Faiths of the World

Many traditions. One human family.

The Council convenes leaders from across the world's living traditions — beginning from the dignity we hold in common, before any difference of creed or country.

Bahá'í

"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
— Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, proclaimed the oneness of humankind the central principle and goal of His Faith, implying the organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations and signaling the coming of age of the entire human race. Bahá'u'lláh's expressed purpose was to usher in the next stage in humanity's development, namely, world unity and the Great Peace foretold in the sacred scriptures of the world's religions.

The nine-pointed star represents the unity of the world's major revealed religious traditions.

Buddhism

"The aim of all should be to learn peace and live peacefully with all."

Buddhism was founded in India in the 6th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha or "Enlightened One." He taught the way to Nirvana, the end of all suffering, through moral life and meditation, which leads to knowledge of the true nature of reality. Buddhism is based on this knowledge and on compassion for all living beings. It accepts belief in reincarnation and karma, the results of good and evil actions.

The eight-spoked wheel represents the eight means which, when practiced together, the Buddha taught would enable a person to achieve an ideal state of equanimity and compassion.

Christianity

"We should seek the way of peace and finally come to peace with God."

Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who lived two thousand years ago in what is now Israel and Palestine. Christianity holds that the life of Jesus, his death by crucifixion, and his resurrection have saved the world from sin and triumphed over death. Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God here on earth and taught that the greatest commandments in the Bible are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The cross represents the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in whom Christians find an ideal model and guide for right living and a savior who can transform their lives.

Confucianism

"Seek to live in harmony with all your neighbors and at peace with thy brethren."

Confucianism takes its name from the Latinized form of K'ung Fu-tzu, who lived in China in the 5th century BCE. Following the Way of Heaven of even more ancient sages of China, Confucius taught that a good society could be created through love for our fellow human beings, devotion to parents and elders, and study of the proper forms of life. His teachings and that of his followers became the central philosophy of traditional China.

The trigram, used in divination, is contained in the classic texts that Confucius upheld as pointing the way to a harmonious society through cultivating correct human relationships.

Hinduism

"If one would find happiness and security, one must seek for peace."

"Hinduism," means simply the religion of the people of India, and is called by Hindus the Sanatana Dharma or "eternal Dharma." Dharma can be translated as "righteousness," "law" and "duty" and refers to the right order of the world. Hinduism has no single founder and its origins go back into the earliest history of South Asia. Its first known scriptures are the Vedas or "knowledge." Hindus worship God in many forms and accept belief in reincarnation and karma, the results of good and evil actions.

Correctly intoning the sacred syllable "AUM," written in Sanskrit, has been understood by Hindus for centuries to evoke the totality of all being.

Indigenous

"O'chiefs, think not of yourself, nor of your family, nor even your generation but make all of your decisions on behalf of the coming generations even onto the seventh generation."

Indigenous religions are the traditions of the native, aboriginal or indigenous peoples of all parts of the world. Indigenous peoples have diverse cultures and religions but share a long-standing and profound connection to their land, a sense of the kinship of all life, and an intimate relation with ancestors, the spiritual world and the Creator or source of life.

Many indigenous traditions understand the entire cosmos to be infused with the divine. The quartered circle pictures the whole of reality as the site of the holy.

Islam

"God will guide men to peace."

Islam is based on the revelation of the Qur'an, God's direct word given to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia beginning in the early 7th century A.C.E., succeeding earlier revelations given in Judaism and Christianity. The profession of faith in Islam is "There is no God but God and Muhammad is his Prophet." God — Allah in Arabic — is absolutely one, sovereign, just and merciful.

For centuries, the spires of mosques have been decorated with a crescent and star; it has since become a worldwide symbol of Islam.

Jainism

"All men should live in peace with their fellow beings. This is the Lord's desire."

Jainism along with Hinduism is the most ancient religion of India. Mahavir, who lived in the 5th century BCE, was the most recent of a series of Tirthankaras, "those who make a river-crossing" or a way to liberation from suffering. The central principle of Jainism is ahimsa or nonviolence towards all living beings. Jainism accepts belief in reincarnation and karma, the results of good and evil actions.

The open hand represents the ideal of peace and nonviolence that stands at the center of the Jain religion.

Judaism

"The peaceful life offers the greatest opportunity for happiness and prosperity."

Judaism is based on the covenant or mutual promise between God and the Jewish people. The covenant began with Abraham and was completed when God gave the Torah or Law to the Jewish people through Moses at Mt. Sinai in around 1300 BCE. The Torah, or first five books of the Hebrew scriptures in the Bible, contains commandments for achieving holiness and righteousness in all aspects of life.

Jewish legend describes the Star of David as an insignia of the ancient Jewish King David; the symbol has decorated synagogues for centuries and now represents Judaism worldwide.

Shintoism

"The earth shall be free from trouble and we shall live in peace under the protection of the divine."

Shinto is a general term for the activities of the Japanese people to worship all the deities of Heaven and Earth, and it was spontaneously developed through the lifestyle of ancient Japanese. It is based on a communal worship, closely connected to each locality of the Japanese land and its nature.

This mark symbolizes the sun that gives enormous blessings and the Japanese flag, as well as the Shinto shrine, where Kami (deities) reside.

Sikhism

"By saturating my mind, the True Name has satisfied all my longings, and given me peace and happiness."

Sikhism was founded in north India by Guru Nanak around 1500 A.C.E. Sikhs worship the one God without form through devotion and service, and venerate as their scripture the Guru Granth Sahib, a collection of songs, poems and other writings by the ten Sikh Gurus and other saints, including Hindus and Muslims.

The crossed swords represent Sikh strength; the central sword is a symbol of the Sikh understanding of the unity of the divine; the circle shows the connection of the divine and the Sikh community.

Taoism

"The good ruler seeks peace and not war, and he rules by persuasion rather than by force."

The earliest known figure of Taoism in ancient China is Lao Tzu, the legendary author in the 5th century B.C.E of the Tao Te Ching or "Classic of the Way [Tao] and Its Power." The Tao is the formless and infinite origin of all things. Taoism became both a philosophical school and an organized religion, with orders of priests serving the people of China through their knowledge of deities, rituals, and divination.

For Taoists, the yin and yang are a stylized diagram of the elements which make up the wholeness of the universe and the human person.

Zoroastrianism

"All men and women should mutually love one another and live in peace as brothers and sisters, bound by the indestructible hand of humanity."

Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zarathustra in ancient Persia around 1800 B.C.E and is found today mainly in western India. Zarathustra in his Gathas, or verses, declared the sovereignty of the one God, Ahura Mazda or "Lord of all Wisdom," and the opposition of good and evil spiritual forces. Zoroastrian worship centers on a continually burning sacred fire.

The winged depiction of Ahura Mazda represents for Zoroastrians the source of all that is life-giving and good in the universe.