Clinical Cornerstone • DIVERSITY IN MEDICINE • Vol. 6, No. 1 Overview of Religions Nicky Brooks, RGN, DPSN, BSc (Hons), MPhil Research Coordinator De Montfort University Division of Primary Care Leicester, United Kingdom This article provides a brief overview of 9 religions: Christianity, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Christian Science, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Basic information on the origins, language, naming practices, diet, personal hygiene, and dress requirements is provided. For additional information, Web sites for each of these religions are also provided. (Clinical Cornerstone ®. 2004;611]:7-16) Copyright © 2004 Excerpta Medica, Inc. CHRISTIANITY The death and resurrection of Jesus are seen as Christianity has been the predominant religion in the God's means of forgiving people their failings or sins Western world for more than 1000 years. Even in (the doctrine of redemption: Ephesians 1:7), assuring ages of customary religious observance, devout belief them of life after death. The Bible (the Old and New was probably limited to a minority. Nevertheless, Testaments that became recognized in the fourth cen- Christianity has shaped Western culture and particu- tury as sacred doctrine) is Christianity's holy book larly Western beliefs, j Its principal festivals are and Christians believe that the Holy Spirit, the com- Christmas and Easter, which are public holidays in ing of which is celebrated at the Feast of Pentecost most Western countries. Christianity has its origins in (Acts 2:1), works to help them follow the commands Judaism and spread rapidly around the Mediterra- and example of Jesus Christ. nean region, incorporating elements from Greek thought. Christians believe in one loving God comprising 3 KEY POINT interrelating forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, referred to as the Holy Trinity. God the Father Christianity has been the predominant reli- sent Jesus his Son (the Messiah or Christ) in human gion in the Western world for more than form to show people the way back to God (the doc- 1000 years and has shaped Western culture trine of the Incarnation, celebrated at Christmas). and beliefs. Jesus was crucified for blasphemy and high treason (an act remembered as Good Friday). Christians believe that he came back to life on the third day after the crucifixion (the Resurrection, which is celebrated Christian Churches on Easter Sunday) and remained on earth preaching Christianity has 3 main groups: the Catholic, Ortho- for 40 days before being received back into heaven dox, and Protestant Christian churches (the latter (the Ascension), where he sits at the right hand of encompass the Anglican and Presbyterian churches God. Most Christians also believe in the Second among others).l The separation between the Catholic Coming of Jesus (the doctrine of the Parousia), who and Orthodox churches reflects the division of the will return to judge the living and the dead at an Roman Empire into a Latin-speaking Western empire unknown date in the future (cf. Mark 13:32), which centered in Rome and a Greek Eastern empire with its will terminate the present world order. capital in Constantinople (the Great Schism of 1054). Clinical Cornerstone • DIVERSI13fIN MEDICINE • Vol. 6, No. 1 The Catholic Church, or Roman Catholic Church The Protestant movement began in the 16th centu- as it is often known, is the largest Christian denomi- ry in Western Europe, following Martin Luther's nation worldwide with -1.1 billion followers. The break with Rome (1517-1520). Protestants rejected Roman Catholic Church celebrates Mass, which pre- authoritarian church structures and emphasized the supposes attendance each Sunday, regards Easter and individual's faith and conscience, subject to direct Christmas as the key religious observances, and access to the Scriptures (Luther's doctrine of the acknowledges the jurisdiction of the Pope. The Pope "priesthood of all believers"). Therefore, a large is the supreme authority on spiritual issues and estab- number of Protestant groups differ on various points lishes what the church requires of its members. of faith, practice, and church organization, with nev- Guided by the Congregation of the Faith, the Pope ertheless much in common. The Anglican Church also interprets what does and does not constitute (those in communion with or recognizing the leader- Catholic belief. Catholics believe in the doctrine of ship of the See of Canterbury), the religious tradition the Immaculate Conception, which states that the that contributed most to the culture of Britain and its Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, was without sin and former colonies (except in North America, where it that Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not never gained