Godulike - An Irreverent Look at the Faith Industry 2024


*Who is God: Everything You Wanted To Know About The Faith Business But Were Too Confused To Ask*

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Agnosticism
The original ‘don’t knows’

Ahmadiyah Sect
An unlikely and unloved alternative to Islam

Akan
Trying to keep a balance between gods, spirits, men, corruption, racism, poverty ….

Aleut/Inuit/Eskimo Religion
Still bravely fighting exploitation in a hostile world

Amish
Hoping that hard work and a simple life will beat intolerance and bigotry

Ananda Marga Movement
Treading a blissful path towards some really big questions

Anglicanism (Church of England)
All about one god who loves everyone who loves him

Anthroposophy
On the fringe of astral planes, mystical philosophy and common sense

Anti-Cult Movement
Doing exactly what the name says

Assemblies of God
Controlling diversity while relying on gibberish

Atheism
No proof, no god, no problem

Australian Aborigine Religion
The original perfect-circle-of-life. Now to include racism, alcoholism and apathy

Baha'i Faith
Still hoping for unity in the face of overwhelming human conflict

Balinese Religion (Agama Tirtha)
A happy mix of Hinduism, Buddhism, witches, lions, trances and a lot of water

Bantu
Reluctantly accepting a short life in this one but looking forward to an everlasting one in the next

Baptists
Liberal Christianity for liberally minded

Batak Religion
All about gods, dragons, cannibalism and strange tree with destiny in its leaves

Branch Davidian Sect
What happens when armed dogmatism meets armed intolerance

Buddhism
So clear that no one can see

Bushman
The ‘original man’ now just an uncomfortable memory

Cargo Cults
Mistaken in the belief that material goods meant good intentions

The Family (Formerly The Children of God)
Proving that god, sex and rock and roll is not for everyone

Christian Science
Self healing, self help, self awareness and for some, self delusion.

Church of the Most High Goddess
3000 sinners ‘cleansed’ by the sexual consummation of one woman!

Confucianism
Combining the circle of life with the circle of learning. Hopefully, all for the good.

Congregationalism
The philosophy of sticking together while not sticking their necks out

Dayak Religion
Trying to revive old traditions and values in the face of a hostile world

Death of God Movement
Not gone and forgotten – just dead and buried

Dinka Religion
Honourable old gods with the answers fighting dishonourable new ones with none.

Disciples of Christ
Three departments, high morals, old-style evangelism and plenty of cash

Elan Vital
Proving that common sense is no match for divine secrets

Dogon Religion
A knowledge of astronomy, eggs and everything coming in pairs, like good and evil

Druids Ancient Order of
With plenty of gods, an immutable sense of justice, immortal souls, and patience

Druze
The entry requirement is birth, the exit – death. What’s in between remains a secret.

Ecumenical Movement
Unification at a price. The price to choose to be slightly different.

The Template Foundation
Making believe that a little knowledge is not a dangerous thing

Evangelicalism
Self appointed saviours with good news and a liberal attitude (but no Catholics)

Existentialism
All about making the right choice, even if it is the right one at the wrong time

Fijian Religion Original
Now best expressed by tattooed dancers, but still demanding a respect to big snakes

Fon (or Fong) Religion
With gods and spirits diluted by corruption and slavery, their only chance is Voodoo

Freemasonry
Exclusive club aiming for altruism and honour but attracting vociferous opposition

Ganda Religion
Proof that two new gods cannot replace several hundred old ones

Gnosticism
The search for the hidden knowledge that is the answer to an unknown question

Guarni-Kaiowa
One of the saddest stories of corruption and persecution, but sadly not the last

Handsome Lake Religion
An almost perfect set of rules that should provide almost perfect results

Hare Krishna Movement (Krishna Consciousness)
Reincarnation until reunification with Krishna with music and song

Harris Movement
Misguided one man crusade

Hinduism
Reincarnation until reunification with any of the better gods

Hittites
Believing that to be killed is to become a god ensured their enthusiastic demise.

Human Potential Movement
Hoping (and paying) for a new kind of self-awareness by using ‘brain power’

Humanism
Getting on nicely with other people, and without any gods

Hutterite Bretheren
Operating a closed door policy against both intolerance and tolerance

Islam
God gives every man the right to make any choice he likes. Then judges accordingly

Jainism
Good today, dead tomorrow to be reborn into heaven, or yet another exhausting life

Jehovah's Witnesses
Good news for the chosen 144,000 after Armageddon, less good news for the rest

Jesuits
Missionary zeal supported by Popes and shunned by almost everyone else

Judaism
A belief that they have been chosen by god and a certainty they have a struggle to prove it

Kimbanguist Church
Baptism with the hope of miracle cures keeps the faithful as faithful as can be

Kingdom Now Movement
Man trying to fix all god’s mistakes

Logical Positivism
Philosophical problem-solvers sticking to the facts, and therefore stuck with them

Lutheranism
Only faith gained by understanding (in this case Christianity) can justify the faith

Magic
Mystical forces that can be used for the benefit of all. Or just used

Marxism (Dialectal Materialism)
The impossible dream of equality verses the reality that everything changes

Melanesian Religions
A vast array of (mostly similar) beliefs now overwhelmed by ‘civilization’

Methodism
Relying on a personal relationship with their god to make all the difference

Mysticism
All questions will be answered when gods and men merge

Nation of Islam
Using the questionable ‘equality philosophy’ of Islam from a black perspective

Native Americian Church (Peyotism)
The original Supreme Being now realising that justice can be found in the Supreme Court

New Thought Movement
Searching for god’s laws (rather than man made ones) to achieve real change

Nichiren Sho-shu Buddhisim
Real Buddhism according to Nichiren and his 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra

Nuer
Trying to keep the rest of the world at a safe distance

Order of the Solar Temple
Star struck believers

Orthodox Church
On a very narrow path

Pentecostalism
Searching for salvation by trying to interpret the unintelligible

People's Temple
One man’s mad ego encouraged by fear and terminated by suicide

Plymouth Brethren
Trying to keep the path to salvation – and the ticket the heaven – simple

Presbyterianism
Faith by committee where almost everyone can have their say

Protestant Episcopal Church
American version of the C. of E. with a love of conventions

Pueblo
Old North American simplicity turned to into uncomfortable conformity

Rajneesh Meditation
Giving up all material trappings for the followers, receiving all material trappings for the leader

Rastafarianism
(Black) altruistic philosophy now plagued with racial uncertainties

Roman Catholic
A long history spent covering up mistakes and denying guilt.

