Symbolic signs in different religious systems. Religious symbols (15 photos)

Each religion has its own symbols. They are not only drawings that the ancient peoples invented because of their own whim or love of art. The images they created are their abstract vision and understanding of God, his essence. helping people understand the foundations of belief, its depth, connection with the emotional beginning. There are many symbols in our life, but only religious ones reflect a whole range of moral values, and also have great power and undeniable influence on the common man.

The essence of Islam. Basic symbols of religion

The belief is widespread in Asia. About 23% of the people on earth, which was founded in the 7th century by the prophet Muhammad. The concept itself is translated as "obedience to God and the world", which already reflects the main dogmas of religion. Muslims preach humanity and harmony in relations, a correct honest life for the benefit of society and the Motherland, as well as simplicity, reasonableness, the unity of the material and the spiritual.

All these rules are described in the holy Quran. According to legend, on behalf of Allah, he handed over the book to Muhammad. Since then, all Muslims have honored the canons described on these pages, even the slightest violation of the rules in Asia is severely punished. The symbol of Islam is the crescent and its faithful companion. They invariably flaunt on all mosques - temples where true believers pray to their Allah. In addition to religious buildings, the symbol of Islam is also often found on the flags of many states: Turkey, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Singapore, Pakistan and others.

The history of the appearance of the crescent

When Islam was born in Muslim communities, they have not yet come up with: the thought of the need for their existence did not even enter the heads of people. During Mohammed's lifetime, the army used simple monochromatic flags: white, green, or black. This continued until 1453, when the Turks seized power in the Caliphate and occupied Constantinople. From the local people, they adopted the image of the crescent: they began to draw it on flags and decorate mosques with it.

According to another legend, the founder of the Ottoman Empire had a dream in which he saw a huge crescent moon that stretched from one end of the earth to the other. The ruler considered this a good sign and decided to make it a symbol of his dynasty. During these times, the crescent and star became the emblem of battle banners and standards. But do not forget that the image of the night star was actively used long before the emergence of this religion. For example, the current symbol of Islam - the crescent moon - crowned the head of Artemis.

Crescent and the Ottoman Empire

As you know, the power of the Turks existed for more than one hundred years. Its inhabitants actively used the symbol of faith in Islam - the crescent, so today many nations associate it with this particular religion. Although at first it remained simply the emblem of the Ottomans, and not their beliefs. After all, Muslims for many years vehemently condemned the worship of idols, idols, any images. They did not have amulets and talismans, icons and religious attributes. Therefore, both during the Ottoman Empire and in the modern world, the crescent is rather a symbol of the Turkish people, just like crossed sabers and palm trees are the emblem of Saudi Arabia. Muslims in this regard can use different images, the main thing is that they do not contradict Sharia.

In the Ottoman Empire, the month was sacredly honored. The Turks said that it plays an important role in people's lives. Firstly, it illuminates the road at night, in pitch darkness. Secondly, thanks to its modifications, a person can navigate in time. The symbol of Islam - the crescent and the star, its constant neighbor, eventually transformed into the concept of "a light in the darkness", which shows the way to all true believers.

The opinion of Muslim scholars

All of them adamantly claim that the symbol of Islam, the crescent moon, appeared over the Turkish minarets thanks to the ancestors of Alexander the Great. One of them laid siege to Constantinople, which at that time was called Bayzant. The inhabitants were not afraid, but gave a worthy rebuff and expelled the conquerors. The victory coincided with the appearance of dawn in the sky. It was called a good sign: the crescent began to be depicted on sovereign documents as a memory of those significant events for the city. Further, the image of the night star was inherited by the Caesars, who later ruled the city, the center of Byzantium. Well, after them, he went to the Ottoman Empire, which managed to conquer these lands.

Today, many Muslims say that some representatives of their religion believe that the crescent is a symbol of Islam, just like the cross is a symbol of Christianity. But this is a big mistake. True believers, they say, worship only Allah, and not pagan images. Therefore, real Muslims who build mosques should not spend money to decorate the building with symbols that have nothing to do with their religion.

