This is in no way meant to include every relgion that has ever existed…so…don’t be offended if we pass yours by.

Everyone should have a basic understanding of the history and beliefs of these 11 religions, preferably from their Sacred Texts or some other primary authoritative source. Second-hand and third-party sources should be avoided.

It is not necessary to have an extensive knowledge but the more knowledge you have the greater your control becomes over what you believe and greater the freedom of your choice will be. The more you know the more your will is being enforced in the decisions that you make.

Christianity: Founded by Yeshua also known as Jesus or Christ: in the first century AD/CE: principal beliefs include monotheism, salvation, repentance, resurrection, good works, and faith: generally taught that only Christians can receive salvation through their acceptance of Jesus. Sacred Scriptures: New Testament/Old Testament

Buddhism: Founded by Siddhattha Gotama ( Southern Buddhism: Ancient Pali ), Siddhartha Gautama ( Northern Buddhism: Ancient Sanskrit ), although it is generally accepted by Buddhist tradition that there were many Buddhas before and after Siddhattha: in approx. 563 to 483 BCE: principal beliefs include good works, good thoughts, good deeds; the Four Noble Truths, Nibbana/Nirvana, the cessation of suffering: generally taught that everyone is capable of reaching Enlightenment. Sacred Scriptures: the Suttas/Sutras

Hinduism: No founder but generally credited to the Aryans who brought their religion to India in around 1500 BC; their religion mixed with indigenous religion/s creating what is now Hinduism: principal beliefs include ‘ Karma ‘, the belief that the individual reaps the results of his good and bad actions through a series of lifetimes; and ‘ moksha ‘ or ‘ mukti ‘ which is the liberation from suffering and from the compulsion to rebirth, which is attainable through elimination of passions and through knowledge of reality and finally union with God. Sacred Scriptures: Vedas and Puranas

Jainism: Founded around the same period as Buddhism by Vardhamana, who was also known as Mahavira or Jina…like Buddhism it is generally accepted by Jainist tradition that there were many tirthankaras before and after Vardhamana: principal beliefs include celibacy, good works, charity, retreat, nudity, self-mortification, and fasting ( although nudity caused a schism in around the 1st century AD and two great divisions of Jains developed, the Digambaras [naked] and the Svetambaras [clothed]; Nirvana is achieved through the practice of bringing no harm to any life, releasing one from the rebirth caused by Karma. Sacred Scriptures: the Sutras

Zarathustrianism: Founded by Zarathustra ( often mistakenly called Zoroaster ) in Persia, in around 1000BC and possibly as far back as 1400BC: principal beliefs include the belief in the god called Ahura Mazda and the battle of good ( represented in the body of Spenta Mainyu ) over evil ( represented in the body of Angra Mainyu ) shall one day result in the destruction of evil causing a restoration: followers are often referred to as fire worshippers but that is a faliacy: the priests were called Magi, the same ones referred to in the Christian New Testament: Sacred Scriptures: the Zend Avesta

Judaism: Abraham ( father of many nations ) is generally accepted as the founder ( in around 1800BC ) when he made a covenant with god: principal beliefs include the belief in one god, adherence to a moral list of commandments ( traditionally referred to as the Ten Commandments ), the belief that they are the chosen people of god: Sacred Scriptures: the Torah and the Talmud

Islam: Founded by Muhammad ( the Prophet ) in around 610 AD: although many Muslims believe it has always existed and revealed over time through various Prophets until the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad: principal beliefs include Allah as the one and only God, belief in predestination, belief in angels, and a Day of Judgment: Sacred Scriptures: the Quran ( also referred to as the Koran )

Taoism: Founded by Lao Tzu in around 600 BC: principal beliefs include the Path, following the way Nature and the Universe functions…eg. day into night…to flow with Nature through effortless action…to be free from desire, to become unimposing in life, politics, etc: to live in harmony: Taoism, like most traditional Chinese belief systems, is more philosophical than religious however because it is later characterized by a pantheon of many gods and by the practice of alchemy, divination, and magic, it must fall into the area of a religion: Sacred Scriptures: the Tao Te Ching or also called the Tao Teh King

Sikhism: Founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak in the 15th Century CE: a monotheistic religion: principal beliefs include everyone has direct access to god; god is without form, or gender; human beings spend their time in a cycle of birth, life, and rebirth; the only way out of this cycle, which all faiths regard as painful, is to achieve a total knowledge of and union with God: There are no idols, statues, or religious pictures in a Gurdwara ( Temple ), because Sikhs worship only God, and they regard God as having no physical form. Nor are there candles, incense, or bells, or any other ritualistic devices. Sacred Scriptures: Guru Granth Sahib

Bahá’í: Founded by Baha’u'llah ( Mirza Hosyn Ali Nuri ) in Iran in the 19th century CE: principal beliefs include all human beings have a soul that lives for ever, all human beings are members of a single race, which should be united in a single global community, acceptance that all other faiths as true and valid, embracement of the divine nature of the missions of Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad as stages in the revelation of God: Sacred Scriptures; the Kitab-i-Aqbas

Unitarianism: No specific Founder: the organized church grew out of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century CE: started in Poland and Transylvania: officially recognized as a religion in about 1570 in Transylvania: there is no Unitarian creed - i.e. there is no specified list of things that Unitarians must believe: Tim Berners-Lee ( creator of the world wide web ) and former US president John Quincy Adams were Unitarians: principal beliefs include gender equality, freedom of religious thought, toleration toward all religions, everyone has the right to seek truth and meaning for themselves, acceptance of many ideas of God as being valid: Sacred Scriptures: none