FAITH TRADITIONS Source Creating Interfaith Community 2008
http://gbgm-umc.org/missionstudies/interfaith/index.html
Judaism
There are 260,000 Jews in Chicago Metropolitan Area (source NCCJ)
Beth Shalom Synagogue, Naperville http://www.napershalom.org/
Symbol: Jewish menorah One of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith is the menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum used in the Temple. It has been said that the menorah is a symbol of the nation of Israel and their mission to be "a light unto the nations." (Isaiah 42:6).
The sages emphasize that light is not a violent force; Israel is to accomplish its mission by setting an example, not by using force. This idea is highlighted in the vision in Zechariah 4:1-6. Zechariah sees a menorah, and G-d explains: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit." (excerpts from Judaism 101: Signs and Symbols).
Founder / Major Figures
* Abraham - brought his people to faith in one God
* Moses - the greatest of the prophets; he led his people to freedom from slavery in Egypt and received the Law from God
* David - one of the great kings of ancient Israel
Major Beliefs
Historically, Jews believe that God is intimately involved in the affairs of the world, and that creation has a moral purpose in which good is rewarded and evil is punished. Besides being perfectly just and righteous, God is also gracious and merciful, extending pardon to all who repent of their misdoings.
This unique One whom Jews worship is understood to relate to humanity in personal ways, so that certain similarities between the divine and the human exist. The divine Lord is always regarded as being infinitely high above all that is created, always other than human beings.
The particular calling of the Jewish nation is expressed as a divine-human agreement or covenant. This agreement was inaugurated by the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses, which became to Jews the basis of their life.
They are not as concerned about delving into the mystery of God's nature as they are in regulating their lives to conform to the models of behavior set forth in divinely inspired laws and teachings.
For Jews, actions are more important than beliefs. Judaism focuses on one's relationship to G-d and to others. Rambam's set of thirteen principles of faith, widely accepted by Jews, is the following:
1. G-d* exists.
2. G-d is one and unique.
3. G-d is incorporeal.
4. G-d is eternal.
5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and no other.
6. The words of the prophets are true.
7. Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets.
8. The Written Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and the Oral Torah (teachings in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses.
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of humankind.
11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
*Jews honor G-d by not writing out or saying the name of the Holy One.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
The Torah The Hebrew Scripture, consisting of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, recounts the story of a people specially chosen to show forth the beauty and power of life lived by faith in the Creator of all things, the One True and Living God.
The Written Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) are the books of the Law and the writings held most sacred by Jews.
The Talmud, a collection of oral traditions (eventually written down), concerns all aspects of Jewish practice and experience and is also revered.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
Jewish life is grounded in religious practices and observances of holy days. The most important ritual for a Jew is the observance of Shabbat, or Sabbath which begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.
Observant Jews pray three times a day: in the evening, in the morning, and in the afternoon.
Worship by Jews can be understood as a vast meditation upon the historical unfolding of their life as a people. Whether in the home, traditionally the primary place for learning and practicing Jewish values, or in the synagogue, each week they observe Shabbat (the Sabbath), a solemn day of rest, prayer and praise to God.
When the people gather they follow the leadership of a rabbi, or teacher. There is a public reading from the Torah. Praying, litanies, songs, chants and sermons are also parts of the weekly service. The atmosphere in the synagogue may vary from respectful dignity to joyful exuberance.
Because God in Judaism is holy and infinitely just, the standards of that faith for morals and ethics are high. Believers hold to certain ceremonial rules regarding rites of initiation, food, drink, dress and social behavior, which are observed with varying strictness.
Movements and Branches
Within Judaism are three movements: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Differences between them have to do both with ritual practices and beliefs.
History
Jewish people belong to a unique tradition of faith and practice that goes back 4,000 years in the Middle East.
Moses with 10 Commandments They trace their roots to Abraham who brought his people to faith in one God.
Then as the children of Abraham continued their walk of faith under the leadership of Moses and a line of kings and prophets, a nation was formed, a law was divinely revealed, a land was settled, authoritative writings of legislation, history and devotion developed.
This nation, called Israel, felt a sense of destiny as a collective witness to the reality of the one God of the universe. At various times it came into conflict with secular powers and rival religious movements. Internal strife also caused serious breaks at times in the unity of the nation.
