Creation+of+new+religions+like+the+Vodun,+Zen,+Sikhism+and+Protestantism

__Sikhism__ - Founded sometime in the 1400s - Currently has over 20 Million followers - Preaches: - The ten Gurus enshrined their teachings in the Sikh Holy Book; Sri Guru Granth Sahib. - The word Sikh - Guru Nanak __Vodun__ - Commonly called "Voodoo" - Name is traced back to African word for "spirit" - Founded around 6,000 years ago in parts of modern day Togo, Benin, and Nigeria - During colonial times, Vodun priests were often put to death because of the threat they posed to Christian and Muslim dominion - During the Marxist regime, Vodun was again suppressed - It has been freely practiced since 1989 when Benin gained independence
 * Devotion to God at all times
 * Truthful living
 * Equality of all mankind
 * Social Justice
 * Denounces superstitions and blind rituals
 * Means "Disciple" in the Punjabi language
 * They are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus
 * Born in 1469
 * Preached messages of love and understanding
 * Criticized the Hindus and Muslims
 * He passed on his teachings to nine gurus after him
 * The last living guru; guru Gobind Singh died in 1708
 * [[image:webkit-fake-url://2B8F1D16-E4DE-4F0C-9637-4F88B741D2F9/symbol_sikhism_khanda.gif width="160" height="207" caption="The Khanda, a common symbol of Sikhism"]]
 * Spread to Haiti and other Caribbean nations when slaves were brought across the Atlantic and kept their religion
 * This resulted in creation of underground societies
 * They practiced veneration of ancestors and worshipped their powerful gods
 * It was named the official religion of the country of Benin in 1996

__Zen Buddhism__ - Detailed accounts of early history do not exist - In China, it is referred to as //Chan// - The Enso; a symbol of Japanese Zen Buddhism - Creation is credited to Bodhidharma; a monk who came to China to teach a "special transmission outside scriptures" which "did not stand upon words" - Zen was first documented in China in the 7th century C.E. - It consisted of a lot of mythology - It was developed from the interaction between Mahāyāna Buddhism and Daoism - Lots of Buddhist ideas mixed with those of Daoism
 * //Chan// is derived from Sanskrit, meaning "meditation"

__Protestantism__ - In 1517, the Catholic church authorized the sale of indulgences - Martin Luther - The Protestant Reformation was popular in Europe for its religious teaching as well as the European political climate in the sixteenth century - The second protestant reformation
 * Basically bribing the priests for forgiveness of their sins
 * Creates the Ninety-Five theses and nails it to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in present day Germany
 * He didn't agree with the indulgences, he believed that forgiveness was gained only through faith in Jesus Christ
 * This angered the Catholics, eventually leading to his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church
 * Due to moveable type, Luther's ideas spread throughout Europe in the fifteenth century
 * Nationalism was spreading throughout the German states of the Holy Roman Empire, leading to resistance of the authority of the pope.
 * For this reason, they welcomed Protestantism
 * King Henry VIII of England breaks away from the Catholic church when the pope refuses to divorce him and his wife
 * He wanted to divorce her because she could not produce a male heir to the kingdom
 * Under the rule of Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth I, England recognized Protestantism as the national religion

Sources:
 * 1) http://www.do-not-zzz.com/
 * 2) http://www.sikhs.org/summary.htm
 * 3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodun
 * 4) Barron's AP World History 2009
 * 5) McGraw-Hill 5 Steps to a 5, AP World History 2008-2009