Rosicrucianism
Emerging from obscurity

Sakya Tradition
An all-in-the-mind Buddhism

Salvation Army
Fighting the good fight with god on their side

Satanism
A alternative god for those who believe that a righteous god can do no wrong

Scientology (Church of)
One with answers, not easily understood or logical, but answers nevertheless

Seventh-Day Adventists
Waiting for old prophetic judgement to prove them right

Shilluk Religion
Old gods of honour replaced by new gods of exploitation, to no ones satisfaction

Shinto: Way of the Gods
A belief that there is a Great Plan and that universal harmony will bring it to fruition

Sikhism
Almost ready to relinquish human free will and submit to their idea of The Will of God

Society of Friends (Quakers)
When the sound of reflective silence is only broken with common sense solutions

Spiritualism
Looking for a use for infinite intelligence and infinite knowledge

Sufism
Extreme version of Islam searching for the Divine Truth through mystical experience

Taoism (Aka: Daoism)
The way of explaining and understanding absolutely everything without even trying

Theosophical Society
The Divine Source is the source of everything and everything will come together in the end

Unification Church
Another example of unity falling foul of single-mindedness

Vodun
Spooky hokum with a lot of answers (except The Big One)

Wahhabiyah Movement
Keeping Islam pure and simple in the face of an ever changing world

Wicca
Recognising and trying to maintain a natural balance while doing no real harm

Yoruba
With 601 gods-on-their-side (and one on the other) they are still in danger of loosing

Zen Buddhism
Not defining the definable

Zoroastrianism
Still undecided whether personal choices have been pre-ordained

God-I-Like (The)
Hey! Guess what? It turns out to be me after all!

Raelian Movement
Desperately looking for fun and love and a large detached property

Unitarian Universalism
Small and almost perfectly formed

The Community of Christ
Reorganised, renamed, revalued and re-launched for the 21st century

Jediism
Could ultimately be the unity of absolutely everything, if everyone can agree.

C. of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Worryingly confidant

Quakers [See Society of Friends]

Kabbalah
Revealingly secret

Discordianism
Chaos? Reality? Same thing really

Opus Dei
God’s work is never done

Specific pages:

Agnosticism : Introduction.
This is where the don't-knows have their say.
Not just the 'don't know, don't care' people who truly neither know nor ca... more

Ahmadiyah Sect : Introduction.
The Ähmadiyah Sect are Islamic by nature, they are just over a hundred years old, and hold the Prophet Muhammad as the figurehead.
... more

Akan : Introduction.
The Akan believe in Gods - lots and lots of them, and that different Gods are responsible for different Earthly pheno... more

Aleut/Inuit/Eskimo Religion : Introduction.
Not so much a religion, more an acceptance that life can only be maintained by respecting and preserving the balance of nature. This is a ba... more

Amish : Introduction.
The Amish started life in Europe in the late 17th century but from about 1720 onwards found a new and better home in North America.
... more

Ananda Marga Movement : Introduction.
According to its founder Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, Anada Marga is the Path of Bliss and if found and followed through a regime of Tantric... more

Anglicanism (Church of England) : Introduction.
Christian belief says there is only One True God and that he (yes - HE) created absolutely everything we know (and absolutely everything we d... more

Anthroposophy : Introduction.
Anthroposophy lies somewhere in the realms of mystic spiritualism, with slight (very slight) Christian links.
Although considered mo... more

Anti-Cult Movement : Introduction.
As the name suggests, The Anti-Cult Movement has been formed to combat, expose and discredit all the other Cult Move... more

Assemblies of God : Introduction.
This is one of the largest of the alternative Pentecostal movements.
It has evangelical Christian roots, Pentecostal traditions and... more

Atheism : Introduction.
Atheists can never be accused of sitting on some high moral fence wondering which way to jump. Atheists have made the jump and have landed i... more

Australian Aborigine Religion : Introduction.
Up to the time of their discovery the Australian Aborigines had a perfect relationship with both their spiritual and material worlds. The God... more

Baha'i Faith : Introduction.
Universal faith is the goal of the Baha'i teaching.
There is only one God so all religions are basically the same. Which means tha... more

Balinese Religion (Agama Tirtha) : Introduction.
Agama Tirtha is a sort of diluted Hinduism - diluted in the watery sense that is - as water with all its ebbs and flows is the main player in... more

Bantu : Introduction.
Due to sheer numbers this is One Of The Big Ones. As a population it will reach approximately sixty million by the year 2000.
As... more

Baptists : Introduction.
However hard they try, the Baptists can never say they have a unique claim to a particular faith. Personal it may be, but original it is not... more

Batak Religion : Introduction.
The Bataks may be small in number and without much influence, but they have a simple and marvellous logic.
Life is organised into... more

Branch Davidian Sect : Introduction.
This is the one about a guaranteed Second Coming, a certain apocalypse, The-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It and an eternal life under (a new K... more

Buddhism : Introduction.
The goal of the Buddhist is to reach the personal state of nirvana or enlightenment, and the best way to do this is to stick firmly to Buddha... more

Bushman : Introduction.
Deliberate genocide - but if there is any humanity left in at all - conscience. ................................ more

Cargo Cults : Introduction.
The idea that material goods are able to act as a sort of benign go-between may have firm foundations in charitable t... more

The Family (Formerly The Children of God) : Introduction.
In 1968 The Children Of God set themselves up in the God, sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll business. With understandable but limite... more

Christian Science : Introduction.
This is the world according to Mary Baker Eddy. A one woman's view of life that started in New Hampshire, USA and in less than a hundred yea... more

Church of the Most High Goddess : Introduction.
This one is a very California idea and a perfect example of what happens when freedom if expression comes into conflict with the American Firs... more

Confucianism : Introduction.
Confucianism is more a way of life than a religion.
It claims to be the root of all learning, a source of values, and a social c... more

Congregationalism : Introduction.
The Congregationalists believe that it is a common life style rather than some inflexible faith that brings people together.
And... more

Dayak Religion : Introduction.
For a long time BC (before corruption) the Dayak, like so many others around the world, had a good thing going. Conf... more

Death of God Movement : Introduction.
There was a God. He was called Jesus Christ and he was the only, absolutely real, 100% God there ever was and ever... more

Dinka Religion : Introduction.
The Dinka share the river Nile (although not their particular part of it) with the Nuer and the Anuak (also in the Sudan), the Shilluk (in th... more

Disciples of Christ : Introduction.
Growing up within sight of the new American frontier and faced with the challenge of all those wide-open spaces the Disciples of Christ recog... more

Elan Vital : Introduction.
The Elan Vital, the new name for the old Divine Light Mission, is a self made - in fact a tailor-made - cause that has an absolute right to e... more

Dogon Religion : Introduction.
The Dogon try their best to stay out of harms way and not give too much deep thought to comings and goings of the rest of the world.
... more

Druids Ancient Order of : Introduction.
The original Druids disappeared into English folklore helped on their way by the Roman conquest, creeping Christianity and their own stubborn... more

Druze : Introduction.
The Druze live an isolated and close-knit life for the very good reason that in their part of the world violence and persecution has been an... more

Ecumenical Movement : Introduction.
The idea is to get back to basics. To unify all the diverse fractions of Christianity into one apostolic (and Catholic) following of Jesus C... more

The Template Foundation : Introduction.
The idea is to find the fundamental truth about how things work and then use that truth as the basis for making the right decision about ever... more

Evangelicalism : Introduction.
The Evangelicals are convinced that they alone have a good grip on the mysteries of Christian faith and that their interpretations are the on... more

Existentialism : Introduction.
Existentialism is a philosophy, a way of looking at and believing in things. A 'philosophy of being' and the corner... more

Fijian Religion Original : Introduction.
The original Fijian religion was undoubtedly the best but sadly - and like all good things - it has come to an end.... more

Fon (or Fong) Religion : Introduction.
An original African Religion which dates back to a time when creator Gods were taken a great deal more seriously tha... more

Freemasonry : Introduction.
Not so much a religion, more a way of life.
Freemasonry allows itself to cross religious borders but still manages to draw most... more

