I thought itd be a good idea to have a thread in which people just give a general outline of their beliefs/religion, so if anyone needs to know what particular religions are and stuff, they can just pop in and see a brief overview/description of each one.
It would be particularly good to get the more obscure ones/foreign ones etc that not all people would know much about, so we can further understand other people/cultures etc
Edit- no religious debates over which religion is better or about issues and stuff with the religions, for this thread religious tolerance is vital and just give an overview of your religion, and respect others beliefs.

Very good idea!

for this thread religious tolerance is vital and just give an overview of your religion, and respect others beliefs.This is where this thread is going to fall apart unfortunately. We have some here who cannot do otherwise.

True

I am an Orthodox Presbyterian. It is a reformed faith, meaning that the Holy Bible is the infallible, inerrant word of God and is the sole rule and guide for our faith and practice. The reformed belief system is based on the Westminster Confession of Faith, a document which evolved over centuries of careful study and research of the Bible. As with all Protestant denominations, we believe in the total depravity of mankind, the unconditional grace of Jesus Christ (for the elect) and the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, dying for our sins so that ours may be forgiven and we may be restored to fellowship with God, both now and in the hereafter. However, we are Calvinist in our view of salvation (as opposed to Armenian), in that we believe that God has elected his people to receive Christ's grace before the beginning of the world. Salvation is not something that's acquired of one's own free will (although it may certainly appear to be the case at first glance) and, once obtained, cannot be lost. I could go on and on of course, but that's a general overview of the essentials of my faith.

Thanks for being the first s_cianci :)
Hopefully that should get the ball rolling, and hopefully no one will abuse the "practice religious tolerance" rule :)

Cal,
I am a firmbeliever in Islam
"Islam" means "submission to the will of Allah/God". A muslim is the one who submits and surrenders to the will of Allah.

The Islamic concept of God/Allah is that He is loving, merciful, and compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in punishment.Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope, protecting one from both complacency and despair.

Muslims do not worship Muhammad(pbuh) nor pray through him.He is not divine,but human and he was only a messenger and prophet to whom the Quran was revealed by Allah through Gabriel (Jibrael alaihi salaam). Muslims solely worship the unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah.

There are five pillars of practice in Islam. These practices must be undertaken with the best of effort in order to be considered a true Muslim: A) Shahadah - declaration of faith in the oneness of God and that Muhammad(pbuh) is the last prophet of Allah. B) Formal prayer five times a day. C) Fasting during the daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. D) Poor-due "tax" - 2.5% of one's savings given to the needy at the end of the Ramadan month. E) Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if physically and financially able.

There are six articles of faith in Islam. These are the basic beliefs that one must have in order to be considered a true Muslim. They are belief in: A) Allah,the One God. B) all the prophets of God(from Adam,Noah,Moses,Jesus etc until Muhammed(peace be upon them all). C) the original scriptures revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad(peace be upon them all). D) the angels. E) the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. F) the divine decree (or pre-ordainment).

Quran(which literally means the "recitation" is the book muslims follow.
If all Qur'ans in the world today were burned and destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain. This is because millions of Muslims, called Hafiz (or "preservers") have memorized the text letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.

We believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and will have to answer to Almighty for their every word, thought, and deed. Consequently, a practicing Muslim should always strive to be righteous.

The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the will of Allah. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad which are more relevant to the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness, arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

Women are not oppressed in Islam. Any Muslim man that oppresses a woman is not following Islam as it should be. Among the many teachings of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) that protected the rights and dignity of women is his saying, "...the best among you are those who treat their wives well." (Tirmidhi)

Islam grants women numerous rights in the home and in society. Among them are the right to earn money, to financial support, to an education, to an inheritance, to being treated kindly, to vote, to a dowry, to keep their maiden name, to worship in a mosque, etc. etc.

Muslim women wear the head-covering (hijab) in fulfillment of God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to identify one as attempting to follow Allah in daily life.

All Muslims are not Arabs. Islam is a universal religion and way of life which includes followers from all races of people. There are Muslims in and from virtually every country in the world. Arabs only constitute about 20% of Muslims worldwide. Indonesia has the largest concentration of Muslims with over 120 million.

In the five daily prayers, Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca, Arabia. It is a cube-shaped stone structure that we believe was originally built by Prophet Adam(alaihi salaam) and later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham(alaihi salaam). It serves as a central focal point for Muslims around the world, unifying them in worship and symbolizing their common belief, spiritual focus and direction. Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty
------------------------------
With reference to this link 30 Facts About Islam (http://www.meccacentric.com/30_facts.html)
Sorry about it being so long,but if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Hello cal:

I'm a none of the above.

If you're going to explain other religions, you need a category for NO religion. Otherwise one would assume that everybody has one, and they don't.

excon

No religion. It's empowering. Allows me to be friends with anyone regardless of their religion, race, sexual orientation, etc. I just pick the good people.

I'm a negative/weak explicit atheist. This means that I can't prove there are no gods so I believe being a strong/positive atheist would be religion in itself which results form having nothing more than 'faith' to support my beliefs. Still following? Explicit means I know of the existence of the thought of gods as apposed to being ignorant of the possibility.

