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Another brilliant DK-source of information o Amazon Еще один замечательный DK-источник информации Taas yksi loistava DK-tietolähde Another brilliant DK-source of informationThis is already my fourth, after Philosphy, Politics and Economics. And I hope, not the last. Mathematics is already waiting, whatever still... The DK-concept, manner, genre of straightforward presenting of big ideas in ordinary language greatly pleases me. The secret weapon is the huge amount, myriad, thousands of links, with which the contents of the book is tied together to a tight and compact bundle of knowledge in a way completely inimaginable in a paperbook. This is a true revolution in textbooks. As an old text book author, my fingers are itching for transforming one or why not all of my several text book texts to this format, particularly as none of them has been published as ebook, yet. In this book all the big religions Buddhism, Hindjism, Christianism, Islam are thoroughly presented as well as essentially perhaps hundred smaller variants, all in a matter of fact spirit without praising or mitigating any higher or less than others. Valuation is left to reader. I really made a list of my three top favorites and one disfavorite, one of them not known to me at all before reading this book. Very, very many aspects are considered, moral, practical, historical, social and others. It is astonishing how small details may be decisive in the essence of a religion. On the other hand, some keep a watertight, airtight hardcore of doctrine, some are dynamic and as such a chain of deliberate changes of doctrines and practice. Think about the Christianity from war-fighting past to the peaceful present. Or about the relationship of the religion to human scientific knowledge. The history is full of abrupt or gradual upsidedowns. Interesting pilgrimages, largely descripted in this book. No question of other than full five stars. Еще один замечательный DK-источник информацииЭто уже мой четвертый после Философии, Политики и Экономики. И надеюсь, не последний. Математика уже ждет, как бы то ни было ... Меня очень радует ДК-концепция, манера, жанр прямого изложения больших идей обычным языком. Секретное оружие - это огромное количество, мириады, тысячи ссылок, с помощью которых содержание книги связано в тесный и компактный узел знаний таким образом, который совершенно невозможно представить в бумажной книге. Это настоящая революция в учебниках. Как автор старого учебника, мне не терпится преобразовать один или почему не все тексты моих учебников в этот формат, тем более что ни один из них еще не был опубликован в виде электронной книги. В этой книге подробно представлены все крупные религии буддизм, хинджизм, христианство, ислам, а также, по сути, возможно, сотни меньших вариантов, все в собственном духе, не превознося и не умаляя больше или меньше других. Оценка предоставляется читателю. Я действительно составил список из трех моих главных фаворитов и одного нефаворита, один из которых мне вообще не был известен до прочтения этой книги. Рассматриваются очень и очень многие аспекты: моральные, практические, исторические, социальные и другие. Удивительно, насколько мелкие детали могут иметь решающее значение в сущности религии. С другой стороны, некоторые придерживаются водонепроницаемой, герметичной хардкорной доктрины, некоторые - динамичны и, как таковые, представляют собой цепь преднамеренных изменений доктрин и практики. Подумайте о христианстве - от прошлого военнего до мирного настоящего. Или об отношении религии к человеческим научным знаниям. История полна резких или постепенных переворотов. Интересные паломничества, подробно описанные в этой книге. Ни единого вопроса, кроме полных пяти звезд. Taas yksi loistava DK-tietolähdeTämä on jo neljäs filosofian, politiikan ja taloustieteen jälkeen. Ja toivon, ettei viimeinen. Matematiikka odottaa jo ja mikä tahansa muu... DK-konsepti, tapa, suurten ideoiden suoraviivainen esittäminen tavallisella kielellä miellyttää minua. Salainen DK-ase on valtava määrä, lukemattomia, tuhansia linkkejä, joilla kirjan sisältö on sidottu yhteen tiukkaan ja kompaktiin tietopakettiin tavalla, jota ei voida lainkaan kuvitella paperikirjassa. Tämä on todellinen vallankumous oppikirjoissa. Vanhana oppikirjan kirjoittajana sormeni syyhyävät yhden tai miksi ei kaikkien oppikirjatekstieni muuttamista tähän muotoon, varsinkin kun yksikään niistä ei ole vielä julkaistu e-kirjana. Tässä kirjassa esitellään perusteellisesti kaikki suuret uskonnot, buddhalaisuus, hinduismi, kristinusko, islam, samoin kuin käytännössä ehkä sata pienempää muunnosta, kaikki tosiasiallisessa hengessä, ylistämättä tai lieventämättä muita korkeammaksi tai vähemmäksi. Arviointi jätetään lukijan tehtäväksi. Teinkin todella luettelon kolmesta suosituimmasta suosikistani ja yhdestä epäsuosikkeestani, joista yhtä en tuntenut lainkaan ennen tämän kirjan lukemista. Harkitaan hyvin, hyvin monia näkökohtia, moraalisia, käytännön, historiallisia, sosiaalisia ja muita. On hämmästyttävää, kuinka pienet yksityiskohdat voivat olla ratkaisevia uskonnon perustana. Toisaalta jotkut pitävät oppia vedenpitävänä, ilmatiiviinä, jotkut ovat dynaamisia ja sellaisenaan ketjuina tarkoituksellisista opien ja käytäntöjen muutoksista. Ajattele kristinuskoa sotaisasta menneisyydestä rauhanomaiseen nykypäivään. Tai uskonnon suhteesta ihmisen tieteelliseen tietoon. Historia on täynnä äkillisiä tai asteittaisia kuperkeikkoja. Mielenkiintoisia pyhiinvaelluksia, jotka on kuvattu suurelta osin tässä kirjassa.
