ANCESTOR WORSHIP: ritualized propitiation and invocation of dead kin, based on the belief that spirits influence the fate of the living. A widespread ancient practice.

(See also: Ancestor worship, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Taoism first appeared in Singapore among the first Chinese settlers in Singapore. The majorty of these settlers worship Matsu for the guidance of their safety arrival on another foreign land. Taoist practice later propogated as an increasing number of Chinese merchants and coolies came to settle in Singapore. During the 20th century, Theravada Buddhist missionaries from other parts of Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka, plus the fact that the veneration of Kuan Yin proved to be more popular, the influence of Taoism declined from the 1980s, as Buddhism eventually supp ...

See also:

Taoism in Singapore, Taoism in Singapore - History, Taoism in Singapore - Role of Taoism in the Chinese community, Taoism in Singapore - Ancestor worship, Taoism in Singapore - Incence papers

Read more here: » Taoism in Singapore: Encyclopedia II - Taoism in Singapore - History

Taoism itself form the nucleus of Chinese customs among the Chinese in Singapore. Such beliefs are also adopted by folk Buddhists. Deities, such as Guan Yu, the Kitchen God and the patron deity are some of the most popular deities among Taoist adherents among the local Chinese community. The Yin Yang concept, being an orthodox Taoist principle, is only ancedotally practiced among folk Taoists. Taoist martial arts, notably Tai Chi, is being practiced in commu ...

See also:

Taoism in Singapore, Taoism in Singapore - History, Taoism in Singapore - Role of Taoism in the Chinese community, Taoism in Singapore - Ancestor worship, Taoism in Singapore - Incence papers

Read more here: » Taoism in Singapore: Encyclopedia II - Taoism in Singapore - Role of Taoism in the Chinese community

The most well known and commonly sold Hell Note is the $10,000 greenback, styled after the United States Federal Reserve Note. The serial number on all Hell Bank greenbacks is simply JO23456. In some stores, they also sell elaborately-made notes, featuring not only the Jade Emperor, but also the Eight Immortals, the Buddha, the Yama King, images of dragons, or even famous people, such as John F. Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe. They are sold in pack ...

See also:

Hell Bank Notes, Hell Bank Notes - History, Hell Bank Notes - Designs, Hell Bank Notes - Consideration when using Hell banks notes, Hell Bank Notes - Tips

Read more here: » Hell Bank Notes: Encyclopedia II - Hell Bank Notes - Designs

Although in Western eyes Hell Bank Notes looks like "toys" or superstitious items, however there are some consideration about the use of Hell Bank Notes that Chinese people take it seriously. Hell Bank Notes are obviously not legal tender (in this world). There have been incidents where teenagers have tried to used Hell Bank Notes in soda machines, and these soda machines have even passed Hell Bank Notes as actual dollar bills, due to the dollar bill's similar size to the Hell note. Many numismatists ...

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Hell Bank Notes, Hell Bank Notes - History, Hell Bank Notes - Designs, Hell Bank Notes - Consideration when using Hell banks notes, Hell Bank Notes - Tips

Read more here: » Hell Bank Notes: Encyclopedia II - Hell Bank Notes - Consideration when using Hell banks notes

The most well known and commonly sold Hell Note is the $10,000 greenback, styled after the United States Federal Reserve Note. The serial number on all Hell Bank greenbacks is simply JO23456. In some stores, they also sell elaborately-made notes, featuring not only the Jade Emperor, but also the Eight Immortals, the Buddha, the Yama King, images of dragons, or even famous people, such as John F. Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe. They are sold in pack ...

See also:

Hell Bank Notes, Hell Bank Notes - History, Hell Bank Notes - Designs, Hell Bank Notes - Consideration when using Hell Bank Notes

Read more here: » Hell Bank Notes: Encyclopedia II - Hell Bank Notes - Designs

The Ghost Festival has roots in the Buddhist festival, Ullambana, and also some from the Daoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist festival "Ullambana" and traditional festivities were mixed and celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has special meaning for all Buddhists as one of their most important festivals. Ghost Festival - Mahāmaudgalyāyana Saves His Mother From Hell. The Buddhist origins of the festival can be traced back to a story that originally came from India, but late ...

