The idea that human suffering emerges from our attachment to life, to life’s pleasures and pains, and that all suffering can eventually be overcome through a series of steps is central to the Buddhist faith. Translation and oversimplification have led to the common misunderstanding that Buddhism teaches that life itself consists only of suffering, but in reality the teachings are far more complex and nuanced. It is far from true that Buddhism holds that all of life is suffering, rather the fundamental aspects of desire, imperfection, and ephemerality lead to "suffering" or spiritual angst. the teachings of Buddhism focus in large part on transcending this suffering through an acceptance of their necessity in any long and fundamentally enriching spiritual journey.

All of these religions are monotheistic except Hinduism, which is polytheistic. A polytheistic religion is characterized by belief in multiple gods, usually that are responsible for different areas of the universe and of human experience. According to common understanding (although this is probably more of a common misunderstanding) there are over three-hundred million deities in the Hindu faith.

These are all large cities in the Middle East that have close ties to Islam, and, in the case of Jerusalem and Cairo, to other religions as well. Mecca, however, is considered the birthplace of the Islamic faith. It is found in modern-day Saudi Arabia. It is where the Prophet Muhammad was born. As part of the five pillars of Islam all Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at one point in their lifetime (assuming they are physically and financially able to do so).

Hinduism is the dominant religion of India. Hinduism is not a global religion, its observers outside of the Indian subcontinent are almost exclusively of Indian ethnicity, yet because of the sheer size of India’s population Hinduism is the third most widely followed religion after Christianity and Islam.

Monotheism is characterized by the belief that there is only one god or divine being. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions. These religions all also spring from the same source. Judaism emerged roughly one thousand years before the birth of Christ. Christianity, rather obviously, began around two-thousand years ago. And Islam began in the early seventh century with the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

Along with Buddhism, these four religions are part of the five most influential religions in human history. With the exception of Judaism, which has had a great cultural impact on the world, they are the religions in the world with the most followers. All four of these religions are correctly matched with the name of their primary holy texts.

Lutheranism, the religion that emerged from the reforms of the earliest Protestant thinker Martin Luther, is most prevalent and uniformly followed in the upper Midwest. In states like Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin it is the dominant religion. It is useful also to know that Catholicism is common in New England and near the border with Mexico, and that Baptists are predominantly found in the South.

More than half of all Americans who self-identify as Buddhists live in Southern California. The reasons for this are partially to do with the number of east Asian and southern Asian immigrants who have arrived in the American west coast in the previous one-hundred and fifty years, and partially to do with the cultural and social atmosphere of southern California.

Religious fundamentalism is common throughout human history and the contemporary world. All of these religions have had, and continue to have, problems with fundamentalists. "Fundamentalism" refers to a strict, literal interpretation of a religious text or set of precepts. The term is not specific to any particular religion.

The Shinto religion is practiced almost exclusively by the people of Japan. It is fairly closely related to Buddhism and Confucianism, due to its emphasis on oneness with nature and ancestor worship, but it is distinct from both these religions. It continues to be influential in modern Japanese society where it manifests itself in such things as war memorials, shrines, agricultural festivals, and communication with one’s ancestors.