What are their opponents saying?

As a counterbalance to the previous judgment, some adherents of religion make opposite arguments. They interpret the symbols of Islam and their meaning in their own way. Like, the five-pointed star is the five pillars of their religion, as well as the five obligatory daily prayers. As for the crescent, it is depicted on mosques and minarets, as a symbol of Muslims' reverence for the lunar calendar.

Discussions between the two opposite sides have been going on for more than a dozen years, and the first group still operates with more convincing arguments. Indeed, if you look deep into history, you can see that at the very beginning, the founders of Islam and their students did not worship any images and statues. They just went around the world and preached their faith. Even religious buildings were then without decorations and symbols. Unlike Christian churches, mosques have a very poor appearance. In the middle there are no icons, altars and gilding - only mosaics on the walls, flowers near the window and carpets for the convenience of believers who bowed in prayer.

Where else is the crescent moon used?

The answer to this question is very interesting for all history buffs. Why is the symbol of Islam a crescent moon? This, as well as the essence of the legends associated with its appearance, the meaning of the emblem and its use - we have already learned. Now let's plunge into the beliefs of ancient peoples, who also revered the night luminary and worshiped him. For example, Buddhism interprets the crescent moon as a symbol of a person's control over the mind. The Egyptians also believed in his power: turned "horns" up, he was always depicted next to

The Sumerians associated him with the moon god Sin, the Persians with their Higher powers. But the most interesting thing is that the Christian Celts often depicted him in religious drawings: next to the Virgin Mary. Drawn with horns up against the background of the saint's belly, he most likely symbolized the feminine and the fruitful bosom. Analyzing all this, it can be argued: to consider the crescent as a symbol of Islam or not, everyone decides for himself. The main thing is that it is actively used by many religions, and therefore is rightfully the property of all mankind.

What are they and what do they mean.

Baha'i
Formally, the symbol of the Baha'i Faith is a five-pointed star, however, it is associated with this teaching, first of all, a nine-pointed star (nine among the Baha'is is a sacred number) - the symbol of the "Greatest Name". The Bahá'ís consider their religion to be the last world monotheistic religion, while religious scholars classify it as an Islamic syncretic sect, as well as a new and world religion.

Buddhism
Dharmachakra, or "drachma wheel", as well as the "wheel of the law", is a symbol of the teachings of the Buddha and is depicted as a wheel with five, six or eight spokes. The hub (center of the wheel) symbolizes a luminous point of consciousness that radiates spiritual light, and eight spokes - following the "Noble Eightfold Path" (eight noble principles), which is the essence of the Buddha's teachings. These principles are: right view, right thinking, right speech, right behavior, right living, right effort, right awareness, right contemplation.

Sometimes two gazelles are depicted on the sides of the wheel, which are a symbol of Buddhist preaching. This is due to the legend that these animals also listened to the first sermon of the Buddha.

Bhavacakra - a similar symbol, also reminiscent of a wheel ("wheel of samsara"), denotes an endless cycle of being, characterized by birth, death and new births.

Taoism
The famous black and white "fish" Yin and Yang are one of the main concepts of ancient Chinese natural philosophy. The concept of Yin and Yang denotes two positions: firstly, that everything in this world is constantly changing, and secondly, that opposites complement each other (in this, Taoism is somewhat reminiscent of Masonic philosophy with one of its symbols - a chess floor; more about Freemasonry and its symbols, read the article by Marina Ptichenko "Freemasonry: not a secret society, but a society with secrets"). According to Taoism, the goal of human existence is the balance and harmony of opposites, which is hard to disagree with. Yin stands for black, feminine and inner, Yang stands for white, masculine and outer.

