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Elements
of Faith
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Supreme Being
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There is only one God. God
has revealed Himself as three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit. He is Creator and Lord of everything that exists.
Gen 1. |
One God, who reveals
Himself as Person. He is Creator, Deliverer, & Lord of history. |
Personal Supreme being &
Creator, who is generally beneficent; empowers lesser spiritual beings |
Impersonal Ultimate
Reality; or "The absolute" Major Triad: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu. |
Southern Buddhism:
irrelevant. Northern Buddhism: Buddhahood. |
God (Allah) is one. Strict
monotheism - "There is no God but Allah." |
One God, called Sat Guru
("true name"), who cannot be known by the human mind. |
One God who is unknowable
except through Manifestations (Messengers). |
Secular Humanists are
atheists. They do not believe in the existence of a supernatural
Supreme Being. |
God (Ultimate Reality) is
an impersonal power, often spoken of as energy, consciousness, mind, or
truth. God is everything; everything is God. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Key Figures in History
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Jesus, the Christ,
eternally one with God and incarnated supernaturally through the
perpetual Virgin Mary, the Mother of God; the Popes and ecumenical
church councils have also had great historical significance. |
Abraham, Moses, David |
None |
Avatars (deities in various
form). Gurus are spiritual teachers. |
Siddhartha Gautama (who
became Buddha, the Enlightened One) 563-483 B.C. |
The Prophet Muhammad (or
Mohammed) (A.D. 570-632) |
Guru Nanak (A.D. 1469-1539) |
Minza Husayn Ali (A.D.
1817-1892), known as Baha'u'llah. |
While Secular Humanism has
no authoritative key figures in history, there have been several
influential Humanists. Examples of influential Humanists are such
people as: John Dewey, Bertrand Russell, Joseph Fletcher, Margaret
Sanger, and Stephen Jay Gould. |
None |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Person of Jesus Christ
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One divine Person, eternal
- fully human & divine. Supreme example of God's character & His love
for humanity, full and final revelation of God and His Love. John
1:1-13. |
An important prophet, but
not a divine Person. He did good things & taught the Golden Rule |
Originally, no reference to
Person or work of Jesus Christ. |
For some Hindus, Jesus was
an Avater or incarnation of God - one among many Avatars; a great
spiritual teacher, a guru. |
A teacher who may possess
Buddhahood or Enlightenment. One among many, not unique. |
A major prophet, spirit of
Allah (or God), without sin, but not divine; His miracles are signs
that He came from God. |
Not a divine Person, but a
man through whom God worked & revealed Himself. |
Son of God, but not divine.
One of God's Manifestations, who include Krishna, Buddha, Abraham,
Moses, Muhammad, Baha'u'llah. |
Secular Humanists view
Jesus as just another human teacher. They deny that Jesus is divine. |
Jesus was one of many
appearances of God throughout the ages, one of many people who were
fully aware of their true divinity. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Work of Jesus Christ
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Jesus was born, lived, &
died in a given time & place as a unique historical event. He lived a
sinless life & willingly died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins
of humanity. He arose from the dead & ascended into heaven. He is the
Messiah (Christ), Lord, and Savior, who will one day come again in
glory & power. John 1:14-18; 1:16. |
Judaism generally considers
Jesus to be an itinerant Jewish teacher. His death has no saving
effect. He is not the Messiah. |
Currently, occasional
reference to Jesus as a religious leader who lived a long time ago. |
Jesus was a great religious
teacher whose teachings can be valuable today. |
Jesus was a great religious
teacher whose teachings can be valuable today. |
Jesus was sent to the
children of Israel & faithfully showed the signs of Allah, taught
prayer, & brought the gospel (Injil). He did not die on a cross, but
Allah took Him into heaven. |
Taught humans the Golden
Rule; His death was not vicarious. |
A great prophet-educator
for his age; gave divine teachings. |
According to Secular
Humanists, the death of Jesus Christ has no impact on anyone living
today. |
Christ is separate from
Jesus, the way-shower. Christ is the perfect God idea - the awareness
of divinity within each person. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Sources of Authority
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Catholics accept the Bible
(OT, Apocrypha, & NT) as the inspired revelation of God. They also
accept church tradition and the magisterium (the teaching authority of
the Church) as sources of authority. |
Hebrew Bible (tanakh),
including Torah, Prophets, & Writings. Basically the Christian Old
Testament. |
Oral & written tradition,
folklore; accumulated wisdom of the tribe. |
