The Connection Between Christmas and Hanukkah

The following article was obtained through the website, A Clear Lens and written by Misty Callahan.

Pop quiz: Where is the only place Hanukkah is described in the Bible? Answer: the New Testament! John 10:22-23:

“At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.”

The word for “dedication” in Hebrew is “Hanukkah”. Jesus was at the Temple celebrating Hanukkah. Why should any of this matter to anyone, especially Christians, one may ask? First, it’s always good to study the past in order to know where you’ve come from. But also, both holidays remind us that we should rededicate ourselves to God.

History of Hanukkah

The story of Hanukkah is actually pretty epic. It can be found in the First and Second Maccabees (which are apocryphal books). Josephus also wrote about it in Antiquities and it can be found in the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 21b).

While some modern scholars will no doubt argue that the Maccabean revolt was between “orthodox and reform” factions within the Jewish community, the essential story remains: Hanukkah is about a group of people fighting against religious persecution which came in the form of a man named Antiochus.

As the One For Israel team state in their piece:

“The Greeks had ruled Israel since Alexander the Great had invaded in 329 BC and had become more and more tyrannical and restrictive, banning Torah study, circumcision, and sacrificing anything except pigs on the temple altar. At one point, Jews were forced to eat the flesh of a pig that had been sacrificed in this way. This proved to be a step too far, and a violent rebellion led by the Maccabee family rose up to fight and take back power from the Greeks."

“The temple had been defiled with all kinds of Greek statues and vile practices, but it was now time to cleanse and rededicate it. The seven-stick menorah needed ritually pure oil to keep it perpetually burning, but there was only enough to last for one day, and it took seven days to produce this purified oil in accordance with tradition. Amazingly, the story goes, the oil lasted not for one day, but for a full eight days, giving them enough time to produce more oil in the correct manner. The temple was rededicated to the God of Israel, and his order was restored.”

Hanukkah’s Christmas Connection

We’re all familiar with the story about Joseph and Mary having to give birth in the stables because there was no place at the inn. The three wise men came from afar to pay homage to the newborn King of Israel. We marvel at the mercy of God, sending His son to earth in order that He may take on our sins. The perfect, spotless Lamb of God.

We are rightly humbled by the depth of the beauty that is the Christmas Story.

But what if the Maccabees were unsuccessful in their revolt?

The story of Hanukkah took place about 160 years before Jesus’ birth. As such, the question of “could there have been a Christmas without Hanukkah” has popped up from time to time. I think probably not. As Barry Rubin states in his book, “Dedicate and Celebrate: A Messianic Jewish Guide to Hanukkah”:

“God rescued His people and preserved biblical Judaism. Without this, the prophetic fulfillment pertaining to the birth of Messiah could not have happened. Without Jews, Messiah could not have been born through the tribe of Judah, as a descendant of King David.”

Moreover, Antiochus had outlawed the study of Torah. Had the study of Torah still been outlawed in the time of Jesus, he never would have been able to stand in the synagogue and read Isaiah 61:1 and proclaim that it had been fulfilled (Luke 4:21).

The Shammash

A typical menorah has seven branches. But a menorah for Hanukkah has nine. The candle that is used to light all the other candles is called the shammash or, the “servant candle” and is set apart from the rest. Many Messianic Jewish families see the shammash as a visual representation of Jesus. As Barry Rubin writes,

“He was ‘set apart’ from the rest of humanity. He was holy, separate, above us all. Yet, he stooped down to give light to humankind, and as the servant, he continually desires to give us light if we will only hold out our wicks to be lit. Yeshua (Jesus) is the light of the world.”

Rededication

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”

Barry Rubin writes, “Hanukkah is closely connected to the Temple. Yeshua’s (Jesus’) followers are called to be the Temple of the spirit of God (Ruach HaKodesh)…Paul’s message…was that believers are to be as holy as the Temple.”

As we reflect on the miracle that is the incarnation: the birth of Jesus this holiday season, let us also remember to rededicate our bodily temples to the true God of Israel. Just as the Maccabees rededicated the Temple to the Lord. Dedicating ourselves to our Savior and His ways will doubtlessly make our holiday season more precious.