Ganda Religion : Introduction.
For a very long time the Ganda had a whole collection of Gods that were available for consultation through magic rit... more

Gnosticism : Introduction.
Gnosticism falls uneasily between a philosophical doctrine and a religious school of thought and is the almost perfect definition of a dichot... more

Guarni-Kaiowa : Introduction.
In the past the Guarani-Kaiowa people have always maintained a symbiotic relationship between themselves, their gods... more

Handsome Lake Religion : Introduction.
Formed as a rejection to Christian and Quaker principles the Seneca Indians found a new leader, a new faith and a ne... more

Hare Krishna Movement (Krishna Consciousness) : Introduction.
Based on (but extended from) real Hinduism, The Hare Krishna Movement is the earthly search for a particular kind of consciousness. This is... more

Harris Movement : Introduction.
This is the story of a one-man crusade to bring the Word-of-God to those who had no real need for it. But were going to get it anyway.... more

Hinduism : Introduction.
A religion or a way of life? While the rest of the world is happy to define Hinduism as a bona fide religion, to the Hindus it is simply... more

Hittites : Introduction.
Gods, demons, battles and kings sum up the Hittite Empire.
The Gods were mostly... more

Human Potential Movement : Introduction.
Self-enlightenment, self-awareness and self-development are the aims of the devotees.
The same, coupled with the ability to separa... more

Humanism : Introduction.
This is one is strictly for the humans.
None of that namby-pamby stuff about a bearded old man sitting on a cloud dispensing jud... more

Hutterite Bretheren : Introduction.
The Hutterites suffer from a well documented and unfortunate history of persecution, harassment and intolerance.... more

Islam : Introduction.
It’s big and it's simple. Big, with over 800 million believers at the start of the 21st century. And simple, there is only one God - and t... more

Jainism : Introduction.
To Jain is to conquer. To conquer all earthly temptations and jump from the tedious roundabout of birth/death/rebir... more

Jehovah's Witnesses : Introduction.
A belief in Jehovah as the one true god. Those who ‘witness’ (simply those who believe) are assured of joining the ruling theocracy party ju... more

Jesuits : Introduction.
A subdivision of the Catholic Faith with Papal blessing that allows a (men only) missionary club to do good works wh... more

Judaism : Introduction.
A belief that the Jewish people have been chosen by God as the receivers of a divine blessing and that the resulting relationship is signific... more

Kimbanguist Church : Introduction.
It's all about Simon Kimbangu. ........................................................................................................... more

Kingdom Now Movement : Introduction.
      1. God lost control over of the Earth to Satan - and that's when…
      2. Man lost control of his mind - and that's when …
     ... more

Logical Positivism : Introduction.
Its all about logic and proof and questions and language - and while it can be logically correct, even fascinating, it is realistically borin... more

Lutheranism : Introduction.
Martin Luther started a one-man crusade to replace the rigid rules of Catholicism by his own mixture of justice and logic. Something he call... more

Magic : Introduction.
(Normal) Magic is about control and manipulation.
Magic, used in the hands and mind of a skilled practitioner is able to control... more

Marxism (Dialectal Materialism) : Introduction.
This is the impossible dream that the proletariat (the working class) will join together and replace a capitalist society with a working (but... more

Melanesian Religions : Introduction.
For about 50,000 years the peoples of New Guinea and the pacific islands maintained a healthy respect for their surr... more

Methodism : Introduction.
The Methodists set themselves up to reform the Church of England from within. And failed. And having failed were the... more

Mysticism : Introduction.
Mysticism could be the last and final frontier. As the goal is the unification of the human mind with that of God, Mysticism can... more

Nation of Islam : Introduction.
Originally this was a good idea. The oppressed black workers of the southern and central states of America played follow-my-leader in the bel... more

Native Americian Church (Peyotism) : Introduction.
Over 50 North American Indian tribes believe that brotherly love, family care, self-reliance, steady work and the av... more

New Thought Movement : Introduction.
This is not New Age, not Mysticism, not Mind Cure, not Mental Science and definitely not Christian Science. It is however: A total belief in... more

Nichiren Sho-shu Buddhisim : Introduction.
Of all the Buddhist sects there is only one true one. And yes, its Nichiren Shoshu. According, of course to the followers of Nichiren Shoshu.... more

Nuer : Introduction.
The Nuer are members of the Nilotic Religious Group who live around the river Nile and do their best to keep their o... more

Order of the Solar Temple : Introduction.
Its all about utter devotion to a self appointed leader who can

Invent links between the present day followers and obscure Ancient... more

Orthodox Church : Introduction.
This is Christianity as it was meant to be. This is the autocephalous (independent) version that is the product of Hellenic, Slavic and M... more

Pentecostalism : Introduction.
In the Greek language, pentekoste means 50th and seemed, in the middle of the second century after the death of Christ, like a prett... more

People's Temple : Introduction.
This was the one that started badly in California and finished up very badly at Jonestown. And it's all about faith, power, fear... more

Plymouth Brethren : Introduction.
Yet another interpretation of Christianity, this time according to the teachings of The Bible with a passing reference to Anglicanism and an... more

Presbyterianism : Introduction.
This is Christianity with a slightly different rulebook. This (rather short) Presbyterian rulebook says alm... more

Protestant Episcopal Church : Introduction.
This is the Church of England in America with a strong American accent and an even stronger American Attitude. ........................... more

Pueblo : Introduction.
This is about survival. The Anasazi (Navajo for 'Ancient Ones') and their direct descendants the Pueblo (Spanish for villag... more

Rajneesh Meditation : Introduction.
This is a philosophy of thought. The exploration of the essence rather than the corporeal. The search for the illusive inner being or in the... more

Rastafarianism : Introduction.
Rastafarians believe they are the (black) reincarnation of the lost tribes of the Israelites. The same Israelites w... more

Roman Catholic : Introduction.
Roman Catholicism is the largest of the basic branches of Christianity, the other contenders being Anglicanism, various Protestant Churches a... more

Rosicrucianism : Introduction.
The Rosicrucians, as they now like to be called today, are a world wide organisation who claim to be the receivers and keepers of ancient and... more

Sakya Tradition : Introduction.
This particular Buddhism, in the Sakya Tradition, means 'Following The Path and its Fruits'.
... more

Salvation Army : Introduction.
This is about faith, hope, charity, salvation and fighting.
They have faith in Christianity in general and their own brand of it i... more

Satanism : Introduction.
For Satanism to work there has to be a firm and unquestioning belief in God. This is a perfect example of Dualism - the one that sa... more

Scientology (Church of) : Introduction.
A technique of using the experience gained in past incarnations to aid spiritual evolution.
The Spirit, they say, uses the mind to... more

Seventh-Day Adventists : Introduction.
The Advent (they are all waiting for) is no lesser event than The Day of Judgement itself. That's the day when all the good folk go to Paradi... more

Shilluk Religion : Introduction.
The Shilluk are another member of (the original) Nilotic Religious Group who are all different in detail and who all... more

Shinto: Way of the Gods : Introduction.
The recognition and desire to maintain a world harmony, for which the main headings are:

A respect and preserva... more

Sikhism : Introduction.
Sikhism fights diligently for toleration, purity of life and, with the rejection of the Hindu cast system, the chance of equality. Sikhs know... more

