RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS
Basically, religions play a very important role in every citizens' life from social life, economy, laws and relationship with other people. It is highly important to an extent that atheist is not considered as part of the nation.
HINDUISM is the 4th largest religion in Kaiser Adolf. 2017 statistics shows that there is around 19 million Hindus in the nation. Most Hindus in Kaiser Adolf are from the Indian race aside from a bit of the Chinese. Hinduism has no single founder and can be considered as the most diverse of all major religions. Most Hindus are polytheistic. Diversity within Hinduism allows for other theism concepts, including monotheism, henotheism (one god among many), and monism (only one eternal reality exists and everything comes from it). The most popular gods are Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu, who have come to earth in various incarnations (avatars) to aid human beings whether it be conflict or war. Most Hindus worship one Supreme Being of ultimate oneness (Brahman) through infinite representations of gods and goddesses. These various deities become incarnate within idols, temples, gurus, rivers, animals, etc. Drinking alcohol/wine is totally prohibited in Hinduism, and specially in Vaishnavism. Furthermore, drinking alcohol or wine or eating even meat is the way to hell as per Hinduism.
Hindus believe their position in this present life was determined by their actions in a previous life. Hinduism therefore provides a possible explanation for suffering and evil in this life. A chief concept in Hinduism thought is Karma-the idea that deeds, thoughts, and actions have an impact on one's future fate. The accumulation of negative Karma leads to reincarnation. If a person’s behavior before was evil, they might justifiably experience tremendous hardships in this life. Pain (Samsara), disease, poverty or a disaster like a flood is deserved by that person because of their own evil actions, from a previous lifetime. A Hindu's goal is to become free from the law of Karma...to be freed from the cycle of continuous reincarnations. No, it is not fun to be reincarnated. Only the soul matters which will one day be free of the cycle of rebirths and be at rest. By breaking the cycle, they seek their souls to be united with the Gods.
There are three possible ways to end this cycle of karma, achieve salvation and oneness: One, Bhakti Marga, be lovingly devoted to any of the Hindu deities, gods and goddesses; Two, Jnana Marga, gain enlightenment and knowledge through mystical meditation of Brahman (oneness)...to realize that circumstances in life are not real, that selfhood is an illusion and only Brahman and Brahman alone is real; Third, Karma Marga, be dedicated to various religious ceremonies and rites. Other important concept in Hinduism is Dharma or literally supreme decree or command. Dharma is the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things.
Hindus do not have one set of scriptures, though many of their beliefs and practices can be found in the Vedas and Upanishads which were written in ancient language of Sanskrit. The former is a collection of oral traditions, while the latter is an appendage and synthesis of the Vedas. Other sources includes the Bhagavad Gita, the Puranas, the Tevaram Saivite hymns and Divya Prabandha Vaishnavite hymns. Cultural Hindu-affiliated folk stories have actually assimilated into the Malay society such as the famous Epik Ramayana and Epik Mahabrata although only the culture element was assimilated, not the religion and practices. Former rulers of Kaiser Adolf also did adopt royal titles based on Sanskrit language such as
Maha which means 'Great', 'Most' or 'Big'.
Spoiler: Pictures of Hindus Temples show Lord Murugan Statue, a statue dedicated to Hindu deity.
Akshardham Temple, the largest Hindu Temple in Kaiser Adolf.
Site shore temple of Mahabalipuram, one of the earliest temple in Kaiser Adolf dated back to 913.
BUDDHISM is the 2nd largest religion in Kaiser Adolf. 2017 statistics shows that there is around 38 million buddhists in Kaiser Adolf. A large number of Buddhists here comes from the Chinese ethnics although they too practice their own Chinese beliefs, philosophies and folk religions. Buddhism began as a movement within Hinduism through the efforts of a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who was dissatisfied with Hinduism's answers to life's problems. He later left his royal life and became a wanderer where he saw many kind of problems and conflicts. While sitting under a Bodhi tree (fig tree) one day, he found the answers to life's problems through enlightenment. Later, he was called Buddha ("Enlightened One").
Buddhists do not worship any gods or God. People outside of Buddhism often think that Buddhists worship the Buddha. However, the Buddha never claimed to be divine, but rather he is viewed by Buddhists as one who attained what they are also striving to attain, which is spiritual enlightenment and, with it, freedom from the continuous cycle of life and death. Just like Hindus, most Buddhists believe a person has countless rebirths, which inevitably include suffering. A Buddhist seeks to end these rebirths. Buddhists believe it is a person's cravings, aversion and delusion that cause these rebirths. Therefore, the goal of a Buddhist is to purify one's heart and to let go of all yearnings toward sensual desires and the attachment to oneself. Buddhists follow a list of religious principles and very dedicated meditation. When a Buddhist meditates it is not the same as praying or focusing on a god, it is more of a self-discipline. Through practiced meditation a person may reach Nirvana, "the blowing out" of the flame of desire which further extinguishes the cycle of rebirths.