While many will doubtlessly make “New Years Resolutions” that will include getting fit or eating right, let us as believers rededicate ourselves to Him. Let’s rededicate ourselves to knowing Him more intimately and being more prepared to give the reasons for our blessed hope!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah brothers and sisters!

Moses: The Greatest Prophet

According to the Abrahamic religions, Moses is considered to be one of the greatest prophets of all time. He is acknowledged and revered in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The following excerpted stories sum up the thoughts of the Abrahamic religions in regards to Moses.  

CHRISTIANITY  

Who was Moses and what is his importance for Christians?
By Joe Paprocki

When it comes to important people in the Old Testament, Moses is “Da Man!”

Says who? Well, start with the Bible itself as it characterizes Moses at the time of his death: “Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land, and for the might and the terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.” (Dt 34:10-12) Now there’s an epitaph!

So why is Moses considered so great a figure in the Old Testament? Namely, because he is the instrument through which Israel experiences God’s salvation. The Exodus – the experience of the Jewish people being led from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land – is the defining moment of the Old Testament. It is through the Exodus experience that the Jewish people come to know who they are and whose they are. Moses, of course, is God’s point man for the job, going toe-to-toe with Pharaoh and demanding that he let God’s people go. It is Moses who raises his arms for God to part the waters of the Red Sea so that the Jewish people could cross over from slavery to freedom. It is, Moses, to whom God gives the Ten Commandments to form his people into a nation.

It is no surprise then, that when Jesus comes on the scene centuries later, one of his biggest tasks is to persuade the people that he is greater than Moses. It is the Gospel of Matthew that highlights this more than any other Gospel, emphasizing that Jesus taught his new commandments of love in his Sermon on the Mount, echoing Moses’ receiving of the Law on Mount Sinai. For Christians, then, Moses is a crucial figure because Jesus fulfills the Law that Moses brought down from the mountain. It is no coincidence that, when Jesus’ is transfigured on the mountaintop, Moses and Elijah appear with him. Moses symbolizes the Law and Elijah symbolizes the prophets. The Transfiguration is telling us without a doubt that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.    

ISLAM    

Story of Moses in the Quran

By Saulat Pervez   

Among the prophets mutually revered by Islam and Judaism is the prominent figure of Moses or Musa, peace be upon him (pbuh). A descendant of Joseph, also known as Yusuf, (pbuh), Moses played a definitive role in restoring freedom to the Israelites. While he encountered many victories, he also experienced hardships in his life.

God (Allah) continued to bless the Israelites by bestowing many favors upon them, as well as inflicting punishments on them for their disobedience. Both of these are greatly detailed in the second chapter of the Quran, The Cow.

When it was time for them to enter Canaan, the Children of Israel rebelled against Moses and the command of God. In telling this story, the Quran relates Moses’s powerlessness over his own people:

He said: “O my Lord! I have power only over myself and my brother: so separate us from this rebellious people!” (5:25)

Despite the many trials and tribulations which came their way, Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, continued to submit themselves completely to the will of God. Indeed, God exonerates Moses and Aaron of any wrongdoing in the Quran and depicts them as His grateful servants.

In the end, the many similarities between the accounts of Moses in the Torah and the Quran signify the common ancestral ties of the two faiths. Just as Muhammad (pbuh) invited the pagan Arabs to worship the One God, Moses also kept steering his wayward people toward monotheism. The Quran, which Muslims believe has been preserved over the centuries, contrasts with the Torah by correcting misconceptions that have developed historically about Moses. As such, God elevates Moses to a position of honor in the Quran (33:69), freeing him from any blame for the actions of his people.

Musa, known as Moses in the Old Testament, is a prophet, messenger, lawgiver and leader in Islam. In Islamic tradition instead of introducing a new religion, Moses is regarded by Muslims as teaching and practicing the religion of his predecessors and confirming the scriptures and prophets before him. The Quran states that Moses was sent by Allah (one God) to the Pharaoh of Egypt and the Israelites for guidance and warning. Moses is mentioned more in the Quran than any other individual, and his life is narrated and recounted more than that of any other prophet. According to Islam, all Muslims must have faith in every prophet which includes Moses and his brother Aaron (Harun).  

