In buddhism gods are not supreme beings, they are subordinate to the buddha, some may call them the derivates or family of "the original Buddha Gautama". Nevertheless these deities are called Bodhisattva and are there to protect the Dhama wich is the way of enlightenement that a person must go through before discovering the truth. The most important Bodhisattvas are:
- Shakyamuni: The historic Bodhisattva, it has the earth touching pose
- 1000 armed Chenresig: The compassion Bodhisattva
- 4 armed Chenresig: The emanation Bodhisattva
- Green Tara: mother of all Bodhisattva, the great liberator and healer
- Medicine Buddha: Of healing
- Maitreya: Future Bodhisattva
- Manjushri: Represents the wisdom of the years and patience
- Vajrasattva: The Bodhisattva of purification
The purpose of these Bodhisattva is to protect the Dhamma, but the Dhamma itself has two asigned protectors wich are:
- Stupa of enlightenment: wich represents the state of enlightenment that is obteinable by all human being by the method of meditation.
- Amitabha Buddha: Who embodies the enlightened speech of all Buddhas, the abbility to pass their findings on in the form of teachings.
By: Maria Jose Lopez
Co-edited by: Santiago Gil
martes, 11 de mayo de 2010
Wicca's Current Population
It is very difficult to know how many people practice this religion, because there have been different estimations. One person said that Wicca has 250.000 people practicing it,
but others said that it has 5.000.000 people, only in North America.
The Wicca religion began in the east of Europe, and then went to North America, Latino America, Canada, Africa, India, and Israel; that places are where there is most commonly practiced Wicca.
Author: Juan José Ocampo
Co-Editor: Daniela Maya
but others said that it has 5.000.000 people, only in North America.
The Wicca religion began in the east of Europe, and then went to North America, Latino America, Canada, Africa, India, and Israel; that places are where there is most commonly practiced Wicca.
Author: Juan José Ocampo
Co-Editor: Daniela Maya
Wicca: Core Ideas
ºWicca is one of the religions that belong to the Paganism group.
ºIts beliefs and practices consist mainly in witchcraft, which includes the use of magic and mental power.
ºEven if they practice witchcraft, it is important to say that they DO NOT FOLLOW BLACK MAGIC; in contrast, their rituals do not involve harming of animals or other people.
ºTheir biggest god or goddess is nature, and most of their actions are aimed to protect it.
ºThe prayer groups are called Covens, which are generally formed by 13 people, but there are some that involve fewer people. Both, female and male, are importantly involved.
ºFestivals or rituals are called Sabbats, where the 4 elements and the 4 directions are used. Sabbats are practiced 8 times through the year.
ºThere are also other rituals called Esbats, and the difference with Sabbats is that these are realized monthly, especially in full moon nights, when the mind is thought to be more powerful magically.
ºWitches believe that human mind has the ability to make changes in certain ways that cannot be explained by science, and this power is only used to help people without harming others.
ºPeople must live in peace with others and with themselves, to have a better reincarnation.
ºWicca is a polytheistic religion; the majority of the gods refer to nature, the most valued thing for them.
ºWicca includes the use of magic; they are always trying to avoid harming others, to construct a better way of life, and living in harmony.
Authors: Margarita and Alejandra Zuluaga
Co-Editors: Daniela Maya and Paola Iza.
ºIts beliefs and practices consist mainly in witchcraft, which includes the use of magic and mental power.
ºEven if they practice witchcraft, it is important to say that they DO NOT FOLLOW BLACK MAGIC; in contrast, their rituals do not involve harming of animals or other people.
ºTheir biggest god or goddess is nature, and most of their actions are aimed to protect it.
ºThe prayer groups are called Covens, which are generally formed by 13 people, but there are some that involve fewer people. Both, female and male, are importantly involved.
ºFestivals or rituals are called Sabbats, where the 4 elements and the 4 directions are used. Sabbats are practiced 8 times through the year.
