Small But Significant

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You may have noticed that we tend to focus on the unreached Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu people groups of the world. Not counting Christianity, these are the three largest religions. Though we also cover some of the smaller religions along the way, it would be good to have an edition of the GPD specifically on these smaller groups.

Let us find out the basic beliefs of a few of these smaller religions, starting with the ones founded in the Middle East. Most of these either directly or indirectly came out of Judaism.

Middle Eastern Religions

Alawites
The origin of the Alawites is disputed by many, but their religion was probably established during the 10th century. This offshoot of Ishmaili Islam has a fixation on astrology and the stars. They believe that all people were once stars in the world of light, but they fell from the firmament because of their disobedience. Unlike orthodox Muslims, they believe in reincarnation, and that women don't have souls. And, they drink alcohol. Alawites recognize the Five Pillars of Islam, (i.e., saying the Islamic creed, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, praying, giving alms to the poor), but they regard them as "symbolic" duties. Unlike mainline Muslims, few Alawites try to practice the Five Pillars. Today most of the Alawites, 1,500,000 of them, live in Syria, where they hold much political power. Others live in Turkey and Lebanon.

Druze
Founded in Cairo, Egypt in 1017, Druze followers live in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and especially Israel. Their origins came from Shi'ite Islam, but the Koran does not play an important part of their theology. Instead, the main theme of their theology is that God incarnated Himself in the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim, the Druze founder who disappeared in 1021, and waits to return to the world in order to bring about a new golden age to true believers. They believe in one true God, but His qualities cannot be understood or defined by humans.

Though they live among people of other religions, the Druze have traditionally tried to blend in with them, be they Christian or Muslim. Ironically, the Druze don't allow conversion into or out of their religion. You must be born into this religion. There are probably about 600,000-700,000 Druze in the world today.

Iranian Religions

Fire is an important part of Zoroastrian religious rites. They call fire the "son of god," and involve it in all their religious rituals, at home and at the temple. Their supreme scriptures are called the Gathas. These sacred writings instruct every individual to do, with a clear mind, what he or she thinks is best. They must have "good thoughts, good words, and good deeds." Most of the Zoroastrians, also called Parsees after the region they come from, have migrated out of Iran. The majority of Parsees now live in India where they are known for their gentleness, honesty and generous charities.

Though the Zoroastrians believe in one God, they sometimes pray to the spirits of their ancestors. They are among the first people to believe in a resurrection of the body. Salvation to them comes by grace of the Wise Creator.

Bahai
The Bahai religion, which has about five million followers today, is one of the world's newest. It began in 1844 when a young Iranian merchant, later known as the Bab, proclaimed the advent of a new religious revelation. His prophetic work earned him a death sentence in Iran where he was executed by a firing squad in 1850. One of his followers, known today as Bahaullah, continued the work by declaring himself to be a messenger of God. His followers became known as the Bahai.

Bahaullah said that all the world's great religions have foretold a day when there would be peace and justice. Past messengers included Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, and the Bab. Though they believe in one God, the Bahai seek to unify all religions and nations under one banner of spiritual and moral maturity. Humanity is now ready to unify and form a peaceful, global society, according to the Bahai.

South Asian Religions

Though Sikhs resent having their religion described as a hybrid of Islam and Hinduism, they embrace characteristics of both religions. Like the Muslims to their West, Sikhs believe in one God, and forbid the use of idols. Like the Hindus to their east, Sikhs believe in the concepts of karma, reincarnation, and samsara, meaning the cycle of life and death.

Jainism
Jainism was founded in India in the 500s BC by a teacher called Mahavira. Jainism started out as a reform movement within Hinduism. It has a strict moral code and preaches the abandonment of worldly desires. Some Jains today take their moral code to an extreme. There are those who do not even own clothes. Some will go to great lengths to avoid killing any form of life.

Jains believe that the universe has no beginning or end, so there is no need for a Creator God. Yet they believe in many gods. When a living being destroys all his bad karmas, he has perfect knowledge and power. He becomes a god. Thus the number of gods in Jainism keeps increasing as more people attain this state they call liberation. Today there are about five million Jains worldwide.

