| Below are links to information about the world's major religions, which changed the course of history and helped lay the foundations of Eastern and Western thought. |
BBC — Overview of World Religions
From the British Broadcasting Corporation, this resource provides detailed information on 20 religions and belief systems from Atheism to Zoroastrianism.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts collects thousands of works of art that were made for worship or religious ritual. These particular works of art illustrate the main theological concepts of the world's major religions. Religions covered are: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism.
This BBC site provides information on various world religions and a number of subjects in the field of ethics, such as the ethics of war, euthanasia, human cloning, and genetic engineering. It offers an interactive multi-faith calendar, which shows the religious festivals and celebrations of eight world faiths. Visitors can also listen to broadcasts of the BBC's many programs devoted to exploring various religions.
Part of the BBC's Religion and Ethics website, this interactive multi-faith calendar shows the religious festivals and celebrations of eight world faiths.
Sacred: Discover What We Share
This British Library site shows how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have so much in common. Videos, podcasts, and interactive features complement the library's online gallery of sacred texts. Visitors can compare the three "Abrahamic faiths" side by side or click on "Sacred stories" to watch animated versions of famous tales from these religions as well as from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
Produced by the non-profit Vivekananda Centre London, this site provides the basics about Hinduism for both primary (grades K-8) and secondary (grades 9-12) school students. In addition to descriptions of Hindu beliefs and practices, there is a glossary and sections containing festival dates and prayers.
This article from the Kidipede online encyclopedia gives a brief overview of Hinduism, with links to other short pieces about the major Hindu gods such as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesh, and others. A link to "Ancient India" steers users toward details about Indian history, architecture, art, philosophy, and literature.
Created by UCLA Professor Vinay Lal, the Manas site contains a "Religion" section with a wealth of detail about the major faiths that took root in India: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Sections include the religions' various avatars/divinities, gurus, major texts, and myths.
Developed by the British Museum, this site explores the origins of the 2,000-year-old religion. It includes sections about the gods and goddesses of early Hinduism and the story of how Brahma, or Narayana, created the universe.
Indian mythology is at the core of the Hindu faith and worldview. This site offers up key concepts and terms, common ideas, and traditional stories related to such subjects as Vishnu's avatars as well as various sages and saints.
Seattle Art Museum — Stories of Krishna
This interactive web site allows visitors to explore a selection of the paintings featured in the Seattle Art Museum's exhibition "Painted Visions from India and Pakistan, Past and Present." An audio introduction describes the origin of the artworks, while the paintings themselves tell the stories associated with Krishna, an incarnate of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Developed by the British Museum, this site tells the story of the life of Buddha. One interactive section lets users explore a model of the Amaravati Stupa, a large Buddhist monument built over a 500-year period. A "Match symbols of the Buddha" game challenges players to learn how to read early Buddhist relief sculptures.
Following the Buddha's Footsteps
Published by San Francisco State University, this site relates the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Eight units detail the history, community, teachings, tales, scriptures, festival, and different kinds of Buddhism.
This site offers an "impartial, academic perspective … [with] no mission or agenda other than to provide useful and interesting information on religion." The main page links to sections about Buddhist basics, fast facts, beliefs, practices, deities, symbols, history, and sacred texts.
Created by the Buddha Dharma Education Association, based in Australia, this website contains a "Buddhist Studies" section that contains material on all aspects of Buddhism. Included are links to a "Basic Buddhist Guide" as well as Buddhist scriptures, teachings, history, and an encyclopedic tour of "The Buddhist World."
Perhaps the most famous Buddhist practitioner in the world, the Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk who acts as the temporal and religious leader of the people of Tibet. He has been at the center of Tibet's non-violent struggle for freedom, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. This site offers a biography of the Dalai Lama as well as quotations from him on topics such as compassion, the environment, the role of Buddhists in the West, and his answers to various philosophical questions.
This tourist-oriented site provides a brief history of Buddhism in Japan, with details about famous monasteries and the development of various sects such as Jodo, Zen, and Nicheren.
This site offers an "impartial, academic perspective … [with] no mission or agenda other than to provide useful and interesting information on religion." The main page links to sections about Judaism's basics, beliefs, history, holidays, sects, rituals, practices, texts, ritual objects and clothing, and famous philosophers.
Created by Tracey Rich, a self-described "traditional, observant Jew," this online encyclopedia is dedicated to "covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices, and customs. "
Created by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, this site provides educational materials on Jewish history and culture. Separate sections deal with the role of women, Jewish history, religion (including the holy scriptures, philosophy and ethics, culture, prayers, and Hebrew language), the lives of famous Jews, and Jewish treasures and food.