After Buddha's death, the religion split into two schools of thought. Theravadas, acknowledge Buddha as a great teacher but believe that salvation is achieved by living as a monk. Mahayanas, the larger group and predominant in Kaiser Adolf, elevated Buddha to savior status. Trusting in Buddha as savior allows people to reach salvation. Most Buddhists do not believe in life after death. The Pure Land School asserts that by trusting in the savior, Amitabha, people can go to paradise when they die. In Kaiser Adolf, the Japanese ethnic who by majority are the main followers of Buddhism other than Chinese ethnic actually found their own path of Buddhism which is Shinto-Buddhism. Shinto was born from an existing primitive form of religion that worshipped nature. The Japanese honored sacred spirits that they recognized in nature, manifesting in mountains, rocks, rivers and trees.
Shinto is an optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the gods or kami. Unlike other Buddhists, Shintoists believe and pray to Gods and deities or spirit guardians such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, Ebisu one of seven gods of fortune, Hachiman, the god of war, Inari Okami, the god of rice and agriculture, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the first man, Izanami-no-Mikoto, the first woman, Kotoamatsukami, the primary kami trinity, Omoikane, the deity of wisdom. In the nation, most Japanese people observe rites of the native Shinto religion and those of Buddhism, and even some of Christianity; a person may celebrate a local festival at a Shinto shrine, a wedding at a Christian church or chapel, and a funeral at a Buddhist temple.
Spoiler: Pictures of Buddhist Temples/Shinto Shrine show The largest Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Kaiser Adolf, Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn.
Baoxiang Temple, Alor Setar. Chinese miners first built it.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Bukit Bendera. The earliest Shinto shrine dated back to 834 which was built under the permission of Sri Paduka Maharaja Maha Dharma III of Melukut Dynasty.
Kitsune (Fox) Statue in front of Fushimi Inari main gate. Kitsune is seen as a deceitful yet brilliant mythical entity by the local Shintoists.
Fushimi Inari Torii or gates path which is symbolic to divide the sacred precincts from the secular area. Every torii was donated by the local people including non-Shintoists.
CHRISTIANITY is the 3rd largest religion in Kaiser Adolf with around 27 million worshippers as in 2017. This Abrahamic religion originated with Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ because he is considered the Messiah, the saviour who would bring salvation to the world. Usually, Christians are Trinitarians. They believe there is one God. But they also believe the one God has revealed Himself as three Persons-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As in Judaism, creation, history, and humanity have great meaning and were brought into being by a loving God. Christianity in Kaiser Adolf focuses more on original Catholicism. Majority of the followers in the nation are the Germans aside from a few from the Chinese and Japanese ethnics.
Faith in Jesus Christ himself, not just in his teachings, is how the Christian experiences joy and a meaningful life. In his life on Earth, Jesus spread love and kindness while emphasising the importance of distribution and sharing with the others. He performed miracles, forgave people of their sin and said that anyone who believed in him would have eternal life. Christians regard the Bible as God's written message to humankind. In addition to being an historical record of Jesus' life and miracles, the Bible reveals his personality, his love and truth, and how one can have a relationship with him.
The Scriptures of Christianity are the Old Testament and New Testament, which contain God's will for humanity. Salvation is a gift of God. In Islam, Old Testament is claimed as the truths. Most Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that his coming was predicted in the Old Testament of the Bible. Jesus' teachings and his life are documented in the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus gave His life on the cross as a substitute for humanity. One must accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and believe that he experienced death and resurrection. To those who trust in Christ, salvation assures a relationship with God and a place in heaven. Christian worship involves praising God in music and speech, readings from scripture, prayers of various sorts, a sermon, and various holy ceremonies (often called sacraments) such as the Eucharist.
Spoiler: Pictures of Christian Churches show Port Albrecht Cathedral, one of the most significant church in the western sphere of Kaiser Adolf. Islamic influence can be seen on its domes.
One of the earliest Germanic Gothic-styled church in the nation, Cathedral of Saint Paul.
Kota Kemuning Royal Cathedral was built by local christian architectures which was sponsored by a few aristocrats of Adolf royal family decades ago. The cathedral was given a nickname by former sultan as 'the symbol of Christianity' in Kaiser Adolf.