Lingayats
Lingayatism began in the 1100s in what is now Karnataka, India. It was founded by Basavanna, a Hindu saint and social reformer. Some scholars believe that Basavanna simply furthered an already existing creed. The Lingayats consider themselves to be separate from mainline Hinduism. Unlike the Hindus, Lingayats reject the authority of the Vedas, oppose the authority of the Brahmins and the doctrine of transmigration of souls.

Ahmadiyya Movement
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a man who claimed to be a messiah, founded this Muslim-based sect in 19th century Punjab. This claim has put them at odds with more orthodox Muslims. Unlike traditional Muslims, the Ahmadiyyas deny that Jesus, one of many prophets, is alive in Heaven and is to return to Earth. They believe that Jesus is dead. Their efforts to unify Muslims under their theological banner has further alienated them from Islamic followers, especially in Pakistan.

East Asian Religions

There are 13 sects in the Shintoism of the Japanese nation state. The latter emphasizes absolute loyalty to the Japanese emperor, whom they regard as a representative of the highest god. They also emphasize respect for ancestors, caring for parents, and love of children. Shintoists emphasize purity and sincerity as key virtues.

Confucianism
Confucianism and Daoism are the religions that the Chinese are most likely to blend with Buddhism.

Confucianism was founded 2,500 years ago in China by K'ung Fu Tzu, now known as Confucius. His writings deal with moral issues like the proper use of political power. It is primarily an ethical rather than a religious system. Confucius stressed cultivating good character and purity of heart. Confucius' goal was to please the gods through good conduct with one's family, neighbors and society. His golden rule was, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Sound familiar? However, he also believed that man's nature is basically good. Rituals were added to Confucianism later, yet they have no meeting place or clergy.

Daoism
Though Daoism has its similarities to Confucianism, it has its differences as well. Confucianism deals with human ethics, while Daoism is mainly concerned with the cosmos. Daoism, which means, "the Way," lacks objective reality, and it is too nebulous to be described with mere words. One reason for this, Daoists believe, is that their religion is not human centered.

Caribbean Religions

Santeria
Santeria is similar to Voodoo in many ways. Both are religions that blend the religions of West Africa with Roman Catholicism. Voodoo was developed in Haiti, a French colony, while Santeria was developed in Cuba, a Spanish colony. Both religions involve animal sacrifices to appease their gods, and they are practiced in secret. Santeria adherents go into trances during their rituals much like those who practice Voodoo.

But as the name implies, Santeria is a more deliberate attempt to use the names of Catholic saints as fronts for African gods. Santeria is basically a form of spirit worship. The spirits, known as Orisha, rule over every natural force and every aspect of human life. For that reason, they must be prayed to, appeased, and in dire circumstances, given animal sacrifices. There is much secrecy in Santeria, and their secrets are passed on orally from the priests.

Rastafarianism
Around 1930, the first Rastafarians were drawing their inspiration from Marcus Garvey, a Black nationalist leader. Their main goal was to unite Black people in the Western hemisphere and return to their rightful homeland, Africa. Haile Selassie I, King of Ethiopia, though he was actually a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith, is considered to be divine by Rastafarians. Using several Bible verses out of context, the Rastafarians believe that smoking marijuana will give them wisdom. Because of their unwillingness to submit to outside constraints, there is no Rastafarian leadership structure. Rastafarians accept the Ethiopian holy book, the "Kebra Negast," and parts of the Bible as holy literature. They believe that the Bible has been changed by the White power structure, which they call "Babylon." Therefore, they have written their own "Black Man's Bible," known as the "Holy Piby." Today there are about a million Rastafarians.

Time and space do not allow us to describe small religious movements originating in Africa, Europe, or the Americas. But we know that, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, and that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers (II Cor. 4:3-4). Let us pray that the blinders will be removed so that the peoples will see Jesus as He really is.