Created by Andrew Tannenbaum, this page provides links to other sites dealing with many topics of Jewish interest: Jewish studies, Yiddish, the state of Israel, Jewish learning and communities, museums and exhibitions, archaeology, and the Holocaust.
Akhlah: the Jewish Children's Learning Network
The word "Akhlah" is Hebrew slang for "cool" or "great." The Akhlah charity created this resource for "children and others who wish to learn about Judaism ... [from] a comprehensive yet non-sectarian perspective." The site offers a weekly portion ("parsha") from the Torah along with highlights from Jewish history, biographies of Torah heroes, and details about Jewish traditions such as kosher foods and the 613 worthy deeds ("mitzvot").
This site, developed by the Holidays on the Net organization, offers details about the 8-day Jewish observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II. Sidebars tell the story of Passover, give the dates of the first night of the holiday through 2016, and explain the Passover ceremonial dinner (seder) and the seder plate (with its five symbolic foods).
This site offers an "impartial, academic perspective … [with] no mission or agenda other than to provide useful and interesting information on religion." The main page links to sections about Christianity's basics, beliefs, holidays, denominations, practices, texts, history, symbols, and famous followers.
Christianity and the Origins of Easter
This site, developed by the Holidays on the Net organization, discusses the "most important festival in the Christian calendar." The text briefly tells the story of Jesus' resurrection and its spiritual implications for Christians, while tracing Easter's origins to pre-Christian festivals celebrated by pagans and Jews.
Christianity: the World's Largest Religion
Produced by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, this site seeks to serve the people of the United States and Canada by "disseminating accurate religious information" and "promoting religious tolerance." The main page about Christianity starts out with quotations and definitions of the term "Christianity"; then links to brief and more detailed introductions to the history of Christianity; and offers short articles about the Bible and various faith groups (Protestant, Catholic, etc.).
A History of Christianity in Egypt
Developed by an American tourism company, this site describes the unique history of Christianity in Egypt from the arrival of Saint Mark in the first century AD through the establishment of the Patriarchs of Alexandria and the Coptic church. Links tell the stories of famous Egyptian theologians and saints, while pointing students to other online resources and books on the subject.
From Jesus to Christ — Public Broadcasting System Frontline
This site, which complements a PBS television series, presents "new and controversial evidence which challenges familiar assumptions about the life of Jesus and the epic rise of Christianity. " Separate sections discuss "Jesus' Many Faces" (the crucifixion, the parables); "Jesus' World" (religion in the Roman world, Biblical archaeology); "The Storytellers" (the gospels); "The First Christians," and "Christianity's Success."
The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching Christian scripture online in various world languages and English translations such as the American Standard Version, New English Translation, and King James Version. A "Keyword Search" lets readers view words or phrases from multiple versions side-by-side; while a "Topical Index" makes it easy to browse terms from "Aaron" to "zodiac."
This site offers an "impartial, academic perspective … [with] no mission or agenda other than to provide useful and interesting information on religion." The main page links to sections about Islam's basics, beliefs, holidays, sects, practices, texts, history, symbols, places, and religious objects.
Islam and Islamic Studies Resources
Developed by Professor Alan Godlas of the University of Georgia, this site is dedicated to "studying Islam and the diverse perspectives of Muslims." It contains information about Islamic history, movements, philosophy, poetry, art, and music; the Qur'an and the sayings (hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad; the Arabic language; and details about Muslim women and women's rights.
This is an electronic version of The Holy Qur'an, translated by M.H. Shakir and published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., in 1983.
Celebrated during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the holiday of Ramadan is a time for spiritual purification achieved through fasting, self-sacrifice, and prayer. This site, developed by the Holidays on the Net organization, offers details about Ramadan as well as links to "The Muslim Faith," "All About Islam," the "Five Pillars of Faith," and more
This site, which complements a PBS television program, offers sections on Muslim faith, culture, innovation, and profiles. The "Faith" portion includes brief descriptions of Muslim views on God (Allah), the Five Pillars (or core actions) of a believer, the Koran and the Traditions (hadith), the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), and Islam Today.
Produced by a Norwegian media house, LookLex seeks to present the various facets of the MENA (Middle East/ North Africa) region to a mainly western audience. The section on Islam describes the faith's core values, groups and branches, historical background, theology and ideology, as well as its cult (that is, its system of religious beliefs and ritual) and festivals.