Religion

There is more information available on this subject at Religion on the English Wikipedia.

Bowing his head, the Prophet of Mercy basks in the presence of Installation 05.

"If had known you were going to bring up religion... I would have counseled a less contentious topic."

— Rol Pedersen

A religion is a set of tenets and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and the nature of sapient beings, and often expressed through prayers, rituals, or religious laws. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experiences. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

Human religions

Daowa-maad and ancient human mythology

Main articles: Daowa-maad, Erde-Tyrene civilization

Hinduism

Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduɪzəm/) is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life. It is the world's third-largest religion, with over 1.2 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit. the Eternal Dharma), which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another, though less fitting, self-designation is Vaidika dharma, the 'dharma related to the Vedas.'

Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites and shared textual sources that discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics. Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life; namely, dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/freedom from the passions and the cycle of death and rebirth),[15][16] as well as karma (action, intent and consequences) and saṃsāra (cycle of death and rebirth). Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (Ahiṃsā), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among others. Hindu practices include rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, japa, meditation (dhyāna), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages. Along with the practice of various yogas, some Hindus leave their social world and material possessions and engage in lifelong Sannyasa (monasticism) in order to achieve Moksha.

Buddhism

Main article: Buddhism on Wikipedia

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy significant variation in beliefs among its adherents. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, sometimes known simply as "The Buddha". All traditions recognize Gautama Buddha as an enlightened teacher who shared his insights in order to help sentient beings end their suffering in accordance with the laws of Karma by understanding the Four Noble Truths; realizing the true nature of phenomena and thereby escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth known to Buddhists as Saṃsāra. Among the methods Buddhist schools apply towards that goal are ethical conduct, the cultivation of wisdom, the training of one's mind through learning and meditation, altruistic behavior, renunciation of worldly matters, devotional practices and, in some branches, the invocation of holy beings to seek their help in achieving Nirvana.

A Buddhist is one who takes refuge in The Three Jewels: Buddha; one who is Awakened, Dharma; The Teaching (of Buddha), and Sangha; The Community (of Buddhists).

Christianity

Main article: Christianity on Wikipedia

Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the begotten Son of God and the Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament. To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer and son of God, and most importantly the savior of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected to bring about salvation from sin. Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers.

There are a number of distinct branches of Christianity still active in the 26th century, including the Evangelical Promessic, Lutheran and Quaker denominations.

Heathenry

Main article: Heathenry on Wikipedia

Heathenry is the modern Pagan religion focused on Germanic pre-Christian beliefs, notably those of Scandinavian cultures. Its followers, called Heathens, worship numerous gods (Odin, Thor, Freyja, etc) and venerate their ancestors and spirits of the land (called 'wights', also known as elves/alfar and dwarves). While there is no sacred text per se for Heathenry, writings such as the Prose and Poetic Eddas and the Hávamál are held as important. Heathen holidays focus on the cycle of nature, with the four largest festivals marking cross-quarters of the year; Ostara (Spring Equinox), Midsummer (Summer Solstice), Winter Finding (Autumn Equinox), and Yule (Winter Solsice). Morally, Heathens respect and hold in high regard what are known as the Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Self Reliance, Industriousness, and Perseverance.

In the 26th Century, the colony world of Sedra is noted by Lieutenant Michael Horrigan as "still believing in Valhalla". Valhalla, in Norse mythology, is the High Hall of the god Odin, and one of several afterlife destinations in Heathenry; notably for those who have died in combat and are chosen by Odin.

Islam

Main article: Islam on Wikipedia

Islam is the Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of the one, incomparable God, and by the Prophet of Islam Muhammad's demonstrations and real-life examples. Islam literally means "submission (to God)." Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive.

Muslims regard their religion as the completed and universal version of a primordial, monotheistic faith revealed at many times and places before, including, notably, to the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Islamic tradition holds that previous messages and revelations have been changed and distorted over time. Religious practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five obligatory acts of worship. Islamic law touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, encompassing everything from banking and warfare to welfare and the environment.

As of 2552, Pakistan is one of the last remaining Islamic republics on Earth.

Kelorism

Main article: Kelorism

Triad

Main article: Triad

Triad is a human religion founded by the self-proclaimed spiritual guru Dasc Gevadim. The followers of Triad believe that everyone harbored three internal lives, and believed one could reach spiritual transcendence by linking the three.

Zen

Main article: Zen on Wikipedia

Zen is a form of Buddhism that became popular in China and Japan and that lays special emphasis on meditation. According to Charles S. Prebish: "Although a variety of Zen 'schools' developed in Japan, they all emphasize Zen as a teaching that does not depend on sacred texts, that provides the potential for direct realization, that the realization attained is none other than the Buddha nature possessed by each sentient being ..." Zen places less emphasis on scriptures than some other forms of Buddhism and prefers to focus on direct spiritual breakthroughs to truth.

"Smart" AIs, having the short lifespan of seven years and a human-like imagination, often look to Zen. Koans, spiritual questions on which Buddhists meditate, are popular subjects of intrigue.

Sangheili

Ancient Sangheili mythology

Pre-Covenant Sangheili worshiped a pantheon of gods, the lord of which was Urs, the namesake of their home system's primary star.

San'Shyuum

Reformists

Believed that modifying forerunner technology would help their race exceed.

Jiralhanae

Ancient Jiralhanae mythology

In early Jiralhanae history, religion was based around the lunar cycles of Doisac's three moons: Soirapt, Teash, and Warial, as they perpetually haunted Doisac's skyline.

Covenant religion

Main article: Covenant religion

The Covenant religion, given no specific name, is a polytheistic religion that centers around the belief that godhood is a state attainable by mortals and that the Forerunner attained such a state through activation of the Halo Array, which sent them on their Great Journey to salvation. Originating as the belief system of the San'Shyuum, it was eventually adopted and, to an extent, modified by the various races that would later join the Covenant, with the most devoted new members being the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae. It would continue even after the end of the Covenant as the Sangheili faith, although modified by recent revelations concerning the true purpose of the Halo Array.

Forerunner belief system

Main article: Mantle

The Forerunner belief system was based on the belief that they upheld the Mantle, the source of Forerunner authority as the stewards of the galaxy. The Forerunners believed that the Mantle had been passed down to them by the Precursors, god-like creatures with the power to travel intergalactic distances and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life.