This is Jimmy! Jimmy loves learning about religions while on trains. So why not take you along for the ride! Are you ready? Let's go!! Choo Choo!!!!

First stop: Northern India! Who wants to learn about Hinduism? Hinduism started in 5500 BCE. There is no specific founder, but it grew out of cultural and religious changes in India. They believe in moksha, samsara, and the caste system. They are polytheistic people that believe in devas. They worship the devas in a mandir. Their sacred literature is called vedas. They used vedas to worship their gods.

Next stop: Buddhism! Welcome to a new part of India that is modern day Nepal! This religion was started in the 5th century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, or as he is more famously known, Buddha. They didn't have a god, but Buddha was held in a high authority. They believed in the four noble truths, the eightfold path, and the five precepts. They also consider Tipitaka to be a sacred literature piece.

Surprise! We are in Japan now! Who's ready to learn about Shintoism? Jimmy is! Shintoism was founded in the late 6th century AD. The founder is unknown, but that doesn't stop the people from worshiping the kami in shrines. They believe in divination, spirit possession, and shamanic healing. However, they do not have any sacred literature.

Welcome to our fourth stop, China where we will learn about Confucianism. Confucianism was founded by none other than Confucius (that's where the name comes from). It was founded in China in 372 BCE. He taught using the Four Books. Some of his teachings included humans being fundamentally good, teachable, and perfectible through self creation. The people believe in the great ultimate Tao and worship him in temples. They're noticed by the Ying-Yang symbol.

This is our fifth stop. We're here in the Middle East where we're going to learn about Judaism. It was started in 2,000 BCE by Abraham and Moses. They taught people about the religion using the Torah. Three of their major beliefs are that they have a single god, God, he still works in the world, and that he affects everything we do. They worship in Synagogues and are represented by the Star of David.