See also:

Ghost Festival, Ghost Festival - Buddhist Ghost Festival: Ullambana, Ghost Festival - Mahāmaudgalyāyana Saves His Mother From Hell, Ghost Festival - Japanese Ghost Festival: O-bon

Read more here: » Ghost Festival: Encyclopedia II - Ghost Festival - Buddhist Ghost Festival: Ullambana

Relic - History of Christian relics. One of the earliest sources cited to support the efficacy of relics is 2 Kings 13:20–21: 20 Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. 21 Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to l ...

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Relic, Relic - Christian relics, Relic - History of Christian relics, Relic - Roman Catholic classification and prohibitions, Relic - Non-Christian relics, Relic - Buddhist relics, Relic - Cultural relics, Relic - Fantasy RPG, Relic - List of famous real or alleged relics

Read more here: » Relic: Encyclopedia II - Relic - Christian relics

Main article: O-bon O-bon, or simple Bon, is the Japanese version of the Ghost Festival. It has since been transformed over time into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean their ancestors' graves. Traditionally including a dance festival, it has existed in Japan for more than 500 years. It is held from 13th of July to the 16th ("Welcoming Obon" and "Farewell Obon" respectively) in the eastern part of ...

See also:

Ghost Festival, Ghost Festival - Buddhist Ghost Festival: Ullambana, Ghost Festival - Mahāmaudgalyāyana Saves His Mother From Hell, Ghost Festival - Japanese Ghost Festival: O-bon

Read more here: » Ghost Festival: Encyclopedia II - Ghost Festival - Japanese Ghost Festival: O-bon

At Athens the supposed remains of Oedipus and Theseus enjoyed an honor that is very difficult to distinguish from a religious cult, while Plutarch gives accounts of the translation of the bodies of Demetrius (Demetrius iii) and Phocion (Phocion xxxvii) which in many details anticipate Christian practice. The bones or ashes of Aesculapius at Epidaurus, and of Perdiccas I at Macedon were treated with the deepest veneration, as were those of the Persian Zoroaster, according to the Chronicon Paschale (Dindorf, p. 67). However; there is no tradition in Zoroastrianism or its scriptures to support this postulation. ...

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Relic, Relic - Christian relics, Relic - History of Christian relics, Relic - Roman Catholic classification and prohibitions, Relic - Non-Christian relics, Relic - Buddhist relics, Relic - Cultural relics, Relic - Fantasy RPG, Relic - List of famous real or alleged relics

Read more here: » Relic: Encyclopedia II - Relic - Non-Christian relics

Early Shang thought was based upon a cyclic notion of time, corresponding to the seasons. This notion, which remained relevant throughout Chinese history, represents a fundamental distinction from western philosophy, in which the dominant view of time is a linear progression. During the Shang, fate could be manipulated by the great deity Shang Di (ch. 上帝; py shàngdì), most frequently translated as "Lord on High". Ancestor worship ...

See also:

Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosophy - Brief history, Chinese philosophy - Great philosophical figures, Chinese philosophy - Concepts within Chinese philosophy

Read more here: » Chinese philosophy: Encyclopedia II - Chinese philosophy - Brief history

Shinto (Jap.). The ancient religion of Japan before Buddhism, based upon the worship of spirits and ancestors.

(See also: Shinto, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )

The Record of Rites (Li Chi): One of the Five Classics of Confucianism, an anthology of rules of dancing, music, ancestor worship, and imperial sacrifices; it contains philosophical discussions on cosmology, yin and yang, the five elements, and the five relationships.

 (See also: The Record of Rites, Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

The Bugis were converted to Islam in the early 1600's. Since that time they have become a strong Sunni Muslim people. They celebrate Islamic feasts and fasts, as well as praying fives times a day. Their Islamic practices, however, are heavily influenced by spiritism (belief in many unseen gods) and ancestor worship (praying to deceased ancestors). One well-known group of Bugis practice what they call Tuanni. This involves the worship of several gods such as the "potato god," the "rice god," and the "god of the kings." They also believe that certain illnesses and misfortunes are inflicted on people by the "spirit ...

See also:

Bugis, Bugis - History, Bugis - Sea Exploration, Bugis - Bugis Mark At Northern Australia, Bugis - Present Lifestyle, Bugis - Religion, Bugis - External link

Read more here: » Bugis: Encyclopedia II - Bugis - Religion

Vodou (Haitian Vodou, vodoun, vodun, voodoo, voodooism, Voudoun): Fusion of Roman Catholicism and ancient African polytheism and ancestor worship, practiced chiefly in Caribbean countries.