ºThere are also other rituals called Esbats, and the difference with Sabbats is that these are realized monthly, especially in full moon nights, when the mind is thought to be more powerful magically.
ºWitches believe that human mind has the ability to make changes in certain ways that cannot be explained by science, and this power is only used to help people without harming others.
ºPeople must live in peace with others and with themselves, to have a better reincarnation.
ºWicca is a polytheistic religion; the majority of the gods refer to nature, the most valued thing for them.
ºWicca includes the use of magic; they are always trying to avoid harming others, to construct a better way of life, and living in harmony.
Authors: Margarita and Alejandra Zuluaga
Co-Editors: Daniela Maya and Paola Iza.
Voodoo's Current Population
Voodoo is a religion that is practiced by 60 millions of people around the world. Haiti is considered the capital of this religion, but in the United States of America it’s supposed to be New Orleans. It is also practiced in other countries in the continents of America and Africa, such as, Benin, Ghana, Louisiana, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Fon, Mina, Hebe and Nigeria.
http://vudu2es.galeon.com/
http://www.oraciones.com.es/religiones/vudu.html
Author: Maria Alejandra Pinilla
http://vudu2es.galeon.com/
http://www.oraciones.com.es/religiones/vudu.html
Author: Maria Alejandra Pinilla
Judaism Core Beliefs
Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion and people that practice it believe that God chose them to set an example of holiness and ethical values.
They think there is a single God who created everything and with whom everyone has a relationship. This relationship is covenant because if God is still working in the world, then Jews should give God something.
Jewish people keep God`s law and seek to bring holiness into every aspect of their life. They take the family seriously; they have an important feeling about the community. Jews celebrate Hanukkah and each family has a Sabbath meal.
Jews think people should be judged by the way they live their faith, not by what they have done.
Someone that is not Jewish can convert into Judaism, but it is not easy to do.
To sum up, God exists for the Jews, is transcendent, beyond time, and is personal and accessible. Does not have a body, is omnipresent and omnipotent, and, last but not least, God is fair and also merciful.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/judaism.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/spiritofthings/stories/2009/2749127.htm
Author: Angela Morales
Co-Editor: Maria Andrea Ramirez
They think there is a single God who created everything and with whom everyone has a relationship. This relationship is covenant because if God is still working in the world, then Jews should give God something.
Jewish people keep God`s law and seek to bring holiness into every aspect of their life. They take the family seriously; they have an important feeling about the community. Jews celebrate Hanukkah and each family has a Sabbath meal.
Jews think people should be judged by the way they live their faith, not by what they have done.
Someone that is not Jewish can convert into Judaism, but it is not easy to do.
To sum up, God exists for the Jews, is transcendent, beyond time, and is personal and accessible. Does not have a body, is omnipresent and omnipotent, and, last but not least, God is fair and also merciful.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/judaism.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/spiritofthings/stories/2009/2749127.htm
Author: Angela Morales
Co-Editor: Maria Andrea Ramirez
Important People of Islam
In Islamic religion there had been many prophets, who all brought Allah’s message, but there are three prophets which are the most recognized for Muslims: Muhammad, Jesus and Abraham.
*Muhammad is said to be the most important prophet for Muslims because he is the founder of the religion of Islam, and is considered the restorer of a faith of other different prophets that came before him. He was born in Mecca, and raised by his uncle. He had many different jobs until one day he was tired and he went to a distant cave to meditate, and there he received his first revelation from Allah.
After that episode, he started spreading Allah’s messages and proclaiming that they had to complete surrender to Allah because he was the only God. Muhammad gained a lot of followers which, after some persecutions, helped him to spread the religion of Islam. For having a really big influence on the Arabian Peninsula and for his revelations, Muhammad became the most important prophet for Muslims, which is mentioned many times in the Koran.