Society of Friends (Quakers) : Introduction.
Truth (the Christian 'Truth'), sincerity, honesty and the pursuit of goodness are the four cornerstones of Quaker philosophy. There is no nee... more

Spiritualism : Introduction.
Spiritualism, as in the philosophy of spiritualism, is about the existence of a form of 'reality' that is both independent and superi... more

Sufism : Introduction.
This is based on Islamic principles but has less to do with submission and more to do with man's search for of haqqah, which is divi... more

Taoism (Aka: Daoism) : Introduction.
Taoism is the simplest possible religious philosophy. The Tao is simply, everything. Absolutely Everything. Understanding Taoism is... more

Theosophical Society : Introduction.
Life throughout the universe (yes, The Whole Universe) is pantheistic*. It all came from one divine source.
&n...; more

Unification Church : Introduction.
Another attempt to prove that that True Love Can Conquer All and unite the world to one great all-embracing happy-clappy state. There is just... more

Vodun : Introduction.
Some folks partake of the ritual of eating (symbolic) human flesh and the ritual of drinking (symbolic) human blood... more

Wahhabiyah Movement : Introduction.
This is pure Islam. PURE Islam.
The Qur'an is the word of Allah and it is most definitely NOT to be reinterpreted, adapt... more

Wicca : Introduction.
Wicca, the now accepted name for The Old Craft, is about understanding balance. All good Wiccans understand that there is a natural... more

Yoruba : Introduction.
The Yoruba are trying to keep the thousand year traditions of gods, honour and art alive in the face of forced conformity, betrayal and apath... more

Zen Buddhism : Introduction.
This is another theory of relativity.
All things are relative to each other. Nothing is fixed, nothing is certain and nothing can... more

Zoroastrianism : Introduction.
This is the word according to Zoroaster, the one that the Iranians (and F.W. Nietzsche) called Zarathus... more

God-I-Like (The) : Introduction.
It’s all about me. You and me. And a question.
And an answer.

And after researching well over a hundred faiths, cults, hopes a... more

Raelian Movement : Introduction.
The belief that the Elohim, from the planet Elohim, should be given the recognition and the welcome they deserve when they come back to earth... more

Unitarian Universalism : Introduction.
     This is the something-for-everyone faith. Everyone, that is, who believes that tolerance, understanding and fairness are basically right and... more

The Community of Christ : Introduction.
      Set up as an alternative to the normal but disliked Mormon beliefs, this is Mormonism that evolved into: Saints, Latter-Day Saints, and the... more

Jediism : Introduction.
First there is the way (and they do mean The Way). Then there are couple of philosophies, a religion, a creed, an academy, various practic... more

C. of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints : Introduction.
      It is just like Christianity, but different.       One big difference is that to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (The M... more

Quakers [See Society of Friends] : Introduction.

As requested by Mary M the Quakers are listed under Q. But for technical reasons the full description is under Society of Friends.
Pl... more

Kabbalah : Introduction.

      What it was: Jewish mysticism trying to come of age.
      What it is now: Mysticism explained.       What it was: <... more

Discordianism : Introduction.
Discordianism: (Aka Erisianism Aka Principia Discordia) With a backward glance at the Ancient Romans and Greeks and the purloining... more

Opus Dei : Introduction.
Opus Dei is the Work of God and the Work of God (say OD) is never done. However, and in order not to get too depressed, members know that eve... more

Agnosticism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      There was a time when life was simple. This was when life for the frightened, selfish, scheming, belligerent cowardly and inquisitive animal... more

Ahmadiyah Sect : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     The Ähmadiyah Sect was founded by Mirza Ghulam (or Gulag) Ahmad who lived in the Qadian district of the Punjab, north-west India between 1839... more

Akan : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
This is one of many African Religions with its main roots in Bantu. Bantu being the name given to the majority of th... more

Aleut/Inuit/Eskimo Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Looking down on the Earth from directly over the North Pole the casual observer would not be immediately aware of thick black lines marking o... more

Amish : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      One of the good things to come out of The Reformation in the early to middle part of the sixteenth century was the ability for anyone with ev... more

Ananda Marga Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar was born in 1921 in Bihar, India. He was surrounded by the rich and poor, the colourful and chaotic and saw enou... more

Anglicanism (Church of England) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      In the first couple of centuries after that unfortunate business with The Son Of God and the cross, a nebulous collection of Christian though... more

Anthroposophy : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     To believe any of this is to first try and understand the writings of an Austrian gentleman, Rudolf Steiner who was born in 1816 and died in 1... more

Anti-Cult Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The Anti-Cultists have set themselves up as a co-ordinated response force to any and every new, oddball, teenage-sna... more

Assemblies of God : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     The Bell family were happily living in Lake Butler, Florida, USA and when on the 27th of June 1866 they happily celebrated the birth of a new... more

Atheism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Atheists know that the gods-not-to-believe-in come in two sorts.
The first sort of god is the hands-on type. He (it is usually... more

Australian Aborigine Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     There are not many contenders for the oldest living religion in the world, but if there was a list, the Aborigines of Australia would find the... more

Baha'i Faith : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Husayn 'Alí was born on November 12, 2023 in Tehran, the son of a wealthy government minister. Wealthy enough to afford private education fo... more

Balinese Religion (Agama Tirtha) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Bali is one of the better known islands in Indonesia and the first of a string of islands off the south east of Java, north of Australia. It... more

Bantu : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     This one belongs firmly in Africa and it covered, in its prime, virtually the whole of the Southern Continent.
     Two thousand years ag... more

Baptists : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The main thing that makes Baptists different from the rest of the Christian followings is the way they baptise people.
      Not just an... more

Batak Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     About a thousand years ago the very best bits of Sumatra were governed by the Srivijaya Empire which was Indian in its origin and Hindu in its... more

Branch Davidian Sect : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Proving yet again that ideas go round in circles, the new waves of singing and dancing Evangelicals groups quickly found themselves subjected... more

Buddhism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Buddhism is undoubtedly one of The Big Ones, the first, alphabetically, of The Big Four with something like 1,500 million folks taking up the... more

Bushman : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
To all the sophisticated and educated people who live in houses and take for granted running water, traffic congestio... more

Cargo Cults : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The Melanesian islands stretch from New Guinea to Fiji and slightly beyond, and their history is a perfect example of... more

The Family (Formerly The Children of God) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Roughly half of what has been written and said about David Brandt Berg has been positively negative and the other quarter has been obsequiou... more

Christian Science : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Mary was born in 1821 on a small farm in Bow, New Hampshire USA and was the last of Mark and Abigail Baker’s six children. Recurring and ill... more

Church of the Most High Goddess : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     Sabrina Aset was brought up in a strict Catholic household and until the age of 42 was quite happily going about living the American Dream wit... more

Confucianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The development of power, philosophy and religion in China took place over about 3,000 years and is divided up - by the Chinese anyway - into... more

Congregationalism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      From the English Reformation of 1517 came the loudly protesting reformers. But very soon they realised that the very reformation they sought... more

Dayak Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
For at least a thousand years before recorded history the Dayak and Ngadju people of Borneo were happily wandering ar... more

Death of God Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Thomas Jonathan Jackson Altizer is credited with the most enthusiastic flag waving for the Death of God Movement. B... more

