St Mary's Church, Dymock

Religion

Religion is a belief in and worship of a supreme being, generally called 'god' but sometimes given a specific name (such as Yahweh, Allah or Brahma), usually accompanied by a system of ritual and practices to give that god the respect and worship the believer feels they are due by virtue of their power or importance. Whole societies understand or interpret the supreme being differently, which is the reason that many different religions exist, most of which usually have one or more special teachers or leaders who influence that belief and who are considered to be a messenger (prophet) from that god.
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The different religions have a different understanding of god:|
Superstition: Early humans couldn't explain the great natural forces they experienced - rain, thunder, illness, etc - so believed there must be powerful 'gods' they couldn't see who control them - often believing those gods sent misfortune or illness as a punishment for doing something that displeased them. Gradually these beliefs were modified as people got to know more about how the universe works and changed their ideas, but often still kept some of the old superstitions as well.
Paganism: is a term generally applied to religions other than Christianity that focus especially on these forces of nature or on a specific 'god' associated with those forces, such as the very early middle-eastern god called 'Baal'.
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Judaism: is the religion of the Jews (Israelites) who recognise a single supreme being called YHWH (ancient Hebrew didn't write vowels but today it's generally written as 'Yahweh'). Only priests were allowed to pronounce the name, so their God is generally referred to as 'The Lord'. The Jewish faith is recorded in 5 'Books of the Law' said to have been written by the prophet Moses, plus other books written by many people in early Jewish life that records their history, wisdom, poetry and prophecies. (In the middle ages, the name 'Jehovah' was invented by the Germans as the pronunciation of those Hebrew letters).
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Christianity: is derived from Judaism and is named after the man Jesus Christ whom Christians believe is the 'Son of God'. The Jews anticipated a person who would be sent by Yahweh to 'save them' from the threats and persecution of neighbouring peoples - in Hebrew a 'Messiah' and when translated into Greek a 'Christ' - both names mean 'anointed' or 'chosen one' as Jesus was chosen by God as the solution to our disobedience of his Laws. Christianity is the world's biggest religion with over 2 billion members.
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Islam: also recognises a single supreme being referred to as 'Allah' (Arabic for 'The God') and was created in 610AD by the prophet Mohammed - the name means 'submission to the will of God'. Mohammed claimed to have a revelation dictated to him by God which is recorded word-for-word in their holy Book called 'The Qur'an'. Mohammed taught that the previous religions, especially Judaism and Christianity, were completed through this revelation which is the final word of god to humanity and covers all aspects of our behaviour and relationships; so as God's final word, it cannot be updated. Islam is the world's second biggest religion with just under 2 billion members.
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There are many other religions that interpret a supreme being and their worship in different ways, including:
Hinduism: Sikhism, Shintoism, etc: which are long established religions especially of the Middle and Far East and have many followers in those lands.
Buddhism: doesn't believe in a supreme being (a god) but is based on the teachings of a South Asian man named Siddhartha Gautama (known as 'Buddha', which means the 'Enlightened One'). He taught we should reject 'clinging' (to materialism and worldly strife) but seek 'enlightenment' as he did - which leads to an awakening and full liberation from pain and suffering.
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God

No-one can prove a supreme being exists, but equally no-one can prove they don't either. There are many reasons for believing - some because they were brought up to do so without necessarily knowing why; some because they believe there is a being more powerful than humans that explains why the world was created and who is in control of it, and others because they have an experience of a supreme being present in their life.
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Today, science tells us it all began with a 'Big Bang' and has been expanding outwards ever since. Initial gases condensed into stars and planets and the many elements from which everything is made. It's so simple and yet so complex that it couldn't all have happened by chance, there must be a design, and if there's a design then there must be a designer - and that's whom we call 'God'.

Spiritual/Physical

Many people suggest that as well as the physical aspects of existence - space, time, and matter - there's a spiritual aspect that can't be described, but its presence can be felt. It's what gives us our innermost and distinctive being - it's what makes us, us. It gives us consciousness and intelligence.
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Many also argue that this spiritual aspect is eternal - it lasts forever, unlike our physical body which has a limited life, then dies. Some think that on the death of the physical body, the spiritual aspect returns to where it came from (heaven?); others think that it's reincarnated into another body (either human or animal) to begin the cycle of life and death all over again (called 're-incarnation').

The Soul

Many religions teach that people have a spiritual aspect which is separate from the body, and call this the 'Soul'. This is usually considered the most important part of a person as it's considered to have a direct connection with the 'absolute' or God. In many religions, the Soul is considered as immortal (it never dies), see 'Spiritual and Physical' above.
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Faith

Many people throughout history have experienced the presence of God with them through their life, or at a specific event such as a difficult moment in their life. Most can't say exactly how they knew he was there, but they found the experience calming, strengthening, or otherwise helpful. Only a very few hear an actual voice and others are sceptical of those who say they have! However, it's not unusual for those who've asked God for something in prayer to find that prayer has been answered, although not always in the way they'd expected.
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As a result of their experience and logical thinking, many people believe that God really exists. When you believe something is true but can't prove it, then its said that we believe it 'in faith'.
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Worship

The answer to 'What is creation?' begins with God himself - Jesus showed us that God isn't like the old God of wrath extracting his due from erring humanity, God does want justice, yes... but tempered with a caring love, since he himself is the highest standard of love (For evidence, see 'The Holy Trinity').
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God didn't need to create people because he needed a loving relationship with us, that would have made him less than perfect. He made people because his love is so great that it overflows and he wants to share it. It's because this force of love is so fundamental that both our ancestors and us are forced to seek its source and give it its worth or the reverence due to it - which we call 'worth-ship'. If they don't acknowledge God, then many people direct that basic force into 'worship' of other things instead, like money or possessions.

