.... that all religions are spread by violence is equally unfair and untrue - because contrasted religions has been spread in exceedingly diverse regions of the world, by vastly different cultures. Islam, as a prime example, has been characterized inequitably by historians and the media as a religion of violence. To put it bluntly, as this article does, "Islam was mainly spread through Arab territorial conquests (Sudo, 4)." However, upon examination, it is not fair to make the generalization that Islam is a religion of violence, and one notices when looking at world religion on a whole, one finds that Islam was no more violent than any other religion. In fact, no .....

.... has written with the certainty that God has to exist in order to have created the universe. There is no doubt in Aquinas's mind that everything was created for a reason and that reason was God's will. In the text Medieval Philosophy, St. Thomas Aquinas' article entitled Does God Exist? , Aquinas tries to show the different steps that can prove God does exist and that the world had to have been created by God. This article is comprised of five different ways in which Aquinas tries to prove that we can be sure that God exists. In the third way, Aquinas tries to show that God exists if it is true that we exist. In the article Aquinas says that it is po .....

.... The second right is prohibition of the establishment of religion by the state. The founders of the 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 le .....

.... he gained the title of the Budda. And disscovered the four noble truths. The four noble truths, were principles that Budda beleived would lead to true happiness. The first noble truth was. That all things and people suffer. The second is, people suffer, because they desire. The third is, that suffering will end once people let go of there desires. And the fourth noble truth is, that the only way to end craving is by following the eight fold path to perfection. There are four main types of Buddism. Theravada, Mahayana, Tantic, and Zen. Theravada is the oldest form of Buddism. And is to this day practiced by many Buddist monks. M .....

.... in a certain theology. While most Native American rituals tend to be mono-cultural, there are a few rituals that frequently appear in many different regions and tribes across North America. Two of these widespread rituals are the ritual of the "sacred pipe," and sweat lodge ceremonials. The sacred pipe ritual is loaded with symbolic meaning, and offers a generous insight into Native American belief systems. This essay will first look at the dynamics of the sacred pipe ritual and offer some explanation into its religious significance, then draw some parallels to the more common sweat lodge ceremony. If a recurring spiritual theme appears in separate ritu .....

.... thankful of all God's bounties. Many Sufi's try to help individuals in trouble. They use special powers, which enable them to help people who are suffering. Of course this power can only be given by God, and Sufi's in no way equal to God's power. In fact, Sufi's that claim to be at the same level of God cannot be classified as a Muslim. (Frager 11) Sufi's stress love, because they believe that love will help you in the Day of Judgement. That the people who you truly love, will give you their good deeds, so that you may enter Paradise. Normally these people who give their good deeds away are known as dervishes (this is quite different from the belief in Islam) .....

.... topic in all Christianity. From whether baptism is essential for salvation, to what manner a person should be baptized in, the debates rage on and on. This paper will explore some of the different views of baptism, and discuss and Biblical backing they may have. BAPTISM: A DEFINITION Translation or Transliteration Our English word “baptism”, comes from the Greek work baptizo, meaning to dip or immerse. However in our English translations of the Bible, this Greek word is transliterated (the Greek letters are replaced with English equivalents) instead of translated. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines “baptisma” (translated “b .....

.... about 2,500 years ago in Northern India. When he was 35 he found Enlightenment whist in profound mediation, after searching for years. In the next 45 years of his life he spent it traveling through India teaching his way of life. His teaching is known as Buddha-dharma. Traveling from place to place, the Buddha gained many disciples. They also taught of the enlightment, and the chain has continued on to this present day. The Buddha was not a God, and he made no claim to divinity. There is no concept of a creator in Buddhism. He was a human being who, thought tremendous efforts, transformed himself. The state of Enlightenment which he reached has three ma .....