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Huomautukset Remarks ЗамечанияPagetop |
| Parametre lines at the beginning of the reader notes | ||
| 1. DK-Religions-ajk*,$12.73#enfi | ??? | |
| 2. 1,711,711,rel,eng,20201108,20210322,3,DK:The Religions Book (Big Ideas) | ??? | |
| 3. Amazon Link to source of purchased ebook... | ??? | |
| 4. eng Link to Ajk review at source of purchased ebook... | ??? | |
| 11 | 0001 | INTRODUCTION PRIMAL BELIEFS • |
| 17 | 0002 | FROM PREHISTORY |
| 20 | 0003 | Unseen forces are at work • Making sense of the world |
| 31 | 0004 | Even a rock has a spirit • Animism in early societies |
| 36 | 0005 | Special people can visit other worlds • The power of the shaman |
| 46 | 0006 | Why are we here? • Created for a purpose |
| 48 | 0007 | Why do we die? • The origin of death |
| 51 | 0008 | Eternity is now • The Dreaming |
| 56 | 0009 | Our ancestors will guide us • The spirits of the dead live on |
| 61 | 0010 | We should be good • Living in harmony |
| 63 | 0011 | Everything is connected • A lifelong bond with the gods |
| 66 | 0012 | The gods desire blood • Sacrifice and blood offerings |
| 76 | 0013 | We can build a sacred space • Symbolism made real |
| 81 | 0014 | We are in rhythm with the universe • Man and the cosmos |
| 87 | 0015 | We exist to serve the gods • The burden of observance |
| 91 | 0016 | Our rituals sustain the world • Renewing life through ritual |
| 93 | 01 | ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL BELIEFS • FROM 3000 BCE |
| 97 | 0101 | There is a hierarchy of gods and men • Beliefs for new societies |
| 103 | 0102 | The good live forever in the kingdom of Osiris • Preparing for the afterlife |
| 108 | 0103 | The triumph of good over evil depends on mankind • The battle between good and evil |
| 118 | 0104 | Accept the way of the universe • Aligning the self with the dao |
| 121 | 0105 | The Five Great Vows • Self-denial leads to spiritual liberation |
| 131 | 0106 | Virtue is not sent from heaven • Wisdom lies with the superior man |
| 141 | 0107 | A divine child is born • The assimilation of myth |
| 144 | 0108 | The oracles reveal the will of the gods • Divining the future |
| 146 | 0109 | The gods are just like us • Beliefs that mirror society |
| 151 | 0110 | Ritual links us to our past • Living the way of the gods |
| 159 | 0111 | The gods will die • The end of the world as we know it |
| 165 | 02 | HINDUISM • FROM 1700 BCE |
| 169 | 0201 | Through sacrifice we maintain the order of the universe • A rational world |
| 171 | 0202 | "Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that cannot be defined but is only to be experienced." Radhakrishnan, the Bhagavad-Gita |
| 183 | 0203 | The divine has a female aspect • The power of the great goddess |
| 186 | 0204 | Sit up close to your guru • Higher levels of teaching |
| 188 | 0205 | Brahman is my self within the heart • The ultimate reality |
| 198 | 0206 | We learn, we live, we withdraw, we detach • The four stages of life |
| 206 | 0207 | MORAL PRINCIPLES Hinduism has five broad moral principles: ahimsa (not killing), satya (speaking the truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence), and aparigraha (not being avaricious). |
| 207 | 0208 | It may be your duty to kill • Selfless action |
| 210 | 0209 | Mahabharata, an epic poem that chronicles the rivalry between two branches of one family. |
| 212 | 0210 | The practice of yoga leads to spiritual liberation • Physical and mental discipline |
| 218 | 0211 | We speak to the gods through daily rituals • Devotion through puja |
| 224 | 0212 | The world is an illusion • Seeing with pure consciousness |
| 233 | 0213 | So many faiths, so many paths • God-consciousness |
| 238 | 0214 | Non-violence is the weapon of the strong think about God, but we cannot comprehend him • Theological speculation in Islam |
| 243 | 03 | BUDDHISM FROM 6TH CRNTURY BCE |
| 245 | 0301 | Gautama explained that the main obstacle to escape from the cycle of samsara was human suffering, caused by desires and attachments that can never be satisfied. He set out “Four Noble Truths” – the central doctrine of Buddhism – to explain the nature of suffering and how it could be overcome: dukkha (the truth of suffering), samudaya (the truth of the origin of suffering), nirodha (the truth of the ending of suffering), and magga (the truth of the path to the ending of suffering). This last Noble Truth alludes to the “Middle Way” – the lifestyle advocated by the Buddha, which is simple in concept but hard to attain. |
| 247 | 0302 | Finding the Middle Way • The enlightenment of Buddha |
| 259 | 0303 | There can be an end to suffering • Escape from the eternal cycle |
| 260 | 0304 | The first of Buddha’s Four Noble Truths is dukkha, the truth of suffering. |
| 260 | 0305 | the Second Noble Truth: that the origin of suffering is craving. |
| 263 | 0306 | The Third Noble Truth, nirodha (the cessation of suffering and the causes of suffering), refers to the absence of craving. |
| 264 | 0307 | The Fourth Noble Truth describes “the path that leads to the end of suffering”. |
| 264 | 0308 | This is magga, the Middle Way, also known as the “Noble Eightfold Path”. |
| 265 | 030801 | The Noble Eightfold Path |