JUDAISM   

Moses: In the Bible and Beyond

By MJL  

Moses (Moshe in Hebrew) is arguably the greatest figure in Judaism other than God.

He helps bring the Israelites out of slavery and leads them for the next four decades, until his death just before they enter the Land of Israel. In addition to being a major character in the Torah — spanning the beginning of the Book of Exodus to the end of the Book of Deuteronomy — Moses is traditionally regarded as its author, or transcriber at least. Hence the Torah’s alternate name: the Five Books of Moses.

Born in Egypt at a time when the Pharaoh has ordered all newborn Israelite boys to be murdered, Moses is hidden by his mother and then, when that becomes infeasible, sent in a basket down the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him, and he lives happily as an Egyptian until he kills an overseer who he sees abusing an Israelite. He then flees to Midian, where he marries Zipporah and lives as a shepherd until God appears before him in the form of a burning bush, ordering him to return to Egypt to secure the freedom of the Israelites.

Reluctantly, Moses follows God’s command and, teaming up with his brother Aaron, repeatedly approaches the Pharaoh and asks him to free the Israelites. Pharaoh refuses, even as God rains down increasingly horrific plagues, until the 10th plague, the killing of the first born. From then on, Moses (accompanied by Aaron and their sister Miriam) remains the leader of the Israelites until his death, guiding them across the Sea of Reeds, through the desert, bringing down the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, staving off challenges to his authority and telling the Israelites what God expects of them. Moses dies before the Israelites enter the Land of Israel, and his hand-appointed successor, Joshua, becomes the new leader.

Moses, referred to in the Talmud as Moshe Rabbenu, “Moses our Teacher,” is the subject of much discussion in Jewish texts, from the Midrash to the Talmud and beyond.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, there are more legends about Moses than about any other biblical figure. A cycle of legends has been woven around nearly every trait of his character and every event of his life; and groups of different and often contradictory stories have been connected with his career.

MESSIANIC JUDAISM

Who was the greatest prophet?
By Rabbi Menachem Posner

Although only 48 prophets and seven prophetesses are mentioned in the Bible, throughout our history our nation has been blessed with tens of thousands of individuals who transmitted the word of God, each of them excelling in his or her unique area.

Nevertheless, the Bible tells us that “there was no other prophet who arose in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10)

Maimonides lists a number of ways in which Moses’ manner of communicating with God was superior to that of any other prophet. He bases these differences upon God’s statement: “If there be prophets among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. Not so is My servant Moses; he is the most trusted of all My household. With him I speak mouth to mouth; in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of God . . .” (Numbers 12:6)

All others received their prophecy while asleep or in a trancelike state. Moses, on the other hand, was fully aware and conscious when he stood before God.

Moses “saw” what God was telling him with the clarity of literal vision. All others only received their communiqués by way of riddles and parables.

While most prophets became fearful and agitated while receiving divine communication, Moses remained calm and collected. He spoke with God “as a man would speak to a friend.”

Moses was able to converse with God whenever he so wished. Other prophets had to wait for revelations from God; they needed to enter a spiritually aware state in order to receive God’s presence. Moses was constantly on such an elevated plane. 

Religion and Its Overwhelming Denominations

According to reference.com, there are an estimated 4,200 different religions in the world, and these can be categorized into several main religions, such as: Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism [although Roman Catholicism is often categorized under Christianity]. There are many smaller yet still prevalent religions, such as the Baha'i faith.

When including Roman Catholicism, Christianity is the world's largest religion. Christianity also includes Protestantism and its many denominations, such as Lutherans, United Methodists, Southern Baptists and the Assemblies of God. There are also nondenominational Christians.

