DOCSLIB.ORG

Religions Chart

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Religions Chart The Big Religion Chart The ReligionFacts "Big Religion Chart" is an attempt to summarize all the complexities of religions and belief systems into tiny little boxes on a single, quick-reference comparison chart. Yes, this is impossible. As we always warn with our comparison charts, this is no substitute for reading about religions in greater detail, talking with religious adherents, etc. But this religion comparison chart can (hopefully) be a useful and accessible way to "get the gist" of some unfamiliar groups and compare basic beliefs and practices of the world's religions and belief systems. Despite the chart's simplistic title, we have been very inclusive with what is regarded as a "religion" for purposes of this comparison chart. Basically, the grounds for a group's inclusion are that it provides a set of teachings and/or rituals that deal with the traditionally "religious" issues of ultimate reality, the meaning of life, and/or how to find fulfillment, spiritual health or salvation. Also, all the groups listed below can be found in dictionaries of religion. Inclusion of a group on this list does not mean that the group is a "religion" per se (note that atheism is listed) or a "true religion" or that "[one listed group] is just as much a religion as [another listed group]." Similarly, if a group does not appear on this chart it doesn't mean it's not a religion or doesn't matter; the chart is not comprehensive and is continually growing. In addition, listing groups separately does not mean they are mutually exclusive, nor does grouping them together mean that they are basically the same thing. This is not an authoritative list of religions, simply a resource on some worldviews and ways of life that hopefully some will find useful. Links in the left column go to ReligionFacts articles where available (see also the A-Z Religion Index). For more information on numbers of adherents, please see Adherents.com, from which most of the stats are taken. Last updated: 2/10/07. Please maximize your browser window to make this chart easier to read. Religion/Sect/ Origins & History Adherents God(s) and Human Situation Afterlife Practices Texts More Info Belief System Worldwide Universe and Life's Purpose (approx.) Aladura Various prophet- 1 million Generally Strong emphasis on Not emphasized; Spiritual healing is None ReligionFacts healing churches monotheistic; a mix healing and salvation views vary. central. Mix of Anglican article founded since of Anglican, in this life through and African rituals; a c.1918, West Pentecostal and prayer, fasting and prophet plays a Nigeria. traditional African other rituals. prominent role. beliefs. Asatru Revival of Norse unknown Polytheistic, Norse Salvation or Valhalla (heaven) for Sacrifice of food or Eddas (Norse ReligionFacts and Germanic gods and goddesses, redemption not death in battle; Hel drink, toast to the gods, epics); the article paganism, 1970s Norse creation emphasized. (peaceful place) for shamanism (less Havamal (proverbs Scandinavia and myths. Fatalistic view of most; Hifhel (hell) frequently), celebration attributed to Odin) Asatru USA. universe. for the very evil. of solstice holidays. Nine Alliance Noble Virtues is moral code. Wikipedia Atheism Appears in history, 1.1 billion There is no God or Only humans can none none Influential works The Secular but especially after (this figure divine being. Beliefs help themselves and include those by Web the Enlightenment includes about the universe each other solve the Marx, Freud, (19th cent). agnostic and generally based on world's problems. Feuerbach, and BBC Religion non- latest scientific Voltaire. religious, findings. Wikipedia which tend to be grouped on surveys) Baha'i Faith Founded by 5-7 million One God, who has The soul is eternal Soul separates from Daily prayer, avoidance Writings of ReligionFacts Bahá'u'lláh, 1863, revealed himself and essentially good. the body and begins of intoxicants, scripture Bahá'u'lláh and section Tehran, Iran. progressively Purpose of life is to a journey towards or reading, hard work, other Bahá'í through major world develop spiritually away from God. education, work for leaders The Baha'i religions. and draw closer to Heaven and hell are social justice and World God. states of being. equality. Bön Indigenous religion 100,000 Nontheistic Purpose is to gain Reincarnation until Meditation on mandalas Bonpo canon ReligionFacts of Tibet. Buddhism, but enlightenment. gain enlightenment and Tibetan deities, article meditation on astrology, monastic life. peaceful and Tibet.com wrathful deities. Buddhism Founded by 360 million Varies: Theravada Purpose is to avoid Reincarnation Meditation, mantras, Tripitaka (Pali ReligionFacts Siddharta Gautama atheistic; Mahayana suffering and gain (understood devotion to deities (in Canon); Mahayana section (the Buddha) in c. more polytheistic. enlightenment and differently than in some sects), mandalas sutras like the 520 BC, NE India. Buddha taught release from cycle of Hinduism, with no (Tibetan) Lotus Sutra; BuddhaNet nothing is rebirth, or at least surviving soul) until others. permanent. attain a better rebirth gain enlightenment by gaining merit. Religion/Sect/ Origins & History Adherents God(s) and Human Situation Afterlife Practices Texts More Info Belief System Worldwide Universe and Life's Purpose (approx.) Cao Dai Founded in 1926, 4-6 million God represented by Goal is peace and Reincarnation. Bad Hierarchy similar to Caodai canon ReligionFacts Vietnam by Ngo Divine Eye. harmony in each karma can lead to Roman Catholicism. article Van Chieu and Founders of person and in the rebirth on a darker Daily prayer. Meditation. others based on a Buddhism, Taoism, world. Salvation by planet; good karma Communication with CaoDai.org séance. Hinduism, Islam, and "cultivating self and to better life on spirit world (now Christianity finding God in self." earth. Eventual outlawed in Vietnam). venerated, and saints attainment of nirvana including Victor or heaven. Hugo. Chinese Religion Indigenous folk 394 million Dualistic yin and Purpose is a Judgment, then Ancestor worship, None ReligionFacts religion of China. yang; mythological favorable life and reincarnation or prayer, section beings and folk peaceful afterlife, temporary hell until longevity practices deities. attained through gain a Buddhist-type , divination, prophecy Chinese rituals and honoring paradise. and astrology, feng shui. Cultural of ancestors. Studies Chopra Center Founded by unknown monism - God or Humans have Reincarnation Yoga, meditation, Deepak Chopra's ReligionFacts Deepak Chopra in Supreme Reality limitless potential, massage, nutrition, many books, such article 1991, California pervades all things; but do not recognize mindfulness, detox as the Seven all is unity this. Health and sessions, positive Spiritual Laws of Official success can be had thinking. Success Website by focusing on whole self (mind, body, spirit). Christianity Founded by Jesus 2 billion One God who is a All have sinned and Eternal heaven or Prayer, Bible study, The Holy Bible ReligionFacts (Catholic, Christ in c. 30 AD, Trinity of Father, are thereby separated hell (or temporary baptism, Eucharist, (Old and New section Protestant, Israel. Son, and Holy Spirit from God. Salvation purgatory). church on Sundays, Testaments) Orthodox) is through faith in numerous holidays. Wikipedia Christ and, for some, sacraments and good BBC Religion works. Christian Science Founded by Mary 150,000 - One God. No Trinity Salvation is "Life, Heaven is "not a Spiritual healing through Christian Bible, ReligionFacts Baker Eddy in 400,000 (in traditional sense). Truth, and Love locality, but a divine prayer and knowledge, Science & Health article 1879, Matter and evil do understood and state of Mind in Sunday services, daily with Key to the Massachusetts. not exist. demonstrated as which all the Bible and Science & Scriptures Official supreme over all; sin, manifestations of Health reading. Website sickness and death Mind are harmonious destroyed." and immortal." Confucianism Founded by 5-6 million Not addressed Purpose of life is to Not addressed Honesty, politeness, Analects ReligionFacts Confucius (551– fulfill one's role in propriety, humaneness, article 479 BC), China society with perform correct role in propriety, honor, and society, loyalty to Wikipedia loyalty. family, nation Religion/Sect/ Belief Origins & History Adherents God(s) and Human Situation Afterlife Practices Texts More Info System Worldwide Universe and Life's Purpose (approx.) Deism Especially unknown One Creator God Not addressed Not addressed None prescribed, Thomas Paine's World Union popularized in the who is uninterested although some deists The Age of Reason of Deists 18th-cent. in the world. Reason practice prayer. and similar texts Enlightenment is basis for all Wikipedia under Kant, knowledge. Voltaire, Paine, Jefferson, and others Druze Al-Darazi in 11th 500,000 Universal Live a good life for a Reincarnation. Modest lifestyles, fasting Al-Naqd al-Khafi Wikipedia century, Cairo, Intelligence (al-Aql favorable Heaven is a spiritual before Eid al-Adha. (Copy of the Egypt. Roots in the al-Kulli) or Divine reincarnation. Await existence when one Beliefs and practices are Secret); Al-Juz'al- Lexicorient Isma'iliyya sect of Essence (akin to the re-appearance of has escaped hidden for protection Awwal (Essence of Shia Islam. Neoplatonism), of al-Hakim (a Fatimid reincarnation. Hell is from persecution. the First) which al-Hakim is caliph who distance from God in Special group of initiates believed to be an disappeared in lifetime after called uqqal. incarnation. 1021), who will lifetime. usher in a Golden Age for true believers. Eckankar John Paul 50-500,000 The Divine Spirit, "Each of us is Soul, a Reincarnation. The Spiritual Exercises of Shariyat-Ki- ReligionFacts Twitchell in 1965, called "ECK" spark of God sent to Soul is eternal by ECK: mantras, Sugmad and books article Las Vegas. this world to gain nature and on a meditation, and dreams. by Harold Klemp spiritual experience." spiritual journey. These enable Soul travel Official Salvation is Liberation possible and spiritual growth. Website liberation and God- in a single lifetime. realization.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploration of a DDC/UDC View of Religion
