Christianity Originated Approximately Two-Thousand Years

Christianity originated approximately two-thousand years ago in the portion of the Middle East known later as Palestine and today as Israel after the followers of Jesus Christ began to organize their religion around his teachings. The principal Christian religious text is the New Testament, written after Christ's death by a number of his disciples. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God and that he was born in an immaculate conception from his mother Mary. They believe that he rose from the dead three days after he was crucified by the Romans under Pontius Pilate. The major Christian beliefs are that acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior entitles the individual to eternal happiness in Heaven and that those who fail to accept Jesus in their lifetime are condemned to eternal suffering in Hell. Christianity is the most dominant religion in the Western world and played a major role in geopolitical evolution, particularly in connection with the major wars between Christians and Muslims throughout the Middle East during the Middle Ages.

2. Islam

Islam began with the followers of the Prophet Muhammad after his death in the early 7th century AD. Followers of Islam believe that Muhammad was the last of the Prophets to receive the word of God directly. His principles were compiled by others after his death into the Koran whose contents are based on the lectures delivered by Muhammad during his life. The most important Muslim principles are known as the Five Pillars of Islam: (1) exclusive belief in Allah, (2) ritual prayer five times daily, (3) giving to the poor, (4) fasting during the month of Ramadan, and (5) making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime. Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East.

3. Judaism

Judaism began approximately 4,000 years ago in the Sinai area of the Middle East. Abraham is considered to have been the first Hebrew and his story provides the beginning of the first (of five) books of the Old Testament. The first laws of Judaism were those known as the Ten Commandments that were handed down by God to Moses after the escape of the Jews from Egypt. More recently Jewish rabbinical scholars authored companion texts such as the Talmud that apply the Ten Commandments much more specifically to govern the complexities of human life. In general, Jews believe that the nature and quality of their conduct on Earth determines their fate in the afterlife. Unfortunately, the historical record features much antagonism and war attributable to the fact that some Christians blamed the Jews for the circumstances of Jesus' death and because Muslims, Christians, and Jews all believe that Jerusalem is their holy city.

4. Hinduism

Hinduism actually refers to number of different religions that all developed generally beginning in India approximately 4,000-year before the birth of Christ. There is no single God in Hinduism but Hindus believe in many different Gods. Generally, Hinduism teaches that life is and endless cycle in which the spiritual essence of all living creatures survives their physical death. All living spirits are eventually reborn into different forms and the nature, quality, and circumstances of those lives reflect the choices made during the previous life. In general, Hindus promote spiritual living and eschew material possessions and egoistic goals. The most important Hindu texts are the Four Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva.

5. Buddhism

According to Buddhist beliefs, Buddhism began during the 6th century before the birth of Christ with the birth of a child named Siddhartha Gautama. The Buddha taught that enlightenment was based on the Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is hard, (2) That hardship comes from inappropriate desires, (3) The key to avoiding suffering is to resist inappropriate desires, and (4) The Eightfold Noble Path is the key to resisting inappropriate desires. Generally, the Buddha taught that egoistic desires and material goals, and especially sexual and other hedonistic pleasures were destructive. Like Hindus, Buddhists also believe in cyclical reincarnation into forms and circumstances determined by the quality of choices made during the previous life.

6. Daoism

The origin of Daoism dates back to approximately the 4th century before Christ in China with the writings of Lao Zi. Subsequently, other Daoist sages who were influential include Yu, Shun, and Yao. The principle early Daoist text was written by unknown individuals in the 3rd century BC and based on the earlier teachings of Lao Zi. Unlike most other religions Daoism does not emphasize any specific doctrines or beliefs, instead focusing mainly on the mechanisms for teaching and sharing communal values. The most popular deity accepted by Daoists is Guan Di, a 3rd century BC military leader who was executed.

7. Confucianism

Confucius lived in the 5th and 6th centuries BC, exactly at the same time as Buddha. It is believed that Confucius encountered Lao Zi and that Lao Zi tried to convince Confucius that he was excessively concerned with logical ethics instead of appreciating the natural ways of the world. Confucius authored many texts but they were not compiled into sacred works until the 3rd century, when his followers authored the Yi Jing and Shu Jing. The other most important literary sources of Confucianism are the Ssu Shu set of four books. Like Daoism, Confucianism does not prescribe specific religious principles but sets forth that the Emperor is the primary intermediary between God and man and that the Emperor provides the correct interpretation of God's wishes for man to follow.

8. Shamanism

Shamanism is a religious tradition that likely predated recorded history. In principle, it is a system whereby certain individuals within a society are believed to be empowered with supernatural abilities to influence human affairs, natural circumstances, and to heal and also cause illness and bad luck. Today, it is associated mainly with the most primitive peoples in the least developed parts of the world in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.

9. Polytheism

Polytheism is a religious system that is based on multiple gods. The most famous polytheist tradition was that of the Ancient Greek Gods that dominated Greece from approximately the 9th century BC to 4th century AD. Typically, Polytheist cultures believe that different gods are responsible for different issues and human affairs.

10. Legalism

Legalism is a Chinese religious tradition that dates back 5th century BC and lasted into the 3rd century AD. Legalism is not as much a religion as a social philosophy because it does not espouse a belief in a higher power or address spiritual issues. Rather, it is a system that emphasized objective principles of ethics and morality (fa) and that also provided means of securing the ruling position of rulers (shu), and that promoted the concept that the source of authority was the position held by ruler rather than the personal identity of the ruler (shi).