Over the centuries the people of Israel were scattered into many countries, but they have always retained their ethnic and religious distinctiveness. Ethnicity is as important as faith in identifying Jewish people.
History as it continues to unfold teaches Jews further lessons of their faith. Dispersed to all parts of the earth, they have seen their own in Europe suffer the ultimate in horror at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II. While the persecutions leading up to those tragic events were gathering force, from the remnant of the dispersion there emerged a dynamic movement, called Zionism, to regain the Promised Land for Jews. Its result has been the establishment of the State of Israel, an event of great hope to all people of that faith.
The lessons of history have been sad beyond measure for Jews, and even though the present scene of Israel's rebirth as a nation offers promise, Jews are cautious and watchful. Anti-Jewish feeling lies just below the surface in many cultures.
There is also history to be anticipated. Jewish faith has nourished through the centuries the hope of a golden age when a divinely appointed leader called the Messiah, or Anointed One, will rule the world in peace. While many Jews today do not hold to a literal interpretation of their ancient messianic belief, it remains as a symbol to encourage hope in a world community founded on the promise of universal justice.
Today the descendants of Moses' people enjoy a rich heritage handed down to them from many generations of Jews who have maintained the tradition in spite of untold hardship and persecution.
There are nearly six million Jews in the United States and about 13 million worldwide.
Calendar
Dreidel Jews have a lunar calendar with the new year beginning on Yom Kippur (in September).
Every four years an additional month is added to the calendar in order to make it congruent with the Gregorian calendar.
Jews commemorate historical events of their faith by the celebration of festivals. The Sabbath itself is one of them, remembering the week of divine creation of the world.
Other occasions include:
* Passover: remembering the time when Moses' people were delivered from slavery in Egypt
* The Feast of Weeks: a harvest festival as well a remembrance of the giving of the divine law
* The Feast of Tabernacles: to remember God's protection during ancient Israel's wanderings in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land
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Jainism
There are 7,000 Jains in Chicago Metropolitan Area
Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago, Bartlett http://www.jsmconline.org/home.asp
Founder Lord Mahavir, founder and teacher, who lived in Hindu India in the sixth century BCE.
Major Beliefs
Mahavir taught his followers that they can attain a state of perfect enlightenment if they follow the discipline that he set forth.
Human beings find themselves in a universe that is eternal, uncreated, and they, destined to be born, to live and to die, are a part of the never ending process of growth, development, death and rebirth.
At each stage of rebirth Jains may grow closer to perfection until they break free of the ongoing cycle of cause and effect, or the laws of nature. Then they achieve an indescribable state of perfect bliss.
There is a close affinity between the Jain religion and Hinduism. However, Jains do not believe in God or gods. It is a system in which the human being is capable alone of achieving a good life.
To do this they must follow certain rules or principles:
* Non-violence: Jains consider this to be so important as to call it "the supreme religion". Nonviolence is extended to thought, words and deeds, and involves the protection of the life of all living creatures. Nonviolence includes:
+ A strict vegetarian diet
+ Restraining the consumption of earth's resources
+ Abstaining from quarreling, fighting, criticizing, backbiting and dishonesty in financial matters.
+ Nonviolence in Jain practice is not, however, an absolute law. It is accepted that people must defend themselves in cases of aggression.
* Speaking the truth
* Sexual purity
* Abstaining from theft
* Detachment from worldly possessions
These principles were laid down for all adherents of the religion, men and women receiving equal status.
There is no clergy in Jainism, but for those who go more deeply into the religion there exist orders of monks and nuns. These individuals pursue the life of righteousness with great strictness, even to the point of ascetic self-denial.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
Jain scriptures, a vast literature of oral stories, poetry, biographies and teachings, were gathered at various times in early history and codified and written down in definitive form about 450 CE.
They were written in a dialect of the Sanskrit language but now exist in translation.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
When Jains worship they examine themselves, reflect on their progress in spiritual development, and contemplate the example of Mahavir.
They pray in the sense of expressing their aspirations for a better life and voicing their regret for failure.