    EPC Exhibit 134-11.3 May 12, 2011 THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Dewey Section To: Caroline Kent, Chair Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee Cc: Members of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee Karl E. Debus-López, Chief, U.S. General Division From: Giles Martin, Assistant Editor Dewey Decimal Classification OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc Re: Chronological/regional view of 200 Religion For some time now we have been exploring the development of an alternative view of 200 Religion to reduce the perceived Christian bias in the standard notational sequence for religions in 200. The UDC 2 Religion schedule, revised in 2000, includes a chronological/regional view of religion that is a promising model for such an alternative arrangement. Much of the work on this has been done by Ia McIlwaine (formerly the editor-in-chief of the Universal Decimal Classification – UDC) and Joan Mitchell. I have attached a paper that they presented on the subject as Appendix 2 to this exhibit. The paper’s citation is: McIlwaine, Ia, and Joan S. Mitchell. 2006. ―The New Ecumenism: Exploration of a DDC/UDC View of Religion.‖ In Knowledge Organization for a Global Learning Society: Proceedings of the 9th International ISKO Conference, 4-7 July 2006, Vienna, Austria, edited by Gerhard Budin, Christian Swertz, and Konstantin Mitgutsch, p. 323-330. Würzberg: Ergon. I have also attached a top-level summary of the arrangement of religions and sects in UDC 2 Religion as Appendix 1. As can be seen in Appendix 1, at the top level UDC uses three principles of arrangement: (1) It generally arranges religions chronologically in order of the foundation of the world’s major religions, though the grouping at 25 (Religions of antiquity.
    [Show full text]
  • Leibniz on Consciousness and Self-Consciousness Rocco J
    Leibniz on Consciousness and Self-Consciousness Rocco J. Gennaro [Final version in NEW ESSAYS ON THE RATIONALISTS, Oxford U Press, 1999] In this paper I discuss the so-called "higher-order thought theory of consciousness" (the HOT theory) with special attention to how Leibnizian theses can help support it and how it can shed light on Leibniz's theory of perception, apperception, and consciousness. It will become clear how treating Leibniz as a HOT theorist can solve some of the problems he faced and some of the puzzles posed by commentators, e.g. animal mentality and the role of reason and memory in self-consciousness. I do not hold Leibniz's metaphysic of immaterial simple substances (i.e. monads), but even a contemporary materialist can learn a great deal from him. 1. What is the HOT Theory? In the absence of any plausible reductionist account of consciousness in nonmentalistic terms, the HOT theory says that the best explanation for what makes a mental state conscious is that it is accompanied by a thought (or awareness) that one is in that state.1 The sense of 'conscious state' I have in mind is the same as Nagel's sense, i.e. there is 'something it is like to be in that state' from a subjective or first-person point of view.2 Now, when the conscious mental state is a first-order world-directed state the HOT is not itself conscious; otherwise, circularity and an infinite regress would follow. Moreover, when the higher-order thought (HOT) is itself conscious, there is a yet higher-order (or third-order) thought directed at the second-order state.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirit Speaks January-February 2014 Volume 11 Issue 1
    Spirit Speaks January-February 2014 Volume 11 Issue 1 Honoring Presence ~ Nurturing Spirit ~ . ~ Enriching the lives of all we serve Dr. Moira’s Message Dear Ones, A NEW Year! Such a gift! Not all of us were given it in 2014. Many of us saw the transition of loved ones in 2013 and are adjusting to a new reality without them. I know however, that their last gift to us is a reminder to get our house in order, so that when the moment of our own transition arises, we are ready to move into it in grace, peace and joy, and with a sense of accomplishment. Recently, I read somewhere, “So many people complain that there is never enough time and yet they live as though they had all the time in the world.” I am still pondering the insightfulness of these words. When I preside over memo- rial services, I remind us all that whatever it is we have put aside, on the back burner until later, our passed loved ones are saying to us on their departure: “What are you waiting for? When do you think you’ll have enough time to take care of these things? What if you run out of time? Bring these things forward now. Whatever needs mending, fixing, healing and releasing, take care of it now!” The only right time to take care of anything is NOW. This is a great time of year to decide to work on that list of back burner things, and one by one take care of them.