Zoroastrianism
This ancient religion is based on the free moral choice of good thoughts, words and deeds by a person. The symbol of Zoroastrianism - faravakhar - is a winged disk, in the upper part of which a human body is depicted - fravashi, which is an analogue of the guardian angel in Abrahamic religions. Initially, this symbol, however, depicted a winged sun (a symbol of power and divine origin), later the image of a man was added to it. In general, faravahar means divine blessing (and according to some versions, royal glory).

Islam
Despite the global nature of this religion, there are no symbols in Islam as such (read more about Islam in Yevgeny Shurygin's article "Islam is not aggressive - there are aggressive representatives"). However, "unofficially" the symbols of Islam are, of course, the crescent and the star (for more information about the symbolism of Islam, as well as Christianity and Judaism and their meaning from the point of view of depth psychology, read the material "1000 and 1 night": under the rule of an Eastern woman ").

Regarding the symbol or emblem, it can be said that Muslims worship Allah and reject any idols. Muslims ask for blessings and protection only from Allah, and therefore Muslims do not have a symbol, such as a Christian cross. Some Muslims have chosen the crescent as a symbol as opposed to the cross, but this is wrong and is an innovation in Islam.

Sheikh Muhammad Salih al Munajid

Hinduism
The quintessence of the word "Om" ("Aum") is a mantra. Aum is a symbol of Hinduism and means the universal name of God, the three letters of which denote the three main gods and their spheres of influence - Creation, Maintenance and Destruction, and in addition, symbolize the three states of consciousness: awakening, meditation and deep sleep.

The well-known swastika is also a symbol of Hinduism, and, as you know, means the Sun, harmony, unity of forces and elements, auspicious destinies. Contrary to popular belief, the idea of hoisting this symbol on the national flag of Nazi Germany does not at all belong to Adolf Hitler, obsessed with mysticism, but it was he who approved it as a symbol of National Socialism.

Nevertheless, I was forced to reject all the countless designs sent to me from all over by young supporters of the movement, since all these projects boiled down to only one theme: they took the old colors and on this background drew a hoe-shaped cross in various variations. (...) After a series of experiments and alterations, I myself compiled a completed project: the main background of the banner is red; a white circle inside, and in the center of this circle is a black hoe-shaped cross. After long alterations, I finally found the necessary ratio between the size of the banner and the size of the white circle, and finally settled on the size and shape of the cross.

Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

In addition, the swastika was used as a symbol of German socialism by various military organizations even before the Nazis appeared on the political arena of Germany.
Fortunately, the solar symbol "worked" as a talisman not from the Nazis themselves, but from the Nazis, giving hope for "favorable destinies" to the rest of the world.

Judaism
The symbol of the six-pointed star of David (hexagram) has an older origin than Judaism itself. This symbol became Jewish only from the 19th century. The sign of the hexagram itself was known in India under the name Anahanta Chakra, probably long before it appeared in the Middle East and Europe.

There are many interpretations of the Star of David symbol, among them both traditional and those proposed in the 20th century. The hexagram is interpreted as a combination and combination of two principles: masculine (triangle with "broad shoulders", pointing downwards) and feminine (triangle pointing upwards), heavenly and earthly, fire combined with air and water combined with earth; control of the whole world: earth, sky and four cardinal directions, etc.

Occultism
The common name of the teachings based on belief in otherworldly and supernatural forces - occultism - also has its own symbol - the pentagram. It is the oldest and most complex mystical symbol, the first mention of which dates back to Ancient Greece. The pentagram literally means "five lines" in Greek. This symbol, for example, was the hallmark of the school of Pythagoras, whose followers believed that a beautiful polygon had many magical properties. Researchers believe that the pentagram probably appeared 4 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia and, apparently, denoted the astronomical scheme of the movement of the planet Venus. This star symbol, as a rule, denotes a person, where the top point is the head, and the other four are the limbs. Sometimes the pentagram is also considered as an image of the five senses.

Satanism
The Seal of Baphomet is the official symbol of the Church of Satan. It represents the same pentagram, only turned upside down, often also with a goat's head inscribed in it. Around the pentagram is a ring in which the name of Leviathan is inscribed opposite each end of the star.

