Ever since people could imagine, they questioned what is life, what is the meaning of life and what happens after death. Religion is the answer. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are the Western religions, or Abrahamic religions, because they all believe in Abraham, an important prophet in all three faiths. These religions believe in one all-powerful God who created the world.1 There are many Eastern religions, but the main two are Hinduism and Buddhism. Both religions believe in the idea of reincarnation, the cycle of death and rebirth. 2 These five major religions, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, provide the major explanations of life and death and why people are here. Each religion answers the questions through various means such as holy books, gods and goddesses, and the afterlife.
"Holy Books form a tangible core for religions."3 They are a source of guidance so that people know how to live their lives, as well as answer the many questions people have about their religion.4
Gods and sodas
Symbol of the three Abrahamic religions.
Map showing the prevalence of Abrahamic (pink) and...To start, the Hebrew bible is called the Tanakh. The Tanakh was given to Moses, a prophet, at Mt. Sinai, Egypt. The book has two covenants, or laws, one applying to all people and the other applying to only Jews. The book concludes with writings and sacred songs.5 The Christian Bible has two halves, one being the Jewish Tanakh, called the Old Testament in Christianity. The Old Testament and the Tanakh are not identical, but they are very similar. The other is the New Testament which tells about the life of Jesus, the first years of the Christian church, and living a life according to Jesus. The Islamic bible, the Qur'an, is made up of 114 chapters, or Surahs. It prepares Muslims for Judgement Day, a decision of Allah, the Islamic God, whether or...