The words Voodoo and Voudoun stem from the West African word vodun (or vodu), which means spirit or deity.

(See also: Voodoo, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Confucianism

A world religion based on the teachings of Confucius): His writtings form the basis of Confucianism. Doctrines include ancestor worship, devotion to family elders, and right conduct based on the inherent goodness of man.

(See also: Confucianism, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Most Nishi are loyal worshippers of the Donyi-Polo faith, a worship that commemorates their ancestors and belief in several spirits and superstitions, with religious rituals lthat argely coincide with the phases or agricultural cycles. Abo Teni, the primal man who came from Tibet, is considered as the sole ancestor of all Animist tribes of Tibetan or quasi-Tibetan origin. There are currently around some 6,000 "spiritually weak" converted Christians among the Nishi, mo ...

See also:

Nishi Tribe, Nishi Tribe - Economy, Nishi Tribe - Dress, Nishi Tribe - Religion, Nishi Tribe - The Hornbill issue

Read more here: » Nishi Tribe: Encyclopedia II - Nishi Tribe - Religion

ADF promotes a kind of Neo-druidism in which worshippers perform rituals honoring three kinds of entities: gods and goddesses, ancestors (honored dead), and nature spirits. Examples of gods and goddesses worshipped include Lugh, the Morrigan, Thor, Freya, Apollo, Athena, Vesta, Ceres, and many ancient, pre-Christian deities. Ancestors usually refers to the direct blood ancestors of the worshippers, but can include other honored dead (friends, mythological heroes, etc.) too. Nature spirits includes general animal (totem) spirits as well as whatever spirits are present in the place of worship, such as a local river spirit. As m ...

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Ár nDraíocht Féin, Ár nDraíocht Féin - Synopsis, Ár nDraíocht Féin - History, Ár nDraíocht Féin - Beliefs, Ár nDraíocht Féin - Organization

Read more here: » Ár nDraíocht Féin: Encyclopedia II - Ár nDraíocht Féin - Beliefs

The Theodish religious philosophy can be described as three interlocking sets of thews: The Votive Thews: Sacral Kingship, Theodish Affinity, Web of Troth & Oaths, and worship of the Germanic Gods and Ancestors; The Criterial Thews: Life as a process of Ordeal, Worthing and Becoming in the Context of the "Three Wynns", Wisdom Generosity and Honor; the Existential Thews: Freedom of Conscience, Right Goo ...

See also:

Theodism, Theodism - History, Theodism - Thews, Theodism - Notes

Read more here: » Theodism: Encyclopedia II - Theodism - Thews

The majority of Lugbara still practice ancestor worship; they believe in a creator god, Adroa. They are one of the peoples least affected by modern changes in Uganda, maintaining a strong sense of their own identity. The Lugbara believe that the living and the dead of the same lineage are in a permanent relationship with each other. The dead are aware of the actions of the living and care about them as their children. In some circumstances, the dead send sickness to the living in order to remind them that they are acting custodian ...

See also:

Lugbara, Lugbara - The Language, Lugbara - Crops and Agriculture, Lugbara - Lugbara Religion, Lugbara - History, Lugbara - Symbols, Lugbara - Culture and Politics

Read more here: » Lugbara: Encyclopedia II - Lugbara - Lugbara Religion

PAGANISM (Latin,  paganus, "a peasant, rustic"): Roman soldiers used the word in the pejorative sense of "hick, yokel, country bumpkin"; and this usage was continued by the early Roman Christians - who were mainly city-dwellers - to refer to everyone who preferred to continue to worship pre-Christian divinities. Hence "Paganism" refers to the worship of Pagan Deities: the Gods and Goddesses of the Old Religions that predate Judaism, Islam, or Christianity.

As such, "Paganism" is actually an umbrella term covering a broad family of religions, which may be divided into three broad sub-categories:

• survivalist - those whose religious practice has continued unbroken from their ancestors;
• revivalist - those whose religious practice attempts to revive that of their ancestors, whether by actual descent or by personal spiritual affinity and inclination;
• reconstructionist - those whose religious practice is an adaptation and reinterpretation of what they regard as the best of pre-Christian Pagan religions, adjusted to modern contemporary religious thought.

(See also: PAGANISM, Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca, )