My Study of World Religions...

Since 2007 I have constantly been studying religions and faiths. I stumbled across this link or just read below. This is a summary of the different religions.

 First it is instructive to look at other religions. (Under "religion" here we are including the various personality cults such as Christianity {a cult is the worship of a named God, such as Jesus} along with the "real" religions that are ways of spirituality.)  Let us see whether we can find the underlying essence, the message, of a few world religions. 

ChristianityChristianity is a "religion of the book."   Various interpretations of the book in its myriad translations result in various sects; so Christianity is an approach to the sacred through the written teachings of one sacred book and on sacred avatar. Its purpose may be summed up as a religion of sacrifice which leads to salvation. The sacrifices expected of its followers are many and varied, from the giving of money to the church to living unnatural lifestyles (eg. hair shirts).

For more information regarding a Pantheist's View of Christianity, please click here.

A Religion of Salvation through Sacrifice     In this instance, "Salvation" is defined as gaining a knowledge of the Divine and understanding your purpose in life, or spiritual growth.



Judaism      Judaism is a religion basedon the book. In this case the book contains a great deal of civil law. It is a relgion that teaches its adherents how to live safely in an unsafe world; therefore it has many different laws of behavior and diet, many restrictions, and many rituals that bring strength to the family and to the kin.


A Religion of Learning Salvation through Civitas (civilized behavior)


Islam      The message of Islam may be the simplest and the most stark of any of the major religions. It is simply that if one sumits to Allah, one receives Salvation. The very name of the religion means "Submission to God." The culture in which it flourishes is of the desert and of the stark reality of nature as a threat to life.
A Religion of Salvation through Absolute Submission



Taoism      This religion--which some say is a philosophy, not a religion--relies on the balancing of opposites. It tries to get its adherents into harmony with the primal nature of things. It differs from Confucianism in that Confucianists attempt to use reason and learning as a guide; whereas a Taoist guides himself by intuition. In this way the Tao instructs people to be humble and accept life as it comes to them.
A Religion of Salvation through Harmony
Witchcraft      The great thrust of the Craft is that it encourages spiritual development in all people in any way they intuitively feel is right for them. On its social side the Craft teaches connection with nature and the idea that one should progress through harming no one. This then leads us to a very simple definition: a religion that encourages its members to progress in their own way and in their own time to greater spiritual understanding.
A Religion of Salvation through Wisdom and Exploration