ANIMISM is the fifth largest religion in Kaiser Adolf with around 11 million followers in Kaiser Adolf. Animism from Latin word, anima, means breath, spirit, life is the religious belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence or mana. Potentially, animism perceives all things, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork and perhaps even word as animated and alive. More simply, it is the belief that "everything is conscious" or that "everything has a soul."
Animism is the oldest known type of belief system in the nation if not the whole Mundus that even predates paganism. It is still practiced in a variety of forms in the local ethnics traditional societies such as the Murut, Iban, Kadazan Dusun and so on. Animism is used in the anthropology of religion as a term for the belief system of many indigenous peoples, especially in contrast to the relatively more recent development of organised religions. Although each culture has its own different mythologies and rituals, "animism" is said to describe the most common, foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives.
More common is the importance placed upon the daily period of sleep in animistic traditions. The frequent images included within dreams are interpreted in many cultures to illustrate the fact that the soul journeys while the body rests. Dreams and hallucinations were likely central to the development of animistic theory in general. Seeing the phantasmic figures of friends and other chimaeric, night-time apparitions may have led people to the dualistic separation of soul and body that is common within animistic traditions. Of course, hallucinatory figures, both in dreams and waking life, are not necessarily those of the living. From the reappearance of friends or enemies, dead or living alike, primitive man was likely led to the belief that there existed an incorporeal part of man, which existed apart from the body. Furthermore, if the phenomena of dreams were of such great importance for the development of a theory of human souls, this belief was also expanded into an overall philosophy of nature. Not only human beings but animals and objects are seen in dreams, and therefore it is possible that animists concluded that these entities also had souls.
Although the belief that invisible spirits, such as demons, fairies and fate, animate nature has largely subsided in modernity, religious and philosophical systems that attribute powers of responsiveness to the surrounding world have not disappeared. In fact, the core beliefs of animism outlined above persist in decidedly non-animistic religions today. Even monotheist religions such as Christianity and Islam, among others, proclaim the existence of human souls as well as spirits (in the case of angels). Virtually all religions believe in some sort of survival of the dead beyond earthly life, whether it be the judgment so important in the doctrines of the Abrahamic religions, or the doctrine of reincarnation so popular in the east.
ISLAM is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God (Allah in Arabic) and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a messenger of God, the last of them. It is the largest religion in Kaiser Adolf with over 170 million followers or 62% of the population, known as Muslims. Islam is the verbal noun means "submission" or "surrender" to God which also mean opening heart to God and peace. Islam teaches that God is the creator of the whole universe and all creatures, is merciful, all-powerful, unique, the supreme ruler and has guided mankind through hundred thousands of prophets, revealed scriptures and natural signs. The primary scriptures of Islam are the holy Quran, viewed by Muslims as the verbatim word of God or Kalam Allah, and the teachings and normative example (called the sunnah, composed of accounts called hadith) of prophet Muhammad pbuh.
Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed many times before through prophets. As for the Quran, Muslims consider it to be the unaltered and final revelation of God.Islam also teaches a final judgment with the righteous rewarded paradise and unrighteous punished in hell.Religious concepts and practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are obligatory acts of worship, Six Articles of Faith and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, from banking and welfare to women and the environment. Five Pillars are Shahada: Declaration of Faith, Salat: Obligatory Prayers, Zakāt:Charity and alms-giving, Sawm: Fasting in the month of Ramadan and Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca. Six Articles are Belief in Allah, The Only God, Belief in the Angels, Belief in Holy Books (Quran, Torah, Old Testament and Zabur), Belief in the Prophets, Belief in the Day of Judgement and Belief in God's predestination. In Kaiser Adolf, the government is trying to implement more Islamic concepts but step by step. While Islamic concepts are being used, there is still other concepts which are not implemented and instead, conventional concepts are used.
Spoiler: Pictures of Islamic Mosques show Sultan Riayatuddin Mosque, also known as the "Iron Mosque" for its significant use of metal where it was located at the opposite side of Kaiser Adolf Federal Court symbolic of justice. It was recently built. It bears the name of former Sultan ruling during the Great War era.
Federal Mosque located in southern area of Port Albrecht.
Sultan Nasir Mosque built in an area dominated by Arab ethnic hence its architectural style. It bears the name of the grandfather of Sultan Albrich.
Sultan Kasturius Mosque, the second largest mosque in Kaiser Adolf. It was built hundreds of years ago but was renovated many times.