The images of the teachers in the place of worship remind those who pray of the examples that are set before them of praiseworthy behavior. Also they are reminded of the great Jain principle of mutual dependence, or interdependence, whereby all living things are bound together for support.
In everyday life Jains often repeat the following act of obeisance, in the Hindi language, called the Universal Prayer:
I bow to the ever-perfect victors.
I bow to the liberated souls.
I bow to the leaders of the Jain order.
I bow to the learned teachers.
I bow to the saints and sages everywhere in the world.
This five-fold obeisance erases all sins.
Amongst all that is auspicious, this is the foremost.
(Adapted from a souvenir booklet of the Jain Center of Greater Hartford)
In addition to visits to the sanctum in the Hindu temple. Jains often also pray and meditate in their homes and meet in a study circle each month.
History
Jains revere as their founder and teacher, Lord Mahavir, who lived in Hindu India in the sixth century BCE.
This teacher was the last in a line of twenty-four great teachers whose times stretch back thousands of years into pre-history.
Jains believe that these twenty-four individuals attained perfect knowledge and a degree of spiritual development that sets them apart from all other people.
Calendar
The Jain calendar is punctuated with several festivals, two of them commemorating first the birth of Lord Mahavir, their revered teacher, and the other remembering his achievement of release from the cycle of reincarnation.
The third and most important festival is a time of reflection on one's spiritual and moral journey. Special recitations of holy texts are heard, fasting for eight days is observed and people seek forgiveness from all whom they have offended during the previous year.
Administration and Secular Life
Jains number as many as 100,000 in the United States and have built over a hundred centers and temples. The national organization called JAINA, promotes unity and friendship among all Jains of North America.
Although Jains do not number as one of the larger religions, being from four to six million worldwide, they are one of the oldest. They live mostly in India and the languages and cultures of that land still mark the lives of Jains.
They are known to be people with a strong social consciousness. In India they are noted for maintaining hospitals for aged and injured animals.
Jains are not concerned about seeking converts to their way, and show tolerance toward other religions, since one of their main teachings it the relative nature of truth, according to which any number of different viewpoints are possible depending on where, how, and when a particular belief is expressed.
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Hinduism
There are 80,000 Hindus in Chicago Metropolitan Area
Hindu, BAPs Swaminarayan, Bartlett http://www.swaminarayan.org/globalnetwork/america/chicago.htm
Major Beliefs
The Hindu tradition is more a way of life than a set of beliefs. Hindus have many different practices that vary from country to country, even from community to community.
Most Hindus believe that the whole universe is permeated with the Divine, a reality called the Brahman. This Divine can be known by many names and take many forms, and it is fully present in the human soul.
Hindus believe there is one God and that God can take many forms, expressed as gods and goddesses. For example:
* Brahma is Creator
* Vishnu is Sustainer
* Shiva is Destroyer
Hindus understand these as many ways to understand the Divine. Thus many Hindus do not worship a multitude of gods, and understand the one supreme world-soul as manifested in a multitude of ways. So each image stands for one aspect of the supreme force of the universe. For example, there are gods of the sun, of marriage, of knowledge, of art and music, of fire, of agriculture, as well as gods who exemplify all of the virtues of life required by the teachings of religion.
Hindus also see the presence of the Divine manifest in the female, worshiped as the Divine Mother. A Hindu temple will house the image, or murti, of one or more gods. For Hindus, the murti acts as a lens that focuses one on beholding God.
Hindus believe in reincarnation, the belief that the soul's journey to self-realization takes many lifetimes and that its journey from one life to the next is influenced by the deeds one performs in a lifetime. What people do in the way of good or evil influences how they will be reborn after death, that is, their goodness may be rewarded with a higher level of existence or else they may be reduced to a lower level.
The final goal lies beyond unending rebirths. All Hindus long for the eventual union of their soul with the world-soul thereby breaking free from the cycle of births and rebirths.
The good life, tending toward ultimate fulfillment, consists of:
* Moral behavior
* Service to others
* Seeking knowledge
* Worship and devotion to one's personal deity who helps in the struggle with evil.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
Hindu tradition is contained in the Vedas, a body of ancient hymns and chants recited orally in verse.
Each Veda has an associated literature called Brahmanas (rituals) and Upanishads (explorations of deeper understandings of the universe).