*Jesus is also considered a messenger of God, which was sent to guide the people of Israel. Muslims, like Catholics, believe that Jesus was born to Mary as a virginal conception, and he was given the ability to make miracles, but as a difference from Catholic religion, Muslims don’t believe he was killed nor crucified, they think he was raised alive up to heaven. Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, and the religion of Islam rejects that he was the son of God, and see him as a normal person which was chosen to spread God’s message. Jesus is mentioned 25 times in the Koran.
*Abraham is commonly called as the Father of the Prophets. He was also a messenger of God which made an important sacrifice, by almost killing his own son, just to show his faith and trust in Him. This act of love towards God is remembered in one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca. Abraham’s life is narrated in the Koran, showing him as an important prophet, and he is also mentioned for times in each of the five daily prayers of Muslims, making him a very important person in the Islamic religion.
Author: Maria Andrea Ramirez
Co-Editors: Melissa Lopez and Sara Aguirre
*Muhammad is said to be the most important prophet for Muslims because he is the founder of the religion of Islam, and is considered the restorer of a faith of other different prophets that came before him. He was born in Mecca, and raised by his uncle. He had many different jobs until one day he was tired and he went to a distant cave to meditate, and there he received his first revelation from Allah.
After that episode, he started spreading Allah’s messages and proclaiming that they had to complete surrender to Allah because he was the only God. Muhammad gained a lot of followers which, after some persecutions, helped him to spread the religion of Islam. For having a really big influence on the Arabian Peninsula and for his revelations, Muhammad became the most important prophet for Muslims, which is mentioned many times in the Koran.
*Jesus is also considered a messenger of God, which was sent to guide the people of Israel. Muslims, like Catholics, believe that Jesus was born to Mary as a virginal conception, and he was given the ability to make miracles, but as a difference from Catholic religion, Muslims don’t believe he was killed nor crucified, they think he was raised alive up to heaven. Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, and the religion of Islam rejects that he was the son of God, and see him as a normal person which was chosen to spread God’s message. Jesus is mentioned 25 times in the Koran.
*Abraham is commonly called as the Father of the Prophets. He was also a messenger of God which made an important sacrifice, by almost killing his own son, just to show his faith and trust in Him. This act of love towards God is remembered in one of the Five Pillars of Islam, the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca. Abraham’s life is narrated in the Koran, showing him as an important prophet, and he is also mentioned for times in each of the five daily prayers of Muslims, making him a very important person in the Islamic religion.
Author: Maria Andrea Ramirez
Co-Editors: Melissa Lopez and Sara Aguirre
History of Islam
Known as a monotheistic religion, it’s based on the Qur’an book which establishes that “there is just one god”, who is Allah.
Islam has existed many years ago in many countries, but it is most known since it was reformed by Muhammad. He was a very important prophet, which at the age of 40 he retreated to a cave for meditation and reflection, where he received a revelation from Allah saying he was the only god and people had to complete surrender to him. Muhammad spread this message, and that way he founded the religion. He is regarded by Muslims as a messenger of God.
Muhammad spread Islamic religion through most of the Arabian Peninsula, and he united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religion polity. Then the religion continued spreading in many other continents around the world, such as Africa and Europe, even after Muhammad’s death. Today it still continues spreading not only in Africa and Europe, but in America too, and it is the second biggest religion.
Historically this religion was a strong foundation based in revelations and prophets of god, their theology of the Islamic scriptures had aspects of Muslim life and culture. People are used to write hadith, which is a collection of sayings and stories which are commonly related back to the life and sayings of prophet, Mohammed.
Islam has a practical doctrine that encourages Muslims to pray 5 times a day, fast during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, declare 'There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet' and pay money to the poor people. People define Islam as a “submission”, submitting you’re will to god. Their practices include the “five pillars of Islam” acts of worship. There is an Islamic month, on which they celebrate Islamic holydays and festivals , and the most important belief for them is faith.