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices
    STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HANDBOOK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES 1987 FIRST REVISION 1995 SECOND REVISION 2004 THIRD REVISION 2011 FOURTH REVISION 2012 FIFTH REVISION 2013 HANDBOOK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES INTRODUCTION The Department of Corrections acknowledges the inherent and constitutionally protected rights of incarcerated offenders to believe, express and exercise the religion of their choice. It is our intention that religious programs will promote positive values and moral practices to foster healthy relationships, especially within the families of those under our jurisdiction and within the communities to which they are returning. As a Department, we commit to providing religious as well as cultural opportunities for offenders within available resources, while maintaining facility security, safety, health and orderly operations. The Department will not endorse any religious faith or cultural group, but we will ensure that religious programming is consistent with the provisions of federal and state statutes, and will work hard with the Religious, Cultural and Faith Communities to ensure that the needs of the incarcerated community are fairly met. This desk manual has been prepared for use by chaplains, administrators and other staff of the Washington State Department of Corrections. It is not meant to be an exhaustive study of all religions. It does provide a brief background of most religions having participants housed in Washington prisons. This manual is intended to provide general guidelines, and define practice and procedure for Washington State Department of Corrections institutions. It is intended to be used in conjunction with Department policy. While it does not confer theological expertise, it will, provide correctional workers with the information necessary to respond too many of the religious concerns commonly encountered.
    [Show full text]
  • PAGANISM a Brief Overview of the History of Paganism the Term Pagan Comes from the Latin Paganus Which Refers to Those Who Lived in the Country
    PAGANISM A brief overview of the history of Paganism The term Pagan comes from the Latin paganus which refers to those who lived in the country. When Christianity began to grow in the Roman Empire, it did so at first primarily in the cities. The people who lived in the country and who continued to believe in “the old ways” came to be known as pagans. Pagans have been broadly defined as anyone involved in any religious act, practice, or ceremony which is not Christian. Jews and Muslims also use the term to refer to anyone outside their religion. Some define paganism as a religion outside of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism; others simply define it as being without a religion. Paganism, however, often is not identified as a traditional religion per se because it does not have any official doctrine; however, it has some common characteristics within its variety of traditions. One of the common beliefs is the divine presence in nature and the reverence for the natural order in life. In the strictest sense, paganism refers to the authentic religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas. The pagans usually had a polytheistic belief in many gods but only one, which represents the chief god and supreme godhead, is chosen to worship. The Renaissance of the 1500s reintroduced the ancient Greek concepts of Paganism. Pagan symbols and traditions entered European art, music, literature, and ethics. The Reformation of the 1600s, however, put a temporary halt to Pagan thinking. Greek and Roman classics, with their focus on Paganism, were accepted again during the Enlightenment of the 1700s.
