Religions and Belief Systems

Religions and Belief Systems

Description God(s)? Afterlife? Holy Texts?
agnosticism Belief that (1) God, if it exists, is by nature unknowable and will always be unknowable, or, (2) that the individual being asked cannot conclude if god exists or not for lack of evidence one way or the other Atheist/monotheist Not defined None
Amish Peaceful Christian fundamentalist group famous for its rejection of technology and strict adherence to OT and NT laws Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
ancestor worship Belief that good relations need to be kept with tribal ancestor spirits. Often a form of Shamanism Not defined Yes None
animism The belief that all objects contain spirits. More a traditional form of belief that a "religion" in the Western sense Not defined Not defined None
Asatrú A modern uptake of Nordic religion Polytheist Other None
atheism Either (1) the active and extrinsic disbelief that God exists, or (2) an intrinsic lack of belief due to lack of knowledge about god(s) in local culture Atheist Not defined None
Aum Shinrikyo Dangerous and violent religious community responsible for the 1995 Sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway and other crimes. Eventually they apologized, stopped using the Bible, and formed the more prosaic group called Aleph Theist Yes The Bible and other
Bahá'í Faith Belief that a series of prophets have come from God, and that Bahá'í is the latest religion founded by God. A liberal offshoot of Islam, but persecuted in Iran Monotheist Yes Writings of founder and leaders
Brahma Kumari This group are preparing to rule the world after a coming apocalypse, and embrace many practices which are now called New Age Monotheist Writings of founder and leaders
Branch Davidians Apocalyptic suicide cult famed for its dramatic armed fight against authorities in the town of Waco, USA, in 1993 Theist Heaven or hell The Bible
Buddhism The belief that meditation and good living can break the cycle of reincarnation and result in enlightenment Atheist Reincarnation until escape Multifaceted
Celtic Paganism Modern reconstructions of Celtic paganism form part of the neo-pagan range of religions Not known None
Chen Tao A series of civilisations on Earth have arisen but destroyed themselves in nuclear war. Each time, some faithful believers were rescued by flying saucers and put back on Earth Theist Yes
Chinese religion A varied cultural religion practiced traditionally on a town-by-town and region-by-region basis Atheist Reincarnation until escape None
Christadelphians Bible-based Christianity Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
Christian Apostolic Church in Zion Fundamentalist Anti-science flat-earth Christian cult, who also predicted the End of the World would occur 4 different times Theist Heaven or hell The Bible
Christianity Belief that a single creator god had a son, Jesus Christ, born to a human mother, and that Jesus' crucifixion by the Romans brings salvation Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
Concerned Christians Fundamentalist Christians active in USA, Israel and Greece who expected the end of the world in year 2000, starting with a nuclear attack on the USA, which they appeared to be trying to instigate themselves Theist Heaven or hell The Bible
Confucianism A collection of ethical and moral teachings Atheist None
Dami Xuanjiao A millenarian cult based on the belief that Jesus would return to judge survivors in 1999. Suspected of being on the verge of mass suicide after predictions of the end of the world failed in year 2000 Theist Yes
deism Belief in a single creator god who is not "personal" and does not have human emotions, and which many believers say does not interact with the world Monotheist Not defined None
Divine Lightmission A self-help religious group involving meditation, with few fixed beliefs Hard to tell None
Druidism Celtic religion in prehistoric England, famous for building Stonehenge. Modern reconstructed Druidism is part of the neo-pagan range of religions Not known Not known None
Druze A semi-secretive esoteric religion with features of a Mystery Religion Monotheist Qur'an, Rasa'il al-hikma (Epistles of Wisdom)
dualism Belief that either (1) There is a good and evil god of equal, or almost-equal power, or (2) there are two gods, such as a male and female one Dualist Not defined Multifaceted
Ebionites 1st century Jewish Christians, possibly the earliest form of Christianity to exist Monotheist Early version of the Gospel of Matthew
Eckankar New Age religion, a mix of Sant Mat, Theosophy and Scientology Monotheist Reincarnation until escape Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad2
Gnosticism The belief that we must escape from this world, which was created and is ruled by an inferior and unworthy god, and reunite with the true god Polytheist Multifaceted
Hare Krishna The embracing of Krishna through correct living, honesty, spiritual life and austerity Polytheist Reincarnation until escape Various Indian scriptures
Heathenism Modern uptake of Nordic religion. Part of the neo-pagan range of religions Polytheist None
Heaven's Gate Apocalyptic suicide cult who combined Biblical eschatology with New Age and ideas about UFOs. All 39 members committed suicide in San Diego, USA in 1997 Theist Yes
Hinduism Cultural religion of India which was historically decentralized and disparate and not a single belief system. Western influence made it into a single religion, an identity which Hindus now accept. Polytheist Reincarnation until escape Multifaceted
Hookers for Jesus / The Family of God Sexually promiscuous group who fell foul of police suspicion. As is often the case, increasing pressure from outside resulted in the group retreating even further into insanity, and they became The Family, predicting the end of the world Theist Heaven or hell The Bible
Humanism An organized form of atheism where moral and ethical goodness is emphasized Atheist None None
Islam Strict monotheism taught by Muhammad, the world's 2nd largest religion Monotheist Heaven or hell Qur'an and Hadiths
Jain Beliefs include non-violence and equality of all living things Atheist Reincarnation until escape Multifaceted