Veda can also mean more generally the wisdom and authority of the whole Hindu tradition.
The sacred books tell about the indescribable essence, or world-soul, and the existence of thousands of deities, all of which are concerned with sustaining the world.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
For Hindus, Karma (action) is one's acts and their consequences. The path of action involves one in the world and its concerns without claiming the results of one's actions for oneself.
Hindu tradition is centered in the home altar, where family members may spend time in prayer each day. Families also study the Hindu scriptures and sing hymns at home. They light an oil lamp, burn incense, or place fresh flowers at the home altar.
On festival days or the special days of certain deities, many Hindus go to the temple for festivals and pilgrimages.
Hindu Temple Many temples in the United States are large buildings housing offices, meeting and classrooms. The centerpiece is a group of shrines, each one dedicated to a particular deity and containing richly ornamented images of the gods. In the center of the shrine area is a simulated Indian temple, with its elaborately carved, uplifting columns and figures, the whole bathed brilliantly in natural light from a soaring skylight. This gives the effect of an outdoor setting, as would commonly be the case in India.
Worshippers come and go at will having removed their shoes at the entrance. Men and women mingle together freely. Many gather to stand reverently before the shrine of a particular god whose worship is the focus of the day. Several priests recite prayers and devotional texts. The people bring gifts of fruit, rice, flowers, milk and other things to the deity. After blessing the gifts, the priests walk among the people distributing bits of the food offerings to be eaten and also briefly placing a turban-shaped object with a handle upon the heads of the worshippers as a symbol of the protection offered by the deity whom they have invoked.
All the time that the greater number of people are gathered at one shrine, others go to the other images, bowing or prostrating themselves and offering gifts. A large bell hanging at the entrance to the worship area is rung by those who desire in that way to announce their presence and call upon the god of their choice.
History
The Hindu way of life is based on the teachings of ancient scriptures that go back perhaps 3,000 years BCE. These teachings were transmitted orally for centuries and then written down in the Sanskrit language.
The writings include hymns to the gods of ancient people of India, as well as legends and prayers composed by unknown authors. Later collections of material, also accepted as authoritative scripture, contain philosophical discourses, stories about the gods, epic poems and devotional writings.
Hinduism is the principal religion of India, and has moved out into most countries of the world. Today millions of people world wide follow the Hindu way of life.
Calendar
Hindus use a lunar calendar, but they have one solar holiday, Makar Sankranti.
Hindus observe a number of holy days and festivals honoring certain deities, celebrating the harvest and the new year. These occasions often include colorful displays of traditional dress and dancing native to India.
Families mark the significant moments of life with special rites, such as births, name-giving, first taking of solid food, head shaving to remove symbolically the traces of evil from a pervious life, ear-piercing, coming of age, marriage and death.
Diversity
This brief description of the Hindu way does not do justice to the extreme diversity in that religion. Little uniformity exists in the multitude of rituals, doctrines, devotions, art forms and customs. Some adherents emphasize the ritual aspect of worship, others the devotional life of love for the gods, still others have little to do with the gods at all and concentrate on Hindu philosophy. And there are many whose religious practice is largely a matter of moral behavior.
Hindus in general believe that no one religion is exclusively true, but that all genuine ways of faith are aspects of the one universal, all-encompassing truth.
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Sikhism
There are 6,000 Buddhists in Chicago Metropolitan Area
Sikh Gurdwara - Sikh
Religious Society of Chicago, Palatine http://www.srschicago.org/# and http://srschicago.com/index.php Covering your head while present at
the Sikh Temple is for the respect of Sikh Holy Book (present guru of Sikhs
known as Shri Guru Granth)
Founder Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, received a divine revelation from God in India in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries CE.
* Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final guru, or teacher. Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa, the Sikh brotherhood.
Major Beliefs
Sikhs proclaim the Divine name of God, the power of devotion to that Name, the unity of all people and the equality of men and women.
Sikhs confess God as Creator, sustainer of the universe, and one intimately involved in the events of the world and the lives of human beings.