While there are 11 basic religions that exist in the world today, there are thousands of branches that are offshoots of these main religions, such as Protestants and Evangelicals. These main religions consist of: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Baha'i, Shintoism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Jainism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. According to humanreligions.info, some of the following religions around the world are specified in the chart below.

Religion	Description	God(s)?	Heritage	Area of Origin	Founded	Founder	Afterlife?	Holy Texts?
Amish	Peaceful Christian fundamentalist group famous for its rejection of technology and strict adherence to OT and NT laws	Monotheist	Christianity	Switzerland	1693 CE	Jakob Ammann and his followers split from the Anabaptists	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Asatrú	A modern uptake of Nordic religion	Polytheist	Scandinavian folklore	Iceland	1972 CE		Other	None
Aum Shinrikyo	Dangerous and violent religious community responsible for the 1995 Sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway and other crimes. Eventually they apologized, stopped using the Bible, and formed the more prosaic group called Aleph	Theist	Christianity and Far Eastern religion	Japan	1984 CE	Shoko Asahara	Yes	The Bible and other
Bahá'í Faith	A world religion2,3. Belief that a series of prophets have come from God, and that Bahá'í is the latest religion founded by God. A liberal offshoot of Islam, but persecuted in Iran	Monotheist	Shi'a Islam	Iran	1863 CE	By Bahá'u'lláh	Yes	Writings of Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha
Brahma Kumari	This group are preparing to rule the world after a coming apocalypse, and embrace many practices which are now called New Age	Monotheist	Hinduism	India	1930s CE	Lekhraj Kripalani (called Brahma Baba)		Writings of founder and leaders
Branch Davidians	Apocalyptic suicide cult famed for its dramatic armed fight against authorities in the town of Waco, USA, in 1993	Theist	Christianity	USA	1930 CE	Benjamin Roden	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Buddhism	A world religion2,3,5. The belief that meditation and good living can break the cycle of reincarnation and result in enlightenment	Atheist	Hinduism	India	1st millennium BCE	Traditions based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama	Reincarnation until escape	Multifaceted
Celtic Paganism	Modern reconstructions of Celtic paganism form part of the neo-pagan range of religions	Not known	Prehistoric	UK	prehistoric			None
Chen Tao	A series of civilisations on Earth have arisen but destroyed themselves in nuclear war. Each time, some faithful believers were rescued by flying saucers and put back on Earth	Theist	Christianity and Buddhism	Taiwan	1996 CE	By Hon Ming Chen	Yes
Chinese Religion	A varied cultural religion practiced traditionally on a town-by-town and region-by-region basis	Atheist	Prehistoric	China	prehistoric		Reincarnation until escape	None
Christadelphians	Bible-based Christianity	Monotheist	Christianity	USA	1840s CE	By Dr John Thomas	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Christian Apostolic Church In Zion	Fundamentalist Anti-science flat-earth Christian cult, who also predicted the End of the World would occur 4 different times	Theist	Christianity	USA	1895 CE	John Alexander Dowie	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Christianity	A world religion6,3. Belief that a single creator god had a son, Jesus Christ, born to a human mother, and that Jesus' crucifixion by the Romans brings salvation	Monotheist	Judaism and paganism	Roman Empire	1st-3rd centuryCE	Multiple Greek writers. St Paul	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Concerned Christians	Fundamentalist Christians active in USA, Israel and Greece who expected the end of the world in year 2000, starting with a nuclear attack on the USA, which they appeared to be trying to instigate themselves	Theist	Christianity	USA	1980s CE	Monte Kim Miller	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Confucianism	A world religion9,10. A collection of ethical and moral teachings	Atheist	Chinese religion	China	-551 to 479 BCE	By Confucius		None
Dami Xuanjiao	A millenarian cult based on the belief that Jesus would return to judge survivors in 1999. Suspected of being on the verge of mass suicide after predictions of the end of the world failed in year 2000	Theist	Christianity	South Korea	1980s CE		Yes
Divine Lightmission	A self-help religious group involving meditation, with few fixed beliefs	Hard to tell	Hinduism	India	1960 CE	Indian guru Shri Hans Ju Maharaj		None
