In ancient times, Greek Gods were believed to control everything about the world and the people in it. They were considered to be untouchable, quite like humans in form but without the capacity for illness or weakness. When bad things happened, it was believed that the Gods were unhappy, and so they had caused it to happen. But when good things happened to the people, the Greek Gods were in a good mood, and thus the humans were in their good graces.

The Greek Gods were seen as part of a large, multi-generational family. The oldest members of the family were those that created the earth, and as the Gods multiplied and their family grew, the younger Gods took on more responsibilities for the ways and woes of the world.

The most common Gods were the Olympians, believed to live in the Pantheon on Mount Olympus. These Gods were representative of everything in the world, in broad strokes – the lesser Gods were responsible for lesser things, but still just as important in the grand scheme of life. The Olympian Gods are as follows:

Zeus was the leader of the Gods, represented by the sky and thunder in Greek mythology. He was the husband and brother of Hera, but he was known to have affairs with many other Gods, as well as mortal women.

Other Gods include:

• Poseidon, also known as Neptune, was the God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.
• Hera, the wife of Zeus, was always solemn and faithful. She was the Goddess of marriage, and was often thought to be plotting revenge against those who had turned her husband’s head.
• Hermes is the God of travelers, those who cross boundaries, poets, writers, weights, measures, and more.
• Hestia is the Goddess of the hearth and the family.
• Dionysus, the God of wine, also promotes law and civilization.
• Hephaestus is the God of fire and forge, and all things that pertain to the flame.
• Artemis presides of hunting, as well as childbirth and child rearing.
• Athena was the Goddess of strategy and war.
• Apollo was dedicated to poetry and art, and was considered the standard of male beauty.
• Ares was the God of war.
• Aphrodite, one of the most popular Greek Gods, was the Goddess of romance, love, and sexuality.

Each Greek God had its own expectations of the people of the earth, as well as their own responsibilities toward them. The Greek Gods were considered untouchable, unless they chose to walk among the people, which they often did. Greek Gods are now part of Greek Mythology, but for many centuries they were believed to be the perfect Gods who ruled over all of creation.

In the early 20th century, the Mormon Church took a stand against polygamy, or the practice of having multiple wives. Several members upset over this action broke away from the church and formed their own Fundamentalist sect. The sect began in Short Creek, Arizona, and eventually spread to the small sister cities of Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. Eldorado, Texas is believed to be the current headquarters of the FLDS movement.

Those in the FLDS believe in the practice of polygamy as a way to reach heaven. The more wives a man has, and the more children he fathers, the more powerful he becomes. The “sister wives” are expected to be in complete submission to their husband at all times, and to focus their time on taking care of the family.

In addition, the FLDS church believes in placement marriage, where a child from a very young age can be promised to a man of an older age, and expected to marry when she becomes old enough to do so. These “spiritual” marriages often occur between much older men and children as young as 13 or 14.

Most other doctrines of the church are in line with the Mormon church, with the only exceptions being the strictness of the FLDS as opposed to that of the arguably strict Mormon church. These strict guidelines include manner of dress, attitude toward others, and very limited contact with the outside world.

The FLDS became front-page news in 2006 when president and self-proclaimed prophet Warren Jeffs was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. In August of 2006 he was captured, and was named as an accomplice to rape. He was convicted by a jury, and soon after that, the prophet and presidency was handed over to new leaders. The current de facto leader of the FLDS is believed to be Merrill Jessop.

Problems continued in 2008, when Child Protective Services raided the compound, removing several children from their homes. In a case that dragged on for quite some time, the CPS finally had to return the children to the FLDS, which the sect considered a massive victory.

Voluntary simplicity, also known as simple living, is not so much a religion as a way of life. The lifestyle includes a deep spirituality, focus on health, spending time with friends, family, and mentors, and learning to diminish the footprint a person leaves on the earth. Simple living is based on having less of an impact on nature in every way, while finding a deeper impact for yourself in terms of health, well-being, and spiritual beliefs.

