“Thematic Essay – Belief Systems”
There are many religions in the world today. The five main religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Some religions are Polytheistic, which means they believe in many gods and some are Monotheistic, which means they believe in one god. These religions were discovered thousands of years ago.
One of the belief systems is Hinduism. Hinduism is a Polytheistic religion that has no single founder, but developed and changed over thousands of years. It originated in India with early Indus Valley Civilization and the Nomadic Aryans. Their sacred texts are Vedas, which are collections of prayer, and guidelines for life. Hinduism’s key beliefs are Reincarnation, the belief that one’s soul is reborn in a new body after death, allowing people to continue the journey towards Moksha. Karma includes the deeds and actions of an individual’s life that will affect their existence the next life. Dharma explains moral and religious responsibilities one is expected to follow, based on their position in society (caste). If you perform good deeds (Karma) & do what is expected of you (Dharma), you will be reborn (reincarnation) into a higher caste. They cannot change their Caste if they do not like it. Their God they believe in is Brahma. They have three main gods. Brahma-The Creator - The giver of life, allows the soul to be reborn in new life. Vishnu-The Preserver - The sustainer of life, allows the soul continue to live. Shiva-The Destroyer - The taker of life & the soul will take life away need to be reborn (reincarnation).
Buddhism is another religion in the belief systems. Buddhism is a polytheistic religion. Buddhism originated in India and spread into China. Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism, also known as “The Buddha” or “The Enlightened one.” Born into the Brahmin caste Siddhartha had two choices. Stay home and become a world ruler or leave home and become an important spiritual...
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