Author: Melissa Lopez
Co-Editors: Juanita Jaramillo and Maria Andrea Ramirez
Islam has existed many years ago in many countries, but it is most known since it was reformed by Muhammad. He was a very important prophet, which at the age of 40 he retreated to a cave for meditation and reflection, where he received a revelation from Allah saying he was the only god and people had to complete surrender to him. Muhammad spread this message, and that way he founded the religion. He is regarded by Muslims as a messenger of God.
Muhammad spread Islamic religion through most of the Arabian Peninsula, and he united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religion polity. Then the religion continued spreading in many other continents around the world, such as Africa and Europe, even after Muhammad’s death. Today it still continues spreading not only in Africa and Europe, but in America too, and it is the second biggest religion.
Historically this religion was a strong foundation based in revelations and prophets of god, their theology of the Islamic scriptures had aspects of Muslim life and culture. People are used to write hadith, which is a collection of sayings and stories which are commonly related back to the life and sayings of prophet, Mohammed.
Islam has a practical doctrine that encourages Muslims to pray 5 times a day, fast during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, declare 'There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet' and pay money to the poor people. People define Islam as a “submission”, submitting you’re will to god. Their practices include the “five pillars of Islam” acts of worship. There is an Islamic month, on which they celebrate Islamic holydays and festivals , and the most important belief for them is faith.
Author: Melissa Lopez
Co-Editors: Juanita Jaramillo and Maria Andrea Ramirez
Islam Geography
Islamic geography was driven by a number of factors: the Islamic Golden Age, Islamic astronomy and mathematics.
The Islamic empire began to expand beyond the Arabian Peninsula after the death of the prophet and founder of Islam, Mohammed. In the eighth century, all of northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), India and Indonesia became Islamic lands.
Author: Juanita Jaramillo
Co-Editor: Sara Aguirre
The Islamic empire began to expand beyond the Arabian Peninsula after the death of the prophet and founder of Islam, Mohammed. In the eighth century, all of northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), India and Indonesia became Islamic lands.
Author: Juanita Jaramillo
Co-Editor: Sara Aguirre
Islam Core Ideas
*Islam means "worship to Allah", and Allah is the only God.
* It teaches that people are here on earth just for one reason, only to obey His command and worship Him.
*It also says that Allah sent a book/scripture called Koran, where the laws to follow are written on it, and other way this book is also used by the Muslims, is to make life safer and better.
*If they act as good as the Koran says, the result will be shown in the other life, meaning that Muslims believe in a life after death, where their reward will be depending of their behavior in this world; if they follow the laws as the Koran says the next life will be great, if not it will be sad.
*The next life also depends on the worship, in how Muslims worship Allah. Islam describes the other life as the one of reward and no work.
*Islam is an equal religion , this means that Allah see us with the same eyes and no one is better than any other, no race or color is discriminated; the only thing that differences one from the others is your worship, how you pray to Allah and obey him.
*As many religions this one has his messenger, for example catholic religion with Jesus, but in this case the messenger is called Muhammad, whom spread the religion and taught about it.
*Basically Islam consists in:
- believing in Allah, worship him and testify that He is the only one.
- believing in Muhammad (his messenger)
- believing in the Koran (the book with the laws)
- believing in the resurrection after death
- To pray every day
- to pay a obligatory charity for poor and sick people that need help , called Zakat.
- To pilgrimage in Mecca (the most important temple) once in your life.
Author: Sara Aguirre
Co-Editors: Maria Andrea and Melissa Lopez
* It teaches that people are here on earth just for one reason, only to obey His command and worship Him.
*It also says that Allah sent a book/scripture called Koran, where the laws to follow are written on it, and other way this book is also used by the Muslims, is to make life safer and better.
*If they act as good as the Koran says, the result will be shown in the other life, meaning that Muslims believe in a life after death, where their reward will be depending of their behavior in this world; if they follow the laws as the Koran says the next life will be great, if not it will be sad.
*The next life also depends on the worship, in how Muslims worship Allah. Islam describes the other life as the one of reward and no work.
*Islam is an equal religion , this means that Allah see us with the same eyes and no one is better than any other, no race or color is discriminated; the only thing that differences one from the others is your worship, how you pray to Allah and obey him.
