Category:Religious Traditions

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A private altar to Jesus and Siva in the home of an eclectic Spiritualist worker

Religious traditions are cultural belief systems revolving around the engaging and understanding of the numinous, a term that can refer to philosophical, theological, and cosmological concepts of deity, spirit, nature, and the universe. Common characteristics of a religion are a distinction between clergy and lay persons and a liturgical order of services. Any given religion may or may not include magical prescriptive rites and/or divination or prophesy. Religious services generally include both worship and fellowship.

Religions can be categorized into world religions, which are international faiths; new religious movements, which are religions that are newly founded; and indigenous or folk religions, which are local, regional, tribal, culture-specific, or nation-specific faiths. These categories are relatively fluid and there are some religions that may fit into more than one.

Many religious traditions can be linked to a form of spirit work, as they are means by which people engage with spirits, spirit guides, or deities. Some religious traditions can be said to incorporate magic into their practices and even include prescriptive services for clients and devotees. Other religions deny any involvement with magical traditions, but may include some elements of magical practice within their associated folkloric or cultural traditions. Whether approved by the clergy or not, magical rites are widely found among adherents of Christianity, African Traditional and Diasporic religions, Judaism, Paganism and Neo-Paganism, Buddhism, Taoism, Spiritualism, Hinduism, Native American religions, and Islam.

Working Within the African and African-Diasporic Tradition

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The Book of Psalms is one of Judaism's greatest contributions to African American conjure and hoodoo, which is essentially a Protestant Christian form of folk magic
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Islamic calligraphy using various names of Allah (God) in a stylized and artistic manner; it may be hung on the wall to bring blessings to the home
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A home altar for Ganesh, the Hindu god who removes obstacles and opens the way
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A hoodoo rotworker's altar, where Hotei the Laughing Buddha and trunk-up elephants preside, and lights are set for clients who play at the casinos
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A simple Neo-Pagan home altar with seasonal offerings
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The New Synagogue in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan
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The Lyalya Tulip Mosque in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan

For more information, see Working Within the African and African-Diasporic Tradition

Africa is a vast continent and has given rise to many world-spanning religious traditions, each with its own pantheon, among them the orishas of the Yoruban or Lukumi religions, the lwa of the Vodoo or Vodoun religion, and the kimpungulu (also known as mpungos) of the Congo. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Jewish Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Jewish Tradition

Judaism originated in the Middle East among a group of Semitic people. The major feature of the Jewish religion is the veneration of the deity JHVH, also known as Yahweh or Jehovah and the use of several books of scriptures known as the Tanakh or Jewish Bible. The tree of Judaism comprises a number of branches, among them Orthodox, Reform, Liberal, Hassidic, Conservative, and Ethical Culture Judaism. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Christian Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Christian Tradition

Christianity grew out of the Jewish Tradition, and is generally distinguished from Judaism by the veneration of Jesus Christ and the addition of further scriptures, called The New Testament. In addition, some branches of Christianity venerate the The Holy Trinity, and the Virgin Mary. Christianity retains some Jewish Traditions, including belief in Angels and the recitation of The Book of Psalms. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Islamic Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Islamic Tradition

Islam is a monotheistic religion set forth in scriptural form in the Qur’an or Koran, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God, whose name in Arabic is Allah. It is also described through teachings called the Sunnah, composed of the Hadith or saying of Muhammad, considered to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Spiritualist Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Spiritualist Tradition

Spiritualism centers around the belief that the dead are able to communicate with the living through the assistance of a gifted spirit medium. It is not a single denomination and may embrace Protestant, Pentecostal, Catholic, New Thought, Hindu, or Neo-Pagan concepts. (Read more ... )

Working Within the New Thought Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the New Thought Tradition

The New Thought Movement arose primarily within 19th century Christianity, and more specifically within Protestant denominations, and for this reason, there are many Judeo-Christian New Thought churches that incorporate at least some elements of Protestant doctrine and liturgy. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Hindu Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Hindu Tradition

There are a large number of individual devas (gods) and devis (goddesses) within the Hindu pantheon. Popular gods, like Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Kali, and Ganesha each have a story and purpose in their own right, but they are also seen collectively as divine aspects of the Supreme Creator. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Buddhist Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Buddhist Tradition

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs, and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, "the awakened one." The Buddha lived and taught in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. He is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end ignorance (avidyā) of dependent origination, thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Taoist Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Taoist Tradition

Taoism or Daoism is a mingled philosophical and religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao, which is the mechanism of everything that exists. The word "Tao" or "Dao" means "nature," but in English it is usually translated as "way," "path," or "principle." (Read more ... )

Working Within the Native American Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Native American Tradition

Traditional Native American religions exhibit a great deal of diversity, largely due to the relative isolation of the different tribes that were spread out across the entire breadth of the North American continent for thousands of years, allowing for the evolution of different beliefs and practices between tribes. (Read more ... )

Working Within the Pagan and Neo-Pagan Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Pagan and Neo-Pagan Tradition

Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism, sometimes known as Contemporary Paganism or simply Paganism, is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe. Although they do share commonalities, contemporary pagan religious movements are extremely diverse, and there is no set of beliefs, practices or religious texts shared by all of them. (Read more ... )

Working Within the New Age Tradition

New Age is a term applied to a range of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices that developed in Western nations during the 1970s.


Working Within the Satanist Tradition

For more information, see Working Within the Satanist Tradition

As a very recent religious milieu, Satanism emerged in reaction to Christian traditions featuring the Satan of gospel tracts, or Christian Luciferian tradition, as the cosmic antagonistic to their own efforts and religion. Absent formal authoritative structure, the variety has re-invented Satan as a new, vibrant ally and revolutionary champion, revising Milton's Lucifer, constructing Satan as the New Cosmic Creator, or even functioning as Christian sub-religion struggling against Jesus as brothers and sons of Jehovah. Much Satanic religion is atheistic, but some adores the Demon as feminine, as the Liberator and Gnostic Promethean agent, or personal coach. As a demon, Satan is associated with the possibility of demonic assistance in a world which conceives of them as antagonistic or inherently evil. The categories of demon and angel relegated to roles with respect to warring tribes of gods, the Satanist's position with respect to them both is to regard them both as neutral spirits (compare the Greek 'daemon').

See Also

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