They believe that divine help is available for those who seek deliverance from the power of evil and put great emphasis on a personal relationship between the believer and God.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
The Sikh holy scripture, called the Guru Granth Sahib, includes the teachings of Guru Nanak and nine additional Sikh teachers, plus writings of some Islamic and Hindu authors.
This collection of writings, in the form of poetry and hymns, were brought together into a large book of some 1,400 pages, written in the Punjabi language of Northwest India.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
The gatherings for worship are centered around the Holy Scriptures, which are displayed prominently in the room covered with a canopy.
There is no ordained clergy, but designated leaders are in charge of the service. The appointed reader is called the granthi.
The order of worship is not rigidly fixed, but in general, worshippers gather, leave their shoes at the door, and cover their heads. First they bow reverently before the Holy Scriptures that are on display.
Then a hymn is sung, taken from the Holy Book, and accompanied by musical instruments.
Men and women then sit separately to listen to readings or a talk on Sikh doctrine or history. Then the people stand for a prayer which is also taken from the Scripture. The service ends with a hymn and the serving of a ceremonial food composed of semolina, sugar and butter.
Traditionally the meeting places maintain kitchens for serving free food after the service to any who desire it. This meal is vegetarian, although Sikhs are not required to abstain from meat.
Sikhs call their belief and practice the Sikh Panth, meaning the "community of the disciples of the Guru."
Sikhs believe that God is One and that all religions that seek to know God have beauty and power.
The Sikh religion has strict moral standards. Believers are held to a code of five virtues and five vices.
The virtues are:
1. Truthfulness in living
2. Contentment
3. Patience
4. Faith in the Great Teacher, Nanak
5. Compassion
The vices, whose description is necessary because of the human tendency to defy the moral law of humanity, are:
1. Lust
2. Anger
3. Greed
4. Excessive attachment to any earthy object or person
5. Pride
Sikhs put great emphasis upon humble service for the welfare of others, and are strongly opposed to any kind of discrimination, especially that which is based on social class or sex.
Traditionally Sikh men wear five signs of their faith:
1. Kes - Uncut hair, a sign of faith
2. Kirpan - a short dagger symbolizing self-defense which may be worn in several sizes, even hung in miniature around the neck
3. Karha - a steel wristband or bracelet, binding one symbolically to the truth
4. Kangha - a wooden comb worn in the hair knot to show cleanliness
5. Kacchera - a special undergarment symbolizing purity
In addition men wear a turban, although it is not required by the religion.
Sikh places of worship are called gurdwaras and are centers for community service as well, including a common meal called the langar where all are welcome.
History
Sikhism, a strongly monotheistic religion, had its beginning in the teachings of Guru Nanak in India in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries CE. He gathered around him disciples called Sikhs.
Before his death he designated a successor as Guru, establishing a lineage of teachers that lasted the next ten generations.
250,000 Sikhs have made their way to the United States. Worldwide they number about 22 million.
Calendar
Until 1999, Sikhs used the Hindu lunar calendar. At that point they began using the Gregorian calendar, and their holy days were fixed.
Following a change of leadership, this policy was reevaluated. Now some Sikhs use the fixed calendar and others the traditional lunar calendar.
Sikh boy drumming The festival life of Sikhs is centered in the commemoration of events in the lives of the ten great teachers.
Great moments in a person's life such as birth and naming, marriage, initiation to special responsibility in the community, and death are all marked by religious ceremonies.
Administration and Secular Life
Sikh Temple Sikhs are organized with supervisory authority vested in the World Sikh Council.
Most adherents still live in India where its historic sites are located and spiritual authority issues from Amritsar, India, the site of Sikhism's most celebrated temple.
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Buddhism
There are 150,000 Buddhists in Chicago Metropolitan Area
Midwest Buddhist Temple - Chicago http://www.midwestbuddhisttemple.org/
Buddhist symbol The circle is an important image in Buddhist iconography.
The Dharma Wheel (wheel of life) has eight spokes, signifying each of the steps in the Eightfold path.
Founder / Major Figures
* The historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have been born in India in 635 BCE (before the common era).
* "Buddha" is a title of honor, meaning "Enlightened One."
Major Beliefs
Buddhists speak of the Three Treasures of Buddhism:
* The Buddha
* The Dharma
* The Sangha (the community of monks and nuns)
To become Buddhist is to seek refuge in the Three Treasures.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
The Dharma (the sermons and teachings of the Buddha).