*As many religions this one has his messenger, for example catholic religion with Jesus, but in this case the messenger is called Muhammad, whom spread the religion and taught about it.
*Basically Islam consists in:
- believing in Allah, worship him and testify that He is the only one.
- believing in Muhammad (his messenger)
- believing in the Koran (the book with the laws)
- believing in the resurrection after death
- To pray every day
- to pay a obligatory charity for poor and sick people that need help , called Zakat.
- To pilgrimage in Mecca (the most important temple) once in your life.
Author: Sara Aguirre
Co-Editors: Maria Andrea and Melissa Lopez
Buddhism
If you want to know something about Buddhism the first thing you have to do is stop seeing it as a religion, is more of a philosophy or a way of life. The name Buddhism came from the word Budhi which means to be awaken, and it has its origins about 2500 years ago when Buddha (Siddhartha Gotama) was awaken himself, then he spread his believes and teachings.
Buddhism shows us the real meaning of life, the real happiness. It teaches us how material things are nor is what is important in life, the really important thing peace and being happy, truly happy; also it teaches us how to be wiser and have a bigger mind, not in size or intelligence but in being more open to understand other people’s life and believes.
Buddhism is based on the four noble truths. The first one consists in knowing that we are suffering and the material world is not helping us, realizing that by living upon material things we are not doing any good, in other words being aware of the Dukkha . The second truth talks about wanting to change that, the next step is the will to stop our suffering and simply want to be a better human being. The third one is about knowing that it all can be ended if we want to and the fourth noble truth is take the path to end the suffering, try to reach the nirvana, which is the freedom of the Dukkha.
The path is all about meditating and following the eightfold path, being one with your true self. The eightfold path consists in eight points that should be important in everybody’s life. The right view, the right intention, the right speech, the right discipline, the right livelihood, the right effort, right mindfulness and finally the right concentration.
Also, Buddhist have strong believes in Karma, which is a believe in that every action has a reaction. In other words, if you do good in this world you’ll get good things in return, in contrast if you do nothing but bad, that’s all you would be getting, bad things in return.
As I said before, more than a religion Buddhism is a philosophy, with believes dos and don’ts. The special things about Buddhism is that there is not an specific way of practicing it, someone teaches you all about it, the fourth noble truths, the eightfold path and other aspect of it and you take all of it and apply it in your own way, you take the path, however the path is not all ready written, you are the one who decide where to go, when to start and how to do it; that’s why Buddhism is very practiced all around the world and in fact, in changes from country to country.
By: Santiago Gil
Co-edited by: Maria Jose Lopez
Buddhism shows us the real meaning of life, the real happiness. It teaches us how material things are nor is what is important in life, the really important thing peace and being happy, truly happy; also it teaches us how to be wiser and have a bigger mind, not in size or intelligence but in being more open to understand other people’s life and believes.
Buddhism is based on the four noble truths. The first one consists in knowing that we are suffering and the material world is not helping us, realizing that by living upon material things we are not doing any good, in other words being aware of the Dukkha . The second truth talks about wanting to change that, the next step is the will to stop our suffering and simply want to be a better human being. The third one is about knowing that it all can be ended if we want to and the fourth noble truth is take the path to end the suffering, try to reach the nirvana, which is the freedom of the Dukkha.
The path is all about meditating and following the eightfold path, being one with your true self. The eightfold path consists in eight points that should be important in everybody’s life. The right view, the right intention, the right speech, the right discipline, the right livelihood, the right effort, right mindfulness and finally the right concentration.
Also, Buddhist have strong believes in Karma, which is a believe in that every action has a reaction. In other words, if you do good in this world you’ll get good things in return, in contrast if you do nothing but bad, that’s all you would be getting, bad things in return.