I come from a Christian family comprised of Catholic and that random kind of Protestantism that seems to revolve mainly around tea. I became an atheist at around seven after a brief flush of religious zealousness which resulted in me not believing in any of it after extending the hypothesis I had been lied to about the Easter bunny and Santa Claus why not God?

A lot of my beliefs about the world are actually encompassed in philosophical Satanism; however I would not define myself as a Satanist as the organisation was too restricting. A common downfall of religion I feel.
As I am not a Satinist I can say look at this page to know what the philosophies are if you are interested Satanism: Encyclopedia II - Satanism - Satanic philosophy (http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Satanism_-_Satanic_philosophy/id/1869667) they are down the bottom :)

I don't follow an organized religion, but I believe in God in the Christian way, except with no judgement of others and complete toleration for other religions. I don't believe in telling any person how to live their life and living yours to be the best person you can be. I do believe in karma, as I believe that God is everywhere, in the good things in life, perhaps not as an entity himself, but in love and compassion and trust. I believe that God is the good energy we all have and that if you are a good person and believe in God and the things he stands for, (love, tolerance, peace, all the good stuff!), you'll die and go to Heaven, but if you are bad you'll die and go to Hell.

Maybe I'm weird?

HI, I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church which I gave up when I went to college. Throughout my life I was a religious seeker, reading about spiritual matters and always curious about the meaning of life and my place in the grand scheme of things.

I was a born again Christian, then a member of a mainline type of megachurch. In addition, I studied Christian Science, the religion of my husband(we are now divorced).
Also, I studied Eastern Religions... Tao, Buddhism... and still incorporate some Buddhist teachings into my life. At one time, I belonged to a 12 Step Spiritual Group related to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today, I am an atheist, and I love it. I do some readings in atheism, secular humanism and now, I am reading in a Skeptical Inquirer magazine which is very satisfying. I am a person who always favored rationality over faith, so I am finally Home. :)

Best wishes to all on their spiritual journey...

I was teaching moral science to the pupils of a lower class. I told the class at the end that they could ask any question.

One got up and said "Sir, is really there a power called God?" I said,'' Oh, surely" and went on to explain to him.

The following was the conversation between me and the pupil.

Me: What is this?
Pupil: It is a table, sir.
Me: Who made this?
Pupil: A carpenter!
Me: What is it up there?
Pupil: A fan, respected sir
Me: Who designed it?
Pupil: An engineer
Me: Who are you?
Pupil : I am a boy! (the whole class laugh)
Me: Who created you?
Pupil: I don't know, sir
Me: It is God! The master mind behind the carpenter, the engineer and this whole universe, is God. Imagine how beautifully a baby is taken care of in its mother's womb.
You can call 'The super power' as Allah or Christ or Krishna!

I'm an "apatheist", meaning that I'm completely uninterested in the question of whether God exists. I do think it's likely that there is a world of spirit that transcends and interpenetrates the physical realm, but I doubt that the intellect is the right tool for the job of exploring it.

I'm an "apatheist", meaning that I'm completely uninterested in the question of whether God exists. I do think it's likely that there is a world of spirit that transcends and interpenetrates the physical realm, but I doubt that the intellect is the right tool for the job of exploring it.

When you believe in a spirit world, I am impelled to change the phrase like this, "Alla or Christ or Krishna or a Great Spirit".
Once two friends were talking about God. One said," Aye, you are always saying God, God, God! Where is he? Show me." The other gave him a fine blow on the cheek. When the former shouted "Oh! It is paining!", the other replied, "Come on show me". So, we can only feel and experience in our lives the existence of God. It is based on faith. Millions have prayed in critical moments and got their grievances redressed.:)

Good to see that people are being tolerant and not starting arguments :)
Myself, I'm a christian, though I am currently going through a bit of a low point in my faith, haven't been to church in ages. Pretty standard christian church I am in, I think its pentecostal or evangelical church or sumting like that, its quite good, and has helped me grow a lot as a person. I have never really felt gods prescense much,but I know that lies somewhere in the future for me, I just really need to work on my faith and stuff.
I have felt, however, a great happiness come upon me when I worship in church, its amazing, I could be incredibly low, but as soon as I start singing along in church, I just can't help but smile for no reason. When in church, I can see gods effect on the others as well, and it is just amazing, I can't wait till I grow spiritually to the level of some of the others in my church.
I believe that there is so such thing as evil, or bad, because I believe that in the same way that darkness is just the lack of light, cold is the lack of warmth and void is just the lack of matter, so is evil, just the lack of god.
That's not to say that I believe atheists are evil, because I believe that even if you do not worshp god, he has a prescence in your life, because I believe that all good things, all talents, all gifts in life, are given to you by god, even if you do not walk with him, I believe he is looking out for you as well.
I also believe that as an extension of that, hell would be just like this world, just having its main difference, being the complete lack of god, and hence, the complete lack of good things.

I'm Jewish and I'm also new to this forum as well.