The history of voluntary simplicity began with the Sharamana traditions of Buddhism. Buddha and John the Baptist were early followers of simple living. Famous followers of voluntary simplicity include Francis of Assisi, Ghandi, and perhaps most famously, Albert Schweitzer. Several religions hold simple living at their core of values, such as the Amish, Mennonites, and Quakers. Henry David Thoreau wrote about what many consider to be voluntary simplicity in his famous work, Walden.

Many people who follow simple living do so in order to reduce their consumption of goods and services, thus reducing their impact on the environment. Others choose to spend their time in ways other than working, by helping others through volunteer work, or simply working enough to get by on small financial stores. Practices such as alternative gifting, in which gifts are recycled or created by hand, or the vegan diet, are ways to incorporate voluntary simplicity into a lifestyle without making radical changes.

In many cases, the spiritual side of voluntary simplicity lies in the joy of giving to others and taking nothing in return for yourself. The power of giving, coupled with leaving nature as it was intended and focus on diminishing any negative impact your time on earth might contribute to the environment, naturally leads to a more positive outlook. That positive way of thinking can lead to a deeper spiritual searching.

Those who follow the principles of voluntary simplicity tend to live by example, but they can also become political. The Green Party and other like-minded political groups are a good case in point. Proponents of simple living push for locally grown and organic foods, natural products in stores, and other moves toward a more sustainable and reasonable lifestyle.

With over 394 adherents, Chinese Religion is one of the largest collective religions in the world. Chinese religion actually encompasses more than one belief system, and boasts no leadership, denominations, founder, or congregations. Instead, Chinese religion is a blending of the religions that have been influential in determining Chinese culture and beliefs.

Chinese religion is composed of four main religions: Chinese folk religion, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. These religions have their own set of beliefs, practices, and rituals. Each religion lives in harmony with another, so that the ultimate result is religious harmony the likes of which most of the world does not enjoy. Thus, Chinese religion is embraced by the multitudes, particular in China, but also in other areas of the world.

The Chinese religions focuses on folk deities, and mythological beings, most of whom have been worshiped for centuries. The Chinese religions focuses strongly on the strength of yin and yang, or male and female energies to create a whole. The purpose of the Chinese religion is tolerance of others, living a favorable life, honoring ancestors, and looking forward to an afterlife of peace.

Most who follow Chinese religion believe in the Judgment after earthly death, and the possibility of purgatory before reincarnation. Eventually, a state of nirvana can be achieved, which is one of the ultimate goals. Many believe that their actions and good works during their time on earth determines whether they achieve the ultimate in paradise.

Chinese religion puts a great emphasis on knowing oneself. Meditation, self-examination, teachings, soul-searching, and the like are encouraged, and so is sharing in the journey. Chinese religion does not happen in a vacuum, but rather, is something shared among family, friends, communities, and ultimately, the entire country, all with an air of tolerance for the slight differences in belief structure and practices of worship.

Many people know of Hare Krishna as a chant that schoolchildren use to frighten each other on dark, stormy nights. But Hare Krishna, though often misunderstood, has its roots in peace and goodness.

Founded in 1965 in San Francisco and New York, Hare Krishna adheres to many beliefs of Hinduism. The central practices of Hare Krishna include celibacy, vegetarianism, chanting, evangelism, and abstinence from drugs and alcohol. With an official 250,000 devotees and 10,000 dedicated members, the Hare Krishna religion is steadily growing. Some estimates put the worldwide member total at over one million.

The movement began in 1510 with Sri Krishna Caitanya, who showed his devotion and spiritual happiness through song and dance. The joyous aura he projected made people curious to have the same happiness, and several disciples based their beliefs and teachings on the evidence of Caitanya’s joy, believing that he was the manifestation of higher gods. In 1965, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who soon set about a board of governors to help him maintain the movement. Though Prabhupada passed away in 1977, his disciples have kept the movement alive.

Most members of Hare Krishna follow the teachings and practices while living a normal work and home life. These are known as Congregational members. They attend temples to worship among other followers. Those who have dedicated their life to Hare Krishna are known as temple-based members, and live their life according to several rules, including:

- the consumption of no meat, fish, or eggs
- no alcohol or drugs, including caffeine and nicotine
- no gambling of any kind
- celibacy except for the purposes of procreation within the bonds of marriage

They dress in white or saffron robes. Men shave their heads with the exception of a topknot, and women are permitted to wear vivid, bright saris. The religion is a joyous one, which often includes singing and dancing, as well as chanting the beads of a rosary in order to clear the mind and better reach for enlightenment.