As I said before, more than a religion Buddhism is a philosophy, with believes dos and don’ts. The special things about Buddhism is that there is not an specific way of practicing it, someone teaches you all about it, the fourth noble truths, the eightfold path and other aspect of it and you take all of it and apply it in your own way, you take the path, however the path is not all ready written, you are the one who decide where to go, when to start and how to do it; that’s why Buddhism is very practiced all around the world and in fact, in changes from country to country.
By: Santiago Gil
Co-edited by: Maria Jose Lopez
Hinduism
*This religion is one of the major religions; the etymology of the name comes from the Indus River where Hinduism Came. It was originated between 2000 and 1500 BC.
* One of the interesting facts that are known about the religion is that when the Aryans absorbed the rituals of the natives, they created the Hinduism.
* The Information about the Hinduism is very few; there’s not a specific date, a single founder, theological system, holly text or a prophet. Most of religions have a prophet or an important person that create or made the expansion of the religion; but the Hinduism Does not. The authors of the sacred texts remain unknown in the actuality.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm.
By: Laura Guzman
* One of the interesting facts that are known about the religion is that when the Aryans absorbed the rituals of the natives, they created the Hinduism.
* The Information about the Hinduism is very few; there’s not a specific date, a single founder, theological system, holly text or a prophet. Most of religions have a prophet or an important person that create or made the expansion of the religion; but the Hinduism Does not. The authors of the sacred texts remain unknown in the actuality.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm.
By: Laura Guzman
jueves, 6 de mayo de 2010
Buddhism: religion or worldwide lifestyle?
It is really common to confuse any lifestyle, philosophy or belief that includes Supreme Being with a religion. Buddhism in particularly has this problem, given that there is a misunderstanding between the meaning of it in western civilizations and in eastern civilizations. Sadly, we have not been able to understand that a lifestyle with spiritual beliefs does not necessarily have to be a religion. Once this is clear, we can now suggest that, because of the flexibility Buddhism includes, it is not a religion itself, as much as a lifestyle. In the place where Buddhism was born and its surroundings it is known Buddhism as a lifestyle, which anyone can follow; Buddhism does not impose a god or a goal, it just suggest and shows a variety of steps and instructions a person should follow in order to reach happiness in life and tranquility. On western civilizations it is sadly and wrongly considered a religion which follows a god called Buddha, and any follower must leave all its material possessions.
The history of western world proposes a theory of this behavior. Through all western history, kingdoms and people have been submitted to different religious dictatorships; reason why we always need to classify or catalogue everything around us, particularly what includes our faith. According to this, it is acceptable to declare that, is not that Buddhism is one religion among all the ones that exist, but it is considered like that for us. It is our historical and social trauma which does not let us understand anything beyond the concept of religion; and at the same time, catalogue everything spiritual under this category.
On modern societies, religion is a tabu topic, given the sensitivity of it in society. But, young generations have established a mark between the traditional behavior related to religion, and a new way to see, understand and apply them. A really discussed issue about religion is their strictness in what it is accepted or rejected within the same. Most religions set up a number of rules anyone must follow in order to reach a reward after this life. This matter has made young people skeptic about this topic because it is not enjoyable to follow a lot of rules. Therefore, youngsters have looked up for ways to substitute that spiritual need with beliefs that does not punish them or threat them with hell after this life; reason why Buddhism has been well accepted in our societies.
To conclude, we can say that Buddhism could be the routine someday we reach or set as goal in our societies or families. It does not need to believe in Buddha, it does not require reading a bible, it just demands a deep love for life, and the common idea of reaching happiness. All of this makes Buddhism a really flexible lifestyle which anyone could enjoy it, and one of the reasons why Buddhism has not extinct, instead of it, it keeps growing and adapting everyday to different lifestyles.
The history of western world proposes a theory of this behavior. Through all western history, kingdoms and people have been submitted to different religious dictatorships; reason why we always need to classify or catalogue everything around us, particularly what includes our faith. According to this, it is acceptable to declare that, is not that Buddhism is one religion among all the ones that exist, but it is considered like that for us. It is our historical and social trauma which does not let us understand anything beyond the concept of religion; and at the same time, catalogue everything spiritual under this category.
