What is the Nation of Islam?
The Nation of Islam is a religious organization based in the United States that encourages black nationalism in the name of Islam. Depending on whom you ask, the Nation of Islam is considered a religion, an arm of Islam, a hate group, or a cult. The Nation of Islam holds to a form of Islam,…
What is an avatar in Hinduism?
In Hinduism, an avatar is the bodily incarnation of a deity on earth. The god can become incarnate in one place at a time as a full avatar or in many places simultaneously through partial avatars called amshas, such that the main form of the god can still communicate with the partial materializations. One could…
Who is the Dalai Lama?
Buddhism is the fourth largest of the world’s religions, with about 375 million followers. The religion of Buddhism is made up of several sects, philosophies, or schools. One of these is Tibetan Buddhism, which is a religion-in-exile, forced from its homeland when Tibet was conquered by the Chinese. The leader of Tibetan Buddhism is the…
What is Theravada Buddhism?
Theravada Buddhism is the more conservative of the two major schools of Buddhist spirituality; the other slightly more popular form is Mahayana. The Theravada school is popular in Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Theravada Buddhism is distinguished from Mahayana mostly by its adherence to a particular set of written texts as their doctrinal…
What is a chakra?
A chakra is a spiritual “power point” used in Yoga and Eastern mysticism. The word chakra describes one element in a highly complex system of thought about the energies of the body. The following terms are associated with the chakra. The definitions reflect beliefs held by many Hindus, Buddhists and practitioners of Yoga: Prana –…
What is the difference between Christianity and Islam?
While some similarities exist between Islam and Christianity (they are both monotheistic religions, for example), their differences are clear-cut, significant, and irreconcilable. For this article, we will survey four key areas: the founders of the two religions, the contrasting views of God, the sacred literature, and the means of salvation. We will see that Islam…
Who was Gautama Buddha?
The man known as Gautama Buddha, or simply “Buddha,” was born as Siddhartha Gautama around the 6th century BC. Much of what we know of Buddha is passed down from legends and oral traditions. There are no written works mentioning him until several centuries after his death. According to mainstream accounts, he was born to…
Who are the Five Percenters / Five Percent Nation / Nation of Gods and Earths, and what do they believe?
The Five Percenters, also known as the “Five Percent Nation” or “Nation of Gods and Earths,” is a religious cult that teaches many things contrary to the Bible. The movement is a confusing system of beliefs that combines aspects of Islam, black nationalism, numerology, and astrology. While the Five Percent Nation is often considered a…
What is the Zohar?
The Zohar is a commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures and the primary source of the beliefs of Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism. According to Kabbalah, this text was written in the 2nd century AD by Shimon bar Yochai. Supposedly, bar Yochai was inspired by visions from the angel Gabriel to record secret, powerful knowledge…
What is Hinduism and what do Hindus believe?
Hinduism is one of the oldest known organized religions—its sacred writings date as far back as 1400 to 1500 B.C. It is also one of the most diverse and complex, having millions of gods. Hindus have a wide variety of core beliefs and exist in many different sects. Although it is the third largest religion…