Druidism	Celtic religion in prehistoric England. Modern reconstructed Druidism is part of the neo-pagan range of religions	Not known/polytheist	Prehistoric	UK	prehistoric		Reincarnation	None
Druze	A semi-secretive esoteric religion with features of a Mystery Religion	Monotheist	Islam	Egypt	11th century			Qur'an, Rasa'il al-hikma (Epistles of Wisdom)
Ebionites	1st century Jewish Christians, possibly the earliest form of Christianity to exist	Monotheist	Judaism	Judea (now Israel)	1st century			Early version of the Gospel of Matthew
Eckankar	New Age religion, a mix of Sant Mat, Theosophy and Scientology	Monotheist	New Age	USA	1965 CE	By Paul Twitchell	Reincarnation until escape	Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad11
Gnosticism	The belief that we must escape from this world, which was created and is ruled by an inferior and unworthy god, and reunite with the true god	Polytheist	Prehistoric	Greece	prehistoric (1st century?)			Multifaceted
Hare Krishna	The embracing of Krishna through correct living, honesty, spiritual life and austerity	Polytheist	Hinduism	USA	1966 CE	By A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada	Reincarnation until escape	Various Indian scriptures
Heathenism	Modern uptake of Nordic religion. Part of the neo-pagan range of religions	Polytheist	Asatru	Scandinavia				None
Heaven's Gate	Apocalyptic suicide cult who combined Biblical eschatology with New Age and ideas about UFOs. All 39 members committed suicide in San Diego, USA in 1997	Theist	Christianity and New Age	USA	1970s CE	Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles	Yes
Hinduism	A world religion2,10. Cultural religion of India which was historically decentralized and disparate and not a single belief system. Western influence made it into a single religion, an identity which Hindus now accept	Polytheist	Prehistoric	India	prehistoric		Reincarnation until escape	Multifaceted
Hookers For Jesus / The Family Of God	Sexually promiscuous group who fell foul of police suspicion. As is often the case, increasing pressure from outside resulted in the group retreating even further into insanity, and they became The Family, predicting the end of the world	Theist	Christianity	USA	1968 CE	David Berg	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Humanism	An organized form of atheism where moral and ethical goodness is emphasized	Atheist	The enlightenment	Europe	The Enlightenment	Enlightenment thinkers	None	None
Islam	A world religion2,3. Strict monotheism taught by Muhammad, the world's 2nd largest religion	Monotheist	Judaism	Saudi Arabia	0610 CE	By Muhammad	Heaven or hell	Qur'an and Hadiths
Jainism	A world religion2,10. Beliefs include non-violence and equality of all living things	Atheist	Prehistoric	India	6th century BCE	Lord Vardhamana Mahavira	Reincarnation until escape	Jain Agamas
Jedi Knights	A campaign saw many put this down as their religion on the UK census in 2001. Midichlorians exist in all living beings, which create a 'living force' that can be interacted with	Animist	Science fiction	UK	2001 CE	Campaign for UK Census	Select few	None
Jehovah's Witnesses	A 140-year-old Christian fundamentalist/literalist organisation famous for preaching that the world is about to end (nowadays - because of the existence of the United Nations)	Monotheist	Christianity	USA	1870s CE	By Charles Taze Russell	Other	The Bible
Judaism	A world religion2,3. Organized Judaism emerged from Babylonian writings. Belief that God has a special contract with a Hebrew tribe, involving many specific rules of behaviour	Monotheist	Prehistoric	Babylon (mostly-now Iraq) and Israel	1st millennium BCE	Combination of prehistoric practices which became organized in Babylon	Yes	Tanakh and Talmud
Mennonite	A Protestant Christian denomination	Monotheist	Christianity	Central Europe			Heaven or hell	The Bible
Mithraism	Roman mystery religion that believed that the Son of the Sun was a saviour who was sacrificed for the good of all	Monotheist	Roman mystery religions	Greece	50 BCE to 50 CE		Yes	Not known
Mysticism	The belief that God is unknowable but accessible, and that doctrinal religion hampers spiritual growth	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Not defined	Multifaceted
Native American Church	Beliefs vary from tribe to tribe and are sometimes noticeably Christian	Monotheist	The Peyote religion	Mexico	1880s CE	By Quanah Parker		None
New Age	A disparate and diverse collection of popular beliefs and practices	Not defined	Counterculture	The West	1850s CE	Popular beliefs from the 1850s, attaining identification in the 1960s	Other	None
