Confessions Of An Atheist -- New Internationalist Confessions of an atheist Belief in God is something most of us either take for granted or simply don't think about. But for others the question of faith is a central concern. Michael Goulder, an Anglican clergyman for nearly 30 years, explains what led him to become an atheist. IN 1981 I wrote to the Bishop of Birmingham to resign my Orders and became an atheist. Not a dogmatic atheist proclaiming that there is no God (how could I know that?) 'One thing is obvious', the confirming Bishop had said then, 'if there is a God, he is the most important thing there is.' But even at Cambridge the 'if' of God's existence was a problem. When I began to study theology, I soon learned that none of these ideas really settled the matter. That was not the answer I wanted to hear. I was soon to discover for myself a distinction which it took years to put into words: one might experience the presence of God, but one might also experience the action of God. Now I was going home in a train. Not to me.
Religions - Christianity: Jesus Siddhartha Gautama - World History Encyclopedia Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha, l. c. 563 - c. 483 BCE) was, according to legend, a Hindu prince who renounced his position and wealth to seek enlightenment as a spiritual ascetic, attained his goal and, in preaching his path to others, founded Buddhism in India in the 6th-5th centuries. The events of his life are largely legendary, but he is considered an actual historical figure and a younger contemporary of Mahavira (also known as Vardhamana, l. c. 599-527 BCE) who established the tenets of Jainism shortly before Siddhartha's time. According to Buddhist texts, a prophecy was given at Siddhartha's birth that he would become either a powerful king or great spiritual leader. His father, fearing he would become the latter if he were exposed to the suffering of the world, protected him from seeing or experiencing anything unpleasant or upsetting for the first 29 years of his life. An aged manA sick manA dead manA religious ascetic Historical Background Love History?
Who are the Yazidis? Profile of Iraq's misunderstood 'devil worshippers' But in their home town of Sinjar, from where they have now fled to the mountains above, they were welcoming in a way that belied their fearsome reputation as Satanists. For ordinary Iraqis, they are bogeymen to frighten children with. But for religious extremists through the centuries, they have been Devil-worshippers to be slaughtered. The misidentification came about because the Yazidis worship a fallen angel, the Malek Tawwus, or Peacock Angel. Their religion is not just an offshoot of Christianity or Islam. They have kept their religion alive through the Talkers, men who are taught the entire text of their missing holy book by memory as children, and who in turn pass it on to their own sons. Cars queue to leave the Hamdaniyah town of Mosul (Anadolu/ Getty) The Yazidis once lived in a wide area, across Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia. They have been persecuted both for their religious beliefs, and for their ethnicity. There are darker sides to the Yazidis.
5 Major World Religions - See What These Different Religions Believe about God By Marilyn Adamson We all want to make it through life with success, some sense that we did it right. So what about the major world religions? Is there anything in them that might give our lives greater depth and direction? The following looks at the major world religions... *Each of these religions has sects with differing beliefs. Most Hindus worship one Being of ultimate oneness (Brahman) through infinite representations of gods and goddesses. Hindus believe their position in this present life was determined by their actions in a previous life. A Hindu's goal is to become free from the law of karma...to be free from continuous reincarnations. Hinduism gives a person freedom to choose how to work toward spiritual perfection. New Age promotes the development of the person's own power or divinity. Highly eclectic, New Age presents itself as a collection of ancient spiritual traditions. Buddhists do not worship any gods or God. Are all religions worshiping the same God?
Religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: As the name of the worldview according to which one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and thus the acknowledgement that at least some truths and true values exist in other religions.As acceptance of the concept that two or more religions with mutually exclusive truth claims are equally valid. This may be considered a form of either toleration (a concept that arose as a result of the European wars of religion) or moral relativism.The understanding that the exclusive claims of different religions turn out, upon closer examination, to be variations of universal truths that have been taught since time immemorial. Definition and scope[edit] Religious pluralism, to paraphrase the title of a recent academic work, goes beyond mere toleration. History[edit] Bahá'í Faith[edit] Buddhism[edit] Christianity[edit]
Confucius and Confucianism May 8, 2021 © Ulrich Theobald Confucius (latinized from Chinese Kongzi 孔子 or Kongfuzi 孔夫子 "Master Kong", 551-479 BCE), Chinese name Kong Qiu 孔丘, courtesy name Zhongni 中尼, was the most important Chinese philosopher. He is traditionally seen as the father of the philosophical school of Confucianism (rujiao 儒教), although the tradition of the experts on rituals (ru 儒) - sometimes rendered in English as "ruists" is much older than Confucius himself. The term ru 儒 There were "Confucians before Confucius" (Rosenlee 2006). It is not known from which time on ru (or ritual) experts existed, but they might have originated in very early times. Scholars of the early 20th century tried to find out the real origin of the ru experts. After Confucius' death many other philosophical schools emerged (the "hundred contending schools") that offered different concepts for the ordering of society. Biography Confucius died in 479. Aspects of religion The Philosophy of Confucius Kindheartedness (ren 仁) Sources:
Religions - Zoroastrian: The Parsis Major religious groups Religious movement with major international spread Worldwide percentage of adherents by religion, 2015[1] Other religions (0.5%) The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing the relative levels of civility in different societies,[2] but this practice has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures. History of religious categories An 1821 map of the world, where "Christians, Mahometans, and Pagans" correspond to levels of civilization (the map makes no distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism). An 1883 map of the world divided into colors representing Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Mohammedans and Fetishists. Christian categorizations Initially, Christians had a simple dichotomy of world beliefs: Christian civility versus foreign heresy or barbarity. Islam categorizations Classification Religious demographics
Internet History Sourcebooks Project The History of the Sephardic Communities The New World Diaspora General 19th Century WEB Walnut Street 19th Century Jewish-American history, poetry and fiction, polemics and philosophy. Has an online library of 19th century Jewish books. WEB Jews in the Civil War Contains an impressive collection of original texts from both Union and Confederate sides. Catechism for Jewish Children 1863 [At Walnut Street] Yiddish Culture WEB Yiddish-Language Playscripts [At LOC] American Zionism Milton Steinberg: The Creed of An American Zionist, The Atlantic Magzine, Feb, 1945 [At The Atlantic Magazine, subscription required] WEB AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Jews and the Political Left Albert Einstein: Why Socialism, 1949 [At the Monthly Review] Di Shvue (The Vow) [At ANU] The song of the Bund, the dominant party among East European Jews. Modern Jewish Religious Thought The Impact of Secular Jews on Modern Thought Modern Antisemitism Zionism The State of Israel
Confucius—facts and information An ancient Chinese text recorded the height of Confucius as nine feet six inches tall. While that document may have exaggerated his physical size, there’s no doubt that Confucius was a teacher and philosopher of tremendous stature. His ideals have become intrinsically entwined with the national identity of China and the civilization of East Asia. The individual known in the West as Confucius was born Kongqiu in 551 B.C. near Qufu, in eastern China. His family may once have been aristocratic, but they apparently fell on hard times, because he took menial jobs as a young man. Love of learning Confucius showed a zeal for academics early on. Confucius believed that education and reflection led to virtue, and that those who aspired to command others must cultivate discipline and moral authority in themselves. He tried for years to reenter public service in order to improve it from within, but he found far greater success as a teacher instead. Spreading his wisdom Qufu, Confucius's hometown
Books about World Religions for Kids This is the second post in a series on World Religions for Kids, a group of articles packed with resources to help teachers and parents teach their children about World Religions as a means to promote compassion, empathy, cultural understanding, and tolerance. These books are a sample of the incredible list of 300+ multicultural books featured in The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners, a new book with hundreds of easy activities, resources, and projects to help busy educators incorporate global and cultural awareness in their classroom. Learn more here. The books contain affiliate links. General Books about World Religions Use these books to explore similarities and differences in traditions, rituals, beliefs, and celebrations of world religions for kids. Buller, Laura (2005). . DK Publishing (2011). New York, NY: DK. Glossop, Jennifer, & Mantha, John (2003). Lumbard, Alexis York (2014). Meredith, Susan (2012). . Osborne, Mary Pope (1996). Buddhism Demi (1997). . Christianity
Existentialism Existentialism is a catch-all term for those philosophers who consider the nature of the human condition as a key philosophical problem and who share the view that this problem is best addressed through ontology. This very broad definition will be clarified by discussing seven key themes that existentialist thinkers address. Those philosophers considered existentialists are mostly from the continent of Europe, and date from the 19th and 20th centuries. Outside philosophy, the existentialist movement is probably the most well-known philosophical movement, and at least two of its members are among the most famous philosophical personalities and widely read philosophical authors. It has certainly had considerable influence outside philosophy, for example on psychological theory and on the arts. Within philosophy, though, it is safe to say that this loose movement considered as a whole has not had a great impact, although individuals or ideas counted within it remain important. 1. a. b.