If you have followed news of religion over the last few decades, you might have heard of the Chopra Center, or of best-selling author Deepak Chopra. Much like Ron Hubbard turned books and ideas into the basis for a religion, so has Deepak Chopra, building on his writings with a message that has touched a chord with individuals the world over.

Deepak Chopra was born in 1947. A physician who took a vested interest in transcendental meditation, he began to write books on the subjects of healing and empowerment. Very unhappy with the way conventional medicine treated his patients, he sought a way of wellness that combined traditional medicine with sacred and ancient arts. He published his thoughts and ideas in several books, which quickly became a sensation, and led to millions of sales.

The teachings are based on a Hindu monism that claims everything is ultimately a unity. He also teaches that the human spirit, and the human ability, are limitless. In 1991, adherents of these beliefs founded a religious following that is headquartered at the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California.

There are ten keys to happiness that make up the basis of the Chopra teachings:

1. Listen to your body.
2. Live in the Present.
3. Take time for silence.
4. Let go of the need for approval from others.
5. Remember that anger comes from within, and can be controlled.
6. Your reality out there is dependent upon what you feel “in here.”
7. Shed the burden of judgment.
8. Don’t contaminate your body with toxins or toxic emotions.
9. Let love be your motivation, not fear.
10. The physical world is just a mirror of deeper intelligence.

Many people have been critical of Chopra, pointing out that the teachings are not based in any clear religion, but are only one man’s philosophy concerning the world around him. For the devotees of Chopra, however, guidance to the spiritual side within has become more clear, and the new religion shows no signs of fading away anytime soon.

You might have heard Catholics referred to as “Protestant” and vice versa, but is that really the case? A closer look at the beliefs of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church reveals significant differences that set the two groups apart

The first area where the two churches differ is in the scriptures themselves. The Catholic church embraces both scripture and tradition, while the Protestant church focuses on scripture alone. The Catholic church believes in the apocrypha, while the Protestant church does not.

Here are a few other areas where they differ significantly:

Catholics believe the fall of man led to corruption and tendency to sin. Free will leaves a person free to do as he wishes, both for good and for evil, and predestination is related to the knowledge God has of the future. The Catholic church believes in transubstantiation, or that the bread and wine changes to the body and blood of Christ. The death of Christ was meant to save sinners and everyone has a chance to go to heaven; salvation is received at baptism, and can be lost through moral sin. However, even those who have never heard of Jesus can be saved. Good works are worthy of merit and notice, and are all to the glory of God.

Protestants believe that the fall of man led to depravity and sin, and that free will allows a person to do only evil, not good works, for good is only under the auspices of God. Predestination is related to God’s decrees, not to foreknowledge of any kind. The Protestant church rejects the idea of transubstantiation. Common grace allows everyone to do good works and strive for heaven, but only a chosen few will actually get there. God saves anyone He likes, regardless of denomination or belief, and even those who know nothing of Him can be saved. Good works are by divine grace only, and therefore are not deserving of worldly merit.

The differences between the basic beliefs of the Catholic and Protestant churches are wide, and are certainly not interchangeable. The next time someone says they are the same, you now know how to respond to the incorrect assumption!

The Christian Science Church, often called the Church of Christ, Science, was founded in 1879 by a woman named Mary Baker Eddy. Founded in Massachusetts, the Church focuses on physical healing through prayer, and does not recognize the presence of illness as a permanent or unresolvable issue.

Mary Baker Eddy was an invalid who learned from Phineas Quimby about the possibility of curing illness via natural means, or without medicine at all. In 1966, Eddy was severely injured following a nasty fall on ice, and during her recovery, she read the Bible. When she realized that healing came not from man, but from spiritual enlightenment, she was instantly cured of her injury and illnesses.

That was enough to convince Eddy to focus on healing and religion, and in 1875, she released the first edition of her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Soon she had a nice following, and in 1879, the Christian Science Church was incorporated in Massachusetts. Eddy was named the head pastor of the Mother Church, and wrote the Manual of the Mother Church in order to outline how it should be governed.