| 265 | 0309 | The first of these is important in order to be able to see and identify the cause and cure of suffering, as |
| 265 | 0310 | Steps three, four, and five of the path offer practical moral guidelines. |
| 265 | 0311 | Step three states that we must use “right speech”: |
| 266 | 0312 | Step four says that we must take “right action” by following the five moral “precepts”: not to destroy life, not to steal, not to misuse the senses, not to lie, and not to cloud the mind with intoxicants (the last is of particular importance for those who are engaging |
| 266 | 0313 | The fifth step also supports an ethical approach, suggesting that we must pursue a “right livelihood”. |
| 267 | 0314 | Step six says that “right effort” should be applied. |
| 267 | 0315 | The seventh step tells us to pursue “right mindfulness”. |
| 267 | 0316 | The final, eighth, step on the path encourages us to apply “right concentration”. |
| 268 | 0317 | It is not considered necessary to deal with any one of the steps before moving on to another step. |
| 270 | 0318 | presented in graphic form in the “Wheel of Life”, |
| 270 | 0319 | The wheel itself is held within the jaws of a fearsome demon, who represents death. In the centre of the wheel are three creatures – a cock, a snake, and a pig – that represent the three poisons: greed, hatred, and ignorance. |
| 270 | 0320 | For those seeking to understand the process by which Buddhists can achieve this – by overcoming suffering – it is the outermost wheel that is the most important. The twelve nidanas, or links, in the outer wheel give graphic expression to the interconnectedness that is central to Buddhist teaching. |
| 272 | 0321 | The Buddhist Wheel of Life represents the universe and the endless cycle of death and rebirth, within which humans are trapped unless they follow the Middle Way. |
| 273 | 0322 | Buddhism is therefore seen by some as a therapy rather than a religion: a health-giving regime to be followed, rather than a set of ideas to be believed. |
| 274 | 0323 | Test Buddha’s words as one would the quality of gold • The personal quest for truth |
| 275 | 0324 | Buddha argued that people should not take any of his teachings on trust, but should test them out, both rationally and also in terms of personal experience. |
| 276 | 0325 | Religious discipline is necessary • The purpose of monastic vows |
| 277 | 0326 | As Buddhism spread, it developed different traditions, some of which, particularly in China and Japan, placed less emphasis on monastic life. Nevertheless, monasticism remains an important feature of Buddhism, especially in Sri Lanka and Thailand, which follow the Theravada tradition. |
| 278 | 0327 | Young Buddhist monks accept monastic discipline for a short period. In their path towards greater personal and social awareness, they are required to follow some, but not all, monastic rules. |
| 279 | 0328 | Renounce killing and good will follow • Let kindness and compassion rule |
| 280 | 032801 | Five rules for living |
| 280 | 0329 | The first of these is to treat all beings with loving kindness (metta); |
| 284 | 0330 | We cannot say what a person is • The self as constantly changing |
| 286 | 0331 | The monk Nagasena is often referred to as one of the Sixteen (or Eighteen) Arhats, beings who have realized a very high level of spiritual attainment. |
| 286 | 0332 | name “Nagasena” is conventionally used to refer to himself, there is actually nothing that corresponds to it. |
| 288 | 0333 | "I am known as Nagasena. But the word “Nagasena” is only a designation or name in common use. There is no permanent individuality (no soul) involved in the matter." Nagasena |
| 289 | 0334 | We think of people as fixed objects. But Nagasena insists that the self is a process of ongoing change, that can no more be pinned down than motion itself. |
| 293 | 0335 | Enlightenment has many faces • Buddhas and bodhisattvas |
| 304 | 0336 | Act out your beliefs • The performance of ritual and repetition |
| 304 | 0337 | In most forms of Buddhism the rituals are simple (perhaps just making an offering before a Buddha image), whereas Tibetan Buddhism is colourful and dramatic. During worship, monks may chant repeated phrases (mantras), wear striking headdresses, blow horns, and use elaborate hand gestures (mudras) – often while holding small symbolic objects (vajras) and bells. |
| 305 | 0338 | For instance, rather than simply visualizing an image of a buddha, the practitioner imagines him or herself as that buddha. This process of emotional engagement involves the whole person, not just the intellect, encouraging |
| 306 | 0339 | Personalized rituals Tantric rituals are performed under the instruction of a teacher, or lama, who selects those that are likely to be of particular value to each individual. |
| 309 | 0340 | Discover your Buddha nature • Zen insights that go beyond words |
| 311 | 0341 | People gain nothing by discovering their Buddha mind, they simply recognize what they have had all along. |
| 314 | 0342 | Zen is about creating situations that bring insight, without trying to explain or express it rationally. |
| 314 | 0343 | Zen dispenses with almost everything related to religion and presents itself as a path of insight and understanding that is without religious trappngs. |
