Belief Systems

Confucianism: Filial Piety

This belief system emphasizes deep respect for parents and elders as the foundation of social order.

Confucianism: Five Key Relationships

This belief system teaches proper conduct within ruler-subject, parent-child, husband-wife, elder-younger, and friend-friend ties.

Confucianism: Junzi (Superior Person)

This belief system aims to cultivate virtuous, educated leaders who govern by moral example.

Confucianism: Ritual and Rites (Li)

This belief system stresses proper rituals and manners to create harmony in society.

Confucianism: Education and Exams

This belief system values study and merit as paths to good government service.

Confucianism: Ren (Humaneness)

This belief system centers on compassion and benevolence as the core of ethical behavior.

Confucianism: Governance by Virtue

This belief system argues rulers should lead through moral example rather than harsh punishments.

Confucianism: Social Harmony

This belief system believes order comes from everyone knowing and performing their proper role.

Buddhism: Four Noble Truths

This belief system teaches that life involves suffering, which has a cause, an end, and a path to end it.

Buddhism: Eightfold Path

This belief system guides right understanding, action, and mindfulness to end suffering.

Buddhism: Nirvana

This belief system seeks freedom from desire and release from the cycle of rebirth.

Buddhism: Karma

This belief system holds that actions have consequences that shape future experiences.

Buddhism: Rebirth

This belief system teaches that one is reborn until enlightenment ends the cycle.

Buddhism: Monastic Communities

This belief system supports monks and nuns who devote life to meditation and learning.

Buddhism: Compassion (Karuna)

This belief system emphasizes empathy for all living beings.

Buddhism: Nonviolence

This belief system encourages avoiding harm to any living thing.

Animism: Spirits in Nature

This belief system sees mountains, rivers, animals, and trees as alive with spiritual forces.

Animism: Ancestor Veneration

This belief system honors the dead as active members who guide and protect the living.

Animism: Ritual Specialists

This belief system relies on shamans or healers to communicate with the spirit world.

Animism: Sacred Places

This belief system treats certain landscapes as holy and powerful.

Animism: Taboos and Customs

This belief system preserves balance with nature through rules about behavior and resource use.

Animism: Oral Tradition

This belief system passes beliefs through stories, songs, and rituals rather than written texts.

Animism: Healing and Protection

This belief system uses ceremonies to restore health and harmony with spirits.

Islam: One God

This belief system teaches strict monotheism and rejects any partners with the divine.

Islam: Five Daily Prayers

This belief system requires regular prayer facing a holy city as daily discipline.

Islam: Fasting in Ramadan

This belief system sets a month of daytime fasting to build self-control and empathy.

Islam: Charity (Almsgiving)

This belief system requires giving a set portion to the poor to purify wealth.

Islam: Pilgrimage

This belief system calls believers to visit a holy sanctuary at least once if able.

Islam: Sacred Book

This belief system holds that God revealed a final scripture in the Arabic language.

Islam: Community of Believers

This belief system stresses a global fellowship united by shared practice and faith.

Judaism: Covenant

This belief system centers on a sacred agreement between the divine and a chosen people.

Judaism: Law and Ethics

This belief system follows commandments that guide moral and daily life.

Judaism: Sabbath

This belief system sets aside a weekly day of rest and worship.

Judaism: Dietary Laws

This belief system includes food rules that mark identity and discipline.

Judaism: Prophets

This belief system values teachers who called people back to justice and faithfulness.

Judaism: Monotheism

This belief system insists on one, indivisible, and moral God.

Christianity: Salvation

This belief system teaches deliverance from sin and the hope of eternal life.

Christianity: Jesus as Savior

This belief system centers on faith in a messianic figure who taught love and forgiveness.

Christianity: Sacraments

This belief system practices sacred rituals such as baptism and communal meals.

Christianity: Scripture

This belief system relies on a collection of writings that guide belief and practice.

Christianity: Charity and Love

This belief system elevates caring for the poor and loving one's neighbor.

Christianity: Mission and Conversion

This belief system encourages spreading the message to all peoples.

Hinduism: Dharma (Duty)

This belief system teaches that each person has a moral duty tied to role and stage of life.

Hinduism: Karma

This belief system holds that actions shape one's future experiences and rebirth.

Hinduism: Samsara (Rebirth)

This belief system teaches a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Hinduism: Moksha (Liberation)

This belief system seeks release from the cycle through knowledge, devotion, or disciplined action.

Hinduism: Caste and Social Order

This belief system historically organized society into hereditary groups with specific duties.

Hinduism: Many Deities

This belief system worships the divine in many forms while recognizing a deeper ultimate reality.

Legalism: Strict Laws

This belief system argues clear laws and harsh punishments are needed to control behavior.

Legalism: Centralized Authority

This belief system supports strong rulers and efficient bureaucracy.

Legalism: Distrust of Morality

This belief system downplays virtue and tradition in favor of order and results.

Legalism: Standardization

This belief system promotes uniform standards in weights, measures, writing, and policy.

Legalism: Collective Responsibility

This belief system enforces group accountability to prevent crime and rebellion.