... less personal gods or with mysticism, asceticism, and abstract and profound theological systems or esoteric doctrines. The worship of local deities does not exclude the belief in pan-Indian higher gods or even in a single high God. Such local deities are also frequently looked down upon as manifestations of a high God. In principle, Hinduism incorporates all forms of belief and worship without necessitating the selection or elimination of any. It is axiomatic that no religious idea in India ever dies or is superseded-it is merely combined with the new ideas that arise in response to it. Hindus are inclined to re ...

... the pope, and soon was regarded as the head of all churches. The pope made many decisions that have affected history (i.e. Crusades, King Henry, etc.). Many of the lower-ranking bishops strove to become the pope, yet they took part in adultery, murder, and the like. They also persecuted anyone of another religion, and tortured him or her until confession. These examples do not speak highly of the man and religion that now do not want their good name smeared. Yet, times change. In modern times the Catholic Church has changed dramatically, and the view on religions has as well. Hopefully, there is no more adult ...

... The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born ¹"immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" After birth the future Buddha (Gautama) supposedly talked and walked while lotus leafs formed in his footprints. Gautama's father was said to have been told his son's destiny for greatness, either as an emperor or as a religious leader. Therefore Gautama's father decided to isolate his son from the outside world, where he might "see how the other half lived" and maybe even be tempted to belong to a different religion. Since the complete seclu ...

... society died, that persons body and soul had to go through a series of preparations and trials. The body had to be prepared by numerous rituals and ceremonies, and the soul had to pass through a series of trials in order to travel the land of Osiris. Mummification, the feathe rof truth, and the trials of Tuat, are a few of these tasks that have to be completed before entering Tuat. The land of Tuat has mant gods, ceremonies and myths surrounding it. Tuat was originally a place through which the sun god Ra passed each evening after his setting, or death, on his journey to that portion of the sky where he would ...

... Seder is steeped in long held traditions and customs. Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. All hametz is either eaten before Passover begins or "sold" to non-Jewish neighbors and friends. The rules surrounding Passover are strict and many, with only special foods, utensils, and dishware allowed. Kitchen utensils and dishware normally used in the home are not be used during Passover. Special dishes and utensils for the Passover holiday are taken out of storage, cleaned and used. Only foods that are "Kosher for Passover" are allowed. No leavene ...

... and believed to hold life after one died. They were believed to give shelter to bodies through eternity. We have cemetary's filled with graves as a way of recognition of our existence. As human beings we have a difficulty in accepting death and an ending of our personal existence. Different types of religions, beliefs and gods evolved, along with prayer. There are different types of prayer. From quiet contemplation to complete ectasy or chaos in my opinion. Religious orders, specifically, differentiate from contemplative cloistered to active, or a little of both. Once I visited a different church with ...

... peace, stability, and a just government. The culture progresses because each individual is working to make the whole society better. An example of one of their principles is, "a superior man never competes." This is why the western world never accepted . They are too competitive. In China, this unity made life peaceful because there was not any back stabbing and a desire to be the best. The government promoted civilized and proper behavior. This environment created an ideal situation to invent things that would change the world. Wallpaper, compass, paper, printing press, and toilet paper all came from China. is th ...

... people. Although not accepted by our beliefs, its understanding helps build strength in our own religion. Reincarnation, life after death, beliefs are not standardized between the religions. Each religion has a different way of applying this concept to its beliefs. Ignorance of these beliefs is a sign of weakness in the mind. To truly understand ones own religion, one must also understand those concepts of the other religions of the world. Hopefully this will be an enlightenment on the reincarnation concepts as they apply to and Buddhism. The goal in is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultim ...

... of science and religion. One reason why followers believe in a religion is because that particular religion gives its believers comfort that everything will be for the best (even after death), because everything that happens in this world is an expression of the intentions of a higher being. This comfort comes from the belief that if you worship this higher being you will be protected from the evils of this world (or the afterlife). "And God said to him, I am God, the Ruler of all: be fertile, and have increase; a nation, truly a group of nations, will come from you, and kings will be your offspring (Genesi ...

... we look at the church, the daily lives of women, and the media. Looking at 1 Timothy 2:11-12, we see why our religious society could interpret the Bible this way: Let a woman learn in silence with all submission, and do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. We must look at the historical context of the passage. Written approximately 2000 years ago, many parts of the Bible seem outdated. The passage portrays a time when women were property and were “trained� to be weak and fragile. This stopped only about 30 years ago. Before this time, society taught women from ...