Vedas, Upanishads, Epics,
Puranas, and a host of other sacred writings. |
Sutras; Tripitaka (the
Three Baskets). |
Qur'an (Koran). |
Adi Granth (Guru Granth
Sahib) considered inspired & authoritative; other sacred writings. |
Most Holy Book (Kitab-i-Aqdas). |
Humanists reject
supernatural beliefs and doctrines. There are no holy writings in
Secular Humanism. |
There is no objective
source of authority. Sacred writings & devotional material from many
traditions hae spiritual value. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Doctrine of Humanity
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Humanity is part of
creation, but distinct from the rest of creation & from God. Human
beings are created in God's image. Every person is a unique, precious
being of dignity & worth. Gen 1:26-28. |
Humanity is part of
creation, but distinct from the rest of creation 7 from God. Human
beings are created in the image of God & are free & self-determining. |
Human beings are
subordinate to supernatural forces & spirit-beings. |
Divine eternal soul part of
God or Ultimate Reality. Physical body has little worth. |
One lifetime for each
person, composed of skanda (parts), but many lives for the parts.
Concept of anatta (no self) denies existence of a self beyond mental &
physical attributes. |
Humans are basically pure,
but fallible and need guidance. Created by Allah with ability to follow
his will, human beings must give account of their conduct on the day of
judgment. |
Each person is a soul (&
part of Universal soul) who has been reborn in this present life. |
The human soul, created by
God, is basically good. Men & women of all races are equal &
responsible. |
Man is a part of nature.
Humanity controls its own destiny since there is no God. |
Humanity is not distinct
from God. Human beings are essentially divine; God is within each
person. Everyone has the "Christ spirit:; everyone is potentially
good. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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The Basic Human Problem
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Sin: By their free will,
human beings have chosen to sin against God, rejecting His nature &
pursuing a course of life that is opposed to His essential character &
revealed law. Catholics distinguish between venial sins and mortal
sins. Gen.3; Rom. 3:23. |
Sin: Human rebellion &
unfaithfulness to God's character & revealed law. |
Human beings act in ways
that upset the harmony of nature and/or disrupt well-being of the
community. |
The human condition is
samsara (the flow of reality in which souls are continually dying &
being reborn). The present existence is an illusion; people are unaware
of their oneness with God. |
The human condition is
suffering, caused by attachment to things & the craving (desire)
accompanying this attachment. |
Sin: disobedience of
responsible human beings to the law of Allah. Sin is caused by human
weakness, forgetfulness, & a spirit of rebellion. |
Sin: choosing to live in
self-centeredness; sensuous desires preferred to ego-abandoning
submission to God. |
Sin: lack of knowledge &
people's failure to develop their spiritual natures bring disobedience
to divine commands taught by Baha'u'llah. |
Humanists believe that many
of humanity's problems are caused by ignorance, lack of education, and
outdated beliefs in the supernatural. |
Illusion, ignorance, or
lack of perception. People are unaware of their true identity as
divine, as one with God. They need to be "enlightened, " to find
ultimate spiritual knowledge & liberation from the cycle of
reincarnation. Their primary need is for holism, to be integrated with
the whole. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Solution to the Basic
Human Problem
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Salvation is an infused
process of grace gained over one's lifetime through faith plus
observance of Church sacraments and rituals. |
God grants salvation to
people who repent, trust in God, & obey Him according to their
understanding. |
Well-being of individual &
tribe; gained by prayer, pledges, & sacrifice that win attention & help
of supernatural forces & departed elders. |
goal of life is to gain
release (liberation) from the cycle of reincarnation & to pass beyond
illusion to become one with the divine (Ultimate Reality) by following
the proper yoga (path or discipline). |
Goal of life is nirvana to
eliminate all desire of attachment, particularly by following the
Eight-fold Path. |
Allah (The Merciful One)
acts in mercy. A person's salvation depends largely upon personal
observance of the Pillars of the Faith & submission to Allah. |
Attaining liberation
(release) from the cycle of life, death, & rebirth through repeating
the name of God & following the path of devotion. |
People attain present &
future blessings through faith in God & Baha'u'llah & by performing
good works that advance civilization & contribute to world unity &
peace. |
Many Humanists believe that
the human condition can be improved by using science and its methods of
criticism to understand the universe. |
People overcome lack of
perception by using techniques to change (transform) consciousness.