Scripture

The word 'Scripture' is derived from the Latin word 'scriptura' and just means 'writings' and is the name given to the text of any religion's 'Holy Book'. In some religions the Holy Book is a collection of thoughts or teaching from the founder, in others its a collection of accounts said to have been dictated by the supreme being or dictated by their messenger, whilst for others its thought to have been written by humans but under the influence of the supreme being, so it reflects that being's wishes or commands.

Prayer, Meditation & Contemplation

Prayer consists of giving praise and thanks to the supreme being and/or asking for things which the believer wants and which they believe the supreme being can provide. Different religions pray in different ways - some teach that you must sit or kneel to pray, others teach that you must stand up, still others believe that you should cover yourself with a shawl or scarf.
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Some teach that prayer is mainly a formal process using prescribed words and procedures which must be said by the priest, others that it can be informal too, so allow for the believer to say their own words either in 'private' prayer on their own or when gathered together for 'public' prayer such as in a place of worship. Some pray by closing their eyes and cupping their hands, others by prostrating themselves on the ground, and yet others accept any time or position is appropriate and the posture is irrelevant as it's the intention of the person praying that matters.
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Meditation and contemplation are sometimes seen as special forms of prayer.
Meditation involves creating an aura of stillness to remove any barrier between yourself and the supreme being, allowing the person praying to concentrate more intently on God.
Contemplation is like meditation, but the mind is cleared of all thought to remove any obstacle to communication with the supreme being.
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Angels & Prophets

Both angels and prophets are messengers who bring us a message from God.
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Angels: are 'divine' beings - that come from the presence of God in heaven.
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Prophets: are humans like us - but who have a special relationship with God. The holy books of many religions are full of examples of prophets in olden times (eg: Abraham, Isaiah, Mohammed) but prophets exist in every generation including ours.
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(Divine = of or belonging to a god such as a being like an angel or a characteristic like perfect love)

Priests

In some religions the priest is seen as a necessary intermediary between the supreme being and 'ordinary' people, whilst in others 'ordinary' people have direct access to the supreme being directly themselves.
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Priests are usually people ordained (ie: 'set apart') for religious duties. Many religions have priests who have public duties such as leading worship and teaching about the religion as well as providing care for the followers. Most religions provide their priests with a special form of dress to help identify them as such.
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In some religions priests are only selected from certain social classes or groups, and in some they may be only male or only female, whilst in some religions they can be from any group or any gender.

Denominations & Sects

Over the centuries, many religions have split into different sub-groups, usually where one or more aspect of that religion has come to be regarded by some of the followers as more or less important, eg: Orthodox and Liberal Jews, Catholic and Protestant Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims. In some cases the sub-group has divided still further, such as Protestant Christians into Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc.
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A division that remains true to generally accepted beliefs, but puts one aspect ahead of others, is termed a Denomination. If the division adopts beliefs or practices which are contrary to generally held or 'orthodox' beliefs, then it's known as a 'Sect'.
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Signs & Symbols

Many religions have one or more symbols that are used to depict the religion itself, or some particular aspect of it. The symbol has sometimes come about by common usage or sometimes been carefully thought out, usually based on some aspect of that religion's belief or teaching. The principal symbols for three main religions are:

Christian: An early symbol was the fish (still in use use today). It was selected because Jesus Christ made many references to fish eg: he selected fishermen as his first followers and said "I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 1:16-17). The fish symbol may be used plain, or with Greek letters ΙΧΘΥΣ placed in the shape and pronounced 'Ichthys', which is the Greek word for 'Fish'. Translated into English, they represent the first letter of the Greek words "Iēsous Khristos Theou Huios, Sōtēr" which mean "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour". However, the most common Christian symbol quickly became the Latin cross, because it was on that shape that Jesus was crucified - a very important element in Christian belief.

Judaism: An early symbol is a candelabra or lamp-stand called a 'Menorah' with 7 arms (9 arms for special festivals). In the early Hebrew scriptures, God is said to have instructed the prophet Moses to make such a lamp-stand for his sanctuary. (Exodus 25:31). A more familiar symbol is the six-pointed star commonly known as 'The Star of David' made up of two overlapping triangles. The Star of David is said to have been included on the shield used in battle by the great Jewish king, David.

Islam: Many associate the crescent moon and star with Islam, indeed many Islamic States have this symbol on their flag. In fact it's much older than Islam and comes from the pagan world before Islam was created. It was the symbol on the flag of the city of Byzantium (modern Istanbul) and was adopted by Muslims when they conquered that city.

As Islam spread, so the symbol spread and came to be recognised as a symbol of that faith. However, many Muslims reject the symbol because of it's pagan origin and prefer no symbol at all, or a plain flag with no markings but coloured black or white or green. Islam doesn't permit images of living creatures, so geometric shapes are a common Islamic image.
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