Sultan Rahmat Mosque is located in Bujang Valley, Alor Setar.
Putra Mosque, Putrajaya.
Spoiler: Concept of God show Its most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawhid. God is described in chapter 112 of the Quran as: "Say, He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him". God is described and referred to by certain names or attributes, the most common being Al-Rahman, meaning "The Compassionate" and Al-Rahim, meaning "The Merciful". God has 99 names and these names are the attributes.
Muslims believe that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by God's sheer command, "'Be' and so it is," and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. He is viewed as a personal god who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls him. There are no intermediaries, such as clergy, to contact God who states, "I am nearer to him than (his) jugular vein." God consciousness is referred to as Taqwa. Allah is the term with no plural or gender used by Muslims.
Spoiler: Concept of Angels show Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel (Arabic: ملك malak) means "messenger". There are several angels that are named and even explained their roles such as Archangel Gabriel, leader of all angels. Angels do not possess any bodily desires are not subject to temptations nor do they eat, drink or procreate. Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. Muslims believe that angels are made of light. They are described as "messengers with wings, two, or three, or four (pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases...". One feather of the wing can overshadow the whole world. Pictorial depictions of angels are generally avoided in Islamic art, as the idea of giving form to anything immaterial is not accepted.
Spoiler: Concept of Quran show The Islamic holy books are the records which most Muslims believe were dictated by God to various prophets. Muslims believe that parts of the previously revealed scriptures, the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel), had become distorted either in interpretation, in text, or both. The Quran (literally, "Reading" or "Recitation") is viewed by Muslims as the final revelation and literal word of God and is widely regarded as the finest literary work in the Arabic language.
Muslims believe that the verses of the Quran were revealed to prophet Muhammad pbuh by God through the archangel Gabriel (Jibrīl) on many occasions. The Quran is divided into 114 suras, or chapters, which combined, contain 6,236 ayat or verses. The Quran is more concerned with moral guidance than legal instruction, and is considered the "sourcebook of Islamic principles and values". Muslim jurists consult the hadith ("reports"), or the written record of Prophet Muhammad's life, to both supplement the Quran and assist with its interpretation. The science of Quranic commentary and exegesis is known as tafsir. The set of rules governing proper pronunciation is called tajwid.
Muslims usually view "the Quran" as the original scripture as revealed in Arabic and that any translations are necessarily deficient, which are regarded only as commentaries on the Quran.
Spoiler: Concept of Resurrection and Judgement show Belief in the "Day of Resurrection"/"Day of Awakening", Yawm al-Qiyāmah (Arabic: يوم القيامة) is also crucial for Muslims. They believe the time of Qiyāmah is preordained by God but unknown to man. The trials and tribulations preceding and during the Qiyāmah are described in the Quran and the hadith, and also in the commentaries of scholars. The Quran emphasizes bodily resurrection.
On Yawm al-Qiyāmah, Muslims believe all mankind will be judged on their good and bad deeds and consigned to Jannah (paradise) or An-Nar (hell). The Quran in Surat al-Zalzalah describes this as, "So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it (99:7) and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it (99:
." The Quran lists several sins that can condemn a person to hell, such as disbelief in God, and dishonesty; however, the Quran makes it clear God will forgive the sins of those who repent if he so wills. Good deeds, such as charity, prayer and compassion towards animals, will be rewarded with entry to heaven. Muslims view heaven as a place of joy and blessings, with Quranic references describing its features and the pleasures to come. Mystical traditions in Islam place these heavenly delights in the context of an ecstatic awareness of God. Yawm al-Qiyamah is also identified in the Quran as Yawm ad-Din, "Day of Religion"; as-Sa'ah, "the Last Hour"; al-Qari'ah, "the Clatterer"; and al-Hisab, "the Calculation".
Islamic apocalyptic literature describing Armageddon is often known as fitna or malahim. The Mahdi (prophesied redeemer) will be sent and with the help of Jesus, will battle the Antichrist. They will triumph, liberating Islam from cruelty, and this will be followed by a time of serenity with people living true to religious values.
Spoiler: Concept of Jihad show Jihad means "to strive or struggle" in the way of God. Jihad, in its broadest sense, is "exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation". Depending on the object being a visible enemy, the Devil, and aspects of one's own self (such as sinful desires), different categories of jihad are defined. Jihad, when used without any qualifier, is understood in its military aspect. Jihad also refers to one's striving to attain religious and moral perfection.
