachings. However, in modern times Confucianism is mostly studied as a philosophy rather than a religion (though it should be pointed out that there is no clear distinction between the two in Eastern thought).
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The Tao Te Ching is written in verse. It is extremely subtle and difficult to understand. Many scholars have spent years trying to interpret it. The book can be (very primitively and probably inaccurately) summarized as follows. The "Tao" is what exists before everything else. It is formless, and from it all things are formed. Man must aspire to simplicity; only by discarding the useless trappings of culture and civilization can man return to his original state of emptiness - Tao - when all is possible. According to Lao-Tsu, "the sage has no heart of his own" - no intentions, no preconceptions, and no agenda.
The religion of Taoism is based upon worship of Lao-Tsu as a deity. According to Taoist religious tradition, in 142 AD Lao-Tsu appeared to Zhang Daoling, a hermit, and told him that the world was coming to an end, and those who followed Lao-Tsu would go on to another, better life. Further, Lao-Tsu's followers would have access to the celestial powers that control the fate of mankind. Zhang preached Lao-Tsu's words and gained many converts.
Over time, Taoism split into a number of schools. Some believed that they could change the world through talismans, alchemy, and magical spells. Some sought to achieve immortality through a Buddhist-like enlightenment. A variety of gods from Chinese folklore and Buddhist tradition were incorporated into the religion.
Taoism spread widely throughout China, and it was the official state religion for a thousand years, until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. The Communists virtually eradicated the religion in China during the Cultural Revolution (1960-76), when many of the temples were destroyed and the monks and priests sent to "reeducation" camps. In the 1980s China restored some religious tolerance, and Taoist temples are slowly being rebuilt and repaired.
It is believed that many Chinese still practice Taoism in some form, despite the government's restrictions. Taoism is also practiced by some 31 million people outside of China, the largest group being in Taiwan. Its influence can be felt world-wide in the practices of acupuncture, herbalism, feng shui, and martial arts.