| 317 | 04 | JUDAISM • FROM 2000 BCE |
| 321 | 0401 | I will take you as my people, and I will be your God • God’s covenant with Israel |
| 336 | 0402 | Beside me there is no other God • From monolatry to monotheism |
| 343 | 0403 | The Messiah will redeem Israel • The promise of a new age |
| 352 | 0404 | Religious law can be applied to daily life • Writing the Oral Law |
| 356 | 0405 | Talmud, which was compiled in the 4th century CE in the Land of Israel, and the Babylonian Talmud, which was compiled c.500 CE in Babylonia (modern-day Iraq). |
| 356 | 0406 | Talmud, which is more than 6,000 pages in extent, is generally considered to be more authoritative and is used more widely by students of Judaism. |
| 358 | 0407 | God is incorporeal, indivisible, and unique • Defining the indefinable |
| 361 | 0408 | According to Maimonides, God existed before everything and is the creator of all things. His existence is independent of all other things but all other things need him in order to exist. "God is not two or more entities, but a single entity of a oneness even more single and unique than any single thing in creation." Maimonides |
| 363 | 0409 | God and humankind are in cosmic exile • Mysticism and the kabbalah |
| 369 | 0410 | The holy spark dwells in everyone • Man as a manifestation of God |
| 371 | 0411 | Hasidic men dance at a wedding celebration. The distinctive clothing of Hasidic Jews, drawn from earlier styles of Eastern European dress, sets them apart from other branches of Judaism. |
| 372 | 0412 | Judaism is a religion, not a nationality • Faith and the state |
| 374 | 0413 | Draw from the past, live in the present, work for the future • Progressive Judaism |
| 374 | 0414 | 1840 The West London Synagogue is established. 1872 The Reform Academy Hochschule für die Wissen-schaft des Judentums is established in Berlin. |
| 384 | 0415 | If you will it, it is no dream • The origins of modern political Zionism |
| 387 | 0416 | Israel’s flag, adopted in 1948, is derived from a design produced for the First Zionist Congress. It is inspired by the tallit, or blue-bordered prayer shawl, and the Star of David. |
| 389 | 0417 | Where was God during the Holocaust? • A challenge to the covenant |
| 389 | 0418 | 1850s Anti-Semitism in Europe takes on a more secular, racist stance. 1880s Beginning of a series of pogroms – violent anti-Jewish mob attacks – in Russia. 1930s Hitler becomes German Chancellor, and begins a campaign of harassment and genocide against Jews. |
| 391 | 0419 | Women can be rabbis • Gender and the covenant |
| 391 | 0420 | 1935 The first woman rabbi, Regina Jonas, is ordained in Berlin, Germany. |
| 394 | 05 | CHRISTIANITY •FROM 1ST CENTURY CE |
| 395 | 0501 | Implicit in this belief is the acceptance that Jesus was, as the Son of God, God incarnate, both human and divine, and not merely a prophet. This led to the concept of the Trinity, that the one God exists in three distinct forms – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. |
| 397 | 0502 | The Renaissance of the 14th–15th centuries heralded a new challenge to the authority of the Church in the form of humanism and the beginnings of a scientific Golden Age. The revival of interest in classical learning prompted criticism of the Catholic Church, and the Protestant Reformation was triggered by publication publication of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517. Protestantism began to flourish in northern Europe and paved the way for new Christian denominations. Of the roughly 2.2 billion Christians worldwide today (around a third of the world’s population), more than half are Catholic, roughly one third are Protestant, and the remainder are Orthodox. |
| 398 | 0503 | Jesus is the beginning of the end • Jesus’s message to the world |
| 403 | 0504 | Jesus’s miracles, such as the healing of the blind, affirmed that, just as Jesus went among the poor and the outcast, so God invited everyone, regardless of status, into his kingdom. |
| 408 | 0505 | God has sent us his son • Jesus’s divine identity |
| 410 | 0506 | The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church • Dying for the message |
| 413 | 0507 | The body may die, but the soul will live on • Immortality in Christianity |
| 419 | 0508 | God is three and God is one • A divine trinity |
| 423 | 0509 | "We believe in one God, the Father almighty … and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God … and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and lifegiver…" Nicene Creed |
| 428 | 0510 | The Trinity comprises three distinct persons that are not interchangeable, yet share the same divine substance, and this divine substance is present in only these three persons. |
| 434 | 0511 | God’s grace never fails • Augustine and free will |
| 434 | 0512 | Do we choose God, or does God choose us? This question has troubled Christian thinkers since the earliest days of the Church. |