On modern societies, religion is a tabu topic, given the sensitivity of it in society. But, young generations have established a mark between the traditional behavior related to religion, and a new way to see, understand and apply them. A really discussed issue about religion is their strictness in what it is accepted or rejected within the same. Most religions set up a number of rules anyone must follow in order to reach a reward after this life. This matter has made young people skeptic about this topic because it is not enjoyable to follow a lot of rules. Therefore, youngsters have looked up for ways to substitute that spiritual need with beliefs that does not punish them or threat them with hell after this life; reason why Buddhism has been well accepted in our societies.
To conclude, we can say that Buddhism could be the routine someday we reach or set as goal in our societies or families. It does not need to believe in Buddha, it does not require reading a bible, it just demands a deep love for life, and the common idea of reaching happiness. All of this makes Buddhism a really flexible lifestyle which anyone could enjoy it, and one of the reasons why Buddhism has not extinct, instead of it, it keeps growing and adapting everyday to different lifestyles.
Why and where did Buddhism started?
This religion (not everybody thinks of it as a religion, but a lifestyle), started in the fifth century before Christ in Northern Ancient India. It is based on the teachings of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (better known as Buddha).
It currently has about 376 million of followers and growing 8it is not an accurate number, it is an estimate) ; it is categorized as one of the oldest religions; because it has never ended since it was created.
It started when ancient India was invaded by the Aryans, who divided them into castes (social classes); first and most important was the priests; then landowners, warriors and rulers; after them the merchants, artisans and farmers, and lastly, there are the outcastes or the “untouchable” (those who were mainly slaves or people who nobody wanted). So Buddha said castes should not exist, because all humanity was equal, all with the same rules.
With this he got too many followers, mainly monks, who spread all his thoughts all around the continent and on all around the world. They maintained an oral tradition over 200 years. But then one of the monks went to king Ashoka’s empire, where the monk had a long conversation with the king. The king decided to devote himself into peace, and ordered his slaves to bring big rocks and write what Buddha had said. And that was the first time in many years that Buddhism had a writing evidence of it’s thoughts.
By: Natalia Hurtado
Edited By: Maria Jose Lopez
It currently has about 376 million of followers and growing 8it is not an accurate number, it is an estimate) ; it is categorized as one of the oldest religions; because it has never ended since it was created.
It started when ancient India was invaded by the Aryans, who divided them into castes (social classes); first and most important was the priests; then landowners, warriors and rulers; after them the merchants, artisans and farmers, and lastly, there are the outcastes or the “untouchable” (those who were mainly slaves or people who nobody wanted). So Buddha said castes should not exist, because all humanity was equal, all with the same rules.
With this he got too many followers, mainly monks, who spread all his thoughts all around the continent and on all around the world. They maintained an oral tradition over 200 years. But then one of the monks went to king Ashoka’s empire, where the monk had a long conversation with the king. The king decided to devote himself into peace, and ordered his slaves to bring big rocks and write what Buddha had said. And that was the first time in many years that Buddhism had a writing evidence of it’s thoughts.
By: Natalia Hurtado
Edited By: Maria Jose Lopez
Wicca History
It is uncertain when does the practice of Wicca paganism religion started. But it started to come to light thanks to Gerald Gardner that made some studies about the covens where the practice was set and the in 1954 he published the book “Witchcraft today” where he explained what was Wicca about and what rules were involved in witchcrafts. Gardner affirms that he found that this religion was created by witches in New Forest and that between the 1920’s and the 1930’s it started to spread. This religion is practiced by spells and rituals. After Gardner, other occultists started to study this religion and to create new rituals. This religion is practiced with magic and it is not used to harm people.
By: Paola Iza Uribe
Edited by: Alejandra and Margarita Zuluaga
By: Paola Iza Uribe
Edited by: Alejandra and Margarita Zuluaga
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