Jainism - One of the oldest religions in the world, Jainism is an "ancient Indian religion" according to Wikipedia dating back to 6th century BCE. But that doesn't mean than it has died out! In fact, there are approx. 5 million Jains worldwide. It emphasizes a path of non-violence for all living beings and is focused on progressing the soul through self-control, awareness, and "conquering one's own inner enemies" to reach a better understanding of God. Every soul is potentially divine, with the goal being to realize its true nature. Jainism is its own distinct religion, but has influences from other ancient Indian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as Islam.
Zoroastrianism - A religion with about 200,000 followers worldwide, it was founded in the 6th century BCE. It's strongly dualistic, founded by Zoroaster, who has been called the first "non-biblical monotheist". (According to beliefnet.com) This religion had a strong influence on the development of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, particularly through its emphasis on the deliniations between right and wrong, truth and lie, good and evil, heaven and hell, etc. Its history is Persian, but there are few left in Iran now and only scattered throughout remote parts of the country. Many followers found their way to India.
Unitarian Universalism - Dates back to the early 18th century when it existed in two separate religions, Unitarianism and Universalism. Unitarianism rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and promoted the belief in God as a singular entity, and Universalism rejected the doctrine of universal sin. The two merged in the 1960's as a theologically liberal religion without a dogma or creed, instead having a set of Purposes and Principles that people should live by focusing on the importance of a free and responsible search for truth and meaning in one's own life and spiritual philosophy and respecting the beliefs of others. Unitarian Universalists often describe themselves as drawing meaning from other faiths, hence people who call themselves "Jewish UUs" or "Buddhist UUs" or "Christian UUs". Approximately 500,000 followers worldwide, although this is hard to define since it's not a religion that can only be "practiced" or followed in collective worship.
No idea that people of the UU faith have come from a variety of different religious backgrounds...really interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaclyn for this education. I have never heard of most of these religious groups until today.I really find it interesting how there is some kind of connection which cuts across these religious groups and especially how long they've been in existence and the number of followers they have.It is really interesting to know about other religions because it changes your perception about so many things.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. I'm always ashamed that the world fails to acknowledge various religions that simply aren't as "popular". These are all fascinating, and I'm now inspired to look into more "hidden" religions!
ReplyDeleteI was trying to research Jainism earlier last week, but I find your description better than the ones I found. I definitely think people do not recognize how many religion and different ways of life/beliefs are out there. There should definitely be more awareness and education on this issue.
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