Sikhism
This religion was founded in India by Guru Nanak (1469-1539). Today, its adherents are more than 22 million people around the world. The most important symbol of religion is the khanda, which is a double-edged sword (the Sikh idea of a holy warrior) surrounded by a chakra, an Indian steel throwing ring (a symbol of the unity of God and man). On both sides are two kirpans (the national form of the Sikh knife), personifying spiritual and worldly power, which emphasizes that both spiritual life and obligations to the community are equally important for a Sikh.

Christianity
The symbol of the cross in Christianity, according to some researchers, is also not the original, but, like the star and crescent in Islam, a later innovation. Initially, the symbol of the Christian religion was the image of a fish. In ancient Greek, fish is denoted as ????? (“ichthys (ichtyus)”), which corresponds to the abbreviation of the Christian postulate “?????? ???????, ???? ????, ?????" (?????) - "Jesus Christ - God's Son Savior."

The Orthodox cross, as you know, differs from the Catholic one and consists of four crossbars. Small horizontal designates a tablet with the inscription "Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews." The slanting crossbar symbolizes two thieves crucified next to Jesus, where the upward end of the crossbar denotes the forgiven of them, and the downward one indicates the second one who went to hell. Another version, however, says that the crossbar is just a footrest for the crucified, which did not allow him to die immediately after the execution.

K.G. Jung called the symbol a bridge "leading to all the greatest achievements of the human spirit", Mircea Eliade pointed out the primary role of the symbol in thinking, both for archaic and for any traditional society. A.F. Losev believed that the symbol "affirms a person in eternity." Mysterious, and sometimes quite "understandable" and "natural" symbols are found everywhere. But symbolism is especially widely represented in religious traditions and can be traced from ancient times to the present day. What is a religious symbol, what information does it carry about a particular faith, why is it so important for religious life?

This article will focus on the religious symbols of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam - the last religion of monotheism. We will try to answer the questions posed, tell about the purpose of the symbols, touch on the history of their occurrence.

Hinduism

The symbol of Hinduism is the quintessence of the word "Om" or "Aum" - the universal name of God, the three letter signs of which personify the three main gods and their scope - Creation, Maintenance and Destruction, and also identify the three states of consciousness - awakening, meditative immersion and deep sleep .

Buddhism

The symbol of Buddhism is the Dharmachakra or wheel of law. The center of the wheel, the hub, symbolizes the luminous point of consciousness, radiating soul light. In its projection, the “yin-yang” symbol is easily guessed - the unity of the feminine and masculine principles, eight spokes symbolize the essence of Buddhist teachings, which consists in following eight principles: correct faith, values, speech, behavior, achieving means of livelihood, aspirations, evaluation of one's actions and the perception of the world by the senses and proper meditation (concentration of attention on the internal state of consciousness).

Judaism

The Star of David is a six-pointed star, which was traditionally depicted as a whole, without intersections and lines (that is, not like on the flag of the modern state of Israel). Its meaning was that it reflected the five basic feelings of a person (symbolized by five ends, except for the upper one), which should all obey the sixth most important sense - striving and obedience to the Living God. Such an image is sometimes found even on ancient icons.

Christianity

At first, the sign of Christianity was the image of a fish. Fish in Old Greek - ἰχθύς ("ichthys (ichthus)"), which corresponds to the abbreviation of the Christian postulate "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ" (ΙΧΘΥΣ) - "Jesus Christ - B God's Son Savior."

Orthodox cross. According to Christian teaching, the hands of the messenger of the Most High, Jesus (in the Koran, Isa) were nailed to a large horizontal bar. The upper small horizontal bar means a tablet on which was inscribed "Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews." The slanting crossbar means two crucified side by side, where the end of the crossbar directed upwards means the forgiven thief, who, according to the teachings, went to heaven, and the end of the crossbar directed down - the other nailed one, who went to hell.