Order Of The Solar Temple	Apocalyptic suicide cult, with mass suicides in Switzerland, France and Quebec, in preparation for Jesus' second coming	Theist	Christianity and New Age	France	1984 CE	Joseph Di Mambro & Luc Jouret	Yes	The Bible and other
Paganism	Part of the neo-pagan range of religions	Polytheist	Counterculture	The West	19th century	Romantic revival of interest in Celtic, Greek and pre-Christian spiritualities	Yes	None
Pastafarianism	A parody religion based on worship of the Flying Spaghetti Monster	Monotheist	Parody	USA	2005 CE	By Bobby Henderson	Heaven or hell	Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
People's Temple	Apocalyptic suicide cult that imploded, resulting in the deaths of over 600 adults and 276 children	Theist	Christianity	USA	1960s CE	Rev. James (Jim) Warren Jones	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Raja Yoga	An astika school of Hindu philosophy based around mastering and quieting the mind, involving meditation	Polytheist	Hinduism	India				The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Rastafarian	God (called Jah) fathered a black Jesus; marijuana use in rituals	Monotheist	Christianity	Jamaica	1930s CE			The Bible (generally)
Ravidassia	Souls are part of the divine and proper living allows us to realize God	Monotheist	Hinduism and Sikhism	India	14th century	By the guru Ravidass		Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji
Salvation Army	Christian organisation of evangelists organised along military lines, famous for charity work	Monotheist	Christianity (Methodist)	UK	1865 CE	By Methodist minister William Booth	Heaven or hell	The Bible
Santería	A combination of West African, Caribbean beliefs with some elements of Roman Catholicism	Monotheist	Christianity and West African spirituality	Cuba				None
Satanism	An atheist religion that uses dark and evil symbology for self-development and anti-religious purposes - Satan itself is not a real being, just a symbol	Atheist	Atheism	USA	1966 CE	By Anton Lavey	None	Writings of founder and leaders
Scientology	Derived from the writings of science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, a series of practices called Dianetics is used to clear minds of alien influences and attain a state of mental perfection	Atheist	Science fiction	USA	1952 CE	By L. Ron Hubbard	Reincarnation	Writings of founder and leaders
Shamanism	Belief that Shamans need to keep good relations with tribal ancestor spirits for the good fortune of the whole tribe	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Yes	None
Shinto	A world religion2,10. Official collection of practices in Japan, more cultural than religious	Atheist	Japanese culture	Japan	3rd century BCE	Gradually formed		Various
Sikhism	A world religion2,10. Prayer, meditation and self control to become a soldier of God	Monotheist	Hinduism	India	15th century	By Guru Nanak	Reincarnation until escape	Sri Guru Granth Sahib and others
Spiritualism	The belief that the souls of the dead communicate with the living, mostly through Mediums, but, suffered serious credibility problems with the original founders admitted to fraudulently inventing the 'rappings' that formed the communications	Not defined	Christianity and New Age	USA	1848 CE	By fraudsters Kate and Margaret Fox	Yes	None
Taoism	A world religion2,3. A relaxed and peaceful religion based on following and accepting the flow of life	Atheist	Chinese philosophy	China	3rd century BCE	Based on teachings attributed to Lao Tzu	None	Tao Te Ching
Thelema	A magical system of discerning True Will with inspiration from a host of Egyptian gods	Polytheist	Occultism	UK	1904 CE	By Aleister Crowley		Book of the Law
Theosophy	Mired in fraud arrests and exposés, the Spiritualism scene had soured, so Madame Blavatsky reinvented her routine as a new religion, using an Indian theme		Spiritualism and Westernized Indian spirituality	USA	1875 CE	By Madame Blavatsky	Yes
Traditional African Church	A range of Churches ranging from mostly Christian, to those mostly encapsulating native African spirituality	Monotheist	Christianity and African culture	Africa				The Bible
Unification Church	Sun Myung Moon embodied the Second Coming of Christ, and his commercialist church runs a media empire	Monotheist	Christianity	South Korea	1954 CE	By Sun Myung Moon	Heaven or hell	The Bible and The Exposition of the Divine Principle
Unitarian-universalism	A liberal and diverse pluralist religion accepting of believers without needing them to leave their current religions	Not defined	Christianity	USA	19th century		Heaven	Multifaceted
Unitarianism	A liberal and non-Trinitarian Christian church	Monotheist	Christianity	Poland, Lithuania, Hungary	16th century		Heaven	The Bible