Worship and Spiritual Practice
The Buddha was silent on the subject of God, and Buddhists consider whatever energy there is behind the existence of the universe as nameless.
When Buddhists gather in their meeting place they do not worship in the sense of praying to a god to ask for divine help. Their spiritual exercises include the following, practiced at different times and on different occasions, and depending on the branch of the religion to which they belong.
Buddhist bowing
The Three Refuges, accompanied by three bows.
1. I seek refuge in the Enlightened One (Buddha).
2. I seek refuge in the true teaching.
3. I seek refuge in the community.
The Four Noble Truths
1. The truth of suffering both physical and mental, which is the basic fact of life.
2. The truth of the cause of suffering, which is desire. Whatever one desires and cannot obtain causes pain and suffering.
3. The truth of the cessation of suffering, which will come about when a person gives up all desire and craving.
4. The truth of the path to the ending of suffering, by means of the Noble Eightfold Path:
* Right belief
* Right thought
* Right speech
* Right action
* Right livelihood
* Right effort
* Right mindfulness
* Right meditation
The Five Precepts, ceremonially read, which summarize Buddhist moral standards, in which followers undertake to abstain from:
* Taking the life of any living being
* Taking anything that is not given
* Sexual misconduct and other forms of overindulgence
* Bad speech
* Taking intoxicants
Burning of incense to the Buddha in appreciation.
Chanting of words from the teaching.
Prayers and offerings to the Buddha and to revered exemplary figures from ancient times; these prayers may be understood as aspirations of the devotees as they place themselves in the light of the objects of their devotion.
Disciplined meditation in both a seated position and walking.
Movements and Branches
The original tradition within Buddhism focused on an intense dedication to achieving enlightenment centered on a monastic life.
In the first century CE (common era), a movement developed to reformulate the teachings of Buddha to accommodate a larger number of people. This new movement named itself Mahayana, or the Greater Vehicle, since it was inclusive of more believers.
The original movement referred to itself as Theravada, or the way of the Elders.
Mahayana Buddhism developed north into China and from there into Japan, Tibet, and Korea. Today it includes several strands, including Zen and Tantric Buddhism.
Theravada Buddhism developed in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia.
One significant difference in the two movements is in the way each sees the bodhisattva, or spiritual guide. The bodhisattva is one who has reached enlightened understanding, and delays final enlightenment to help others along the spiritual path. In Mahayana Buddhism all practicing Buddhists are apprentice bodhisattvas. Mahayana Buddhists take a vow not to enter nirvana but to strive to reach enlightenment to save all beings from suffering.
Another difference is that Mahayana Buddhism is more like a religion than a philosophy. Theravada Buddhists do not technically worship the Buddha, although they honor his memory. Mahayanas may set up images of the Buddha in their temples and homes.
Today many Western Buddhists tend to see the two schools not in opposition but rather as complimentary to each other.
History
The historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have been born in India in 635 BCE. He lived a privileged and protected life until at the age of 29 he went outside the palace, where he encountered suffering for the first time.
He left the palace and studied and practiced a life of self-denial. But he only reached enlightenment (nirvana) after he seated himself at the foot of a bodhi tree and meditated until he awoke to the nature of the changing world and of suffering.
After his enlightenment he taught throughout North India for forty-five years. He taught many ways to appreciate life and the path to overcoming suffering. Peace and happiness, according to Buddhism, are attainable with loving kindness, compassion, and the understanding gained through wisdom.
The Buddha was an original thinker, a genius of spiritual psychology, and his teachings diverged from Hinduism, the prevalent thought of his culture. He saw human beings as free moral agents, autonomous in their ability to work out their own destiny by adhering to certain principles.
That destiny is understood as achieving "Buddhahood," that is the enlightenment of the great teacher, by devotion, self-discipline, and the practice of compassion.
Buddhism spread outward from India early in its history and developed with great vitality in other Asian countries. It came to the United States in the 19th century and has grown to over 1,000 centers.
Today in America there are numerous monasteries for monks and nuns, with outreach activities into neighboring communities, educational institutions and charitable organizations, all taking inspiration from the Buddha.