The shape of the cross in the form of two beams originated in ancient Chaldea and was used there, as well as in neighboring countries, including Egypt, as a symbol of the god Tammuz (in the form of the mystical "Tau", the first letter of his name). By the middle of the 3rd century A.D. e. the churches have either departed from certain teachings of the Christian faith or have distorted them. To strengthen their position, the churches of apostate Christianity accepted pagans into their faith without spiritual rebirth and allowed them to retain pagan signs and symbols. Thus "Tau" or "T", in its most common form with the bar down, was adopted to represent the cross (Vine W. E., An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, London, 1962, p. 256).

Islam

For most people, the image of a crescent and a five-pointed star is associated with the religion of Islam. However, is it really so? Where and when did these symbols become Muslim? The history of the appearance of these symbols is full of legends, some of which claim that the crescent is associated with the hijra of the Messenger of Allah, when he secretly left Mecca and went to Medina. According to this version, there was a crescent moon in the sky that night. Other sources attribute the crescent symbol to Muslim adherence to the lunar calendar, and the five-pointed star in their understanding is the five pillars of Islam or the five daily prayers. If we trace the history of the emergence of these symbols, then they appeared several thousand years before the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Even the ancient peoples of Central Asia and Siberia, who worshiped the sun, moon and sky, revered these ancient symbols. We will try to find justifications for all the above versions. As for the star, the version “the star is a symbol of the five pillars of Islam, the five daily prayers” is not consistent, because. in the Muslim world, not only the five-pointed star, but also the eight-pointed, seven-pointed and six-pointed stars are in circulation as a symbol. The latter, by the way, is completely unfairly considered a symbol of Judaism. The story also tells of the ancient use of the crescent and star to denote the Carthaginian goddess Tanit or the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis (in the Roman version, Diana). Ancient Byzantium (which later received the name of Constantinople, and after the Muslims conquered it - Istanbul) adopted the crescent moon as its symbol even before the advent of Christianity. There is an opinion that the crescent was chosen by the Romans for Byzantium in honor of the goddess Diana. Others say the symbol comes from a battle in which the Romans defeated the Goths on the first day of the lunar month. Be that as it may, the symbolism of the city, which later became Muslim, was determined long before the appearance of representatives of Islam in it. As far as Islam is concerned, in the early years and centuries, the Muslim community did not have any generally accepted symbol for their denomination or state. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), Muslim caravans and armies flew simple flags of monochromatic colors - black, green or white, which were also used by later generations of Muslims to designate various military units. It is important to note that from the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Muslims did not approve and did not accept any symbols, markings and inscriptions, until the Turks, who seized power in the Caliphate, occupied Constantinople in 1453. In connection with this event, the Byzantines adopted their flag with a symbol on which the emblem of the city was depicted - a crescent. According to legend, Osman (or Usman), the founder of the Ottoman Empire, had a dream in which a crescent moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other. This was taken as a good sign, which prompted him to proclaim the crescent moon as a symbol of his dynasty. Thus, initially the crescent had nothing to do with the religion of monotheism, but was just a symbol of the Ottoman dynasty. Years, centuries passed, this sign was fixed in the minds of people as something that distinguishes Muslims from non-Muslims, until, finally, it finally entered the stereotypes and spread throughout the world as a symbol of Islam and its followers. The basis of Islam is the Koran and the Sunnah, which say nothing about the symbolism of Islam. Islam is perfect in every way, it does not need to be tied to any symbols. Muslims familiar with the history of the crescent reject it as an ancient pagan sign. After all, Islam warns against the cultivation of anyone and anything, and forbids the worship of anyone other than Allah, be it people, animals, trees, heavenly bodies, etc., rejects all pagan traditions. It should be noted that innovations are prohibited only in some areas of a Muslim's life, such as beliefs, morality and Sharia. Otherwise, the followers of Islam are free for all-round development, borrowing what is not mentioned in Islamic texts, experience, culture and traditions. Therefore, it is not forbidden to use any sign as a symbol of a particular dynasty, country, as Sultan Osman did with respect to the crescent moon, if this does not contradict Sharia norms. And it is in this sense that one should perceive the use of the crescent as a symbol of modern Turkey, as well as the image of a palm tree and crossed sabers as a symbol of Saudi Arabia, and, for example, an oil rig as a symbol of Azerbaijan.