a monopoly), considers itself distin- man (Catechism of the Catholic Church [1994], para guishable from other traditions, whether Catholic, 494). Orthodox, or Protestant. In the United States, Catholics observe 7 sacraments: baptism, com- Christianity was assimilated with the culture as reli- munion, confession or penance, confirmation, mar- gious descendants left Britain and Europe in the hope riage, the priesthood, and anointing the sick (or the of gaining freedom of religious expression. An indi- last rites or extreme unction: Catechism of the vidualistic culture was created that was largely Catholic Church [1994], para 1113). Protestant and in which belonging to a church, form- The orthodox branch of Christianity has several ing a strong sense of community, and being support- national churches, eg, Greek, Russian, and Serbian. ed pastorally were key principles (personal corre- Although there are theological differences, chiefly spondence, November 2003). In the United States the concerning ecclesiastical authority (orthodox Episcopal (equivalent to the Church of England), Christianity regards the Ecumenical Council of the Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist churches have large church as the highest ecclesiastical authority), followings with high levels of church attendance. A Catholic and orthodox Christians agree on most fun- new phenomenon has recently emerged --the "Mega" damentals but differ in some observances (personal church movement exemplified by the Saddleback correspondence, November 2003). Orthodox Church in Lake Forest, California, where the congre- Christians accept the 7 sacraments ("mysteries"), but gation can number up to 10,000. This movement has no rigid distinction is drawn between these and other very clear objectives regarding what it means to be a sacramental actions, such as the monastic profession, Christian and to belong to the Christian faith. For burial of the dead, or anointing of a monarch. The more information on this movement see the veneration of icons assumes a much more significant Appendix. part in worship in orthodoxy than in Catholicism; the Christianity also includes "free" churches that orthodox church believes in the bodily Assumption of have a less-defined hierarchical structure. Free the Virgin Mary, and baptism is performed by immer- churches include the Assemblies of God, Baptist, sion. "Chrismation" (confirmation) is administered Brethren, Congregational, Evangelical, Methodist, immediately after baptism and children are taken to and Pentecostal. The Unitarians are in a special posi- communion from infancy. The orthodox church cal- tion because they deny the doctrines of the Holy culates its date for Easter on the basis of the Julian Trinity and the Divinity of Christ and are not regarded calendar and the 19 paschal full moon dates table, as truly Christian by some Christian denominations. which results in the orthodox community usually cel- ebrating Easter later than the Catholic and Protestant Language and Naming Systems churches. However, the dates will coincide in 2004 The language of Christians depends on their ori- and again in 2007. gin, although the Bible is translated into most world Clinical Cornerstone • DIVERSITYIN MEDICINE • Vol. 6, No. 1 languages. In the Catholic tradition, an additional JUDAISM "baptismal name," consistent with Christian senti- The current orthodox Jewish calendar dates from a ment (Catechism of the Catholic Church [1994], para start in -3760 BC when God through the prophet 2156), is given at baptism, the beginning of an indi- Moses made revelations to the Jewish people. Jews vidual's relationship with God through the church that trace their origin and faith to Abraham and his takes place only once in a person's life; however, this covenant with the one God--the same God wor- naming ceremony is rejected in the Protestant tradi- shipped by Christians and Muslims. Today there are tion, which calls this rite a "baptism" or "christening." -12 million Jews worldwide with large Jewish popu- Although most Protestant churches do practice bap- lations in the United States, Israel, Canada, France, tism, some groups insist on adult baptism while many Belgium, Holland, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, do use infant baptism; this is one of the fundamental and Australia. sacraments following the teaching of Jesus, although the precise observation may vary. It is generally held Beliefs and Obligations that any believer can baptize another, using water and Jews believe that everything in the universe is the words 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, under the direct control of one God. All aspects of Son and Holy Ghost (or Spirit)'--this may be impor- Judaism, whether relating to belief, philosophy, or tant in cases where a