Archive for February, 2010
What Are Pentecostal Beliefs?
February 28th, 2010 | No Comments »What Are Pentecostal Beliefs?
Pentecostal Christianity is one of the least understood Christian denomination. Most of what people know about “Pentecostals” (as they are called) is surface — the women wear very modest clothing, never cut their hair, etc.
Pentecostals get a bad wrap probably because the faith started (and flourishes in) low income parts of the country. Besides that obvious obstacle, they have a very strict view of Christianity which requires them to dress and act a certain way.
Though there are half a billion Pentecostals around the world, this faith is basically looked over by most Christians.
Pentecostals…
What Are Confucianism Beliefs?
February 27th, 2010 | No Comments »What Are Confucianism Beliefs?
Unlike the other religions in our Beliefs series, Confucianism cannot be defined properly as a “religion”.
Confucianism is more of an ethical system of philosophy originating in China. Though Confucianism is practiced as a religion these days (in countries like Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and even the US) it wasn’t meant to be a religion when it was developed.
Most followers of Confucianism follow some semblance of traditional Chinese religion, which is a blend of old school Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and any number of localized traditions and ritual.
History of Confucianism
A Chinese writer named K’ung Fu…
What Are Muslim Beliefs?
February 26th, 2010 | No Comments »What Are Muslim Beliefs?
The religion of Islam is still a mystery to much of the Western world. Though there are nearly 2 billion Muslims and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, it is mostly misunderstood by Americans as the religion that terrorists belong to.
Much like Judaism, there is no set of laws which a person must strictly adhere to in order to be a good Muslim. A recitation of something called the Shahada will do just fine — this recitation is “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet.”
Beyond this core…
What Are Jewish Beliefs?
February 25th, 2010 | No Comments »What Are Jewish Beliefs?
Judaism is one of the most important religions in world history. Why? Christianity, the world’s largest religion, sprung directly out of Judaism. That means that you can credit Christianity’s 2 billion members to the existence of Judaism. In fact, Christianity and Judaism are so closely related it would be impossible to think of them distinctly.
Jewish Dogma
Unlike Christianity and Islam, Judaism does not really have an offiicial set of doctrines or political associations. In fact, all that is required for a person to be considered “Jewish” is their ethnicity. Because being Jewish means being a religion…
What Are Christian Beliefs?
February 24th, 2010 | 1 Comment »What Are Christian Beliefs?
Christianity is the world’s largest religion, claiming between 1 and 2.2 billion believers depending on what count you believe. Anywhere from a quarter to a third of the world’s population identifies as Christian.
Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (real name — Yeshua Ben Yosef or Joshua of Joseph) as laid out in the Bible, a collection of religious texts and teachings.
Though Christianity is a massive religion it is relatively young, having been “founded” by Jesus of Nazareth and his followers only two thousand years ago or…
What Are Catholic Beliefs?
February 23rd, 2010 | 1 Comment »What Are Catholic Beliefs?
Catholicism is relatively simple to understand due to a large number of recited prayers, statements of belief, and a centralized structure built around the infallibility of their church leader, the Pope.
Whereas other spiritual traditions like Buddhism reject the kind of patriarchal order found in most Christian sects, Catholicism is a well-ordered system with very little variation from church to church or family to family.
The Basics
Catholicism is considered the first Christian denomination, since it was started by the apostle Peter who is considered the first Pope. When Jesus picked Peter to…
What Are Hinduism Beliefs?
February 22nd, 2010 | 2 Comments »What Are Hinduism Beliefs?
Hinduism is the oldest known spiritual tradition. Thousands of years before anyone was talking about Christ or Buddha, people in India were worshipping a set of Hindu gods and practicing their spiritualism.
Many historians and followers of the religion claim that some form of Hinduism has been practiced on Earth since before recorded history. We know for sure that as long as 6,000 years ago the people of current-day India were practicing Hinduism.
For being the world’s oldest religion Hinduism is a mystery to most of the Western world. We have stereotypes (lots…
What Are Buddhism Beliefs?
February 21st, 2010 | 6 Comments »What Are Buddhism Beliefs?
It is just as difficult to describe the “beliefs” of all Buddhists as it is to describe the same for all Christians. Religions often have different sects, belief systems, even different core philosophies while still sharing the same name. Think of a Baptist church in Mississippi compared to a Catholic mass in upstate New York just for one example.
Still there are some basic principles about Buddhism that are common to all people who call themselves Buddhist. In this article, we’ll take a look at rebirth and reincarnation, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and…
What Are the Best Places to Raise a Family?
February 20th, 2010 | No Comments »What Are the Best Places to Raise a Family?
Before you had kids the main thing you worried about when selecting a place to live was the price of beer and gasoline. Now that you’ve started a family you might find there are a few more considerations.
You can select a place to raise your family based on educational opportunities for the children, economic opportunity (like getting a high-paying job), social factors or any number of other reasons. Here is a list of the ten best places to raise a family.
1. Sarasota County, Florida
Home to the city of…
How Do You Find the Best Pizza Places?
February 19th, 2010 | No Comments »How Do You Find the Best Pizza Places?
I recently moved to a new town and discovered what millions of people already know — it is damn hard to “discover” the best pizza places in a new town. That first day, after you’ve unloaded the moving truck, met the neighbors, and struggled to setup your wireless connection, nothing goes down like a couple bottles of your favorite beer and a good pizza.
Finding out where the best pizza in a given town is does not have to be the struggle it once was. Here’s three easy steps to finding the…