| 439 | 0513 | AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO Aurelius Augustine was born in 354 CE in Thagaste, North Africa. He was brought up as a Christian by his devout mother, but renounced his faith during his youth and led a dissolute life for several years. After studying Greek philosophy in Carthage, he embraced Manichaeism, a Persian religion, but returned to Christianity after being impressed by the sermons of Bishop Ambrose in Milan and the example of the desert hermit Anthony. Augustine was baptized on Easter Day in 387, and by 396 he had been appointed Bishop at Hippo. He preached and wrote prolifically about theological controversies until his death in 430. He is rightly regarded as one of the great Christian thinkers, and his teaching has continued to influence Christian thought throughout the Western world. Recognized as a saint by the Anglican and Catholic Church, he was awarded the highly honoured title, Doctor of the Church, in the 13th century. Key works 397–400 CE Confessions 413–427 CE The City of God See also: God’s covenant with Israel • Why prayer works • Striving in the way of God |
| 440 | 0514 | In the world, but not of the world • Serving God on behalf of others |
| 446 | 0515 | There is no salvation outside the Church • Entering into the faith |
| 446 | 0516 | Christian, it is sufficient to have a personal belief in Jesus, without even belonging to the Church, in any of its denominations. |
| 450 | 0517 | The seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church mark different stages of Christian life. Partaking in the sacraments shows membership of the Church; being part of the Church is, Catholics believe, necessary for salvation. "You cannot have God for your Father, if you do not have the Church for your mother." Cyprian, The Unity of the Church |
| 451 | 0518 | These were: baptism (the moment a person enters the Church and their sin is washed away); confirmation (the point at which a person receives the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to help live a Christian life); the Eucharist (a regular celebration of the forgiveness achieved by the death and resurrection of Jesus); penance (the actions specified by a priest in order for a person to be reconciled with God after confessing sin); extreme unction, otherwise known as “the last rites” (anointing and giving comfort and the assurance of forgiveness to the dying); and holy orders (when a person decides to spend their life serving God within the Church). |
| 455 | 0519 | This is my body, this is my blood • The mystery of the Eucharist |
| 461 | 0520 | God’s word needs no go-betweens • The Protestant Reformation |
| 476 | 0521 | God is hidden in the heart • Mystical experience in Christianity |
| 480 | 0522 | The body needs saving as well as the soul • Social holiness and evangelicalism |
| 482 | 0523 | Scientific advances do not disprove the Bible • The challenge of modernity |
| 483 | 0524 | The positions of the Church and of Galileo differed because of the different ways in which they arrived at “truth”. According to the Church, truth was revealed by God, and was supported by passages in the Bible that suggested the earth was at the centre of the universe. Science, on the other hand, used experimental observations – Galileo was a pioneer of using the telescope in astronomy – to build theories about the workings of the world. |
| 485 | 0525 | Romanticism valued emotion above reason and the senses above the intellect. The movement found expression in the art, literature, and philosophy of the early 19th century. |
| 485 | 0526 | Schleiermacher’s most significant idea was his redefinition of the nature of religion. In his first important book on the subject, Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers (1799), he discussed three realms of human life: knowledge, action, and feeling. Although he recognized that these three realms are necessarily related to each other, he was convinced that they ought not to be confused: according to him, knowledge belongs to science, action belongs to ethics, and feeling belongs to religion. |
| 487 | 0527 | Friedrich Schleiermacher identified true religion with a specific type of “feeling”. It was distinct from knowledge or activity and was an end in itself. Knowledge, action, and feeling were different but related realms. |
| 493 | 0528 | We can influence God • Why prayer works |
| 494 | 0529 | However, if the future is not already determined by God and is truly open, then prayer becomes an essential part of shaping that future. "God… is so related to the world that there is between him and that world a “give-and-take”… He is influenced by what happens." W. Pittenger |
| 496 | 0530 | The misuse of weapons of war, such as nuclear bombs, indicates the human capacity for evil – in the future as well as the past. Does God know about this and choose to do nothing? |
| 496 | 0531 | THEOLOGIANS OF HOPE The rejection of traditional theological concepts such as God’s foreknowledge (his awareness of future events), immutability (his unchanging nature), and impassibility (his freedom from emotion and independence from other beings) was not confined to any one school of theology during the 20th century. The ideas have been labelled in various ways, including process theology, the openness of God, and open theism. In the later 20th century, a group of theologians emerged who have been loosely termed the “theologians of hope”. These include, in Germany, Jürgen Moltmann and Wolfhart Pannenberg, and in the USA, Robert Jenson. One of their principal arguments was that because the future does not yet exist – even for God – the essential characteristic of Christianity is hope. |
