Art, obsession, and identity
Indeed, practically every religion has developed misconceptions over time. These misconceptions are often based on faulty or mistaken beliefs, or they're simply the failure to understand these religions properly. Not only are these myths off base, they've also created conflicts and prejudice against believers.
From the Abrahamic religions to Hinduism and Buddhism, let's debunk their biggest misconceptions. Click on for more.
Although most Christians celebrate December 25 as the birthday of Jesus, the actual date isn't stated in the gospels or in any other historical sources.
Christianity is often stereotyped as being anti-science, but in reality many Christians embrace science and its discoveries. In fact, some Christians even accept certain scientific beliefs on top of their faith, like environmentalism and evolution.
The Bible is actually a collection of many books that were written by multiple, mostly unknown authors.
A common misconception is that Christians aren't allowed to have fun. Sure, they might have to stay away from sinful things, but fun and sin are not always synonymous.
While the majority of Christian denominations hold church services on Sundays, a number of traditions have mid-week Wednesday evening services as well.
While there is a phrase in Leviticus (19:28) that opposes tattoos, not everyone adheres to every practice, and many Jews do have body art.
Jews don't believe in hell. Instead, some believe in Gehinnom, where the soul is cleansed for up to 12 months prior to being accepted into heaven. However, it's not a place for punishment. Heaven is also very different, as there's no structural concept like in other faiths.
Shabbat falls between sundown on Friday and an hour after sundown on Saturday. During this time, a Jew is not supposed to do any kind of work. However, this practice isn't observed by everyone, especially secular Jews.
Eating pork is only prohibited for Jews who keep kosher, which is a choice that not all Jews make. For example, in Israel only approximately 36% of secular Jews keep kosher.
Contrary to Christians, Jews don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Instead, they believe that Messiah will come from the Davidic line, the familial line of King David, and rule over the Jewish people.
In truth, Jews follow the teachings of the Talmud and Tanakh, which are made up of the Torah, Nevi’im, and K’tuvim. The Old Testament is only made up of parts of these books.
Many countries across the world, including Islamic countries, have patriarchal cultures, which are often socially constructed. Islam as a religion, on the other hand, actually preaches equality of the sexes.
Many people believe that Allah is a specific Islamic deity, but in reality it just means God in Arabic. Christian Arabs even use the word Allah when referring or praying to God. And since Islam is an Abrahamic religion, Muslims therefore believe in the same God as Christians and Jews.
Far from the truth. Out of the 1.6 billion Muslims living worldwide, over 60% of them are from South and Southeast Asia. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country. Also, not all Arabs are Muslims either.
While many of the countries that permit polygamy have Muslim majorities, the practice is actually rare and often looked down upon. Many Muslims even consider it an outdated tradition.
Ramadan is a month in which Muslims partake in various charitable and religious activities, the most prominent of which is fasting from sunrise to sunset. But that doesn't mean they don't eat or drink during the whole month. Abstaining from food and drink only takes place during daylight hours, which usually ends with a big feast at sunset.
Like in most religions, there are many sects of Islam. The two major branches are Sunni and Shi'a, but there are also thousands of subgroups with different doctrines.
Hindus don't pray to cows, but they do regard all creation and all life as sacred. Cows are especially sacred, as they're seen as gentle, maternal figures who provide milk. That’s why Hindus refrain from eating beef.
That red dot is actually a bindi, and indeed it was once a symbol of marriage for Hindu women. But today it is largely decorative.
In Hinduism, there is only one supreme God that can't be fully known or understood. However, Hindus are encouraged to relate to God in the way that suits them best. For example, like worshiping many deities who are believed to be manifestations of God.
In reality, a majority of Hindus do eat meat. But about 30% don't. This stems from a fundamental belief in ahimsa, the principle of non-violence.
Though Hinduism is rich in scripture with a vast collection of ancient religious writings, it doesn't have a central, authoritative book.
Caste discrimination is rooted not in religion, but in culture. A social hierarchy passed down through families, many modern Hindus have argued that caste-based discrimination isn't intrinsic to Hinduism. Therefore, it shouldn't be thought of as religiously sanctioned.
Reincarnation means being reborn into the material, mortal world. This constant cycle of unsatisfactory striving and life and death is called samsara. The escape from this is nirvana. And Buddhists don’t know what happens after consciousness "escapes."
Actually, Buddhism has many celestial beings, devas, and advanced spiritual beings, bodhisattvas, who respond to the prayers of the devout.
Many believe that war has never been fought in the name of Buddhism. However, there have been many battles between Buddhists, and even against non-Buddhists. For example, Tibetan Buddhists fought bravely against British forces that invaded Tibet in 1904.
The majority of Buddhist practices over history have been focused on a good rebirth in the next lifetime, for all beings in the universe. While Buddhism has many philosophical schools, it's still a religion.
Meditation is often identified as the central practice of Buddhism. However, the majority of Buddhists throughout history have not meditated. Traditionally considered a monastic practice, it was only in the 20th century that mediation spread to laypeople.
Originally, Buddhist monks and nuns begged for their daily meal, and therefore were supposed to eat whatever was offered to them, including meat. While vegetarianism has been promoted by some Buddhist texts, not all are vegetarian.
Sources: (CNN) (HuffPost) (Teen Vogue) (UCLA)
Common misconceptions about different world religions
Here are five common myths about some of the world's largest religions
LIFESTYLE Faith
Indeed, practically every religion has developed misconceptions over time. These misconceptions are often based on faulty or mistaken beliefs, or they're simply the failure to understand these religions properly. Not only are these myths off base, they've also created conflicts and prejudice against believers.
From the Abrahamic religions to Hinduism and Buddhism, let's debunk their biggest misconceptions. Click on for more.