Ancient Chinese religion draws from a vast heritage of sacred books, which according to the general worldview treat cosmology, history and mythology, mysticism and philosophy, as aspects of the same thing.

scripture

In the 12th century, Zhu Xi codified the sacred texts of Confucianism, calling them simply the Four Books; The Great Learning, the Analects of Confucius, the Book of Mencius and The Doctrine of the Mean.

Collectively, these are known as the Wujing (Wu Ching) or Five Classics, sometimes referred to as the Confucian Bible. According to some sources there were as many as 13 classical scriptures (jing/ching) but these are the best known and were the focus of attention for Confucian scholars.

Confucius states that we must not focus on the afterlife, because we know so little of it, and we must focus on everyday life. However, Confucianism holds a philosophy of afterlife, even if it is not outright said or depicted.

Confucianism differs from other religions in three aspects (1) it has no deity but is based instead on rules of conduct; (2) it was not established in a way that competes with other religions; and (3) it has no large-scale institutional ‘church’ with priests and ceremonial and a laity (Redding, 1993, p.

Though closer to a philosophy than a true religion, Confucianism was a way of life for ancient Chinese people, and it continues to influence Chinese culture today. This is why Confucianism is considered a philosophy rather than a religion, even though it is often lumped in with other major religions.

The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातनधर्म:, lit.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam.

Islam is growing faster than any other religion, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. In fact, most of the world’s major religious groups are expected to rise in absolute numbers by 2050, the research finds, with Islam set to overtake Christianity and become the world’s dominant religion by 2070.

Ancient (before AD 500)

Before Christianization (the spread of Christianity): Historical polytheism (the worship of or belief in multiple deities) Historical paganism (denoting various non-Abrahamic religions)

The pre-existence of Christ asserts the existence of Christ before his incarnation as Jesus. One of the relevant Bible passages is John 1:1–18 where, in the Trinitarian interpretation, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis (substantive reality) called the Logos or Word.

From earliest times Odin was a war god, and he appeared in heroic literature as the protector of heroes. Fallen warriors joined him in his palace, Valhalla. Odin was the great magician among the gods and was associated with runes. He was also the god of poets.

What did the Viking believe in as a religion? The Vikings had their own belief system, Norse mythology, prior to Christianisation. Norse mythology centered on gods such as Odin, Thor, Loki and Frey.

Odin (/ˈoʊdɪn/; from Old Norse: Óðinn, IPA: [ˈoːðinː]) is a widely revered god in Germanic mythology. These texts make up the bulk of modern understanding of Norse mythology. Old Norse texts portray Odin as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir and wearing a cloak and a broad hat.

Hel

Loki (Old Norse: [ˈloki], Modern Icelandic: [ˈlɔːcɪ], often Anglicized as /ˈloʊki/) is a god in Norse mythology. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have a son, Narfi and/or Nari. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr.

Frigga was the Queen of Asgard and wife of Odin, mother of Thor, and adoptive mother of Loki. She attempted to keep the peace between the family even when Loki discovered he was the true son of Laufey and became vengeful towards her and her husband.

Loki is considered a trickster god, known for being neither fully good nor evil since his main aim was always to create chaos. Despite his father being a giant, he is still counted a member of the Aesir—a tribe of deities including Odin, Frigg, Tyr, and Thor.

Thanos