Buddhism has about 400 million adherents worldwide. It has a thoroughly pluralistic makeup as a religion and continues to maintain close ties with its Asian origins.
Calendar
The Buddhist calendar is calculated differently in different parts of the world.
The most common Buddhist calendar is lunar and begins in December or January. Every third year a leap month of thirty days is inserted into the calendar.
Theravada Buddhists begin the New Year based on when the sun enters Aries, sometime between April 13-18.
Mahayana Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death according to the Gregorian calendar.
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Native
American
There are 21,555 Native Americans in
Chicago Metropolitan Area
The Anawim Center http://www.anawimcenter.org/
The Anawim
Center has been serving the Native American Community of Chicago for the past
25 years. It is a Native American
Interfaith Spiritual Center and a member of the Chicago Archdiocese. Indian
nations in Chicago include Potawatomi, Winnebago, Menominee, Cherokee, Ojibwa/Chippewa,
Lakota, Iroquois, and Navajo. In 1982, a group of Chicago American Indian Elders gathered with the
shared vision of creating a place of prayer for their Indian community. The dream came to
birth in a small storefront in Uptown, with the help of two Sinsinawa Dominican
sisters. This place of welcome was named Anawim is a place for Indian people to
practice their traditional form of worship. Various Indian leaders conduct
traditional spiritual ceremonies when visiting the community. A variety of
Native spiritual, religious people have used and will continue to use Anawim
for ceremonies. There are seasonal feasts, which is a tradition among many
Woodland and Great Lakes Nations and Tribes. In the language of the Hebrew
scriptures "Anawim" refers to: Those people who are humble; who have suffered loss; who have been
taken from their land; who are close to the Creator.
American Indians may identify themselves as
Christians, or Traditional, or Traditional and Christian. The Chicago Center
for Cultural Connections in its 2008 Interfaith Calendar describes American
Indian religions as “a way of life – practiced to maintain proper balance and
an integral relationship to the Universe.”
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Islam
There are 400,000 Muslims in Chicago Metropolitan Area
The Niagara Foundation - Muslim
Turkish American Society Mt. Prospect http://www.niagarafoundation.org/
The Islamic Center of
Naperville http://www.islamiccenterofnaperville.org/
Founder / * The prophet Muhammad, an Arab and a descendant of Abraham, received the divine revelations of Allah contained in the Muslim scriptures, the Holy Qu'ran [Koran].
* The Qu'ran names twenty-five messengers of God, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, and Jesus. Muhammad is believed to be the final messenger until the Day of Judgment.
Major Beliefs
The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the one true God worthy of worship. Anyone who adheres to this ideal is called a Muslim.
Muslims believe that Islam is the one true religion given to Adam and to all the prophets after him.
Muslims believe in one God, creator of all things, unique in life, power, mercy and justice. The revelation of God came to an Arabian trader named Muhammad. He passed the message on to others and headed a community of those who gave up the worship of idols and spirits. The revelations that Muhammad received were believed to have come directly from God.
Muslims place themselves directly in the line of those who worship one God, so they feel kinship with Jews and Christians. They believe that Muhammad came to complete or seal the line of prophets whom God sent into the world as guidance for humankind. The prophetic line began with the first man, Adam, and included many of those named in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe God gave scriptures to Moses and to Jesus and that in their true interpretation they agree with the message of the Koran.
Muslims also hold that the final goal for life lies beyond the brief span of years spent on earth. After death there will be a new life. The same God who created the world will also call forth in resurrection all who have died. Then perfect justice will be administered. Righteous living will be rewarded and wickedness punished.
Jesus occupies a high place of honor in Islam. He is held as one of the prophets of God and no calling of humankind is considered higher than that of prophet. According to Islam, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life of sacrificial service to his people, and when he was threatened by his enemies, God delivered him from a shameful death and exalted him to Paradise. Many Muslims also believe that Jesus will return to earth at the end of the age. Jesus in Islam is not the same as Jesus Christ for the Christians. Muslims do not accept the Christian title, "Son of God" for Jesus and they do not view Jesus' death on a cross as redemptive as Christians do.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
The revelations that Muhammad received were believed to have come directly from God. Eventually they were put together in a book called the Qu'ran or Koran, which was written in the Arabic language.