| 496 | 0532 | See also: The battle between good and evil • Divining the future • Devotion through puja • Jesus’s message to the world • Augustine and free will |
| 498 | 06 | ISLAM • FROM 610 CE |
| 499 | 0601 | Along with Judaism and Christianity, it is an Abrahamic religion, tracing its roots back to Ibrahim (Abraham), the first of a line of prophets sent to reveal the faith – a line that also includes Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus). Muslims believe the last in this line is the Prophet Muhammad, who received the revelations contained in the Qur’an and established Islam as it is known today. Islam is a strongly monotheistic religion, emphasizing the oneness of an incomparable God, Allah (Arabic for “the God”), and people’s duty to serve him. |
| 500 | 060101 | The Islamic Golden Age |
| 500 | 0602 | Soon, the Islamic Empire extended over a wider area than Christian Europe. However, in contrast to Christianity, which saw scientific thought to be a threat to its dogma, Islam saw no incompatibility between its theology and the disciplines of philosophy and science. Cities such as Baghdad and Damascus became centres of scientific inquiry and learning. Islamic writing and poetry also flourished, along with decorative arts, including calligraphy. The Islamic Empire eventually fragmented, but Islam remains one of the largest of all religions, practised by some 25 per cent of the world population. About three-quarters of adherents are Sunni and 10–20 per cent Shi‘a. Around 50 countries have a Muslim majority: of these, a handful, including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran are considered Islamic states, based on religious law; a large number of other countries, mainly in the Middle East, have Islam as their official state religion; others still have secular governments, but predominantly Islamic populations. Indonesia is the country with the largest number of Muslims, followed by Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. |
| 502 | 0603 | Muhammad is God’s final messenger • The Prophet and the origins of Islam |
| 505 | 0604 | God’s word uncorrupted In order to overcome this corruption, God sent down his undefiled word one final time, in the form of the Qur’an, through Muhammad – his final messenger. Thus, Islam is not seen by Muslims as a new religion with a new holy book. Instead, Islam is |
| 506 | 0605 | Now in Saudi Arabia, Mecca is the holiest city of the Islamic faith, as it is the birthplace of Muhammad. The Grand Mosque is at the heart of the city. |
| 508 | 0606 | The Qur’an was sent down from heaven • God reveals his word and his will |
| 509 | 0607 | The revelations, many of which Muhammad was to receive in a trance-like state, began in 610 CE and continued over the next 22 years. At first, Muhammad memorized the revelations and passed them on orally. His followers memorized them in turn, but the revelations were eventually written down, sometimes by Muhammad’s secretaries, at other times by his followers. |
| 512 | 0608 | topics, providing guidance on worship, politics, marriage and family life, care for the disadvantaged, and even matters of hygiene, community affairs, and economics. |
| 513 | 0609 | For example, in chapter 24 of the Qur’an, Muslims are told to bring four witnesses in order to corroborate an accusation of adultery. This was an important safeguard for women in a society in which even the sight of an unrelated man and woman together might be considered cause for suspicion. |
| 522 | 0610 | The Five Pillars of Islam • The central professions of faith |
| 538 | 0611 | The imam is God’s chosen leader • The emergence of Shi‘a Islam |
| 544 | 0612 | God guides us with shari‘a • The pathway to harmonious living |
| 553 | 0613 | We can think about God, but we cannot comprehend him • Theological speculation in Islam |
| 558 | 0614 | Jihad is our religious duty • Striving in the way of God |
| 561 | 0615 | The world is one stage of the journey to God • The ultimate reward for the righteous |
| 563 | 0616 | God is unequalled • The unity of divinity is necessary |
| 569 | 0617 | Arab, water-pot, and angels are all ourselves • Sufism and the mystic tradition |
| 576 | 0618 | The latter days have brought forth a new prophet • The origins of Ahmadiyya |
| 581 | 0619 | Islam must shed the influence of the West • The rise of Islamic revivalism |
| 590 | 0620 | Islam can be a modern religion • The compatibility of faith |
| 593 | 0621 | MODERN RELIGIONS • FROM 15TH CENTURY |
| 597 | 0622 | We must live as saint-soldiers • The Sikh code of conduct |
| 600 | 0623 | baptized in the Khalsa order should adopt the surname Singh (lion) or Kaur (lioness). |
| 600 | 0624 | “five Ks”, as an outward expression of their status as saint-soldiers. Each of these – kesh (uncut hair), kangha (comb), kara (bracelet), kachera (undergarment), and kirpan (sword) – has a deep symbolic meaning, as well as distinctively identifying the wearer as a Sikh. |