Emblems of modern religions. A class of signs identical in shape to geometric elements, widely used in emblems and heraldry. Published on the web portal

Emblems of modern religions

In our time, there are three world religions on the globe - Christianity, Islam (Muslim) and Buddhism. Each of them is accepted in many countries. They arose a long time ago: Christianity is 2000 years old, Islam is almost 1400 years old, and Buddhism is about 2500 years old.

There are other religions, which, although not global, are also widespread.

Christianity

Cup and cross

One of the symbols of Christ's love is the combination of the cup and the cross. The cup, or goblet, in this case indicates the great suffering that Jesus endured, calling it "the cup."

The image of the bowl indicates the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father! oh, that you would deign to carry this cup past me! however, not my will, but yours be done.”

The cross is depicted as pointed. Its sharp ends, like swords of sorrow and pain, pierce the suffering soul.

Islam

Star and crescent of Islam

The main emblem of the youngest world religion, Islam, founded by the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (570-632), is a crescent with a star inside. The emblem denotes divine patronage, growth, rebirth, and, together with the star, paradise. The star is a traditional symbol of independence and divinity. The crescent is one of the true forces capable of resisting evil, a powerful talisman.

The crescent in Islamic countries replaces the cross in Red Cross organizations.

Buddhism

Maitreya

In Buddhism, Maitreya is the name of the Buddha of the coming world order. This is the only Bodhisattva ("whose essence has become the mind"), which is recognized by all major branches of Buddhism. The essence of a Bodhisattva is the act of sacrifice: giving up the bliss of nirvana in order to help humanity within the limits allowed by karmic limitations.

Maitreya is depicted sitting on a throne in a "European pose" (with legs down), which indicates a sign of the haste of his arrival; it is golden in color. Next to Maitreya, it is customary to depict the wheel of dharma, a stupa and a vase.

Judaism

Mogendovid, or Shield of David

Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic world religions (it arose in the 1st millennium BC in Palestine 4000 years ago). The main provisions of Judaism were later incorporated into Christianity and Islam.

The symbol of Judaism is Mogendovid, or the Shield of David. Most commonly associated with the six-pointed Star of David. A less common name is the Star of the Creator; each end of the star symbolizes one of the six days of creation, and the central hexagon symbolizes Shabbat (the holy day of rest).

Zoroastrianism

Ahura Mazda

Zoroastrianism is an ancient spiritual tradition, founded about 2500 years ago by the prophet Zoroaster, and now, unfortunately, forgotten. The supreme god is Ahura Mazda. The sacred canon is the Avesta ("law").

Zoroastrianism proceeds from the doctrine of the justice of the world order and the triumph of justice in the world struggle between good and evil, in which the free choice of a person, his active participation play a decisive role. Zoroastrian morality contains an ethical triad: a good thought, a good word, a good deed.

Hinduism

One of the symbols of the Trimurti

Hinduism combines elements of different creeds, rooted in the mists of time. Sacred books - Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda). The three main gods make up the Trimurti (triad): Brahma is the creator of the world, Vishnu is the keeper of the world and Shiva is the destroyer. Their images symbolize the fundamental processes of change in nature (prakriti).

The basis of Hinduism is the doctrine of the reincarnation of souls (samsara), which occurs in accordance with the law of retribution (karma) for virtuous or bad behavior.