    [Show full text]
  • Wicca, Witchcraft and the Goddess Revival: an Examination of the Growth of Wicca in Post-War America
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by UDORA - University of Derby Online Research Archive Wicca, witchcraft and the Goddess revival: An examination of the growth of Wicca in post-war America. Item type Book chapter Authors Ball, Caroline Citation Ball, C. (2018) 'Wicca, Witchcraft and the Goddess Revival: An examination of the growth of Wicca in post- war America', in Beavis, M.A. & Hwang, H.H-S., M. (eds.) 'Goddesses in Myth, History and Culture', Lytle Creek, CA: Mago Books. Publisher Mago Books Downloaded 13-Jan-2019 02:54:54 Link to item http://hdl.handle.net/10545/622746 Chapter 20 Wicca, Witchcraft and the Goddess Revival: An examination of the growth of Wicca in post-war America Caroline Ball Preface When dealing with a topic as unfamiliar as Wicca is to many, it seems important before progressing further to establish just what is meant by the terms ‘pagan’, ‘neopagan’, ‘witch’ and ‘Wiccan’, both to scholars and those to whom the terms apply. There is a great deal of debate concerning this matter, which does not look to be reconciled any time soon, and many, scholars included, are wont to use these terms interchangeably. It does not help that in many cases there is no single specific definition accepted by both groups, as in the case of Wicca; or that the official dictionary definition is outdated and reflects a quite clearly Christian bias. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defines a ‘pagan’ as “heathen; unenlightened or irreligious”. One can see immediately how offensive, not to mention inaccurate, such a description would seem to pagans, who are neither unenlightened nor irreligious.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and the Return of Magic: Wicca As Esoteric Spirituality
    RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD March 2000 Joanne Elizabeth Pearson, B.A. (Hons.) ProQuest Number: 11003543 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11003543 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION The thesis presented is entirely my own work, and has not been previously presented for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. The views expressed here are those of the author and not of Lancaster University. Joanne Elizabeth Pearson. RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY CONTENTS DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix ABSTRACT xi INTRODUCTION: RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC 1 CATEGORISING WICCA 1 The Sociology of the Occult 3 The New Age Movement 5 New Religious Movements and ‘Revived’ Religion 6 Nature Religion 8 MAGIC AND RELIGION 9 A Brief Outline of the Debate 9 Religion and the Decline o f Magic? 12 ESOTERICISM 16 Academic Understandings of
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Fall of the Parliament of Religions
    OPEN COURT Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Exten- sion of the Religious Parliament Idea FOUNDED BY EDWARD C. HEGELER MARCH, 1931 VOLUME XLV NUMBER 898 '^r'tce 20 Cents ^We Open Qourt Publishing Company Wieboldt Hall, 339 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, Illinois We OPEN COURT Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Exten- sion of the Religious Parliament Idea FOUNDED BY EDWARD C. HEGELER MARCH, 1931 VOLUME XLV NUMBER 898 'Vrice 20 Cents *dWe Open Qourt "Publishing Company Wieboldt Hall, 339 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, Illinois —— — — THE PHILOSOPHICAL REVIEW EDITED BY FRANK THILLY and G. WATTS CUNNINGHAM OF THE SAGE SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY. CORNELL UNIVERSITY WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF ETIENNE GILSON (Paris) GEORGE SANTAYANA (Rome) ARTHUR LIEBERT (Berlin) A E. TAYLOR (Edinburgh) W. A. HAMMOND (Washington) ASSOCIATE EDITOR HAROLD R. SMART OF THE SAGE SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY. CORNELL UNIVERSITY Contents for March, 1931 I. On a Possible Science of Religion Edgar A. Singer II. De Angelis J. Loewenberg III. The Paradox of the TimcRetarding Journey (II) Arthur O. Lovejoy IV. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Association, 1930. V. Reviews of Books. John Elof Boodins Cosmic Evolution; by E. C. Wilm Paul Decosters Acte et synthese; by J. Loewenberg J. Harward's The Epinomis of Plato; by Richard Robinson—T. V. Smith's The Amer' ican Philosophy of Equality; by Carl Becker Bernard Bosanquet's Science and Philosophy and other essays; by DeWitt H. Parker John Baillie's The Roots of Religion in the Human Soul; by H.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Thought Faith
    The New Thought Faith Putting the pieces together to create a new reality of peace and compassion New Thought Core Values New Thought, as defined in “Change Your Thinking, the dictionary, is a modern Change Your Life!” spiritual philosophy stressing “New Thought is a correlation of the laws the power of right thinking in of science, the opinions a person's life, the idea that of philosophy, and the our thoughts and attitudes revelations of religion applied to human affect our experience and needs and the that the divine power of aspirations of man.” God’s Spirit, is alive within Ernest Holmes each individual. Annual New Thought Day – First Sunday in March New Thought Mission We honor the diversity of cultures and faiths while aiming to articulate, practice, and embody more fully universal spiritual principles. We honor and respect all faiths, cultures, creeds, and races and learn from those who believe spiritual equity and human rights belong to everyone. We encourage personal transformation and collective awakening. We practice the gift of active compassion and kindness through our service to all life. We foster a world that works for the highest good of all. “Compiled by Association for Global New Thought based on collaborative input from leaders and ministers from New Thought organizations. Used by permission of AGNT.” Annual New Thought Day – First Sunday in March New Thought Principles God is the Creative Process in action: in everything, everywhere, always, at once. God is Love and Intelligence in relationship, expressing Itself as the universe and all life. God is Being each one of us.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 New Thought Walden Awards Announced