They can attain enlightenment when they step outside ordinary modes of
perception into altered states of consciousness that dispel illusory
boundaries of individual existence. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Ethics (Value System)
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Ultimate values for
humanity are based on God's character and His "revelation to humanity."
Human beings are born under sin and this they always need God's grace
to renew their character. Ex. 20; 2 cor. 5:14-21. |
Ultimate values for
humanity are based on God's character. The Ten Commandments, other laws
of the Hebrew Bible, & teachings of the rabbis are moral guidelines for
the Jewish community |
Based on well-being of the
tribe; individuals expected to fulfill their social roles in the tribe
& follow the traditions. |
Deeds are right if they
produce good conditions; deeds are wrong if they produce harm to one's
self or to the world in general. |
The Eight-fold Path
stresses moral virtue, including right action & right vocation. Right
conduct includes loving-kindness, selfless giving to others, & efforts
to alleviate human hurts. |
Allah judges human beings
for their actions in submitting to Allah, obeying the Shari'ah (holy
law), & advancing the Ummah (people of Islam). |
Work, worship, & charity
should dominate one's life. Sikhs try to conquer & attain rebirth over
anger, pride, desire, greed, & ignorance. |
Baha'is value the virtues
of love, justice, trustworthiness, honesty, humility, & courtesy. They
expect every believer to engage in useful work. |
Ethics is autonomous and
situational, needing no supernatural sanction. |
No moral absolutes.
Individual self-rule should be the norm as people follow their own
intuition. Root causes of evil are selfish living habits. |
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Judaism
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Native
American
Religions
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Sikhism
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Baha'i World Faith
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Secular Humanism
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New Age Movement
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Life After Death
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Agree with historic
Christianity on heaven and hell. However, Catholics also believe in
purgatory, a temporary state where those who die in a state of grace
are purified of their sins over time. |
Range of views: *Reward or
punishment in heaven or hell (orthodox) *Vagueness (conservative and
reformed/reform) *Denial of afterlife (liberal) |
Existence in a life
patterned after this world, but free of pain & suffering. Wicked are
forgotten or annihilated. |
Cycles of reincarnation
until union with or re-absorption into Ultimate Reality. The desired
ultimate state of existence is moksha ("final release"). |
Possible attainment of
nirvana (negation of suffering), a state of being that is realized
through eliminating desire. |
Paradise (heaven) for
faithful believers & hell (punishment) for nonbelievers & those who
commit shirk (apostasy). |
Reincarnation
(transmigration of souls) until one attains absorption into God & the
extinguishing of individuality. |
Individual (an immortal
soul) retains identity, progresses to presence of God. Heaven: rapid
progression to God; Hell: slow progression. |
Secular Humanists believe
that there is no life after death. They deny that there is a soul or
spirit that survives death. |
Souls are evolving toward
union with God & will eventually find spiritual knowledge & liberation
from the cycle of rebirth. |