| 604 | 0625 | The “five Ks” of the Sikh religion here surround the Sikh symbol of crossed swords. The sword or kirpan is one of the ‘Ks”, or articles of faith. The others are uncut hair and beard, comb, bracelet, and cotton shorts. |
| 606 | 0626 | All may enter our gateway to God • Class systems and faith |
| 606 | 0627 | Sikhism is one of the most egalitarian of all religions, quite free of division or discrimination by race, class, or sex. All are welcome in gurdwaras (Sikh temples) regardless of faith; there are no priests – decisions are taken by the community – and both men and women may read from the Sikh holy book. |
| 612 | 0628 | Messages to and from home • The African roots of Santeria |
| 617 | 0629 | Ask yourself: “What would Jesus do?” • Following the example of Christ |
| 619 | 0630 | "Mormonism is the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ, of which I myself am not ashamed." Joseph Smith |
| 623 | 0631 | We shall know him through his messengers • The revelation of Baha’i |
| 626 | 0632 | "All peoples and nations are of one family, the children of one Father, and should be to one another as brothers and sisters" Baha’u’llah |
| 628 | 0633 | Brush away the dust of sin • Tenrikyo and the Joyous Life |
| 630 | 0634 | These gifts must be meant for us • Cargo cults of the Pacific islands |
| 633 | 0635 | The end of the world is nigh • Awaiting the Day of Judgment |
| 638 | 0636 | The lion of Judah has arisen • Ras Tafari is our saviour |
| 645 | 0637 | All religions are equal • Cao Ðài aims to unify all faiths |
| 647 | 0638 | We have forgotten our true nature • Clearing the mind with Scientology |
| 650 | 0639 | Find a sinless world through marriage • Purging sin in the Unification |
| 653 | 0640 | Church Spirits rest between lives in Summerland • Wicca and the “Otherworld” |
| 655 | 0641 | Negative thoughts are just raindrops in an ocean of bliss • Finding inner peace through meditation |
| 658 | 0642 | What’s true for me is the truth • A faith open to all beliefs |
| 658 | 0643 | 19th century The Baha’i Faith emerges as one of the first “universalist” new religions, open to all. 20th century Cao Ðài is founded on the principle that all religions are equal. |
| 660 | 0644 | Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart • Devotion to the Sweet Lord |
| 662 | 0645 | Through qigong we access cosmic energy • Life-energy cultivation in Falun Dafa |
| 665 | 07 | DIRECTORY |
| 696 | 08 | GLOSSARY |
| 707 | 09 | CONTRIBUTORS |
| 709 | 10 | ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
| 710 | 11 | COPYRIGHT |
| 710 | 13 | ###20210322 5* |
|
1 (36) IN CONTEXT KEY BELIEVERS Sami WHEN AND WHERE From prehistory, Sápmi (formerly Lapland) AFTER 11,000 BCE Ancestors of the Sami make rock carvings in the European Arctic. c.98 CE The Roman historian Tacitus makes the first record of the Sami (as the Fenni). 13th century CE Catholic missionaries introduce Christianity, but traditional shamanism persists. c.1720 CE Thomas von Westen, “Apostle of the Sami”, forcefully converts Sami to Christianity, destroying shamanic drums and sacred sites. 21st century Most Sami follow the Christian faith, but recent times have seen a revival of Sami shamanism. 2 (39) Sami shamans The longest recorded history of shamanism in Europe, however, is in northern Scandinavia, in the area now known as Sápmi (formerly Lapland). Here the Sami people, semi-nomadic reindeer herders and coastal fishers, maintained a fully shamanic religion into the early 18th century, which has been partially revived in recent decades. Their religion can be reconstructed from historical sources as well as from close comparison with related cultures in North Asia and the American Arctic. Sami shamans, or noaidi, could inherit their calling or be chosen directly by the spirits. In some other cultures, those “chosen” to be shamans often experienced a period of intense illness and stress, as well as visionary episodes in which they might be killed and then brought back to life. Sami shamans had helping spirits in the form of animals, such as wolves, bears, reindeer, or fish, whom they imitated when entering a trance. Shamans are often said to “become” the animal they imitate; this occurs through a process of interior transformation rather than by visible, exterior change. 3 (41) The Sami shaman’s drum was used to make contact with the spirit world. Some of these drums survive, although many were burned by Christian missionaries. 4 (51) KEY BELIEVERS Australian Aborigines WHEN AND WHERE From prehistory, Australia AFTER 8000 BCE The date ascribed to certain changes to the Australian landscape in Aboriginal oral tradition; this has been supported by geological evidence. 4000–2000 BCE Aboriginal rock art depicts the ancestral beings of the Dreaming; some experts estimate the earliest portrayals of the Rainbow Serpent to be even older, dating them to some 8,000 years ago. 5 (56) KEY BELIEVERS Quechua Indians WHEN AND WHERE From prehistory, central Andes, South America AFTER From 6000 BCE Ayllu, or extended communities, develop in the Andes. 3800 BCE Corpses are mummified and revered as sacred objects. 