JASMIN SARCOS

HUMSS 12 CRIM 1

CHRISTIANITY is a religion based upon the teachings and miracles of Jesus. Jesus is the Christ. The word "christ" means anointed
one. Christ is not Jesus' last name. Jesus is the anointed one from God the Father who came to this world, fulfilled the Old Testament
laws and prophecies, died on the cross, and rose from the dead physically. He performed many miracles which were recorded in the
Gospels by the eyewitnesses. He is divine in nature as well as human. Thus, He has two natures and is worthy of worship and prayer.
Christianity teaches that there is only one God in all existence, that God made the universe, the Earth, and created Adam and Eve. God
created man in His image. This does not mean that God has a body of flesh and bones. Image means the likeness of God's character,
rationality, etc. Because we are made in the image of God, every person is worthy of respect and honor. Furthermore, this means
that we did not evolve through random processes from a single-celled organism into rational, emotional beings.
God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden and gave them the freedom to choose between right and wrong. They
chose to sin. Sin is doing that which is contrary to the nature and will of God. For example, God cannot lie; therefore, lying is sin. The
sin of disobeying God that Adam and Eve committed resulted in them being expelled from the Garden of Eden as well as suffering the
effects of death. As a result of their sin, their children and all of us inherited a sinful nature. In other words, our offspring are not
perfect in nature. Think about it. We don't have to teach children to be selfish or how to lie. They know how to do these things
naturally. This shows that we are born in a fallen state.

CONFUCIANISM is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion. In fact, Confucianism built
on an ancient religious foundation to establish the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society. It
was what sociologist Robert Bellah called a "civil religion," (1) the sense of religious identity and common moral understanding at the
foundation of a society's central institutions. (2) It is also what a Chinese sociologist called a "diffused religion"; (3) its institutions
were not a separate church, but those of society, family, school, and state; its priests were not separate liturgical specialists, but
parents, teachers, and officials. Confucianism was part of the Chinese social fabric and way of life; to Confucians, everyday life was the
arena of religion.

The founder of Confucianism, Master Kong (Confucius, 551-479 B.C.E.) did not intend to found a new religion, but to interpret and
revive the unnamed religion of the Zhou dynasty, under which many people thought the ancient system of religious rule was bankrupt;
why couldn't the gods prevent the social upheavals? The burning issue of the day was: If it is not the ancestral and nature spirits, what
then is the basis of a stable, unified, and enduring social order? The dominant view of the day, espoused by Realists and Legalists, was
that strict law and statecraft were the bases of sound policy. Confucius, however, believed that the basis lay in Zhou religion, in its
rituals (li). He interpreted these not as sacrifices asking for the blessings of the gods, but as ceremonies performed by human agents
and embodying the civilized and cultured patterns of behavior developed through generations of human wisdom. They embodied, for
him, the ethical core of Chinese society. Moreover, Confucius applied the term "ritual" to actions beyond the formal sacrifices and
religious ceremonies to include social rituals: courtesies and accepted standards of behavior-- what we today call social mores. He
saw these time-honored and traditional rituals as the basis of human civilization, and he felt that only a civilized society could have a
stable, unified, and enduring social order.
JASMIN SARCOS
HUMSS 12 CRIM 1
TAOISM –to many people, a confusing aspect of Taoism is its very definition. Many religions will happily push judgment and dogmahich
in reflection defines a person. Taoism flips this around. It starts by teaching a truth; “The Tao” is indefinable. It then follows up by
teaching that each person can discover the Tao on their terms. A teaching like this can be very hard to grasp when most people desire
very concrete definitions in their own life.

 A simple way to start learning the definition of Taoism is to start within yourself. Here are three easy starting steps to
learning Taoism:
 Don’t concentrate on the meaning of Tao (this will come later naturally)
 Understand what Taoism is. Taoism is more than just a “philosophy” or a “religion”. Taoism should be understood as being: A
system of belief, attitudes, and practices set towards the service and living to a person’s nature.
 The path of understanding Taoism is simply accepting oneself. This leads to inner peace. Live life and discover who you are.
Your nature is ever changing and is always the same. Don’t try to resolve the various contradictions in life, instead learn
acceptance of your nature.

BUDDHISM is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (“the Buddha”) more than 2,500 years ago in India. With about 470
million followers, scholars consider Buddhism one of the major world religions. Its practice has historically been most prominent in
East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing in the West. Many Buddhist ideas and philosophies overlap with those of other
faiths.

Buddhism Beliefs

Some key Buddhism beliefs include:

 Followers of Buddhism don’t acknowledge a supreme god or deity. They instead focus on achieving enlightenment—a state of
inner peace and wisdom. When followers reach this spiritual echelon, they’re said to have experienced nirvana.
 The religion’s founder, Buddha, is considered an extraordinary man, but not a god. The word Buddha means “enlightened.”
 The path to enlightenment is attained by utilizing morality, meditation and wisdom. Buddhists often meditate because they
believe it helps awaken truth.
 There are many philosophies and interpretations within Buddhism, making it a tolerant and evolving religion.
 Some scholars don’t recognize Buddhism as an organized religion, but rather, a “way of life” or a “spiritual tradition.”
 Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-indulgence but also self-denial.
 Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion.
 Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law of cause and effect) and reincarnation (the continuous cycle of rebirth).
 Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples or in their own homes.
 Buddhist monks, or bhikkhus, follow a strict code of conduct, which includes celibacy.
 There is no single Buddhist symbol, but a number of images have evolved that represent Buddhist beliefs, including the lotus
flower, the eight-spoked dharma wheel, the Bodhi tree and the swastika (an ancient symbol whose name means "well-being"
or "good fortune" in Sanskrit).