Confucianism

The symbol of Confucianism is the figure of the “Highest Saint” himself

Confucianism and Taoism are the most famous of the philosophical currents that existed in China even before its unification (221 BC). Gradually intertwined with the traditions of Buddhists and Taoists, the teachings of Confucius acquired a religious connotation. According to Confucius, one must live in such a way that human behavior reflects the laws of the universe, which exists according to a certain order. “The master teaches his students the four disciplines: culture, behavior, loyalty and faith” (Lun Yu, 7.25).

Taoism

Tai Chi (yin-yang circle)

Taoism literally means "School of the Tao". (Tao means “way”). This is an integral part of the philosophical and religious triad (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism). The Chinese apply all three teachings in practice, depending on the life situation. As part of his personal life, the Chinese profess Taoism, but when it comes to social norms of behavior, he becomes a Confucian, and when faced with troubles and life's hardships, he turns to Mahayana Buddhism.

Graphically, the concept of Taoism is expressed by tai chi (in some sources - Tai Shi) - a symbol of a single limit.

Shinto (Shinto)

Horin-rimbo - the wheel of the law (Japan)

Shinto is the Japanese national religion, its name comes from the Chinese word "shen-dao" ("sacred path" or "path of the gods"). At the heart of Shinto is the cult of the deities of nature and ancestors. The highest deities are Amaterasu (goddess of the Sun) and her descendant Jimmu. Jimmu is the first emperor of Japan, the mythical ancestor of Japanese emperors. Day February 11, when, according to myths, in 660 BC. e. Jimmu ascended the throne, is considered the founding day of the empire and is celebrated as a holiday.

Baha'i

Formally, the symbol of the Baha'i Faith is a five-pointed star, however, it is associated with this teaching, first of all, a nine-pointed star (nine among the Baha'is is a sacred number) - the symbol of the "Greatest Name". The Bahá'ís consider their religion to be the last world monotheistic religion, while religious scholars classify it as an Islamic syncretic sect, as well as a new and world religion.

Buddhism

Dharmachakra, or "drachma wheel", as well as the "wheel of the law", is a symbol of the teachings of the Buddha and is depicted as a wheel with five, six or eight spokes. The hub (center of the wheel) symbolizes a luminous point of consciousness that radiates spiritual light, and eight spokes - following the "Noble Eightfold Path" (eight noble principles), which is the essence of the Buddha's teachings. These principles are: right view, right thinking, right speech, right behavior, right living, right effort, right awareness, right contemplation.

Sometimes two gazelles are depicted on the sides of the wheel, which are a symbol of Buddhist preaching. This is due to the legend that these animals also listened to the first sermon of the Buddha.

Bhavacakra - a similar symbol, also reminiscent of a wheel ("wheel of samsara"), denotes an endless cycle of being, characterized by birth, death and new births.

Taoism

The famous black and white "fish" Yin and Yang are one of the main concepts of ancient Chinese natural philosophy. The concept of Yin and Yang denotes two positions: firstly, that everything in this world is constantly changing, and secondly, that opposites complement each other (in this, Taoism is somewhat reminiscent of Masonic philosophy with one of its symbols - a chess floor;). According to Taoism, the goal of human existence is the balance and harmony of opposites, which is hard to disagree with. Yin stands for black, feminine and inner, Yang stands for white, masculine and outer.

Zoroastrianism

This ancient religion is based on the free moral choice of good thoughts, words and deeds by a person. The symbol of Zoroastrianism - faravakhar - is a winged disk, in the upper part of which a human body is depicted - fravashi, which is an analogue of the guardian angel in Abrahamic religions. Initially, this symbol, however, depicted a winged sun (a symbol of power and divine origin), later the image of a man was added to it. In general, faravahar means divine blessing (and according to some versions, royal glory).

Islam

Despite the global nature of this religion, there are no symbols in Islam as such. However, "unofficially" the symbols of Islam are, of course, the crescent and the star.

Hinduism

The quintessence of the word "Om" ("Aum") is a mantra. Aum is a symbol of Hinduism and means the universal name of God, the three letters of which denote the three main gods and their spheres of influence - Creation, Maintenance and Destruction, and in addition, symbolize the three states of consciousness: awakening, meditation and deep sleep.