Within Islamic jurisprudence, jihad is usually taken to mean military exertion against non-believer combatants/non-Muslim combatants. Jihad is the only form of warfare permissible in Islamic law and may be declared against illegal works, terrorists, criminal groups, rebels, apostates, and leaders or states who oppress Muslims. Muslims interpret Jihad as only a defensive form of warfare (against oppresion) which is the only permissible form of warfare in Islam. Jihad only becomes an individual duty for those vested with authority. For the rest of the populace, this happens only in the case of a general mobilization.
Spoiler: Concept of Islamic Etiquette show Many practices fall in the category of adab, or Islamic etiquette. This includes greeting others with "as-salamu 'alaykum" ("peace be unto you") or simply hello, saying bismillah ("in the name of God") before meals, and using only the right hand for eating and drinking. Islamic hygienic practices mainly fall into the category of personal cleanliness and health. Circumcision of male offspring is also practiced in Islam. Islamic burial rituals include saying the Salat al-Janazah ("funeral prayer") over the bathed and enshrouded dead body, and burying it in a grave. Muslims are restricted in their diet. Prohibited foods include pork products, blood, carrion, and alcohol. All meat must come from a herbivorous animal slaughtered in the name of God by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian, with the exception of game that one has hunted or fished for oneself. Food permissible for Muslims is known as halal food. The food benefits and cleanliness of the food is also important in deciding the halal factor. This means, if the food is simply hazardous to health, it is haram (opposite of halal.)
Spoiler: Concept of Islamic Government show Mainstream Islamic law does not distinguish between "matters of church" and "matters of state"; the scholars function as both jurists and theologians. Currently, Kaiser Adolfian government is trying its best conforms to Islamic economic jurisprudence and steps have been taken to implement some of its tenets. The concept of Sultanate itself in the nation is following the islamic type of government.
Spoiler: Concept of Family Life show Apart from fulfilling the basic needs of food, shelter, and education, the parents or the elderly members of family also undertake the task of teaching moral qualities, religious knowledge, and religious practices to the children. Marriage, which serves as the foundation of a Muslim family, is a civil contract which consists of an offer and acceptance between two qualified parties in the presence of two witnesses. The groom is required to pay a bridal gift (mahar) to the bride, as stipulated in the contract. Most families in the Islamic world are monogamous. Polyandry, a practice wherein a woman takes on two or more husbands is prohibited in Islam. However, Muslim men are allowed to practice polygyny, that is, they can have more than one wife at the same time, up to a total of four, per Sura 4 Verse 3. However, it is extremely rare for muslim to marry more than one because if the man is incapable to provide basic necessities as a husband to the wives, it is labeled as cruel and sinful. Generally in a Muslim family, a woman's sphere of operation is the home and a man's corresponding sphere is the outside world. However, in practice, this separation is not as rigid as it appears. There have been many female political and military figures in Kaiser Adolf.
With regard to inheritance, a son's share is double that of a daughter's. Certain religious rites are performed during and after the death of a Muslim. Those near a dying man encourage him to pronounce the Shahada as Muslims want their last word to be their profession of faith. After the death, the body is bathed properly by the members of the same gender and then enshrouded in a threefold white garment called kafan. Placing the body on a bier, it is first taken to a mosque where funeral prayer is offered for the dead person, and then to the graveyard for burial.
Spoiler: Declaration of Faith show The Shahadah, which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific statement: "'ash hadu 'al-la ilaha illa-llahu wa 'ash hadu 'anna muhammadar rasulu-llah", or "I testify that there is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God." This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed with honesty and not under any kind of threats.
Ritual prayers are called Solat or Salat. Salat is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. Performing prayers five times a day is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Quran. The act of supplicating is referred to as do'a. Talking itself is considered as do'a so it explains why badmouthing and cursing is admonished and sinful in Islam. A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name masjid. Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to the Muslim community as a place to meet and study. It is also a place of refuge for the poor.
Fasting from food and drink, among other things, must be performed from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. Fasting is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly. During fasting period (dawn to sunset), one cannot eat, drink, doing sexual intercourse or simply inserting anything into any hole or space in the body.
Spoiler: Islamic Economy show To reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, Islamic economic jurisprudence encourages trade, discourages the hoarding of wealth and outlaws interest-bearing loans (usury; the term is riba in Arabic). Usury, which allows the rich to get richer without sharing in the risk, is forbidden in Islam. Profit sharing and venture capital where the lender is also exposed to risk is acceptable. Hoarding of food for speculation is also discouraged. Grabbing other people's land is also prohibited. The prohibition of usury has resulted in the development of Islamic banking. Islamic banking in Kaiser Adolf is growing in numbers.