Philosophy 101: Religion & Philosophy

Nontheistic Religions

Religions that focus on the ethical actions of people. The main focus of these religions is not on a particular god or god(s).

Pantheism

You have this outlook on religion if you believe that the Universe and God are one entity.

Torah

The first five books of the Old Testament of the Bible. This document is the source of the Ten Commandments.

Five Pillars of Islam

These are the important regulations that guide the lives of Islamic people.

Vedas

These are the oldest texts of the Hindu religion. They are also considered to be the most sacred.

Religious Sect

These organizations are not connected to society as a whole. They are usually made up of a few people who are trying to reach spiritual perfection. The Amish are an example of this.

Agnosticism

This concept argues that we can never know if a deity exists or not and that any deity would be unknown.

Monotheism

This is the belief in a single God. It is a relatively recent form of belief, and we !rst see it referenced in Egypt in 1375 B.C.E.

Polytheism

This is the belief in the existence of multiple gods. Over the course of human history, this belief has predominated worship because it offered a lot of flexibility to pre-scientific peoples.

Buddhism

This is the world's fourth largest religion. It is nontheistic and is most common in Asia. Many of this religion's sacred texts can be found in the Tripitaka.

The Second Vatican Council / Vatican II

This meeting occurred in 1962 and is considered to be the most important Catholic event to take place in the 20th century.

Hinduism

This nontheistic religion is the oldest religion still practiced today. We consider this a nontheistic religion even though some practitioners believer in one or more gods.

New Testament of the Bible

This portion of the Bible covers the life of Jesus and also records information about events that happened after his death.

Dharma

This system focuses on an individual's moral and ethical responsibilities. It is followed by people who practice Hinduism.

Quran

This is Islam's sacred text.

Karma

A Hindu belief that says individuals are rewarded or punished based on their intentions and the way they act.

Atheism

A belief system that asserts that deities do not exist. You can hold this view while still belonging to certain religions or even believing in reincarnation.

Confucianism

A nontheistic religion that served as China's o$cial religion for around two millennia. This religion does not support the idea of reincarnation.

Church

A type of religious organization that connects well to the society that surrounds it. These groups have rules and their leaders have to be trained formally in some way.

Moksha

Believers in Hinduism think that once you reach this state you cease being reborn, as you have attained spiritual perfection.

Judaism: The Covenant

Jewish people view this as their relationship with God. They believe it is through this relationship that God chose them as his people.