One of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church, also known as the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church.  With 220 million baptized members, the Orthodox Church is a Christian body whose adherents are largely based in Eastern Europe the Middle East, and diaspora populations.  Adherents believe in the Trinity; …
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Originating 2,500 years ago in India, Buddhism is one of the world’s largest religions.  Buddhists believe that the human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, and that meditation, good behavior, and spiritual and physical labor are the ways to achieve a state of enlightenment (nirvana).  Based on the teachings of the Buddha, or “Awakened One,” …
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Sikhism is a religion founded in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century.  Sikhism is a monotheistic faith that stresses the equality of all men and women.  Sikhs believe that good or bad actions in this life determine the life form into which a soul takes upon rebirth. …
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With more than 1.2 billion followers, Roman Catholicism is the oldest and largest branch of Christianity.  Catholicism is the branch of Christianity headed by the Pope, who makes decisions on issues of faith and morality.  Catholicism teaches that it is the church divinely founded by Jesus Christ. Catholics believe that death is a passing from the …
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Wicca is a modern-day, nature-based religion.  Though rituals and practices vary widely, most Wiccans observe festival celebrations of solstices and equinoxes, worship both a male god and female goddess, and practice their religion according to an ethical code.  Wiccans draw interpretation largely from pre-Christian religions and cultures. Wiccan funerals show many of the same characteristics as green …
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Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion with roots and customs dating back some 4,000 years.  Originating on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism is a dharma, or a religious and universal order or way of life, by which followers abide.  Hinduism has an extraordinary range of expression involving a diverse array of practices and a host of …
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The Baha’i Faith is a religion that was founded in Persia (now Iran) in the 19th century.  The Baháʼí Faith teaches the essential worth of the fundamental unity of all religions and the essential harmony of all people.  Baha’is regard Jesus, Muhammad, Lord Krishna, Buddha, Jewish prophets, and other prophets as manifestations of the oneness …
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June 18, 2021, New York, NY-This week, graduates of World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) Bridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC) program at The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy in the Bronx brought their stonemasonry skills to rehabilitating damaged grave markers at the African-American Cemetery in Rye, NY. The pilot project signals the next phase of B2CC, which was …
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