If religion has ever confused and confounded you, take heart! These pages were written just for you. It is our humble attempt to gather from hundreds of sources a simple, in-a-nutshell summary of the worlds major spiritual paths. The strenghth of this undertaking, brevity is also its flaw. Complex and subtle distinctions, not to mention important exceptions are consciously set aside for the sake of simplicity. There are hundreds of books addressing deeper matters, but none that we know of which have attempted a straightforward guide or comparitive summary. There is a need for a no-nonsense review of religion, and this may hopefully begin to meet that need.

By juxtaposing a few of their major beliefs, we hope to highlight how other major world religions and important modern secular movements are similar to and differ from Hinduism. A leisurely hour with this section [under a favorite tree] will endow you with a good grasp of the essential truths of every major religion practiced today on the planet. It may also dispel the myth that all religions are one, that they all seek to lead adherents by the same means to the same Ultimate Reality. They don't, as a conscientious review will show. As you read through the 171 beliefs in this study, put a check by the ones you believe. Why, you might find that you are a Buddhist -Christian-Existentialist or a Taoist-New Age -Materialist. Place yourself in the cosmology of the beliefs of the world. Many have found this self-inquiry satisfying, others awesomely revealing.

Pilgrim, pilgrimage and road -- it was but myself toward my Self, and your arrival was but myself at my own door.

--Sufi Mystic, Jaial Al-Din Rumi [1207 - 73]