.... Taoism. This “Folk Religion” is what influences Japanese holidays, weddings and funerals. The religion of Japan is a mosaic of religions, some are foreign, others are they’re own . Then they are all assimilated into the same, making it uniquely Japanese. Of all the religions in Japan, Shintoism is the oldest. Shintoism is a religion that worships nature. A Shintoist believes that kami , deities that reside in all natural objects, are forces of nature and are to be worshipped in Shinto shrines, where worshippers ask for blessings. Today in modern Japan, no one really believes in Shintoism, but the effects are present. Love of nature is present everywhere in Japan ....

.... ideals about the way Christmas ought to be, derive from the English Victorian Christmas, such as that described in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." The caroling, the gifts, the feast, and the wishing of good cheer to all - these ingredients came together to create that special Christmas atmosphere. The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends. The very first gifts were simple items such as twigs from a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Soon that escalated to food, small items of jewelry, candles, and statues of gods. To the early Church, gift- giving at this time was a pagan holdover and therefore severely frowned ....

.... constitution recognized the freedom of religion as an important factor in establishing a democracy. They also recognized a space of freedom between the government and the people, whereby the government could not force an individual or group to do something they did not want to do. The government is not upholding their part of the constitution. They are trying to tell people that saying prayer in public school is unconstitutional. In fact, prayer in public school is legal, so is prayer in church and prayer in stores etc... . The area which is not legal is when students or teachers pray when engaged in school activities or instruction. This means students or tea ....

.... see that many other religions normally considered “non-violent,” such as Christianity or Hinduism, have been spread through bloody conquest. Due to many incidents and conflicts of territorial ambitions, along with the want to “save” other less civilized cultures it is shown that Islam, Christianity, and of Hinduism have spread through conquest. Islam has, throughout the centuries, been somewhat a victim of circumstance - indeed it has been perceived by many as oppressive and cruel. This belief originated over a thousand years ago, when Islamic peoples first threatened the western world. As they slowly undermined Byzantine authority, Christians became terrified ....

.... was widely spread throughout the Roman Empire by groups of missionaries led by the Apostles Peter, Paul and John. All of the people who had previously practiced the Roman religion now would practice Christianity. The expression, “Love thy neighbor” was a very essential lesson for the Christians. It formed their bases of living (Fenton 34). The Christians were using maintainable operations. Many people who had learned about it through missionaries were following this religion. The missionaries spent long hours and put forth much effort in their attempt to spread Christianity. This would take a while because of the broad size of the Roman Empire and the so l ....

.... light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" After birth the future Buddha (Gautama) supposedly talked and walked while lotus leafs formed in his footprints. Gautama's father was said to have been told his son's destiny for greatness, either as an emperor or as a religious leader. Therefore Gautama's father decided to isolate his son from the outside world, where he might "see how the other half lived" and maybe even be tempted to belong to a different religion. ¹pg 141 "What man Believes" Evans, Allan E., Moynes, Riley E., Martinello, Larry Since the complete seclusion as Gautama's father had wished ....

.... everlasting law. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna is a popular name for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a Hindu movement founded in the United States by A.C. Bhaktivedanta. the popular name derives from the mantra Hare Krishna("O Lord Krishna") chanted by members of the group. Devotees of the Hindu god Krishna, the members are divided into two classes: brahmacatin ("students"), who live in temples and vow to abstain from sex, meat, intoxicants, and gabling, and grihasta, or lay members who marry and have families. They are proselytizers who actively seek converts. In the mid-1980s the Hare Krishna movement had more than 200 centers in the United States, E ....

.... of the crucifixion of Jesus. Delving deep into these religious symbols, there exists a common thread uniting all religions. The aspect of community becomes the "heart and soul" of almost all religious groups around the world. It is this upon which George Weckman focuses his article. The author defines the characteristics of a community in a number of ways. For one, he claims that some sort of initiation or "entrance ritual" needs to occur in order to mark the acceptance of an individual into the community as a whole. In addition to these entrance rituals, the individual will, most likely, participate in other types of rituals throughout his life. This may include h ....