Jainism to Judgment Day
Jainism- An ancient RELIGION of India, and listed as an alternate to HINDUISM, and rejects VEDIC SCRIPTURES and the caste system, and their RELIGION is essentially atheistic. They believe that actions of speech, mind and body produce KARMA, and produce a burden, and one must avoid violence to avoid giving hurt to life. One can achieve salvation by right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct (similar to BUDDHISM). Some Jains can be seen wearing masks to prevent breathing organisms, or they can be seen sweeping with a broom ahead of themselves to avoid stepping on living things.
Jansenism-A religious movement in the Netherlands and in France during the 17th and 18th century that advocated reform of the Catholic Church. They advocated strict morality rather than more tolerant themes of the Catholic Church.
Jataka-Stories and fables about the previous lives of the BUDDHA.
Jehovah-Another Hebrew word for GOD, or a supreme being, especially in translations from the Old Testament of the CHRISTIAN BIBLE. Apparently, this word only been in common usage since the 14th century.
Jehovah's Witnesses-A Christian sect (originally known as RUSSELLITES), founded by Charles Russell in 1872 in the United States, and have nearly 5 million followers in 200 countries, with nearly a million in the U.S. They believe that the SECOND COMING of Christ is imminent, and that he will defeat the battle of ARMAGEDDON by leading the forces of good over evil. Then, He will rule over the earth for a thousand years, at which point the dead will rise again and have a second opportunity for salvation. They vow not to take any drugs, stimulants of any kind, and are not allowed to have blood transfusions, even in the face of death. Their congregation refuses military service, voting, pledge of allegiance to the flag, or any allegiance to any government, which has brought them in conflict with the government from time-to-time. They do extensive publishing of books and pamphlets such as the Watchtower magazine. They are known for house-to-house contact to spread the word of GOD.
Jesus Christ-In CHRISTIANITY, the Son of GOD, and the DEMIGOD who was the mediator between the Creator, God and us. Some authors point out that Jesus never identified himself as a GOD, but a servant of God. Commonly thought of as the SAVIOR of human-kind, some say part human and part DIVINE, and is believed to have relieved us of all our sins, said to have been crucified and later resurrected in the days surrounding Easter, however, apparently there is some historical disagreement if the event really happened. Most texts indicate that something did happen on that date, and that something created a new FAITH, and was the cornerstone of CHRISTIANITY. Also called the second element of TRINITY. See CHRISTIANITY.