Dinka Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      As they come to the end of the 20th century The Dinka, with all their various sub-groups, number about three million people. They live in... more

Disciples of Christ : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Nowadays there are three sides to the D of C's personality. At first base, and thinking themselves more or less in control, are the Disciple... more

Elan Vital : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The Divine Light Mission was born in India from the roots of Hinduism, but little was known of the group until 1971 when their Guru (in the g... more

Dogon Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      It is most likely that The Dogon had come, after a brief stop-over in Libya, all the way from Egypt. And it was very likely that they brough... more

Druids Ancient Order of : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The Romans chased the Celts and Druids across Europe, through England and Wales, into the sea and into what the Romans were satisfied to... more

Druze : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Islam as a religion was started in about 615 AD - give or take a couple of years - by Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Ibn'abd Allah Ibn'abd Al-Muttalib... more

Ecumenical Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      An attempt to unify the hundreds of different fractions into one happy (and Catholic) family has produced one of the most boring of the Prote... more

The Template Foundation : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Raymond John Armin was born in 1924 but apart from some hazy details concerning his door-to-door encyclopaedia selling business Ray would not... more

Evangelicalism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The Evangelical movement is commonly accepted to have started with Martin Luther in about 1507.
      Luther had a healthy disrespect... more

Existentialism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
There are two Kierkegaard's in this story, father and son. Kierkegaard senior went down in history for cursing God.... more

Fijian Religion Original : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Although Fiji has been inhabited for about 4000 years the Dutch explorers did not find the islands until 1643. Miss... more

Fon (or Fong) Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
From the dark dawn of time until what could be called full sunrise (in the late 1200's) the lands that were to becom... more

Freemasonry : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      There was a time in the 16th and 17th centuries when cathedrals got through the planning stage and onto the village green with the sort of ra... more

Ganda Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The Ganda are also known as the Baganda or the Waganda and the country of Uganda still has parts known as North, Cen... more

Gnosticism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The formation of Gnostic thought is buried in the unrecorded history of what was Mesopotamia and in the areas of what are now Iran, Iraq, Gre... more

Guarni-Kaiowa : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Tupâ was - and is - in the creation business. First he made Kuarahy, he then made (and married) Arasy and then came down to earth for the ea... more

Handsome Lake Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Handsome Lake is not a sparkling body of good looking water; it is merely the English translation of a male Iroquois... more

Hare Krishna Movement (Krishna Consciousness) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
In Calcutta, India on September 1st 1896 Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta was born. Also born on that day were hundreds of thousands of ot... more

Harris Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      In his early and wilder days William Harris was a political activist happily making a nuisance of himself in Liberia.
      In 1910 he c... more

Hinduism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The history of northern India about three thousand years ago was written by the winners, and three thousand years ago the winners were th... more

Hittites : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
In their time The Hittites mixed their power, fear and empire building with the best of the rest, which (at the time... more

Human Potential Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff was born with the altogether more ordinary name of George Georgiades in Armenia in about 1872. He travelled ext... more

Humanism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Once upon a time (April 6th 1327) a young man called Francesco Petrarch met a young lady called Laura, fell madly in love and started on his... more

Hutterite Bretheren : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Back in the early 1500’s various groups of religious refugees from Switzerland, Germany and Northern Italy settled i... more

Islam : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Born in 570 AD in the small village of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abd Al-Muttalib Ibn Hashim (or Muhamm... more

Jainism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Tirthankaras are the key. A Tirthankara is a man who has got it all together, seen the light and attained perfectio... more

Jehovah's Witnesses : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Charles Taze Russell was born on February 16th 1852 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA and was reasonably happy with life until at the age of twe... more

Jesuits : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491 in the family castle in the Basque province of Guipuzoca Spain and like most boys o... more

Judaism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Abraham is considered to be the father of Judaism but the father of Abraham, and all of his fathers, go back (allegedly) to the real beginnin... more

Kimbanguist Church : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Simon Kimbangu was born in 1889 in a town that used to be called Nkamba in what was then called the Congo Free State of Central Africa. <... more

Kingdom Now Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      (Mostly) men who have a consuming desire for power.       The 'Overcomers' are those (men) that can take back control of the 'kingdoms'... more

Logical Positivism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      David Hume was born in 1711. He was a Scottish philosopher who believed that there could be no knowledge without experience. First, he said,... more

Lutheranism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Martin Luther (the first) was born in 1483 at Eiseben in Germany and after a good education he disappointed his parents by joining the hermit... more

Magic : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      There are fundamental similarities between any kind of magic and every kind of religion. Both deal with the so called mystical forces that e... more

Marxism (Dialectal Materialism) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was a German philosopher who believed that it was impossible to analyse and understand things in is... more

Melanesian Religions : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The continent of Shaul does not appear in the atlas or travel brochures for the perfectly good reason that... more

Methodism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The past, present and all future Methodists can thank the Wesley family of Lincolnshire, England and in particular M... more

Mysticism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Modern Mystics deny links with the older Mystery Religions or Mystery Cults that were popular in the Graeco-Roman period up to about three hu... more

Nation of Islam : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The Black Muslims are basically black Americans or black Africans with their own interpretation of Islam and a strong militant tendency. That... more

Native Americian Church (Peyotism) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
It is accepted that the continent of what is now North America was settled some thirty thousand years ago by wanderi... more

New Thought Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The search for the nature of the ultimate reality is something that has always fascinated the 'thinking man'.
      Plato, the Greek ph... more

Nichiren Sho-shu Buddhisim : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Nichiren Daishonin was born on either the 16th of February or the 30th of March 1222 in a small town known as Kominato (now Chiba) just acros... more

Nuer : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Because the land is dramatically flooded in the wet season and is a sun-baked wasteland in the dry, the southern par... more

Order of the Solar Temple : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
In the Principality of Monaco there lived one, Jean Louis Marsan. Jean Louis had friends in high places, in particular Prince Rainier, and wh... more

Orthodox Church : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
It all started with the tricky question: was Jesus Christ a God or a man? This is still a question that has theologians reaching for dusty texts a... more

Pentecostalism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Although the Day of Pentecost has been well known in the Christian and Jewish calendars for nearly two thousand years and the trick of talkin... more

People's Temple : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      James Warren Jones was born in Lynn, Indianapolis on the 13th May 1931. He managed to get himself ordained in one of the many branches of the... more

Plymouth Brethren : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      John Nelson Darby was an Anglican clergyman working in Ireland in the late 1820's who had a particular liking for prophecy. The particular p... more

Presbyterianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The well known 'Epistle of Ignatius' of 115AD describes the original Presbyters as occupying the t... more

Protestant Episcopal Church : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      One rather startling fact that has yet to be resolved is who, exactly, discovered America. The history books say that Christopher Columbus di... more

Pueblo : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      For (non-human) animals, life revolves around finding things to eat, finding places to sleep and running away from things they don't understa... more

Rajneesh Meditation : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
On the 11th of December 1931 in the little town of Gadawara (about 150 kilometres to the east of Bhopal in northern India) was born Chandra M... more

Rastafarianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
This is the story of two men who started with big ideas and finished, one dead in obscurity and the other dead in hi... more

Roman Catholic : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Those that followed the teachings of Jesus Christ were known, not surprisingly, as Christians and after the death of their boss it was the jo... more

Rosicrucianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
It all started at a little printing works in Kassel, Germany in about 1614 when there were published a couple of anonymous manifestos called:... more

Sakya Tradition : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
A very very long time ago a race of celestial beings turned up and settled down in Tibet with the intention, so it i... more

Salvation Army : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      If the first official recognition of 'poor' people was the codification of the 'Poor Laws' in 1597/8 followed (3 or 4 years later) by the 'Po... more

Satanism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     He-Satan in Hebrew means 'the-satan' and in the good old days when God was just getting started, 'the satan', rather like 'the inquis... more

Scientology (Church of) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     On March 13th 1911 in the town of Tilden, Nebraska, Harry Hubbard and Ledora Hubbard announced the arrival of their son. They called him Lafay... more

Seventh-Day Adventists : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      In the prophecy business of over two thousand years ago, Daniel made quite a name for himself. Written a few hundred years before the birth o... more

Shilluk Religion : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The prize for the world's longest river goes by a short tributary to the Nile. At approximately 4,140 miles (give or... more

Shinto: Way of the Gods : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Making their first appearance in the mid 700's (AD) the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki and the Rokkok... more

Sikhism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      On April 15th 1469 in the little town of Rai Bhoi di Talvandi about 50 miles from Lahore (and now known as Nankana Sahib), Nanak, the man cre... more

Society of Friends (Quakers) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Mr and Mrs Fox lived happily in a little Leicestershire village that used to be called Drayton-in-the-Clay (and is now called Fenny Drayton).... more

Spiritualism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
     Spiritualism, on the philosophical side, has been discussed and dissected by a formidable range of ancient and modern thinkers.
     Aroun... more

Sufism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Islam had only been truly recognised for about 40 years when the 'I Want More' faction started to ask some rather difficult questions. A few... more

Taoism (Aka: Daoism) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Gunnar Andersson, a Swedish miner, had a peculiar hobby. He enjoyed digging up dead people. In 1921 Gunnar had dug up enough (parts of) peopl... more

Theosophical Society : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
For several thousand years most men and women have had a nagging thought that there might be a bit more to life than... more

Unification Church : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      After its formation either by the usual geological processes of plate tectonics, volcanism and erosion, or by the somewhat less usual creativ... more

Vodun : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
During the time Christopher Columbus (the one that did never did find North America) was cruising around what was to... more

Wahhabiyah Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The Arabia Peninsular, especially the interior, is not a place that has ever attracted the attentions of town planners. The map was never cro... more

Wicca : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
As homo-erectus cautiously took his first steps on the long and inevitable path of self destruction he very soon realised that, like... more

Yoruba : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      A thousand years ago in central Africa no one bothered to write down their thoughts or ideas. No one wrote fictional stories or factual accou... more

Zen Buddhism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Siddhartha Gautama was born about 550BC. He was rich and privileged and if he had stayed in his palace in Nepal to live the good life with hi... more

Zoroastrianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The present day Zoroastrians can trace their distant origins to the old Aryan and Iranian faiths which had The Wise Lord (also known as Ohrma... more

God-I-Like (The) : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
I am pretty sure we have to start at what is commonly regarded as The Beginning. The big (and silent) Whumph!
Big Bang? No. In... more

Raelian Movement : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Claud Vorilhon was born on September 30th 1946 and had, he says, a happy childhood.
Influenced by reading, music and fast cars h... more

Unitarian Universalism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Henry had trouble with toothache and that made him grumpy. He also had trouble with women which made him turn to, well, more women and ther... more

The Community of Christ : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Joseph Smith Junior’s first attempt to bring Mormonism to the good people of America failed at the beginning of April 1830 in the small town... more

Jediism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Quickly glossing over the last five thousand years with its rich history of expansion, exploration, revolution, murder and assorted mayhem,... more

C. of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      The Book of Mormon tells the story of a group of Hebrews who, 600 years before the birth of Christ and under the command of a prophet called... more

Quakers [See Society of Friends] : Who are these people and what do they believe in?

As requested by Mary M the Quakers are listed under Q. But for technical reasons the full description is under Society of Friends.
Pl... more

Kabbalah : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
      Between Isaac the Blind in the first century to Abraham Abulafia in the thirteenth both the Torah and the Talmud, the Law and the teachings o... more

Discordianism : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
The impressively and self-named Malaclypse the Younger (or Mal-2) is really Greg Hill and the equally impressively and also self-named Omar K... more

Opus Dei : Who are these people and what do they believe in?
Josemaría Escrivá was born January 9th 1902 in Barbastro in the north of Spain. He studied law at Saragossa and became ordained on March 28th 1927.... more

Agnosticism : Godulike's comment.
       Tom and the Agnostics should have been credited with originating the phrase 'what you see is what you get'. They were not mad fanatics... more

Ahmadiyah Sect : Godulike's comment.
     World domination will not come easily to The Ähmadiyah Sect, nobody likes them, they have little originality and would appear to have absolute... more

Akan : Godulike's comment.
The Akans are another group who are not front runners in the race to rule the world but in terms of 'philosophy of li... more

Aleut/Inuit/Eskimo Religion : Godulike's comment.
      With no knowledge or experience of the big picture, the Inuit had no reason to believe that anywhere else would be any different to their own... more

Amish : Godulike's comment.
      All minority groups suffer and the Amish, suffering as they do from the intolerance of modern times, are no exception.
      They stand... more

Ananda Marga Movement : Godulike's comment.
The Ananda Marga Movement likes to think of itself as a kind of spiritual renaissance and from its base in Northwest India and Bengal it... more

Anglicanism (Church of England) : Godulike's comment.
      Like most religions this one is very simple.
      God is the creator of all things.
      God produced a set of rules that sho... more

Anthroposophy : Godulike's comment.
     Not to be confused with real Spiritualism, which is more structured and has a much greater following, Anthroposophy is one of the fringe expla... more

Anti-Cult Movement : Godulike's comment.
The future of The Anti-Cult Movement should be certain. It shows a healthy disrespect for religious cults of all sor... more

Assemblies of God : Godulike's comment.
     Without doubt an assembly is one of the very best names to call a religious organisation. It is difficult to define, it is difficult to fight... more

Atheism : Godulike's comment.
All the atheists have done is to step back a couple of paces from the majority viewpoint and ask the simple question 'Is it true?' and 'Can y... more

Australian Aborigine Religion : Godulike's comment.
     So what future for the worlds oldest living religion? The way onward for the Aborigine race is now increasingly becoming a way of personal di... more

Baha'i Faith : Godulike's comment.
The Baha'i promote unity, world peace, equality of all men (and women), the complete abolition of all prejudices, a universal faith for all h... more

Balinese Religion (Agama Tirtha) : Godulike's comment.
Although the Balinese are really just a part of a long Hindu list of also-rans, their tenacity in hanging onto the good life, and organising e... more

Bantu : Godulike's comment.
     Unfortunately the conclusion arrived at from even the shortest visit by any member of the so called developed countries to any central African... more

Baptists : Godulike's comment.
      Thirty five million American Baptists can't be wrong - and this number is growing not only in America, but world wide.
      The attrac... more

Batak Religion : Godulike's comment.
     The Bataks survive today but the old ways of Gods and Dragons have given way to the new Gods of the Christians and Muslims.
     The mor... more