Today, the church boasts over 2500 congregations in over 70 countries, with up to 400,000 followers. They believe in the teachings of the Bible, and that the death of Jesus on the cross was to atone for the sins of man. They call God the Father-Mother, thus eliminating any thoughts of gender. One of the main tenants of the church is that sickness does not really exist; we just think it does. With the healing power of prayer, anything is possible.

Though each meeting of the church is not led by a particular pastor, there are certain traditions followed, and the following text is one of those. This is to be read at every meeting as a reminder of the purpose of the church:

There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter.
All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all.
Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error.
Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal.
Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness.
Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

Viewed as both a religion and a philosophy, Confucianism is based on the teachings of Confucius from the 6th and 5th century BC. Confucianism doesn’t claim that there is a Heaven or a spiritual leader, such as God or Allah, but it doesn’t deny it either. It can often be described as a state of openness and wondering.

Confucianism, founded in China, has around 5 million followers worldwide. Interestingly enough, Confucianism is not a term recognized by the Chinese. It was actually coined in the 18th century by the English-speaking world as a way to define the practice and followings of Confucius.

Born in 551 BC in what is now the Shantung Province, Confucius was raised by his mother after his father passed away when he was three. As a teenager he served in minor government offices, and married when he was 19 years old. In his thirties, he began an illustrious teaching career, focusing on six arts: ritual, music, archery, mathematics, calligraphy, and charioteering. Confucius developed concepts that applied to society, education, and government, and hoped to spread the word through a political career. But he didn’t seem to fit in anywhere on the political ladder, and so his hopes for a career stagnated.

At 67, he returned to his home to begin in-depth writing of all his philosophies. He passed away at the age of 73.

Followers of Confucianism have a very optimistic view of the world. Human beings are believed to have the power to becoming awe-inspiring and life-changing sages, a belief that extends to everyone, but perhaps especially those who appear to live ordinary, quiet lives, much as Confucius himself did. There are no specific traditions or rituals necessary to follow Confucianism, but several followers will choose to follow a combination of religions, including Hinduism or Buddhism, as well as adhering to the teachings of Confucius.

Just as every religion has its own unique origin and system of belief, so each religion has its own idea of what the afterlife will be like. Does life simply end and our bodies turn back to the earth, with no soul to carry on? Do we ascend from our physical bodies and join those who have gone before on a heavenly plane of existence? Do we come back to earth as someone else, to learn from — or pay for — our mistakes? Do we get another chance, or is this all we have?

Here is a brief overview of some of the more common afterlife beliefs:

Buddhism. When a person dies, they leave their worldly body and breathe life into another. The Buddhist believes in reincarnation, returning to earth again and again, each time in search of a higher level of understanding. When enlightenment is reached, the journey is done. This could take numerous lifetimes to achieve, and sadly, some might never achieve it at all.

Christianity. Christians believe in Heaven and Hell as real places, not as only states of being or philosophical places. Heaven is where all the rewards are for those who have done as they should while on earth, and followed the teachings as best they could. It is reserved for those who have recognized and repented of their sins. Hell is the place for those who do not have faith, and those who have embraced sinful ways rather than repenting from them. Some Christians also believe in purgatory, a place where the soul is kept in limbo until the Judgment Day, when everyone, living or dead, will finally be judged for their sins and sent to either Heaven or Hell.

Islam. Those who follow the Islamic teachings believe in Paradise and Hell, which are quite similar to the Christian versions of Heaven and Hell. Those who give themselves fully to Allah and to His teachings and wishes are destined for Paradise, while those who do not heed His word are destined to Hell for all eternity.

Judaism. Belief in the afterlife varies widely, from nothing to a kind of shadowy promise, something similar to Heaven. Historically, there has been little mention of the afterlife in texts, and it is not considered a “goal” or something to be focused on in order to have purpose in life.

Hinduism. Much like the Buddhist belief systems, Hindus believe that your good deeds here on earth account for something in the afterlife. Reincarnation will bring the Hindu back again and again, until enlightenment is reached.