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Katy Koontz Unity Magazine Editor-in-Chief 865-660-2775 [email protected] August 1, 2020 For more information: 2020 New Thought Walden Awards Announced Partnership of New Thought Organizations Honors Spiritual and Socially Conscious Leaders UNITY VILLAGE, Mo.—Seven of the country’s largest New Thought organizations join together to announce the New Thought Walden Awards, honoring those who use empowering spiritual ideas and philosophies to change lives and make our planet a better place. Nominations were received from the public, and each was considered carefully by a selection committee comprised of representatives from each of the partner organizations. The committee chose 20 honorees in six categories: New Thought Wisdom, Interfaith and Intercultural Understanding, Social and Environmental Activism, Creative Arts and Entertainment, Next Generation (under 40), and Mind/Body Connection and Healing. In addition, the committee gave the Rising Star award to Greta Thunberg and the Champion of Change award to Lynne McTaggart. “The honorees include both well-known individuals and relatively unsung heroes alike, each of whom has made a valuable contribution to furthering the ideas at the core of New Thought,” says Unity Magazine® editor Katy Koontz, a member of the selection committee. “Our goal with the Waldens is not only to honor these fine people and spotlight their notable accomplishments but also to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.” Each honoree is profiled in the September/October 2020 issue of Unity Magazine and listed in the September 2020 issue of Science of Mind magazine. Many of the honorees will soon be featured in a podcast series on Unity Online Radio (unityonlineradio.org), starting on August 17.
    [Show full text]
  • Researching New Religious Movements
    Researching New Religious Movements ‘The most important “first” that this book achieves is its bold questioning of the whole intellectual apparatus of the sociology of religion as it has been applied to the understanding of the new religious movements. I am confident that Elisabeth Arweck’s study will quickly become required reading in the sociology of new religious movements.’ Professor David Martin, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics, University of London ‘Powerful and original . it succeeds triumphantly in being at the same time an important, high-quality academic study and a book for our times.’ Professor David Marsland, Professorial Research Fellow in Sociology, University of Buckingham New religious movements such as Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Unification Church (Moonies) are now well established in mainstream cul- tural consciousness. However, responses to these ‘cult’ groups still tend to be overwhelmingly negative, characterized by the furious reactions that they evoke from majority interests. Modern societies need to learn how to respond to such movements and how to interpret their benefits and dangers. Researching New Religious Movements provides a fresh look at the history and development of ‘anti-cult’ groups and the response of main- stream churches to these new movements. In this unique reception study, Elisabeth Arweck traces the path of scholarship of new religious move- ments, exploring the development of research in this growing field. She con- siders academic and media interventions on both sides, with special emphasis on the problems of objectivity inherent in terminologies of ‘sects’, ‘cults’, and ‘brainwashing’. Ideal for students and researchers, this much- needed book takes the debate over new religious movements to a more sophisticated level.
    [Show full text]
  • Population Structure Acording to Race and Religion
    Population structure acording to race and religion Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors. Definitions mostly include: a notion of the transcendent or numinous, often, but not always, in the form of theisma cultural or behavioural aspect of ritual, liturgy and organized worship, often involving a priesthood, and societal norms of morality (ethos) and virtue (arete)a set of myths or sacred truths held in reverence or believed by adherents Sociologists and anthropologists tend to see religion as an abstract set of ideas, values, or experiences developed as part of a cultural matrix. For example, in Lindbeck's Nature of Doctrine, religion does not refer to belief in "God" or a transcendent Absolute. Instead, Lindbeck defines religion as:“a kind of cultural and/or linguistic framework or medium that shapes the entirety of life and thought it is similar to an idiom that makes possible the description of realities, the formulation of beliefs, and the experiencing of inner attitudes, feelings, and sentiments.” According to this definition, religion refers to one's primary worldview and how this dictates one's thoughts and actions. Religion in the world Nowadays we know many religions. They are spread over the whole world and have many followers. The Most popular religions:
    [Show full text]