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Religion on Writing.com

by River Song

Rated: E · User Poll · Religious · #1039420

How many religions are there on Writing.com?

Poll Question:

What religion do you practice?
*If you put Other, please email me and tell me what religion you do practice so I can see if I need to add any!

Thanks!

For those of you who are curious, a few of the common "Other" answers I have recieved are:
Wiccan, Pagan, Occult, New Age, Scientology, Jehovah's Witness, and many open minds to different ideas of religion.

Definitions of each religion:

Protestant (Christian): Any Christian denomination that believes that Jesus is God and came to earth as a man to die and be resurrected as an atonement for sin. They also believe in salvation through faith, not works, and worship in the vernacular, not latin. Services are usually more laid back and less formal and traditional than Catholic services. They use the Holy Bible as the guide to their beliefs.

Catholicism: Also believe Jesus died and was resurrected as an atonement for sin, but believe that the Virgin Mary and the saints can intercede for them in heaven. They have a very traditional and ritualistic form of worship that includes the use of sacred images, candles, vestments and music, and often incense and water. Most traditional services are conducted in latin. They use the Holy Bible as well as other religious books as the guides to their beliefs.

Latter Day Saints (Mormon): The Latter Day Saint movement began in the early 1800s led by the teachings of Joseph Smith. Although their basic beliefs are similar to Christian beliefs, they believe that their interpretations of the Bible are more enlightened, which is why they removed themselves from the Christian church in the 1800s. They also believe that prophets can bring new revelations to the church, which is a view that is not shared by Protestants or Catholics.They also believe that the Book of Mormon is equal to the Holy Bible, which is also a view that is not shared by Protestants or Catholics. They use the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants as the guides to their beliefs.

Atheism: is not a religion. It is the lack of belief in any greater power. It is still a system of belief, but because it is not an organized group, it cannot really be thought of as a religion.

Judaism: An ethnicity as well as a religion, Judaism is the oldest surviving monotheistic religion in the world. They believe in one omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, transcendent God, who created the earth. They believe he formed a Covenant with their Ancestor Abraham in which he promised to bless their people as long as they obeyed his laws. They use the Torah as their main guide to their beliefs.

Buddhism: Traditionally thought of as a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality.The foundation of all Buddhist practice is ethical conduct and altruism. Further practices can vary widely, but may include renunciation, meditation, the cultivation of mindfulness and wisdom, the study of scriptures, physical exercises, devotion and ceremonies, or the invocation of bodhisattvas. They do not use one central text as a guide to their beliefs, but have many different texts in many different languages. Two of the most commonly used texts are the Vinaya Pitaka and the Sutta Pitaka.

Islam: They believe in one God: Allah. They refer to the teachings of many ancient prophets including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. There are 5 Pillars of Islam that are practiced by all Muslims: Shahadah- the basic creed of Islam, Salah- ritual prayer which must be performed 5 times a day, Zakat- alms-giving, Sawm- fasting during Ramadan, and Hajj- a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during their life if they are able. They use the Qur'an as the guide to their beliefs.

Hinduism: They believe in the everyday practice of basic morality, or karma. Prominent themes in the Hindu belief system are: Dharma- ethics and duties, Samsara- the continuing cycle of birth, life, death, and reincarnation, Karma- action and subsequent reaction, Moksha- liberation from the endless cycle of Samsara, and the various Yogas- paths or practices. They use many religious texts which are divided into 2 classes: Shruti and Smriti.

Other: If you do not believe any of these things, or believe in a mixture of any of these beliefs, or don't know what you believe, you fit into this category!

Thank you to all participants!

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