Allie and Zach wanted to learn more about religions.They decided the best way they could do that is to go to a religion convention, so they walked to town where the convention would be held.

Once they got there they looked around to see where they wanted to start.

After looking around for a while they decided to go to the Buddhism section first.There was a man giving a speech about the religion. They sat down in a chair and listened to what the man was saying.

He said "Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India. When they worship they either do it at home or at a temple. This religion is about being peaceful and reaching Nirvana(happiness).To finally stop suffering you must follow the 8 fold path. The 4 Noble Truths are four things you must realize before you can stop suffering.Buddhism promotes education and the arts and changes in Indian history.It believes in less rituals and more power to the people rather than the priest.Its beliefs spread through China, Korea, and Japan increasing trade.Also, Buddhist meditation classes help people from all over the world relax." After that person's speech was over they decided where to go next.

Next they decided that they wanted to listen to the lady explaining Sikhism, so they sat down and listened to her.

"Sikhs believe in reincarnation, karma, and union with a supreme force.Sikhism helped to end the caste system.They wanted no superiors, and everyone to be equal.  They believe that leading a good life will help us be saved.Sikhism was initially led by gurus.The gurus attempted to get Sikhs to get along with Muslims and the other religions. Also, there are the 5 ks. Kesh is uncut hair, Kangha is the comb worn in the hair to maintain neatness, Kara is a steel bracelet worn on their right arms, Kachh is a special cotton boxer garment which is a symbol of being faithful to your partner, and Kirpan which is a small sword that symbolizes courage and self-defense.Not all Sikhs do all of these but they normally do at least one. Sikhs normally worship in a place called Gurdwara," said the woman. Zach and Allie thought all of that was so interesting.

After that, they decided to go to the Hinduism section.When they got there, there was a older man talking about it already.

The older man was saying,"Hinduism led to the caste system where people are born into certain levels of society. It led to class struggles in India in the 1800s and early 1900s. It's often referred to as the oldest religion in the world. There was no single founder and they believe in reincarnation and karma. They have respect for all forms of life and respect for all religions. Hindu people have a scripture called Vedas, they believe that it defined the truth. The goal of Hinduism is self-knowledge in order to understand and connect with God.One does good by performing their Dharma by following rules of karma. If they succeed they attain Moksha, union with Brahman. If they fail, the immortal soul is reborn through a cycle or reincarnation."

After Hinduism they went to the one right next to it which was Confucianism. There were no more seats so they had to stand for this lesson.

 "Confucianism brought stability to China. It changed society so that your position was based on how hard you worked. It placed men above women but it made a stable society. It stressed the importance of good moral character" said the man. Then he also said, " The founders name was Confucius. In this philosophy they believe that people can become good through self-education. They had the civil service exams which increased social mobility. They value Filial Piety(respect parents), and the 4 key relationships which are, father to son, emperor to subject, husband to wife, and older brother to younger brother."

When they went to the Taoism section they had to walk pretty far so when they got there the woman had already started speaking.

This older lady was talking about embracing naturalness. "Taoism is a philosophy that focuses on living in harmony with dao. The Yin Yang symbol represents harmony and balance.Taoism encourages vegetarianism and exercise. It also had medicine practices that are used all over the world.Also, did you know during the Cultural Revolution the government tried to destroy the Taoist temples and keep people from practicing the religion? The founder of this philosophy was Laozi." This was Zach's favorite one they had learned about so far. 

Next, they went to get a bottle of water and then they went to the Christianity section. They sat down near the front so they could hear better.

 The man was talking about the Ten Commandments when they got there."The Ten Commandments are rules to live by. Christianity is monotheistic(believes in 1 god). The founder of Christianity was Jesus.There were many wars because of Christianity but, it is still the most popular religion to this day. Christians believe every human life has worth and the best way to change the world is to spread the religion. They go to church every Sunday and read the bible. A covenant is a promise of importance in the relations of individuals, groups,  and nations." Allie and Zach had already known stuff about Christianity but it still got them interested.

They went to Animism next. They had never heard of this one before. There wasn't a big crowd for this speaker.

The woman explained what Animism is."Animism has blended with many other religions. Animists strive to please gods who are able to affect their lives on earth. It started before people could read or write, that is why it is centered more in less complex societies. Animism is the belief that all things such as rocks, trees, or soil, have a spirit or soul that influence the world around them." 

Legalism is the next one that Zach and Allie went to. They sat down and listened to what the lady was saying.