Jedi Knights A campaign saw many put this down as their religion on the UK census in 2001. Midichlorians exist in all living beings, which create a 'living force' that can be interacted with Animist Select few None
Jehovah's Witnesses A 140-year-old Christian fundamentalist/literalist organisation famous for preaching that the world is about to end (nowadays - because of the existence of the United Nations) Monotheist Other The Bible
Judaism Organized Judaism emerged from Babylonian writings. Belief that God has a special contract with a Hebrew tribe, involving many specific rules of behaviour Monotheist Yes Tanakh and Talmud
Mennonite A Protestant Christian denomination Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
Mithraism Roman mystery religion that believed that the Son of the Sun was a saviour who was sacrificed for the good of all Monotheist Yes Not known
monotheism Belief in a single creator god Theist Not defined Multifaceted
Mysticism The belief that God is unknowable but accessible, and that doctrinal religion hampers spiritual growth Not defined Not defined Multifaceted
Native American Church Beliefs vary from tribe to tribe and are sometimes noticeably Christian Monotheist None
New Age A disparate and diverse collection of popular beliefs and practices Not defined Other None
no religion The rise secularisation has seen public and private religion decline throughout the developed world Not defined Not defined None
occultism Normally existing within other belief systems, occult systems concentrate on esoteric meanings in texts, often with magical undertones Not defined Not defined Multifaceted
Order of the Solar Temple Apocalyptic suicide cult, with mass suicides in Switzerland, France and Quebec, in preparation for Jesus' second coming Theist Yes The Bible and other
Paganism Part of the neo-pagan range of religions Polytheist Yes None
pantheism God is everywhere, and everything, but is not transcendent and may have no distinct consciousness Monotheist None
People's Temple Apocalyptic suicide cult that imploded, resulting in the deaths of over 600 adults and 276 children Theist Heaven or hell The Bible
polytheism Belief in multiple gods, often in some form of hierarchy Theist Not defined Multifaceted
Raja Yoga An astika school of Hindu philosophy based around mastering and quieting the mind, involving meditation Polytheist The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Rastafarian God (called Jah) fathered a black Jesus; marijuana use in rituals Monotheist The Bible (generally)
Ravidassia Souls are part of the divine and proper living allows us to realize God Monotheist Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji
Salvation Army Christian organisation of evangelists organised along military lines, famous for charity work Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
Santería A combination of West African, Caribbean beliefs with some elements of Roman Catholicism Monotheist None
Satanism An atheist religion that uses dark and evil symbology for self-development and anti-religious purposes - Satan itself is not a real being, just a symbol. Atheist None Writings of founder and leaders
Scientology Derived from the writings of science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, a series of practices called Dianetics is used to clear minds of alien influences and attain a state of mental perfection Atheist Reincarnation Writings of founder and leaders
Shamanism Belief that Shamans need to keep good relations with tribal ancestor spirits for the good fortune of the whole tribe Not defined Yes None
Shinto Official collection of practices in Japan, more cultural than religious Atheist Various
Sikhism Prayer, meditation and self control to become a soldier of God. Monotheist Reincarnation until escape Sri Guru Granth Sahib and others
Spiritualism The belief that the souls of the dead communicate with the living, mostly through Mediums, but, suffered serious credibility problems with the original founders admitted to fraudulently inventing the 'rappings' that formed the communications Not defined Yes None
Taoism A relaxed and peaceful religion based on following and accepting the flow of life Atheist None Tao Te Ching
theism The belief in god(s) Multifaceted
Thelema A magical system of discerning True Will with inspiration from a host of Egyptian gods Polytheist Book of the Law
Theosophy Mired in fraud arrests and exposés, the Spiritualism scene had soured, so Madame Blavatsky reinvented her routine as a new religion, using an Indian theme. Yes
Traditional African Church A range of Churches ranging from mostly Christian, to those mostly encapsulating native African spirituality Monotheist The Bible
Unification Church Sun Myung Moon embodied the Second Coming of Christ, and his commercialist church runs a media empire Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible and The Exposition of the Divine Principle
Unitarianism A liberal and non-Trinitarian Christian church Monotheist The Bible
Unitarian-Universalism A liberal and diverse pluralist religion accepting of believers without needing them to leave their current religions Not defined Heaven or hell Multifaceted
Unitas Fratrum A Protestant Christian denomination Monotheist Heaven or hell The Bible
Universalism Belief that all people go to heaven Theist Heaven or hell Multifaceted
Vodun/Voodoo A traditional religion from Haiti with an ethical focus on combating greed and promoting honour Deist None
Wicca Neo-pagan organisation based around reconstructed elements of folklore Dualist Not defined None
Witchcraft A description of various cultural practices, which are often part of a parent belief system Not defined Not defined Multifaceted
Yezidism An ancient religion. Malek Taus looks after the world with 6 other angels. Heavily persecuted by Muslims and accused of Devil Worship. Monotheist Reincarnation Yezidi Book of Revelation & Black Book
Zhu Shen Jiao As this group got more and more excited about establishing a Kingdom of God, in the approach to year 2000, its leaders were arrested amid fears that it would turn into a suicide cult Theist Yes
Zoroastrianism An ancient dualistic religion from Iran with one good god (Ahura Mazda) and one evil one (Ahriman) Dualist Avesta
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