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| ELIA MILLER / Scroll |
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| BYU-Idaho world religions professor, Brian Kinghorn, teaches students about the religious traditions of other cultures, putting many myths to rest. |
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Mormons are polygamists. They don’t believe in Jesus Christ. They perform secret acts in their temples. They have horns growing out of their heads.
Almost every member of the Church has heard these myths, or similar ones. Misconceptions are prevalent, not only with the LDS Church but with many denominations throughout the world.
Some major religions throughout the world with outside misconceptions are Hinduism, with 781 million members, Buddhism, with 324 million members, and Islam, with 1.1 billion members, according to the 2004 Time Almanac.
“I think with both Hinduism and Buddhism there is a general lack of understanding,” said Brian Kinghorn, religion professor at BYU-Idaho. “The things people say about these religions are generally because of ignorance.”
Hindus believe in reincarnation and see every living thing as having a spirit. A common misconception, however, is that they believe in many gods. They believe there is “unity in which all the gods and all of creation are part of a universal absolute being, called Brahman,” according to the Illustrated Dictionary of Religions by Philip Wilkinson.
“The reason there are so many [gods] talked about is because they believe that God is very complex,” Kinghorn said. “The different gods help Hindus understand their one God.”
Buddhism, another prominent religion in the world is misconstrued when referred to as a “pagan religion,” which relates to the belief in a god or gods.
“A lot of times Westerners think of Buddha as God,” Kinghorn said. “He was a teacher not a god. He was a man trying to show the path.”
Buddhist worship involves paying homage to the Buddha, according to the Illustrated Dictionary.
Islam, one of largest widespread religions has received more attention since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.
While terrorism has been associated with Muslims, there is no belief in Islam of shedding innocent blood. Their sacred scripture, known as the Qur’an, or Koran, states, “Nor take life — which Allah has made sacred — except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand retaliation or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life, for he is helped (by the Lau).”
By following the Spirit of understanding, people will be able to recognize the truth that lies within other religious affiliations, Kinghorn said.