6 (62) "Human beings should never eat alone. You must always share with others." Yinlugen Bud 7 (63) WHEN AND WHERE From 6000 BCE, the Orinoco Delta, Venezuela 8 (69) Victims of Aztec human sacrifice were typically prisoners of war, and, when in combat, Aztec warriors sought to capture rather than kill in order to ensure plentiful offerings for the gods. 9 (70) "You have yet to take care of bleeding your ears and passing a cord through your elbows. You must worship. This is your way of giving thanks before your god." Tohil, Maya god 10 (81) Dogon WHEN AND WHERE From 15th century CE, Mali, West Africa Today The Dogon people number between 400,000 and 800,000. The majority still practise 11 (87) From c.1000 BCE, Tikopia, Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean 12 (91) Hupa WHEN AND WHERE c.1000 CE, northwestern California, USA 13 (95) As the early civilizations rose and fell, many of their beliefs faded away, or were incorporated into the religions that replaced them; the pantheon of Greek mythology, for example, was absorbed into Roman mythology, and along with Celtic and other beliefs, into Christianity. Some religions, however, such as that of the Norse, were still practised until the Middle Ages, and others, including Shinto, Jainism, Daoism, and Confucianism, have survived into the modern age. 14 (106) Elaborate preparations for safe passage to the next world were at first reserved only for the nobility, as here, but later the promise of rebirth into eternal life was open to all Egyptians. 15 (114) This focus on moral choice makes Zoroastrianism a religion in which personal responsibility and morality are paramount, not only in conceptual terms but as practised in day-to-day life. 16 (116) Zoroastrians gather to pray together. This very moral religion is summed up in the old Avestan phrase: “Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta” – “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds”. 17 (118) 6th century BCE, China 18 (131) Confucius WHEN AND WHERE 6th–5th century BCE, China 19 (131) 18th century Confucius’s meritocratic ideas are admired by Enlightenment thinkers who oppose the absolute authority of Church and State. 20 (137) Confucius travelled and taught for 12 years, acquiring disciples in much the same way that the contemporary “schools” of philosophy were taking shape in the Ancient Greek world. "Only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under Heaven can transform." Doctrine of the Mean 21 (138) Respect for elders and ancestors is a core value of Confucianism: these young Chinese students are marking the anniversary of Confucius’s birth by honouring his image. "Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles." The Analects "Men’s natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart." The Analects 22 (141) WHEN AND WHERE 14th century BCE, Crete 23 (146) 8th century BCE, Rome BEFORE 8th–6th centuries BCE The Greek civilization flowers, with its pantheon of deities. AFTER 8th century BCE Rome is founded. c.509 BCE The Roman monarchy is overthrown and the Republic established. 133–44 BCE Civil wars finally bring an end to the Roman Republic; Julius Caesar is named “dictator for life” before his assassination in 44 BCE. 42 BCE Julius Caesar is deified. c.335 CE Roman Emperor Constantine I (the Great) converts to Christianity. 391 CE Emperor Theodosius bans the worship of pagan gods. 24 (149) The Roman gods had human characteristics; they are often depicted feasting, sleeping, or engaging in bawdy drunkenness. 25 (151) Shinto WHEN AND WHERE 8th century, Japan 26 (151) Shinto is the indigenous, traditional religion of Japan. Some say that it is not so much a religion as a Japanese way of life, because it is so intrinsically linked to the topography of the land and its history and traditions. Its origins can be traced to prehistoric times in Japan, when animist beliefs, with their respect for nature and natural phenomena, prevailed. 27 (153) "Great Japan is the Land of the Gods. Here the Deity of the Sun has handed on her eternal rule." Account of the Righteous Reigns of the Divine Emperors 28 (155) Shinto priests may be male or female; their white-clad assistants, or miko, are often the daughters of priests. Traditional costumes emphasize Shinto’s connections with Japan’s great imperial past. 29 (157) Viewed by the occupying US forces as too militaristic and nationalistic, Shinto was disestablished in 1946, ceasing to be the official state religion. In the same year, Emperor Hirohito renounced his claim to divinity. 30 (159) Vikings WHEN AND WHERE 8th–12th century CE, Scandinavia 31 (167) Virtually all branches of Hinduism accept that there is a supreme creator god, Brahma, who with Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer) form a principal trinity, the Trimurti. |
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"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree." Albert Einstein |
| 1 | 20210315 | +45p | =46p | 6% | *** |
| 2 | 20210316 | +118p | =164p | 23% | ************ |
| 3 | 20210317 | +85p | =249p | 35% | ****************** |
| 4 | 20210318 | +67p | =316p | 44% | ********************** |
| 5 | 20210319 | +138p | =454p | 64% | ******************************** |
| 6 | 20210320 | +70p | =524p | 74% | ************************************* |
| 7 | 20210321 | +102p | =626p | 88% | ******************************************** |