Branch Davidian Sect : Godulike's comment.
      Society always has a number of choices. In this case the choice of armed conflict verses bigoted opinion was made by both sides and by both... more

Buddhism : Godulike's comment.
It would be an arguable point that no religion is complete without a God but the Buddhists prove, at least to their own satisfaction, that a... more

Bushman : Godulike's comment.
So, here we have 'the original man'. One that over the last 150,000 years have systematically insulted, persecuted,... more

Cargo Cults : Godulike's comment.
The hope that the gentle art of giving and receiving would produce a sort of equality between two widely different cu... more

The Family (Formerly The Children of God) : Godulike's comment.
The Children of God have done no more real harm than countless groups before them. In the face of an established system they simply took a... more

Christian Science : Godulike's comment.
      The principles of Mary's Christian Science are that the Christian God is all-powerful. Jesus, said Mary, was the perfect son and lived exactl... more

Church of the Most High Goddess : Godulike's comment.
     Nice try Sabrina. ......................................................................................................................... more

Confucianism : Godulike's comment.
      Just on its own Confucianism looks rather unattractive, but combined with the best bits of Buddhism and Taoism, and with a lot more give than... more

Congregationalism : Godulike's comment.
      The Congregationalists like to think of themselves as almost independent, politically liberal, middle-class, non-confrontational and easy to... more

Dayak Religion : Godulike's comment.
There will be little chance of the Dayaks ruling the world, but their own hesitant revival helped by the new wave of... more

Death of God Movement : Godulike's comment.
Unlike the Agnostics, who truly do not know if God exists, or the Atheists, who absolutely deny the existence of any... more

Dinka Religion : Godulike's comment.
      The Dinka are part of the 99% of folks that are never going to rule the world but their firm beliefs and resistance to the missionary disease... more

Disciples of Christ : Godulike's comment.
      The Disciples and their doppelgangers are very definitely here to stay. They all have found the way to hang on, make money and influence peo... more

Elan Vital : Godulike's comment.
Although Elan Vital sits somewhere at the far end of the make-believe scale they have got a number of good things going for them.
... more

Dogon Religion : Godulike's comment.
      Sadly Burkina Faso is one of the poorest of the worlds new countries. It is an area that has one of the lowest per-capita incomes, one of t... more

Druids Ancient Order of : Godulike's comment.
      Most of the world adheres to a few basic principles in order to get along with itself, and most people, even most countries, follow those sam... more

Druze : Godulike's comment.
      The Druze have shown a remarkable strength in holding on to their particular brand of faith in the face of the many possible alternatives tha... more

Ecumenical Movement : Godulike's comment.
      The basic idea is undoubtedly one that should work and the idea of unification is always somewhere on the agenda whenever church leaders get... more

The Template Foundation : Godulike's comment.
Freedom was the key. If people could only be free to choose then the choices they make would be free of the sort of constraints that have... more

Evangelicalism : Godulike's comment.
      There is no doubt that The Evangelical movement is growing strongly in both its membership and influence and with many amalgamations and merg... more

Existentialism : Godulike's comment.
The key to it all is the word 'existence'. The problem is how to define it.
An... more

Fijian Religion Original : Godulike's comment.
This is yet another example of the power of the many outweighing the beliefs of the few.
&n...; more

Fon (or Fong) Religion : Godulike's comment.
Any country that goes through so much change and wants to survive has to have either successions of strong leaders o... more

Freemasonry : Godulike's comment.
      Maintaining the secrecy and mystery of the Order is one of the main strengths of the Freemasons. There are few things more self-satisfying t... more

Ganda Religion : Godulike's comment.
The list of misguided missionaries intent on corrupting ethnic minorities and unscrupulous entrepreneurs setting up... more

Gnosticism : Godulike's comment.
      With the word 'if' being the mainstay of the Gnostic philosophy their own credibility has to be open to question and while it is true that ev... more

Guarni-Kaiowa : Godulike's comment.
      Throughout time it has been accepted that the best method of religious teaching is to bring the word of God to those who are ignorant. more

Handsome Lake Religion : Godulike's comment.
Handsome Lake took the re-birth trail with the full knowledge that a healthier future depends on acceptance rather t... more

Hare Krishna Movement (Krishna Consciousness) : Godulike's comment.
To embrace a type of Hinduism, to give up worldly goods, to live in a temple commune and have no money worries undoubtedly has its attraction... more

Harris Movement : Godulike's comment.
      T.W. D. Harris was an old-time preacher who believed his God-given task was to educate those who needed educating. He did not of course thin... more

Hinduism : Godulike's comment.
      There is a lot to be said for a multiplicity of gods who demand both respect for themselves and respectful attitude towards life for and from... more

Hittites : Godulike's comment.
This is the sort of empire building culture that even Hollywood film producers could not make into a successful stor... more

Human Potential Movement : Godulike's comment.
      This is one of the more radical examples of trial by group therapy and there are many among the established churches and the fringe followers... more

Humanism : Godulike's comment.
The bad news is that humanism does not (usually) rate a capital letter for its name.
The good news is that humanism is a sound a... more

Hutterite Bretheren : Godulike's comment.
The Hutterite interpretation of faith may indeed be remarkably strong but it is also remarkably restrictive and such... more

Islam : Godulike's comment.
      Although the Muslims, the Christians and the Jews claim to have The One True God, the Muslims firmly believe in the ‘Submission to the Will o... more

Jainism : Godulike's comment.
A faith that preaches universal tolerance, non-criticism of other faiths, avoids harming any living creature and doi... more

Jehovah's Witnesses : Godulike's comment.
      The Witnesses believe that so called world powers, politicians and other religious organisations are the allies of Satan whether they know it... more

Jesuits : Godulike's comment.
Nothing comes easy to the Jesuits, especially recruitment. Hard work, discipline and dedication to the cause of edu... more

Judaism : Godulike's comment.
      For four thousand years a strong - very strong - sense of commitment to the faith coupled with an equally strong sense of love and responsibi... more

Kimbanguist Church : Godulike's comment.
      Started in 1957, 'The Church of Jesus Christ on Earth Through the Prophet Simon Kimbangu' has actually been established longer than the name... more

Kingdom Now Movement : Godulike's comment.
      Their accusation that God has made some really bad mistakes and their astounding arrogance in the belief that that they can actually fix God'... more

Logical Positivism : Godulike's comment.
      This is a philosophy of facts. And facts, as everyone knows, are boring. They are either, like gravity, sitting there waiting to be discove... more

Lutheranism : Godulike's comment.
      Luther's three great cornerstones for a perfect existence were that everyone should believe in (his) New Church, everyone should believe in (... more

Magic : Godulike's comment.
      This is one of the very few beliefs that contain any form of actual proof. Magic works - and those that practice it can, they say, prove it.... more

Marxism (Dialectal Materialism) : Godulike's comment.
      A classless society? If it is such a good idea - why has it not caught on?       Pure Communism would appear to be almost perfect. Eve... more

Melanesian Religions : Godulike's comment.
Start with and area which has a small human population.
The population achieve... more

Methodism : Godulike's comment.
The long life of John and Charles (88 and 81 respectfully) undoubtedly gave the Methodists the best possible start i... more

Mysticism : Godulike's comment.
      If Mysticism is the search for the absolute truth and the absolute truth is available in the achievement of personal enlightenment (etceteras... more