Besides the holy scripture of the Koran, Muslims hold as authoritative a large collection of reports telling about the prophet Muhammad's interpretations of the Koran, his actions in everyday life and his attitudes. These reports are called hadith.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
Muslim faith and practice is grounded in the Five Pillars of Islam:
1. Iman (Faith): "There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God". The only purpose of life is to serve and obey God.
2. Salah (Prayer): Obligatory prayers are performed five times a day. Since there are no priests in Islam, prayer is the direct link between the worshiper and God.
3. Zakah (Financial Obligation): Since everything belongs to God, wealth is held in trust by humankind. Muslims are enjoined to set aside a portion of what they have (a fortieth of one's capital annually) for those in need. They may also give as much as they like in secret.
4. Sawn (Fasting): All Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan. Fasting allows the faithful to focus on the presence of God.
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): Those who are physically and financially able to do so, are called on to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes, during the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is connected not only with the life of the prophet Muhammad, but also, and even more importantly for the pilgrimage, with Abraham, the spiritual father of Muslims.
Islam sets forth the duties for human life in a clear way. Life has serious purpose as a response in faith to the creative and sustaining power of Allah. A Muslim's life is one of social responsibility.
Every Friday at noon Muslims gather for communal prayer. Although the prayers can be held in any kind of room or hall, special buildings, or mosques, are often built or adapted for worship.
The prayer room is bare of furniture, the floor covered with carpets. Worshippers leave their shoes at the door and gather facing in the direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where Islam began, the men in one group and the women in another. They stand in rows close together to carry our the ritual acts of prayer, its gestures, prostrations, recitations and periods of silence.
Worshippers follow the leadership of a person called the imam. They may also listen to chanting of the Qu'ran and to the preaching of a sermon while seated on the floor.
The ritual prayer of Islam is mostly in the form of praise to Allah, although petition does have a place. It is performed at five fixed times each day, although communal worship is required only once a week.
History
Muslims believe that the prophet Muhammad, born in Makkah [Mecca] in present day Saudi Arabia in 570 CE, is the supreme model for humanity. An Arab and a descendant of Abraham, he received the divine revelations of Allah contained in the Muslim scriptures, the Holy Qu'ran, over a period of twenty-three years.
Calendar
Muslims use a lunar calendar. Each month begins when the new moon is sighted.
Every year begins eleven days later than the previous year, so over the course of one's lifetime Ramadan, for example, would occur in every season.
Two main festivals highlight the calendar of Islam. One, known as Eid ul Fitr, comes at the end of the yearly month-long fast (Ramadan) and is chiefly a time of thanksgiving.
The other time is called the Festival of Sacrifice which takes place at the same time as the pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims worldwide commemorate on that occasion the supreme act of faith by Abraham when he offered to sacrifice his son in obedience to God and was rewarded by his son's deliverance.
Administration and Secular Life
Muslims, of multiple ethnic origins, number well over one billion people in the world. Nearly one person in five across the earth belongs to the religion of Islam.
In spite of the immense geographical scope of Islam, covering the whole world, and in spite of the fact that there is no central authority (person or council) for the faith, Islamic practice remains astonishingly uniform across the earth. This uniformity has to do with observance of the five "pillars" and traditional beliefs and practices handed down from the prophet Muhammad.
Beyond the Five Pillars, Islamic life takes on the characteristics of the culture in which Muslims live. Many social attitudes and customs of dress, food, and behavior differ by geographical area. Some American Muslims retain the ways of the lands from which they came; others, in increasing numbers, have adopted American ways while staying faithful to the principles and practices of their faith.
Muslims in America have councils and associations to coordinate and facilitate activities, and they seek the wisdom of leaders to interpret aspects of their religious law.
A lively Islamic press in the United States keeps its readers abreast of current social, political and economic trends and suggests how they should react to them in the light of their faith. Again and again Islamic writers in newspapers and magazines have deplored the senseless violence of Sept. 11, 2001, sympathized with victims and survivors, and expressed solidarity with their fellow Americans. Also, and here they join many Christians and others, they call for justice in international relations.