The well-known swastika is also a symbol of Hinduism, and, as you know, means the Sun, harmony, unity of forces and elements, auspicious destinies. Contrary to popular belief, the idea of hoisting this symbol on the national flag of Nazi Germany does not at all belong to Adolf Hitler, obsessed with mysticism, but it was he who approved it as a symbol of National Socialism.

Nevertheless, I had to reject all the countless designs sent to me from all over by young supporters of the movement, since all these projects boiled down to only one topic: they took the old colors<красно-бело-черного прусского флага>and against this background, in different variations, they drew a hoe-shaped cross. (...) After a series of experiments and alterations, I myself compiled a completed project: the main background of the banner is red; a white circle inside, and in the center of this circle is a black hoe-shaped cross. After long alterations, I finally found the necessary ratio between the size of the banner and the size of the white circle, and finally settled on the size and shape of the cross. - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

In addition, the swastika was used as a symbol of German socialism by various military organizations even before the Nazis appeared on the political arena of Germany.

Fortunately, the solar symbol "worked" as a talisman not from the Nazis themselves, but from the Nazis, giving hope for "favorable destinies" to the rest of the world.

Judaism

The symbol of the six-pointed star of David (hexagram) has an older origin than Judaism itself. This symbol became Jewish only from the 19th century. The sign of the hexagram itself was known in India under the name Anahanta Chakra, probably long before it appeared in the Middle East and Europe.

Occultism

The common name of the teachings based on belief in otherworldly and supernatural forces - occultism - also has its own symbol - the pentagram. It is the oldest and most complex mystical symbol, the first mention of which dates back to Ancient Greece. The pentagram literally means "five lines" in Greek. This symbol, for example, was the hallmark of the school of Pythagoras, whose followers believed that a beautiful polygon had many magical properties. Researchers believe that the pentagram probably appeared 4 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia and, apparently, denoted the astronomical scheme of the movement of the planet Venus. This star symbol, as a rule, denotes a person, where the top point is the head, and the other four are the limbs. Sometimes the pentagram is also considered as an image of the five senses.

Satanism

The Seal of Baphomet is the official symbol of the Church of Satan. It represents the same pentagram, only turned upside down, often also with a goat's head inscribed in it. Around the pentagram is a ring in which the name of Leviathan is inscribed opposite each end of the star.

Sikhism

This religion was founded in India by Guru Nanak (1469-1539). Today, its adherents are more than 22 million people around the world. The most important symbol of religion is the khanda, which is a double-edged sword (the Sikh idea of a holy warrior) surrounded by a chakra, an Indian steel throwing ring (a symbol of the unity of God and man). On both sides are two kirpans (the national form of the Sikh knife), personifying spiritual and worldly power, which emphasizes that both spiritual life and obligations to the community are equally important for a Sikh.

Christianity

The symbol of the cross in Christianity, according to some researchers, is also not the original, but, like the star and crescent in Islam, a later innovation. Initially, the symbol of the Christian religion was the image of a fish. In ancient Greek, fish is designated as ἰχθύς (“ichthys (ichthus)”), which corresponds to the abbreviation of the Christian postulate “Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ” (ΙΧΘΥΣ) - “Jesus Christ is God th Son of the Savior.

The Orthodox cross, as you know, differs from the Catholic one and consists of four crossbars. Small horizontal designates a tablet with the inscription "Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews." The slanting crossbar symbolizes two thieves crucified next to Jesus, where the upward end of the crossbar denotes the forgiven of them, and the downward one indicates the second one who went to hell. Another version, however, says that the crossbar is just a footrest for the crucified, which did not allow him to die immediately after the execution.

The shape of the cross in the form of two beams, like the Catholics, came from ancient Chaldea, where, as in neighboring countries, it symbolized the god Tammuz.