Nation of Islam : Godulike's comment.
      The words of a charismatic leader, especially a martyred one, are guaranteed not only to go marching on and on, but to sell and sell and sinc... more

Native Americian Church (Peyotism) : Godulike's comment.
Like the plot of a tragic novel the story of the North American Indians started with the simple ideas and straightfo... more

New Thought Movement : Godulike's comment.
      The stated purpose of the 'Affiliated New Thought Network' is: 'To teach the understanding of practical spirituality and how to apply it to d... more

Nichiren Sho-shu Buddhisim : Godulike's comment.
      This is Buddhism, Nichiren style, and as it claims to be the only 'true' Buddhism. As no other Buddhism has made the same claim and as no oth... more

Nuer : Godulike's comment.
As the twentieth century tries to bury its abuse and neglect of human rights under a thin blanket of excuses the Nil... more

Order of the Solar Temple : Godulike's comment.
Ask one of those awkward questions, 'Why are we here?' 'What is the meaning of life?' 'What happens after death?' and any mainstream belief... more

Orthodox Church : Godulike's comment.
      The fine details of any of the Ecumenical Council meetings, especially those of 325AD, are not the sort of things that worry too many folks i... more

Pentecostalism : Godulike's comment.
      Pentecostalism is doing its very best to expand and get noticed by large and influential (and rich) organisations before the predicted day of... more

People's Temple : Godulike's comment.
      What keeps this sort of cult (and indeed every other religion) going is simply the fear of loosing faith. The good folks of The People's Temp... more

Plymouth Brethren : Godulike's comment.
      The Brethren's strength, whether Exclusive, Open or any one of the I to VIII, lies in its simplicity.
      Follow the scriptures, selec... more

Presbyterianism : Godulike's comment.
The presbyterian method of organisation is simple, logical, non-confrontational and, for the Presbyterians... more

Protestant Episcopal Church : Godulike's comment.
      This is the American version of the Church of England with more difference in the name than in the doctrine.
      The difference, they... more

Pueblo : Godulike's comment.
      Technology may provide a means of transport but it takes the human will to take the first steps. Television may provide a window onto a fasc... more

Rajneesh Meditation : Godulike's comment.
The best thing about The Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (aka Osho) was his looks. He was the archetypal India Meditation guru with all the right phys... more

Rastafarianism : Godulike's comment.
The white middle class supporters of racial harmony, equality and justice and are going to have a tough time accepti... more

Roman Catholic : Godulike's comment.
In 1994 the Roman Catholic branch of Christianity could call on 18.7% of the worlds population, the largest number (approximately 1,058,069,3... more

Rosicrucianism : Godulike's comment.
Being a secret and anonymous society has its advantages, especially in the tax laws, but a secret quasi-religious organisation is going to ha... more

Sakya Tradition : Godulike's comment.
For now, China rules. The clarity of vision is blurred by injustice and the waiting emptiness is filled with feeling... more

Salvation Army : Godulike's comment.
      To be poor, in any age, is to attract the attentions of those that are not poor. This has been and always will be one of the great traits of... more

Satanism : Godulike's comment.
     The philosophical question about the existence of God stops with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. For those in the 'no' camp, there is obviously no nee... more

Scientology (Church of) : Godulike's comment.
     Most people have never have heard of thetans or engrams or any of the other esoteric definitions and techniques of the Church of Scientology,... more

Seventh-Day Adventists : Godulike's comment.
      Exactly why an omnipotent God is going to spend anything up to a thousand years going through the Book Of Life to decide who, figuratively sp... more

Shilluk Religion : Godulike's comment.
The Shilluk had a structure that honoured their gods, revered their royal family and respected the local headman. The... more

Shinto: Way of the Gods : Godulike's comment.
The ways of the gods are impossible to control, difficult to understand and easy to criticise but if the gods, spiri... more

Sikhism : Godulike's comment.
      As Nanak was so keen to get God away from any form of defined religious group, it is a cruel irony that a whole new religion was formed to de... more

Society of Friends (Quakers) : Godulike's comment.
The list of things-to-believe-in is almost too good to be true.
With a firm belief in truth and sincerity, Quakers put equal import... more

Spiritualism : Godulike's comment.
     To the casual observer many questions remain. What is the proof? Do spirits get old? What do they want? Is there one ethereal spirit to one hu... more

Sufism : Godulike's comment.
      The conventional Muslim teaching that a 'Total Submission to the Will of God' is the way to true salvation does not sit easily with the searc... more

Taoism (Aka: Daoism) : Godulike's comment.
For several hundreds of millions of years man did not exist. 'Nature' however, did exist and during those hundreds of millions of years did q... more

Theosophical Society : Godulike's comment.
This is a group with everything and nothing. The Theosophists believe that a... more

Unification Church : Godulike's comment.
      There has always been a conflict between the rights of religious freedom and the alleged corruption of minds by those who elevate one particu... more

Vodun : Godulike's comment.
This is one of the few beliefs that offer an approximation of proof.
When cerem... more

Wahhabiyah Movement : Godulike's comment.
      All religious history seems to follow a repetitious pattern. There is the acceptance of one set of rules and a period of relative peace, foll... more

Wicca : Godulike's comment.
There is much talk of Witches Sabbaths, black magic, devil worship, naked dancing, group sex, sacrificial ceremonies and the sorts of goings-... more

Yoruba : Godulike's comment.
      Whether through increasing tolerance or the more human failing of ignorance and apathy from the outside world the Yoruba have managed to revi... more

Zen Buddhism : Godulike's comment.
There are hundreds of different faiths all selling some sort of salvation in return for some sort of commitment.
One commitment i... more

Zoroastrianism : Godulike's comment.
Zoroastrianism has almost been beaten into obscurity but there is a strong argument that the Zoroastrian ideas of mo... more

God-I-Like (The) : Godulike's comment.
Go find that mirror. ______________________________________________________________

Godulike thanks Robert for a very straight for... more

Raelian Movement : Godulike's comment.
It has long been the tradition of various gods to choose someone who, on the face of it, is quite unsuitable to be their only representative... more

Unitarian Universalism : Godulike's comment.
     The Unitarian Universalists have so many reasonable and positive aspects that it is difficult to find credible ammunition to shoot them off th... more

The Community of Christ : Godulike's comment.
      Mormonism with its angels, gold plates, revelations, plagiarised manuscripts, bigotry, murder and a whole succession of Smiths has attracted... more

Jediism : Godulike's comment.
It has probably not escaped their notice that there already exist four basic forces of nature (The strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear fo... more

C. of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints : Godulike's comment.
      The rules that various religions impose on their followers are far more important than the actual beliefs and it is the rules, not the belie... more

Quakers [See Society of Friends] : Godulike's comment.

As requested by Mary M the Quakers are listed under Q. But for technical reasons the full description is under Society of Friends.
Pl... more

Kabbalah : Godulike's comment.
      That original question: If God is perfect and God made everything, why is everything not perfect……… Is still not answered to anyone's satisfa... more

Discordianism : Godulike's comment.
Dismissed as either a joke in its own right or a joke masquerading as a religion or even a religion dressed up in jokes clothing, the undenia... more

Opus Dei : Godulike's comment.
Godulike’s Comment The bad news about ‘God’s work is never done’ is the uncomfortable admission that God hasn’t got everything right yet! more

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