We believe in One God. We don't believe in Jesus as anything. Our Holy Scripture is the Tanach (what non-Jews call the "Old" testament) (Which is the Torah + Prophets + Writings).

We don't believe someone has to be Jewish in order to be 'saved'. Our holy day of the week starts on Friday sunset and goes through until Saturday sunset which is referred to as Shabbat (or Sabbath). Our major holiday of the year is Yom Kippur, it's NOT Channukah.. Channukah isn't even important. Yom Kippur is a day of repentance and remembrance.

Judaism is also a culture as it is a religion. And yeah..

M.

I am Christian. What society calls Charismatic. My church is non-denominational which means we are self governing, our Authority being the Holy Spirit of God. We operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of them, and are seeking the Face of God. God is restoring the Church (the Body of Christ) to the original purpose for His Glory.

Our church's vision and mission statement:
Our vision is for a church that is built on a biblical pattern with unity, prayer, the Word of God, worship and outreach as foundation stones, being governed by a biblical eldership with a senior pastor, developing ministries tailored to specific needs which provide opportunities for growth, discipleship, and service.

We have an emphasis on establishing strong FAMILIES.

Strengthening marriages. Ephesians 5:22-29
Nurturing godliness in our children. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 20-25
Finding effective avenues of service for our youth. Psalm 110:3
We encourage MEN and WOMEN to fulfill their biblical role in becoming a godly influence in their homes, their work and their leisure. 1 Timothy 4:16

We encourage COLLEGE AGE and YOUNG ADULTS to see God's vision for their life, find their place in the body of Christ, becoming standard bearers for their generation. 1 Timothy 4:12

We emphasize CHRISTIAN MATURITY and encourage every member to find their place of ministry to the Lord, and service to His people, growing in grace and effectiveness there. Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:12-16

We are asking for a spirit of MERCY UPON THE BROKEN AND WOUNDED, so we can be to them the HEALING HANDS of Christ. Isaiah 61:1

We encourage Christian discipleship by CARING FOR EACH OTHER and LOVING THE LOST through WEEKLY EVANGELISTIC SMALL GROUPS. Acts 2:46-47; John 4:35-38

We have a burden and LOVE FOR OUR CITY being a voice for righteousness here. We live with a burden for the lost and are active in EVANGELISM, knowing we will reap…in our city, our state, and the Nations of the World. Matthew 28:18-19

We work toward UNITY in our area by NETWORKING with other pastors and churches to bless the body of Christ and to strengthen our CHRISTIAN WITNESS to our community. Psalm 133; John 17:21

We accept our place as PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE in our city and state which we believe the Lord has given us. Deuteronomy 28:9-13

We are placing our church at a STRATEGIC LOCATION AT THE CROSSROADS OF HUMANITY for maximum effectiveness, visibility, and influence. Proverbs 1:20-21

We bring in OUTSIDE MINISTRY to bless and strengthen both our own local church as well as the Treasure Valley. Ephesians 4:11-12

We are committed to MISSIONS by financial support, short term missions teams, and long term missionaries to fields where God is opening doors. Acts 1:8b. We also have a “home missions” vision with an emphasis on CHURCH PLANTING. Acts 1:8a.

coz i believe that even if you do not worshp god, he has a prescence in your life, because i believe that all good things, all talents, all gifts in life, are given to you by god, even if you do not walk with him, i believe he is looking out for you as well.

I love this idea

I am an atheist. Even though I am an atheist, I believe in Karma - What goes around comes around. I tried for so long to believe in something... anything because I felt like something was missing. I was told all my life that not believing in God was wrong and that all these bad things would happen to me if I didn't believe. Only after I embraced being an atheist did I find how wonderful life could be. I don't judge people by their religion, race, sexual preference, or lifestyle. I try to like all people and I try to be friends with everyone. If they are jerks, then I can accept that and never talk to them again without feeling like I got to love that person regardless of their horrible ways. I can right them off like they never existed. I don't have the stress of worrying if I am walking the straight and narrow path because there is no path. I don't have to worry about what will happen to me when I die because I will be dead... just a body... dirt... gone. No heaven, no hell. Just gone. Karma to me isn't really a spiritual belief. I believe that if you do something bad to someone, it will come back on you whether you like it or not. :D

Well said, mm, one can adhere to the saying to "do unto others as one would have others do to you ...." without a lot of 'supernatural world' baggage and threats of hell and other negativity and accusations. :D

As a Gnostic I have a very different understanding of the different religious texts. I don't see them as literal history. In fact I see literalism as the lowest level of understanding re what was once a mystery teaching with multiple levels of symbolism and hence no single correct way of interpreting and understanding them. Being that there are a number of possible right ways of viewing I don't look down at those who disagree with me. In fact there's always something more to learn and even the student can be the master as it were. The word "Gnostic" simply means "knower" and is indicative of how I live my life. I don't simply take a persons word for something. I'll perform the Gnostics three R's, reproof, reproof, and yet more reproof ;) A Gnostic can be within any religion or not in one at all, i.e. can be Jewish, Buddhist (Buddha means the same as Gnostic), Islamic (Sufi), Hindi, Christian,.