Unitas Fratrum	A Protestant Christian denomination	Monotheist	Christianity (Protestant)	Bohemia (now Czech Republic)	1457 CE		Heaven or hell	The Bible
Voodoo	A traditional religion from Haiti with an ethical focus on combating greed and promoting honour	Deist	African traditional theology	Africa	prehistoric			None
Wicca	Neo-pagan organisation based around reconstructed elements of folklore	Dualist	Counterculture	UK	1954 CE	By Gerald Gardner	Not defined	None
Witchcraft	A description of various cultural practices, which are often part of a parent belief system	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	Multifaceted
Yezidism	An ancient religion. Malek Taus looks after the world with 6 other angels. Heavily persecuted by Muslims and accused of Devil Worship	Monotheist	Zoroastrianism and ancient Mesopotamian culture	Assyria (now Iraq)	12th century	By Abi ibn Musafir	Reincarnation	Yezidi Book of Revelation & Black Book
Zhu Shen Jiao	As this group got more and more excited about establishing a Kingdom of God, in the approach to year 2000, its leaders were arrested amid fears that it would turn into a suicide cult	Theist	The Shouters	China	1993 CE		Yes
Zoroastrianism	A world religion10. An ancient dualistic religion from Iran with one good god (Ahura Mazda) and one evil one (Ahriman)	Dualist	Prehistoric	Persia (now Iran)	Before 5th century BCE	By Zoroaster		Avesta
agnosticism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that (1) God, if it exists, is by nature unknowable and will always be unknowable, or, (2) that the individual being asked cannot conclude if god exists or not for lack of evidence one way or the other	Atheist/monotheist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	None
ancestor worship	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that good relations need to be kept with tribal ancestor spirits. Often a form of Shamanism	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Yes	None
animism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The belief that all objects contain spirits. More a traditional form of belief than a "religion" in the Western sense	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Not defined	None
atheism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Either (1) the active and extrinsic disbelief that God exists, or (2) an intrinsic lack of belief due to lack of knowledge about god(s) in local culture	Atheist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Not defined	None
deism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in a single creator god who is not "personal" and does not have human emotions, and which many believers say does not interact with the world	Monotheist	theism	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric		Not defined	None
dualism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that either (1) There is a good and evil god of equal, or almost-equal power, or (2) there are two gods, such as a male and female one	Dualist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	Multifaceted
monotheism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in a single creator god	Theist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	Multifaceted
no religion	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The rise secularisation has seen public and private religion decline throughout the developed world	Not defined	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	None
occultism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Normally existing within other belief systems, occult systems concentrate on esoteric meanings in texts, often with magical undertones	Not defined	Counterculture	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	Multifaceted
pantheism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. God is everywhere, and everything, but is not transcendent and may have no distinct consciousness	Monotheist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric			None
polytheism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in multiple gods, often in some form of hierarchy	Theist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal			Not defined	Multifaceted
sun worship	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The basis of much symbology used in many subsequent religions	Not defined	Prehistoric	Universal	prehistoric		Not defined	None
theism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The belief in god(s)		Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal	prehistoric			Multifaceted
universalism	A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that all people go to heaven	Theist	Natural thought	Prehistoric/universal